Children of Poseidon: Rann by Annalisa Carr

her head.
    “Not a clue,” Lykos said. “But I’ll tell you who might know. Circe.”
    “Circe?” Rann shuddered. “I can’t believe you said that. I can’t go to Circe. Not only would she not tell me, but she might try and remove my limbs at the same time. I’ve heard stories about her.”
    “She used to like a good-looking man.” Lykos folded his arms and leaned back on the sofa.
    “You’d know.”
    “If you don’t think you can handle—”
    “I don’t think. I know.” Rann ignored his brother’s attempt to wind him up. “I might be able to beat her into submission, but I can’t see how that’s going to help.”
    “She might want to help a fellow seawitch.”
    Rann couldn’t believe Lykos meant it. “Do you really think—”
    Lila interrupted. “What about Damnamenos? When he had me prisoner, he boasted about having created the seawitches. ‘Spawned them,’ he said. Maybe he’d have an idea.”
    Lykos looked sideways at her, his brows lowered. He frowned. Any normal woman would have cowered. “Damnam’s nothing but trouble. Circe would be better.”
    Lila frowned right back at him. “Not from what I hear. You know I’m right.”
    The change in his autocratic half-brother never stopped amazing Rann. Lykos had never been a bully, because he never had to be. People scurried to do his bidding at his slightest word. If they hesitated, that frown soon had them moving again. Lila seemed completely oblivious. Rann had been there at their first meeting and remembered his brother’s incredulity when Lila didn’t jump at his command. She was good for him.
    “Damnamenos?”
    “If anyone knows, he would.” Lykos’s voice was grudging, but his hand tightened on Lila’s shoulder. “You’re right.”
    “Thanks.” Rann finished his coffee. “I’ll see what she’s like when I get to London. Then I’ll decide whether to ask Damnam. Do you think he’d tell me?” Damnamenos was their half-brother, the youngest son of Poseidon. He’d resented his older brothers for millennia. Nine years ago he’d had Lila kidnapped and then snatched Maya. His resulting defeat at Lykos’s hands had done nothing to improve the relationship.
    Lila answered. “I think he would. He’s a lot of sound and fury, but he sounded as if he had a soft spot for the seawitches.”
    Lykos snorted.
    “And if he created them, surely they must be valuable to him. He was always going on about adding witches to his household.”
    “He did say they’d be miserable slaves,” Lykos pointed out.
    Lila shrugged.
    “I’ll ask him,” Rann said. “It can’t do any harm.”
    “I’ve had another idea.” Lila looked pleased with herself. “Remember the witch and werewolf partners who were prisoners with me?” She had been kept in a cage between Annis, the witch, and Connor, the werewolf.
    “I remember.” Rann raised his brows at Lykos. “The two who helped me track down the missing supernaturals?”
    “Of course I remember. I’m not senile.” Lykos scowled at Rann.
    “They were private investigators,” Lila said. “Working mostly for the magic community. Annis is a finder witch. Maybe they’d know how to go about finding where this seawitch came from.”
    “That’s a good idea.” Rann gave her an approving smile. “Do you know how to get in touch with them?”
    “I’ll give you Annis’s number. We’ve kept in touch. She’s bound to remember you.”
    “Thanks, Lila. Best thing Lykos ever did was keep you.” He glanced at his half-brother whose face had taken on an expression of smugness. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Chapter 8
    Jewel sipped her coffee and slumped into the window seat of the Italian coffee shop on Hampstead High Street. Closing her eyes, she mentally prepared herself for the meeting with her mother. A strong feeling that she would not want, or be able to eat and drink while in her old home, made her dread the prospect of sitting down to tea. Going to the café was an attempt to