Six
Cyrus
Sister of the Storm? The fact that someone else had given her a nickname annoyed me, but I tried to keep the annoyance off my face as I gripped Emmy’s arms and pulled her into me. She didn’t have time to ask any of the many questions that were undoubtedly trying to spring from that busy mind of hers before we were standing in a clearing.
“Have we left Beastiary’s forest?” she asked, quickly pushing away from me and turning on her heel to take in the space.
“We are close to my home,” I replied. “I thought it would be better if we did this here, away from ... Donald.”
“What isthis?” she asked, immediately turning again, her eyes narrowing sharply. “You better not put me under any kind ofduress, you Sacred Asshole—”
“I won’t need to,” I said, quickly cutting her off. “You constantly put yourself under duress. I’m only going to sit here and witness it while I wait for something to happen.”
With those words, I sized up a comfortable-looking boulder, settling back against it, folding my arms. Her mouth was hanging open, her face falling into confusion.
“You’re going to just ... wait until it happens?”
“That’s right.” I grinned. “Neither of us is leaving this forest until something happens. There’s a cave just through the trees behind you. We can sleep there if the need arises, and a small stream just a few paces behind me if there’s need of privacy.”
“You’re in need of a sanity check,” she mumbled, dropping to sit cross-legged on the grass. “This is never going to work, and it’s definitely not going to put me under duress.”
“Then I also won’t speak to you.” My smile was growing. I couldn’t help it. “With nobody to talk to, nobody to answer your questions, and no way out of this forest, I believe you will very quickly lose your temper.”
She spluttered out some more insults, before letting out a huff, getting to her feet, and storming off. I was powerful enough to feel her energy, even when she was out of sight. So I didn’t move. I let her go and she stomped around, no doubt trying to calm the cluttered mess her mind was in.
My mind was troubled as well. Terrance had been less useful than I had expected, and far more frustrating. Seeing him touch Emmy shouldn’t have bothered me, but … it did. And it wasn’t just the touching but also his fascination with her. Terrance loved to collect things—his animal creations, the most beautiful parts of nature, and the strongest of allies.
It was in his personality to build a secure nest and to fill it with all of his favourite things. I’d be damned if Emmy ended up as one of those things.
“This isn’t going to work,” she announced, bursting back into the clearing. “I’m telling you right now, this sort of environment isn’t the right one for me discover a new power. I need books. Order. A quiet, tidy place to gather my thoughts.”
I almost laughed, because that sounded exactly like my cave.We matched. Her energy drew me, and I stood so I could stalk closer to her. My focus remained locked on her like she was my prey. I didn’t do it because I wanted to scare her, but because I couldn’t look away. Her eyes grew very wide, and even though she didn’t seem to want to, she started to back up slowly. Something unfurled inside my chest—a need to pursue her until she submitted to me. Until she gave me exactly what I wanted.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, curiosity and fear warring in her tone.
She stopped moving when her back hit a nearby tree. I stopped as well. “Come to me,” I said. “Stop fighting it, because you know you’ll eventually give in.”
Her cheeks went pink, and I smiled. It was when she was riled up that her power shone the brightest.
“You’re so arrogant,” she said, stepping forward suddenly. Her finger came out so that she could jab me in the chest. I barely felt it, but it still amused me that she was so relaxed about trying to injure me. “You don’t own me, and I’ll never submit to you.”
I moved with extra speed, her finger and hand in mine in a micro-click. Emmy paused, the words dying on her tongue.
“Are you sure?” I whispered, leaning down closer to her. “You’re so tightly wound. Don’t you wish there was someone in the worlds you could rely on? Someone you could relax with and trust to catch you when you finally let yourself go free? No more rules and responsibilities. No more stresses.”
I could be that god for her.
“You think you’re the one I should trust?” she breathed, her lips trembling. “The very god who has such massive trust issues that he lives under the ground in a secret, warded cave?”
I shifted, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. It wasn’t something I was used to, the way she could carve right to the truth.
“Neutral is alone. That’s the nature of my power,” I admitted, unsure why I was being so honest with her. “It’s the only way I can remain impartial.”
“You don’t seem that impartial with me,” she said, tilting her head back. The curve of her neck in that moment was so tantalising that I barely managed to not lean down and press my lips to it.
You’re different,I thought, but I didn’t say it out loud. “Maybe we should explore the area?” I suggested, finding that I was the one who needed some breathing room.
She was … a lot. Too much.Everything.
