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just fine.” She needed to think. There had to be a way to fight this. She pushed upright in bed.
    “You need to lie down,” Mordecai told her.
    Jessica shook her head. “I need to get a cool shower, change into something that isn’t covered in my sweat and I need to think. I’m a witch for goddess’s sake. I can fight this.
    “Let me help you.” Sabrina offered her hand, but Mordecai eased the other woman aside.
    He lifted Jessica off the bed and carried her into the bathroom with Sabrina close on his heels. He carefully set her on the counter. “I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.”
    She stared into his dark eyes and drew on his strength. “Thank you.”
    He closed his eyes and heaved a deep breath. “Don’t thank me. You wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for me.” With that, he turned on his heel and stalked from the room. Sabrina closed the door behind him.
    Mordecai wanted to descend into the fiery depths of Hell, find the vindictive god and beat the crap out of him. Only knowing he’d have no way out and that would leave Jessica even more vulnerable stopped him. Anger the likes he’d never experienced engulfed him. Smoke actually began to rise from his skin until he took several breaths to calm himself.
    The last thing anyone needed was for him to burn the place down around them. He needed to find control. He’d finally found his way into Jessica’s bedroom, but it was under circumstances he could never have imagined. The space reflected Jessica’s personality. It was bright and airy, filled with books and chunks of semi-precious stones and other treasures. Several plants stood in a stand by the window, lending their fresh scent to the air.
    Arand’s hand fell on his shoulder. “We’ll find a way to defeat this.”
    But Mordecai wasn’t so sure. “Why? Why is Hades doing this?” He gave a dark laugh. “No, don’t answer. I know why he’s doing this. He would have left her alone but for me. I lived in his domain for decades, tricking him. He can’t attack me because the curse is broken, but he figured out how to hurt me anyway.”
    “I’m sorry.” Arand’s words were like stones in his belly.
    “There has to be a way.” Mordecai wouldn’t rest until he found it. “Maybe the Lady?” He reached for his goddess with his mind and found…nothing. “I can’t feel her.” This was exactly the way it had been while they were cursed and the Lady had been trapped in Hell. It was like being cut off from a part of himself.
    That was shocking. Ever since the curse had been broken they’d been able to sense where their goddess was at any given moment.
    “I can’t feel her either.” Arand pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling the others. Maybe they can find her.” He walked away to place the calls.
    “This has to be another trick of Hades.” Mordecai wanted to wring the god’s neck. Why couldn’t he leave well enough alone? “He’s not harming us, just interfering with communications.”
    “Why isn’t he imprisoned?” Stavros asked. The jaguar was restless, pacing back and forth in the small space. “I thought after the Lady drained his power that Zeus imprisoned him.”
    “The gods don’t see things the same way we do. You can’t trust them.” Mordecai had seen well enough how they worked. “They might consider a few weeks punishment enough for his misdeeds.”
    “Even though he’d planned to overthrow them, steal their power and imprison them?” Stavros seemed incredulous. And while Mordecai could understand his friend’s point of view, Stavros didn’t know the gods as well as he did.
    “One of the other gods or goddesses may have spoken up on Hades’ behalf if he or she wanted a favor from Hades now or at some time in the future. They’re always bartering and playing games.” And he’d hated it.
    The shower came on in the background and Mordecai’s entire body tightened. His serpent roared at him to go and see to Jessica. He could