Was it foolish to hope we could pick up where we left off?I wasn’t going to get on my knees before him. I just wanted to know that I wasn’t the only one who felt something. I can’t even explain exactly what I want from the wolf.Is it just about sex? Is it friendship? Is it more?
It comforts me to know he is around. I don’t want to lose that. Rivern and Fury are becoming strong, permanent forces within my chest, but Gideon is something different. It scares me, knowinghe could just run away without a second thought, without a way to connect to him.
A strong, smooth grip finds my hand, a kiss landing on my knuckles. “Give him time, love.”Right.Rivern and Fury can probably sense all the turmoil in my body—or it’s just written all over my face.
Having Rivern’s skin pressed to mine brings me back to the pit. Seeing his body cocooned amongst those vipers. How they’d wrapped their frames around him, and I slowly sang them free. Cold, anguished fear had raced through my heart, alongside the adrenaline rush of Fury’s power. It was a lot for my human form to handle. I’m starting to feel the aftereffects, my side pushing into Rivern’s chest to use him as a prop.
When my fae prince was finally free from harm, the relief that washed through me was immense. None of my body’s current woes are going to stop me, though. I need to complete my mission, which means pushing through, finding my strength and being assertive in the face of danger—all things I would have crumbled at before.
Rivern’s hands come to wrap around my waist, pulling me in tight. Thoughts of the wrinkles embedded between his brows as he hoisted us out of that pit like some type of Spider-man fill me with tension. The moment he climbed out of the hole and locked eyes with Moyrie is still firmly etched into my mind. Rivern spoke like a king, storming over to her and telling her if she was going to play games with our lives, all deals were off, threatening her with Saff burning the kingdom of Osear to the ground. He was so angry and hurt. I could sense it all through the bond, just like he could feel my exhaustion.
I didn’t have the heart in that moment to remind him that Moyrie could not understand a word he was saying. However, by the scowlon her face, she could understand his facial expressions and hand movements well enough.
I wish I could’ve cussed her out, revoked our deal, punished her.I knew none of that would help our situation, so I walked over to Moyrie with as much courage as I could muster and asked if I had satisfied her requirements for our deal. She said yes.
That was the end of it.
We are people from different cultures. I do not presume to know her or her motives. I will try to understand Moyrie and her people because that is what is required of me if I am to save mine. I will push aside my feelings because, in the end, they will not overthrow Haven’s corrupt king. My deal with Fury will.
Rubbing my hands over my face, I come back to the moment. Here, with Rivern.
I shake my head, an itchy sensation coming from the scar on my neck. I place my free hand on it. This is the first rhythm I’ve paid it any heed since being in the Sands. Footsteps move our way. Rivern squeezes me tighter, alerting me to who it could be. I turn to Moyrie. “Now you know I’m your Seraph,” I say, my voice exposing its serrated edge, “will you help us?”
I wish I could still use my powers.Fury’s powers.Once rage turned into a low simmer, the God magic dissipated. It seems like I can only use it for short bursts when I am truly worked up.
“You have proven yourself,” Moyrie’s slithered words make my skin crawl.
Once I’d calmed Rivern down enough to talk to Moyrie, she explained the test they had just put me through was to prove I was their Seraph. Only the Seraph could tame the beasts created by theold Gods—in their case, the emerald snakes of Osear. An angel sent from the stars. I scoffed at her words because I am no angel. I am just a woman who wants someone to do right by the people she walks amongst.How hard is it to show compassion and empathy, no matter the creature?
“It is said that once the Seraph tames the beasts of old, she will be the key to unlocking the new world,” Moyrie continues. I shake my head.
“Another key?” I mumble under my breath.What don’t these people get? I am just—
“No, you are not just another creature,”the growl comes down the bond, making my spine straighten.“You are everything. Stardust brought to life, infinite in your capabilities. Don’t ever discount what you are capable of, Pet.”
Hmmm.The bond hums happily at his words, defending me against my own negative thoughts. For the most part, my God is an annoying asshole, but in movements like these, when the smell of bonfires and warm nights wrap my naked body in an invisible hug, I can admit our bond isn’t the worst thing in the world.
“What’s this new world?” I address the female gazing towards the shells located in the centre of the crystalline sapphire lake before us.
She shrugs. “Father says it’s when peace will descend upon the lands.” Suddenly, her eyes flick from Rivern back to me. “Since you require a blooded heir from each of the Gods’ creations, your next journey will be the hardest.”
“How so?” I ask, frowning at her words. I don’t see how much more complicated things can get after I was nearly sacrificed to a pit of venomous snakes, all in the name of some prophecy. I am starting to feel a bit sick of all the Gods meddling.
“The mers—” Her sigh is audible. She runs glinting fingers over smooth scales. “They have been our natural enemy for centuries. Their presence was the catalyst for our people learning to fight. Once we secured the dragon, they disappeared within the void for good. Until that point, stories had been told of their kind kidnapping ours.” She points across the lake at the open shells. “This lake is fed by the ocean. We believe the mers have access to it, but we cannot hold our breaths like they can. They have the ability to breathe both on land and underwater.”
Rivern looks down, a baffled expression lining his perfect features, most likely reflecting the look on mine. His confusion, though, is present because he cannot understand a word Moyrie is saying.
People who breathe in the water and on land. How can that be?
As if summoned from the depths of my untold knowledge, Fury pipes up in my head.“They are Oriel’s people. She was enchanted by the oceans and wanted to create a species that could thrive underwater but still converse with their neighbours on land. She said it wouldn’t be any fun if her people couldn’t interact with Osear’s and Oona’s.”
“And do I need to be worried about these merpeople? Are they going to try to eat us alive if we enter their waters?”Until now,I haven’t thought too much of the threat of entering new territories. I have always been accompanied by someone who knew the people of the land. This is the first time we will be going in completely blind. I don’t like it one bit. Argus ruffles his wings inside me, making his apprehension known.
“Are you sure you need a blood heir from the merpeople?”I ask the daemon God in my head. Maybe we can get by with Rivern and Moyrie. I’ve already had enough adventure to last a lifetime. My nerves are thoroughly frayed, especially at the untold power surging throughme since bonding with Fury and now Rivern. I feel like I’ve been holding myself together pretty well up until this point, rolling with the punches, but the task before us suddenly seems even more daunting.
“Yes.”His remark is almost snarky until he continues.“Do I need to remind you who you are, Pet?”His words catch the unsteadiness of my thoughts.
My hands tremble. I feel the grounding smell of pine wash over me, gripping me tight from behind, settling some of my nerves.
