“Aye.”
“Why?”
“Will you do it for me?” Terena whispered, hating how her voice broke over the words. She couldn’t recall ever being this vulnerable in front of the god, and she feared he would see her as weak. Or worse.
Mortal.
Gods, how she hated… all of this. Hated how she felt about Daris, hated that his love for her would bring about his death. But most of all, she hated being a plaything for the Fates.
Hermes leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms as he watched her. Terena schooled her features, hardening her eyes as she stared back at him.
“What will you do for me?”
“Really?”
His lower jaw moved from side to side as he made her wait.
“No. Not really.” He stood abruptly, stretching with a loud groan. Turning to face her, a beautiful smile brightened his face. “You’re my niece. Of course I’ll do it for you.”
Relief so profound flooded through her she let out a sob, overwhelmed by her feelings. Putting her hand to her chest, she gave him a tremulous smile as she stood.
“Thank you, Hermes. Thank you.”
Impulsively, she reached out and hugged him. Grinning at how stiff he became, she pulled away.
Turning to leave, Terena raised a finger and turned back to face the god, who stood with his brow furrowed as he stared at the ground.
“Oh, and Hermes,” she said, snapping his attention back to her. “Say nothing to Daris about this coming from me. Please?”
Hermes smiled back and bowed his head. “My lips are sealed.”
As dusk fellinto deepest night and the only sounds were the low murmurs of the few soldiers still sitting around the fading campfires, Terena sighed and turned to search out her tent.
Her nerves were shot from the events of the day. The way Cassandra and Rydon looked at her every time she caught their eyes worsened her mood. They were waiting for her to have the conversation with Daris about their bond and she was putting it off. Dread was a wonderful co-conspirator in procrastination.
Terena gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth as Daris’s large frame blocked the dim light from the fires, his face shrouded in shadows.
“You startled me,” she mumbled, thankful for the dark and how it hid the rising color in her face.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said after a silence lasting several heartbeats, which she counted.
Her hands shook and her pulse raced. This moment was inevitable, and yet, coward that she was when it came to this man, her mind fought for ways to get out of it.
Daris edged closer, his body stiff. He seemed angry, and she wondered how he’d react to what she was about to tell him.
“You’re not denying it,” Daris said, his gravelly voice scratching beneath her skin like the most sensual of claws.
She swallowed, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I have been, aye.”
He took a step closer and her heart skipped its next beat, faltering in her chest before speeding up to twice its normal pace.
“Why.”
Not a question. Terena licked her dry lips and opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out.
He stepped closer.
