I glance at Helios’ back as he heads up the steps. He is weakened, but he will be fine. The gods will have to have a meeting on whether they agree to reinstate his divine mark or if they’ll choose a new Sun God. I’m sure he’ll get his power again because, although I don’t like him, he is not evil, and he has centuries and centuries of experience in this role. When the world is so unstable, changing a divine being of power would be a dangerous idea.
I now look at Jayce, my heart aching as I slowly make my way towards him, hesitating. I still find it hard to believe he is here before me. That he came for me, even if he’s angry.
I had dreamt of a moment like this, to be able to be back in his arms, but none of them were like this; then again, this isn’t a dream.
He doesn’t move, his eyes lock with mine, his jaw clenched, but his face is unreadable. I wonder what is going on in his mind because he’s controlling his emotions perfectly behind a mask. I stop a few feet away and look at the five brothers.
“Thank you for fighting for me,” I say to them all. “I’llforever be grateful.”
Renji smiles and shakes his head with a wave of his hand. “It wasn’t much.” He’s saying that despite his injuries.
“Well, you know, being as amazing as we are, this was a walk in the park,” Theo adds.
“Yeah, if it’s fucking Jurassic Park,” Ares remarks, making me smile.
“Nice mask,” I say, pointing to the skull that covers the bottom half of Theo’s face.
“It’s actually a part of me; neat, init?”
“Very,” I answer. “And the trident, Poseidon, that’s incredible.”
Ares grunts.
I look at Carter, who simply nods. “Doesn’t mean you’re forgiven yet,” he says quietly to me. “Because of your decision, our family got-”
“We don’t need to discuss that here,” Jayce cuts in. I turn back to my love, my fingers curling into a fist as I resist reaching out to brush his hair off his forehead.
He looks like a god, with the clothes he’s wearing, the way his skin glows, the scars on his body beautifully glimmering gold. Some might call me biased, but regardless, he looks the most handsome. From the moment he stepped onto the arena, his essence was radiating off him.
“Hey,” I say softly.
“Hmm,” he responds, closing the gap between us. His scent from beneath the blood and ash hits, and the urge to fling my arms around him almost takes over. He reaches up his hand, cupping the side of my face. Sparks jolt through me as he leans closer. “Let’s do this.”
My eyes flutter shut. Gods, he’s irresistible.
His lips almost brush my ear, his warm breath making my heart pound, not caring for the audience we have.
My core tightens before he speaks, his voice barely audible.
“This is only to free you… But once my mark is there, it’ll never be able to be removed by another. The choice is now yours. Shall I mark you or not, because it will mean nothing to me?”
The words are cold and harsh, filled with resentment. They cut deep, like a knife slicing through my heart, but he is the only one I will ever love, the only one whose mark I would want to wear, anyway. It’s him or no one.
“Mark me,” I answer quietly. Time has changed him, the pain has morphed him, but it’s also changed me.
I don’t move, I don’t cry. I hold it all in – controlling it with balance as he sinks his teeth into the spot where Helios’ mark that I so resented once shone. Pleasure erupts through me, like a wave of ecstasy that hits me like a tidal wave, one that is entirely dizzying.
I feel the snap of the bond I fractured a long time ago come alive.
“And it is done. The duel and promise have beencompleted,”one from the Divine Order says from above.
Jayce extracts his teeth as he slowly moves away and steps back, licking my blood from his lips.
Gods, he’s sexy.
Then Heaven and Allie are racing towards us, both having jumped into the arena, and they fling their arms around me, almost toppling me over.
“You’re finally here. We fucking missed you,” Allie says.
