Emmy nodded, not fighting me for once. “Sure, show me this damn cave we’ll sleep in if I don’t discover my powers before then.”
“Terrance was right,” I murmured, not expecting her to hear me.
She did though—of course she did. “Right about what?”
I wanted to lie because I was giving her too much power, but I found myself again telling her the truth. “You’re filled with fire and life. You are unique.”Special.
Her face crumbled for a moment, before she recovered, sniffling and sucking in a deep breath. “Did you know my parents died when I was young? A sickness went through our town, and they both fell ill almost straight away. I barely remember them, I was so young, but there is one thing I do recall with almost perfect clarity.”
She spoke matter-of-factly, but I sensed the sadness seeping from her as she continued.
“My mum always tucked me in at bedtime. She would wrap my blanket tightly around me because I was afraid of sleepers getting in, and she would say the same thing to me every single time. ‘You might be born a dweller, but you can still rise up. You can be the best dweller there is. Always remember: you are loved … you are perfect … you are unique.’”
She swallowed, and I fought against the urge to pull her closer to me. Seeing such strong emotion on her face was bothering me, and I wanted to comfort her, but I knew she wasn’t done.
“After they died, I had nowhere else to go. Willa’s mum took me in because she was the only one who really didn’t care about another dweller being in her house. The first night there, I waited for her to put the blankets tightly around us. But she wasn’t even there to say goodnight. It was just me and Willa.”
“And that’s how it’s been since then?” I finished.
Emmy nodded. “Yes.” She looked around then, her eyes hazy. “I had forgotten about that until you called me unique. Subconsciously though, I think it’s part of the reason I’ve always strived to be the best dweller. Top of my station.”
“Your mum loved you,” I said. “She wanted you to know that what you were born as does not define you.”
“And yet, it always has.”
I shook my head. “No, it hasn’t. I have been watching you since Willa was first brought to my attention, and in all of that time, you have acted like a dweller in only one way. You cared about other dwellers. In all other ways, you have acted with the confidence, strength, and resilience of a sol. And now that you are a god ... I think that you will be one of our greatest.”
“One of your greatest?” she parroted, apparently shocked. She started laughing, then.Okay, she was definitely shocked. “One of your greatest!” she repeated, laughing harder.
She eventually threw up her hands, and then settled them against my chest, roughly trying to push me back. I didn’t budge, but I smirked at the effort she had put into it.
“Well, we know one thing for sure...” I murmured, ducking my head to force her eyes to mine.
As soon as I caught her attention, she lifted her chin stubbornly, refusing to look away—as I knew she would.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Your ability certainly isn’t Strength,” I remarked.
She scowled, shoving against my chest again. Her cheeks were growing pink. She had thought that I was making fun of her with my earlier comment, I could tell. I curled my fingers beneath her chin, forcing her head up even further as I straightened a little.
“I meant it, Emmanuelle. I have seen the rise and fall of many gods—because as you’ve discovered, they aren’t as invincible as they seem—and I know greatness when it’s standing in front of me.”
I ducked down again, pressing my lips to hers before she could stop me. She gasped a little—either from my statement or my sudden kiss, I wasn’t sure. I pressed harder against her soft mouth, my fingers moving from her chin to the base of her neck, before threading into her hair.
She melted the same way she did every time I kissed her, but I knew that she would grow stiff as a board the micro-click that I pulled away. I would have to watch the iron shutters fall into place over her eyes. I would have to watch that delicious mouth firm into a hard line again. I couldn’t bear to see the change, so I deepened the kiss. I pushed my tongue into her mouth, my hands finding her shoulders before dipping down over the curve of her spine. I could feel every inch of her through the robes, and my hands hooked around her thighs by instinct, pulling her up and drawing her legs around my waist. She followed like she had been made to fit me, to complement me, to melt into me.
A sound from behind us threatened to distract me as I lost myself in the feel of her body arching up against mine, her tongue responding to me so sweetly. I pulled back slightly, the sound repeating itself, piercing through the fog that had descended over my mind.
“Oh my gods,” Emmy muttered, sounding horrified. “Cyrus, put me down. Look.”
I refused to release her, but I followed her pointed finger to look over my shoulder. Shock stole through me, loosening my hold on her. She found her feet and I quickly turned, pushing her behind my back.
A line of eight servers stood before us, each of them holding a small axe. Their eyes were glowing with colour—a hint of blue mixed with a hint of red, swirling around a pearly white orb. One of them pulled his arm up and hurled his axe without warning, sending itthuddinginto the trunk of the tree only a few inches to the right of us.
“Stop,” I ordered, reaching over to pull the axe free. I had a feeling I was about to need it. “You have just attacked a god.”
They didn’t reply. They advanced—three steps, in unison. One of them let out a strange, mechanical groaning sound.
