Aidan glanced at her warily but appeared largely unrepentant as he bestowed one more shocking revelation for the day. “I kept an eye on you, of course.”
“Youstalkedme?”
Aidan exhaled through his nose as if she were being obtuse. “I think I’ve already made it clear how much is at stake. Soyes,I had Grim and his reapers watch over you. They aren’t allowed to interfere, and it brought me more anxiety than relief, but I still forced myself to watch over you nonetheless.”
Her nose wrinkled, afraid to ask her next question. “How much did Grim and his reapers see?”
Aidan looked disgruntled at the insinuation, rubbing a handover his face in exasperation. “Nothing inappropriate if that’s what you mean.”
Hand still over his mouth, she swore she heard him mutter. “I’d fucking kill him.”
Begrudgingly, he attempted to explain. “The fates restricted me, as well as every other past god of the dead, from leaving the Deathlands. Between me being unable to leave, and you being unable to access your magic or hold your form here, Grim and his reapers filled the gap.”
He shrugged as if the situation made such behavior acceptable.
“You need boundaries.” Gods knew what he had seen. She fought the urge to cringe—she didn’t owe him an apology for her life.
The skin near his eyes creased as he tried not to laugh and failed. Shaking his head, the dark melody of his voice became forthright and blunt. “Thorn, I would stalk you to the ends of the realms and back again. How’s that for honest?”
Her heart stuttered even as she eyed him like he was an insane person. She didn’t know why he was calling herThorn, but she doubted it was for polite reasons. Clearing her throat, her Crown voice slipped out inadvertently. “That’s unhealthy. And I know unhealthy relationships, so…”
He fully gave in to his chuckle now, the sound leaving goosebumps on her neck. Aidan set his gaze on her, a dangerous gleam entering his eyes as he moved. She held a hand up. “No, you stay right over there. There’s been enough of…thisfor one day.”
He grinned. “Do I make you nervous?”
She tossed her head. “Hardly. You need house-training.”
Gaze locked on hers, his voice was a smooth, slow murmur. “What I’m about to say, I can repeat as many times as you need me to.”
Too much, too much.Warmth licked through her, unwieldy and unwelcome. She backed into a cabinet, the door smacking loudly against her head. “We can talkafterthe temple.”
Undeterred, his next words almost dropped her to her knees. “Damn the fates except for one thing. They might have never planned for you to reach me, but they made youmine.”
She started to protest, but scarred fingers covered her mouth.
“And if you hadn’t come? I would have stolen you through a crack in the earth and fed you with the truth of your belonging and power until you wanted to stay. Because even though you don’t see it, that’s what you deserve…love, adoration,power.”
Stunned, her voice was shaky as she pushed back on his chest. “That isn’t a normal thing to say, Aidan. Especially not to a stranger.”
Aidan stepped back, allowing her to pass with a smile playing at his lips and his blue eyes victorious. “Wouldn’t want you to be confused about where I stand. Besides, we’re not strangers—I stalked you, remember?”
Elysia moved stiffly as she left the kitchen, her head rampant with confusion. She stopped two feet out of the doorway, looking over her shoulder. “You don’t have to do that—convince me of something that isn’t there to motivate me. I meant it when I said I’d do my job.”
Chapter 5
What the fuckis a dead man’s remedy?Nothing on this cocktail menu made any sense.
Despite Aidan’syou should leave as soon as possibleorders, he’d been nowhere to be found all day. His office had been unusually empty and anytime she ran into a stray reaper, they hurried away before she could ask them where he was. Like any good snoop, she’d used this time to poke around the house, and even pilfered a few fountain pens from his office. His desk was lined with color-coded jars of them—and now he was a few pens short. She smiled. She might have only known him for a short time, but she had him pegged, and it pleased her no small amount to mess with his fastidious order of things.
Knowing he’d be pissed if she traveled off to the mortal realm without speaking to him, she decided to venture into the village. In her initial travels to the death realm, she’d only seen a bit of the woods and the estate—there was an entire realm to explore though, and the local village seemed like a good place to start. Nestled in a valley, the estate was snugly surrounded by rolling hills and patches of the scraggly woods she had seen on her first visit. A well-worn dirt path directed her up over a hill all the way to the cobblestone streets of the village.
The houses she passed looked like smaller versions of Aidan’s home. Dark red-brown brick with black trim and iron accents. Moving further into the village, she found not only red-brick offices and storefronts but also smooth, creamy plaster buildings with the same dark trim and dark roofs. Windows were decorated with planter boxes, and she imagined they would be filled with bright red flowers come spring. Sooty fog reminiscent of Kava caressed the open air, but unlike her home, the buildings remained clean and presentable. When she inhaled, the tinted and speckled air didn’t stick to her mouth or lungs. People leisurely unlocked their shops, waving and chatting to each other like it was routine.
Now, her ass was on a barstool as she scanned the cocktail board looking for a single drink she recognized. Giving up, she perused the liquor shelves instead. Elaborately cut bottles glowed and swirled. One bottle in particular caught her eye as flecks of light sparked in the dark blue-green liquid.
“Want a taste?”
Elysia turned her attention to the blonde bartender. He pointed at the bottle. “The starshine? Do you want a glass?”
