She nodded toward the coolly glittering castle. “That place will bring us nothing but trouble, especially if Hera’s gathering an army of potential future Magoi there.”
“They’re children, barely into teen years. Who knows when their magic will actually manifest.” Carver lifted his tunic and wiped perspiration from his face.
“Probably just in time for her to throw them at me and make me choose between helping Zeus and hurting kids.” She glared at the mountaintop. Her hatred had been reserved for true monsters her whole life, and now Hera was joining their ranks. “There’s Cleito. Those kids…” Her stomach twisted. Was Carver next?
“I see your thoughts veering toward the worst, but we’re not there yet.” Carver reached out and tucked a flyaway hair behind her ear. A dry, wild-herb scent swept over them, carried by a salt breeze. Her magic heated under his touch, adding wild cherries to the mix. “We don’t know anything about the missing children. Only that we think the automatons took them to Mount Olympus. And they’d still have towantto fight for Hera, who kidnapped them.”
“She might put a spell on them.”
“I don’t think she can.”
Bellanca frowned. “Why not?”
“Free will is part of the sacred covenant between gods and humans. A destiny might be drawn, but how a person gets there is up to them. Mind control would betray that.”
“Hera’s already betrayed her pledge to humanity. She’s supposed to protect women and children. Families. She cursed Cat and nearly prevented baby Eleni from being born, and she didn’t care that she was slowly destroying a family in the process. She sent Pan to terrorize Thalyria. Lives were lost. Livelihoods, too.And now she’s ripping families apart in Atlantis—stealing children from their beds.” Her voice dropped, bitterness and fury weighing down every word. “She went too far, stepped over a line, and now I think she’s broken. Hera doesn’tseeanymore.”
His brows drew together. “See what?”
“See what she’s doing. See how it hurts.”
“Maybe we can remind her.” A little hesitantly, almost asking permission with his touch, Carver tugged her into a gentle hug. She moved effortlessly into his arms, which helped both of them relax. He no longer panted, his heartbeat against her body returned to normal, and they stood together, drawing comfort from each other’s strength. “Maybe we can stop her from going any farther in this War of Gods.”
“Maybe.” Bellanca leaned in a little closer, testing their new intimacy. “We can try.”
A low chuckle vibrated in his chest. “You sound like my brother.”
“Is that bad?” she asked.
“No. He conquered a kingdom. So will you.” His chin brushed the top of her head as he spoke, the sensation oddly soothing. He surrounded her, but she didn’t feel trapped.
“One step at a time.” She exhaled some of her worry, surprised at how at ease she felt in his arms. It was amazing what kissing could change. She wished they’d do it again.
His hand on her back slowly rose to her nape, and a warm shiver echoed the slide of his palm. Gripping the bare skin under her braid, he rasped, “Can the next step be another kiss?”
Her eyes widened, and fire whooshed through her blood. “Oh gods, you really can read my thoughts.”
Even without magic, Carver’s gaze unmistakably flamed. Heated silver shimmered in the gray as he lowered his head. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He pressed his lips to hers.
Her pulse sped up, and a taut, achy sensation she was just becoming familiar with gripped her abdomen and spread. She kissed him back, timidly at first and then with increasing confidence. Carver didn’t push her into something fierce and heavy all at once. Taking his time, he seemed to savor her, and she got used to the closeness again, the feel of their pressing mouths and touching chests. She slowly lowered her remaining defenses, sinking into him, and Carver increased the pressure against her lips. She parted them, and every sensation doubled as he swept his tongue into her mouth. He coaxed her into reciprocating, and his growing hardness pushing against her lower belly only excited her more as she gripped his shoulders and kissed him back. Her magic inevitably heated up along with the intensity of their embrace, and she had to use precious concentration she didn’t want to spare to keep it in check. She wouldnotburn him again.
Carver slid a hand down and gripped her hip, squeezing as he pulled her against him. A groan tore from deep inside him, and the sound thumped between her legs with such force that she gasped. Panting, she tilted her head back to breathe. He trailed his lips from her jaw to her throat, the scratch of stubble he hadn’t had time to shave rasping against her skin. The delicious pleasure-pain tipped her over the edge, and magic cracked in her veins. Cherry-scented sparks crossed her skin with a sudden, hot brightness that shocked them apart.
Carver dragged in a breath, his eyes clouding with worry.
Staring at him, she shook her head. Her magic wouldn’t come between them. “I know my power better than I know any of this yet, and Iwillbend it to my will.” Just like she always did.
Carver stepped back in and kissed her again like he’d never stopped. His faith in her didn’t rattle her. It shored her up, leaving all her focus on them and the heattheygenerated. Arousal singed her, different from magic. She gave herself over to it, over toCarver, and governing her magic got easier the more completely she surrendered to their passion. Her ever-raging fire faded to a background hum, and instinct took over, just like when they fought back-to-back.
This…She kissed him fiercely, loving how his excitement and desire leaped right out at her and amplified her own.Thiswas magic.
His fingers pressed into her sides, but she didn’t know who he was steadying. They both swayed. Breathing raggedly, he gazed down at her with glittering eyes. “You could burn me alive, and I wouldn’t even know. I’m already on fire.”
A hot twist whipped through her chest. “Then we’ll burn together.”
“To the ends of worlds,” he vowed.
“To the ends of worlds,” she echoed, gripping his face and kissing him with new intensity. She instinctively angled her hips toward him. He thrust back, and heat washed through her, a needy ache in her core throbbing feverishly enough to explain the lack of control lovers displayed and that she’d never understood.
