“I am not like you, brother. The more I discover of my past, my future, even, the more I realize I never will be. Never once have I felt accepted or loved in this family. Never once have I received your support. I am begging you now, if you care about me even in the slightest, to put your faith in this plan. Put your faith inme.” She placed her hand beside his. The edge of her pinky finger brushed against his, and when he didn’t flinch or move away she knew she’d won.
“Where is this gate?” he asked, his eyes softening slightly.
“It’s in the dungeons under our home,” Tethys replied.
“You can’t be serious.” Altair raised a brow. The beads nestled in his braids clicked together as he rose from his chair. Darkness flooded in from the windows overlooking the ocean as the southern city settled into sleep.
“I’m afraid so,” she said, straightening against the headboard. “Why do you think mother never allowed us to play in the dungeons? Because of the beastly Minotaur that made those tunnels its hunting ground?”
Altair scoffed. “I never believed Mother’s folk tales, did you?”
Chapter 58
Now, nearly two weeks after regaining consciousness, Tethys’s legs were steady enough to carry her to the shoreline of Altair’s estate. Much to the healer’s protests, Tethys insisted she needed fresh air and warm sunlight.
“Are you sure you’re ready, Goddess?” Araes asked, grasping her hand as she threw her legs over the bed’s edge.
“Even if I wasn’t, Lieutenant, we’ve wasted enough time in this wretched room as is,” she replied. Tethys leaned her weight on her left foot, just as the healer’s instructed. Then her right. Her toes gripped the woven rug beneath them. As before every attempt at standing, she wiggled them, feeling every joint working.
Araes watched her with held breath as Tethys pushed up on her braced palms. Her body, although still weak, accepted the movement, and she rose to her feet. Some little piece of the goddess’s mind paused. Although her recovery felt linear, each time she attempted to stand, she halfexpected her knees to buckle.
“Are you steady?” Araes asked, holding his arms out to catch her if needed.
“Yes, thank Eos above,” Tethys breathed. She wiggled her toes once more, and as if she were again learning how to walk, took a step. A smile stretched over her cheeks when her ankles stabilized the weight. She took another step, then another.
“A huge improvement from a few days ago,” she said, gaining confidence in her stride.
“Let’s not push too hard,” Araes said.
Always the worrisome voice of reason.
“I just have to make it to the hallway,” she replied, pacing slowly across the room. “Then you can whisk me off my feet and carry me downstairs like a gentleman.”
Araes huffed, but his eyes glittered with newfound energy. She imagined how difficult the last few weeks had been—thinking her too far from recovery, then watching her reanimate like a corpse with a half broken body. If the roles were reversed...she wasn’t sure she’d have the strength to withstand that storm.
Lazy afternoon light poured through the windows, like water from a pitcher. Although she admired the beauty of Altair’s home, its wonder had expired. Now, the gleaming walls and lavish artwork were constant reminders of the pain she felt.
The pain she caused.
“Ready?” Araes asked, offering his hand. Tethys nodded her response and took it, cherishing the scratch of his calloused skin on hers. “Let’s go then,” he said, grinning.
His smile, although a rarity, outmatched every wonder in this world. Tethys could bask in its warmth for eternity and never grow tired of him.
They followed golden threads stitched in the navy blue rug down the hallway and to the top of the stairwell. Sunlight beamed in from skylights lining the ceiling, reflectingoff dust and salt particles speckled in the air.
Araes wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her into his chest, cradling her like a babe as they descended the steps.
“Might I remind you, Lieutenant, there are wandering eyes that wouldn’t appreciate seeing your hand in its current placement,” Tethys mused. Araes, now gripping her ass, tapped his fingers.
“Can you blame me? It’s been weeks since I’ve gotten to feel this perfect ass of yours in my hand,” he whispered. His breath against her ear sent a shockwave of chills down her body.
“Well, when the staff report us to my brother, it’ll have been the last time you’ll get that opportunity,” Tethys replied, guiding his palm to her thigh. Araes sighed and scanned the great hall below.
“Not another soul in sight. I’ll take my chances,” he whispered, brushing his lips along her cheek. Heat rushed to her cheeks in response.
Araes wasn’t alone in his desires. With Altair and his staff lurking just behind them every waking hour, they hadn’t gotten more than a moment alone. Tethys knew her brother suspected there was something deeper between her and Araes, but she wasn’t a fool.
He’d keep his suspicions to himself until given evidence that solidified them. Escaping the confines of her bedchamber wasn’t her only motive this afternoon. She desperately needed time alone with Araes, to feel their connection wholeheartedly.
