Teddy stared at her. He’d known Stella his whole life and yet she was a stranger. Her eyes were striking, almost supernaturally green with flecks of gold and framed by long, dark lashes. Her cheeks were flushed and her nose was covered in a light dusting of freckles. It was annoying how beautiful she was.
“Are you a demigoddess?” The question slipped out in some sort of half-stunned stupor. He knew she was—or it made sense that she was given her bloodline, but he had just never thought too hard about it until she was this close.
Stella laughed softly. “Yes.”
“I didn’t know that.”Idiot. Stop talking, Teddy.
“You never asked.”
“How does it work?”
She shrugged half-heartedly. “I heal faster without having to channel any magic. My memory affinity is stronger and more intricate than most. I have more endurance and I’m naturally stronger than other women my age would be, but I don’t think it’s otherwise noticeable.”
Teddy disagreed. It was impossible to miss up close. The air around her held the subtle hum of magic—that, and she was so incredibly striking. It was hard to look away.
“Why are you helping me now? I’m your competition.”
She cocked her head and frowned. “Sometimes we all just need a hand to hold when we’re close to breaking.”
“But you can’t stand me,” Teddy mumbled.
“And that is why I’d like to beat you when you’re at your best. At least then you’ll have to respect me, even if you go on hating me.”
“I don’t hate you. I just—” He didn’t have a sufficient word for how he felt about Stella McKay. He cleared his throat. “How did you know how to calm me down?”
She shrugged like it was nothing. “My father used to do it for my mother when she had a hard day. It’s been a long time, but he used to do it for us when we were little too. A hug and a story—when I was young, there was nothing that combination couldn’t fix.”
“And now?”
Stella smiled sadly. “And now I’m grown up and I think all the hugs and stories in the world wouldn’t change the fact that the love of my life might be meant for someone else.”
Teddy frowned. “You don’t know that. The gods play games.”
Stella’s eyes lit up. “You think so?”
Teddy nodded. “Would anyone know better than us? Our families?”
Stella smoothed his tunic and combed her fingers through his hair. The movements were intimate—only Grace had done these things for him. It felt strange for Stella to be doing them now.
“Maybe you’re right,” she said. “Maybe this is a test from my Aunt Des. I guess I’ll find out after the tournament. Now, will you let me up?”
He hadn’t even realized he was holding on to her waist. He jerked his hands away like he’d been burned, and she grinned as she rose to her feet and helped him up.
Teddy tugged at the linen sleeves of his tunic and turned to fix his hair in the mirror. Then he whirled back to Stella.
“Aren’t you nervous?” Teddy asked.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Of course. But I’m more afraid of my parents’ reaction at the moment. I’m compartmentalizing.”
Teddy stared at her in disbelief. He’d seen the competition. Most of them were big and burly enough that Teddy was sweating it. Stella certainly wasn’t slight, but she was probably the smallest contender, and, demigoddess strength or not, she certainly hadn’t received the same kind of training he had.
Rainer McKay was the most talented swordsman he’d ever seen, but Teddy couldn’t imagine that he’d made sure Stella was comfortable with killing. Surely she knew how to defend herself and would be a competent fighter, and she had a sharp tongue, but she was too empathetic for this kind of violence. That empathy would be a liability that Teddy could not afford.
Stella pointed at the tent entrance. “No one out there is half as tough as you and I. None of those warriors know what it’s like to be under so much scrutiny every moment of their lives. Only you and I know what the weight of perfection feels like.”
Teddy scoffed. “What do you know of it?”
She laughed bitterly. “Oh, you think it’s easy to be the daughter of the perfect love story? Do you have any idea what other peopleexpect? Gods, do you have any idea whatIexpect?” She shook her head. “Everyone in this field thinks they are resilient, but few of them are mentally tough. The only person I am worried about beating is you.”
