“You loved her,” I say.
He huffs out a humorless laugh. “Loved... If only it were that easy to forget. She is as much a part of my soul today as she was a millennium ago.” His jaw clenches. “I was foolish. We both were. And we paid the price.”
Amillennium?How old is he? “I didn’t mean—” I start, but he waves my excuse away. It’s clear I’ve made him miserable.What did you expect from bringing up his dead mate, Laïna? That he would be happy?I curse myself for my lack of tact. I should get going before I make it even worse. I glance over my shoulder toward the entrance.
Turning back, I suck in a sharp breath, my heart pounding in my chest at his proximity. There’s no way anyone can move that fast. That soundlessly. Did he bend?
He braces his hand against the wall, his midnight-blue curls falling around his eyes as he stares down at me. Certain I’ve made him angry, I keep my gaze locked on his chest, too afraid of the fury I’ll find if I look up. I rub my clammy palms against my skirts. Is he the type of god that snaps the neck of anyone who displeases him? My mind replays the way Casimir used his dark tendrils to snap Nana’s neck. One moment she was there, the next she was no more than a lump on the floor. I’ve already stabbed him once. How much more will he tolerate?
As always when he’s close, his scent fills my nose. Now the pictures filling my mind are of a very different sort, and it takes every ounce of self-control I possess to not lift my hands and touch him. I clench my teeth. Damn him. Damn the dreams. My mind knows those dreams aren’t real, but for some stupid reason, my treacherous body does not.
A finger touches my chin, and Aster tilts my head up, forcing my eyes to meet his golden ones. He’s tense, as if he’s struggling to control himself. When he lifts his hand, my initial thought is that he’ll strangle me. Instead, he lets his thumb glide across my lower lip. A shudder moves through my body. He swallows.
“This is not fair play, Mah.” It’s barely a whisper, and it’s clear he’s speaking to himself, not me.
Just leave me alone,I want to scream at him. He flinches.And get the fuck out of my mind.
“Then keep your thoughts to yourself.”
He said something similar during our sparring—or whatever you want to call it. I give him a questioning look, but his attention is elsewhere, his body alert.
“Don’t let me ruin your little reunion.” The sultry voice is familiar, yet not. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, I slip out from where he has me pinned to the wall, positioning myself in the main hallway where I have a clear view of them both.
The female approaching us has the same ethereal beauty as Aster, and she is, if possible, more beautiful close up than she was when I saw her at the initiation ceremony.
Aster doesn’t even deign to turn, his rigid posture heavy with disregard. “Why are you here, Cyra?” His voice is laced with ice. “Avoiding your own celebration?”
“Something like that. One can grow tired of too much worship.” Her laugh is husky. “But I guess you wouldn’t know.” Hips swaying, she strolls toward him at a leisurely pace, her floor-length red gown leaving little to the imagination. “No one celebratesdeath, after all.”
“Leave me alone, Cyra. I’m in no mood for your petty games.” He still hasn’t bothered to turn and face her.
“And here I thought you would be excited to see me.” She pouts. “You were happy to let me share your bed once.” She taps a finger against her pursed lips, which are painted the same deep red as her nails. “In fact, I seem to recall youbeggingme not to leave you alone.” She twirls a fiery-red strand of hair around her finger.
He spins so fast he’s a blur. “You are well aware I was not myself,” he snaps. “I was hurting.”
Cyra lets out another husky laugh. “I was just offering. No need to get mad.” Her gaze swipes over me, distaste clearly written on her face. “Must admit, I didn’t see this one coming.”
I glance between them. Is she talking about me? “What? Why?”
“Nothing,” he says. “Cyra doesn’t know what she is talking about.”
She stares at him with a calculating expression. “Is that so?” She turns toward me, her smile as sweet as sugar when her blazing blue eyes—like the heart of a flame—meet mine. “My mistake.”
Aster appears ready to murder her—if that’s even possible for a goddess—while she pointedly disregards him. She looks as smug as a cat that’s caught a mouse.
My eyes narrow on him. “More secrets?”
He says nothing.
“How convenient it must be for you to be the sole mind reader around here,” I mutter, more to myself than to him.
“You have no idea,” Cyra says with a smirk.
He closes his eyes and lets out a heavy breath. “I think you’d be wise to stay close to Llyr.” The words are pressed out through clenched teeth.
“Why, Aster? Are you afraid someone will, let’s say,killher if she goes off on her own?”
Before I’ve had time to blink, he has her pinned by her throat to the opposite wall. His lips are pulled back in a snarl, revealing his fangs. “Did I not make it clear I want nothing to do with your petty games, Cyra?”
