“Kissed! On the mouth or…” She winks. “Elsewhere?”
I tap my cheek, throat too stricken to work properly.
The skin around Demi’s sparkling eyes pinches, she is grinning so hard. “And were you satisfied with this kiss, or did you perhaps want more?”
“Um.” Is it appropriate to discuss this with Eurus’ former lover? “Well—”
“Of course, you don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable,” she goes on, gathering bowls from the cupboard. “Obviously, I know how Eurus is. He is distant, yes, but there is a surprising warmth beneath the surface.”
The idea of Eurus sharing a bed with Demi is not a thought I care to ponder. “Right,” I say, my smile wilting.
Slowly, I stir the soup. Their relationship was in the past. Thedistantpast. Eurus harbors no great affection for her. Indeed, his behaviortoward the goddess more closely resembles resentment, if I’m not mistaken.
“Min,” she says quietly.
“Yes?”You’re fine. It doesn’t matter what occurred between them. Just focus on the task at hand.“If there’s anything else you n-need added—”
“Are you jealous, love?”
The ache grinds, and I wince, releasing the spoon as I turn to face Demi, who is beautiful and confident and has such presence, and I cannot convince myself that Eurus would ever feel anything for me, someone weak and mortal and terribly small.
“I don’t know.” Truth. “The kiss didn’t mean anything.” Lie. “Eurus doesn’t have feelings for me.” Truth. “Our relationship is a means to an end.” Also truth.
Catching my chin between thumb and forefinger, she lifts my face upward, perusing my features with an intensity that would concern me if I did not trust that she would not harm me. This close, I smell the perfume of her skin: dandelion greens.
“A means to an end?” The goddess appears concerned by my explanation. She reaches around me to stir the soup, then grabs a ladle. “I want you to be careful, Min. I’m telling you this as a friend. The gods care only for themselves. I do not wish to see your heart broken when you are so eager to share it with him.”
“That’s not…” Fact or falsehood? I can no longer distinguish between the two. “I’m n-not sharing my heart with Eurus,” I state firmly.
“If you’re sure.” One ladleful into each bowl, steam rising from the hearty broth. “If it’s any consolation, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to Eurus and me. That was over a long time ago, and there was never any stability to it, truth be told.” After carrying the bowls to the table, she gestures me over, and we sit. Sun pours through the window, and I can almost convince myself I am back at the estate, or perhaps the manor, whose kitchen overlooks the sea.
Slipping a spoonful of soup into her mouth, Demi cants her head, rolling the flavor along her tongue. “Not bad. A bit more pepper, perhaps.” She swallows down a second bite.
“Can I ask why things never worked out between you two?” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I gird myself against what will unfold.
“Eurus does not trust easily.” She looks at me, and in her eyes, I see their shared history, what was whole and then broken. “If you are lucky enough to receive his trust, know that it is a gift. I did not realize its value at the time, and I broke it.”
“How?”
She shakes her head. “I learned—too late, but I learned. It is a fragile thing, trust.”
I lower my spoon into the bowl, my appetite having fled.Trust?I am luring the East Wind to his demise. What was shared in the dim of my bedroom days ago… it meant something to us both, I think. I do not wish him to come to harm, but I lived a life before we met. I have dreams. Don’t I deserve to see them realized?
“Oh, drat!” Demi suddenly cries, shoving upright. “I forgot I’m supposed to meet Arin and his sister today. I need to leave a bit early, due to the blockades in the north.”
“Blockades?” I stare at her in confusion.
“For the protests. They’ve closed off the roads. You haven’t heard?”
I shake my head and begin helping Demi clean up. She washes the pans. I toss the vegetable scraps. She wipes the counters. I scrub the bowls and utensils. It’s nice sharing the company of another. Dare I say a friend.
“Apparently,” she says, “this Prince Balior is becoming more powerful than the divine are comfortable with. Some claim he wants to take over the mortal realms, but evidence suggests he’s searching for a way into the City of Gods. The beast he is said to be traveling with cannot be located. The protestors are demanding action from the council.”
That doesn’t sound reassuring.
“Some think that whatever dark bond connects them has allowed the prince to drain the beast of its power,” Demi adds as she dries her hands with a thin towel.
“Will the Council of Gods get involved?”
