“My father wasn’t a soldier—hated the military, infact.” Theos drained his glass. “Unfortunately, I must leave you to your festivities. The watch formation is about to begin on the back lawn. If you’ll excuse me.”
Theos patted him on the back once more. Araes stiffly nodded and stepped aside, tossing the captain an all-too-casual smile.
But the bustling room stilled, and Tethys appeared at the top of the stairs. Her gown gleamed in the refracted sconce light and with each step the glittering, silky fabric rippled like it’d come alive. Araes snapped his mouth shut and, with eyes entirely entranced by the goddess, followed her as she descended. The immortal beauty of the spring queen was known far and wide, but in this light, this dress, everything else faded away. Everything, but her.
When she met his stunned gaze, Theos’s admission, the manor walls, the whole damned continent melted away, leaving only them floating in space and time and aether.
The hint of a nervous smile spreading across her lips was the flame.
And he was the moth.
The way her perfectly manicured nails scraped against the bannister was the drug and he was the addict. Araes reveled in the seconds dripping by as she closed the distance between them.
“Goddess,” he managed to say, dipping into a low bow and outstretching a hand as she reached the bottom step. Dripping with grace, she placed her delicate palm in his and the worldignited.
“Lieutenant,” she replied, the flecks of gold in her eyes highlighted by the matching gown draped along her body. Araes’s mouth dried as he drew his eyes along each perfect curve and soft line of her form.
“You are…” He trailed off, realizing suddenly that there wasn’t a word for what she was. There never would be. She was the most indescribable woman, in more ways thanone.
She smirked, the corner of her mouth dimpling into an amused grin. What Araes would do to run his lips against hers. To taste that soft skin once more.
“I believe you are blushing, Lieutenant,” she whispered, tucking her arm between his. They followed the line of manor staff as they exited the manor and took their leave. Araes’s cheeks burned, and he pulled at the uniform collar to relieve the heat now flooding through his veins.
“That is one godsdamned dress, my queen,” he said as he helped her into their chariot.Fuck… the way her waist fit perfectly between his palms. A sliver of her bare thigh peeked through the gown as she pulled herself into the carriage. Araes braced himself against the step for a moment, collecting his blazing thoughts before entering a space where only she and he existed.
Pull yourself together.
The footman secured the door behind him as he took his seat opposite hers. Araes gripped the cushion beneath him, fighting every fiber of his being to stay seated. She gazed out the window as the rows of townhomes flashed by, and he thanked the gods above for it. If their eyes were to lock, it was more likely than not that her perfectly pristine dress would find itself on the floor.
“Was that your commanding officer you were speaking with?” Tethys asked, breaking the army of forbidden thoughts now blurring his vision. He cleared the knot that thickened his throat and nodded.
“Yes, my queen. That was Captain Theos of the 15th battalion. My company was relieved just recently,” he said.
“That’s wonderful. Maybe you’ll see an old friend or two tonight,” she replied, still following each passing street. “We must keep our wits about us this evening.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I’m not sure why, but I get the sense that I’m a lamb being brought to slaughter. The conversation with mymother must happen, but I fear the result may be graver than initially thought.” Tethys turned to face him, and the expression carved across her face was like a punch to the gut. In the setting sunlight, the powder beneath her eyes couldn’t conceal the dark circles of a restless night.
Araes grasped her hand and interlaced their fingers. “I may only be a mortal in the game of the gods, but I promise you, Goddess, I will protect you. Even if it costs me this life and the next.”
She wiped a rogue tear from her cheek and nodded. The clop of horse hooves was deafening in the silent dread that now replaced the hazy warmth ebbing between them.
“I will be here, now and until the end of my days,” he said, stroking her cheek. A sob fell from her lips before she could lock it away.
“Thank you,” she whispered, running a thumb across his.
Araes knew, with his whole body, that what happened next was wrong. They faced enemies in every direction and tonight could very well be his last. He’d be damned if he didn’t allow himself one final act of selfishness.
Araes knew the position he risked in doing so, but he kissed her anyway.
† † †
Their chariot pressed through a sea of bustling Venians clothed in traditional Ostarian robes sewn from pink, yellow, and green silks. The bench jerked forward as they came to a halt at the temple’s base. Tethys took a long drawn inhale and let the fresh evening air cool the heat now scorching her throat. Although traditions remained the same as it had for hundreds of years, this Ostara somehow felt different. There was a weight to it. An inexplicable heaviness that now pushed her chest in and made ithard to breathe.
Her hands trembled at the thought of approaching Phosphora. Most of all, however, was this insidious seed sown in her mind the day she crossed into Venia. The day she awaited a magic that never manifested. It took root and sprouted with each new disappointment reflected in her family’s eyes, with every mutter of disapproval.
Now, time slowed to a standstill as the footman opened the carriage door. Was it a celebration that awaited her, or an execution? Would her people embrace her as their goddess, or turn their backs?
