He nodded.
“You took in the alleyway, then when we were in the mines—the cave-in. The throne room.”
He seemed to let out a breath at my recollection.
“What, so you want a trophy for not taking from me when we had sex?”
Charon growled at my challenge. Scarlett’s wings snapped out, and a grunt that sounded like a cackle erupted from her mouth. And Hart—well, Hart just stood there shaking his head. “I just want you to consider which lines I crossed and why.”
I wanted to yell at him again, and I felt the anger boiling within me. He wanted some prize because he only took to protect me? That couldn’t be true, even as words he’d spoken to me after the cave-in cycled through my head.If you’re indanger, I won’t care. I’ll take anything to protect you. The only comfort I can offer is, you’re safe with me.
More stupid lies. Or were they? The times I could remember clearly the feeling of him taking had been when we had no other choice. No other way out. I no longer knew what to believe. I just knew I didn’t want to fall for his lies again. There was one way to know for sure. “Take from me, Hart. Take my anger now. I want to know what it feels like.”
A low growl rumbled over the cliffside, and I honestly wasn’t sure if it came from Hart or one of the dragons.
“This isn’t a trap,” I said. “I need to know.”
“It’s clearly a trap, but if this is what you need, I’ll do it.” Hart stepped toward me, his arm outstretched.
I took his hand, my anger still bubbling at the surface. But nothing happened. I felt only the sensation always present when we touched.
“Are you taking?”
His hand gripped mine tighter. “I’m trying.”
“Not all trials are of physical strength. Sometimes it’s harder to show a part of yourself—to show vulnerability.”
I flinched from the words in my head. They sounded so much like Alaric’s guidance.
“Fucking Chaos,” Hart said. He dropped my hand and spun to face Scarlett again.
“We have to show each other the depth of our emotions to fill the stone.” I swallowed as I stared at the glowing red gem in my hand. “And once we do … we no longer have the ability to wield that emotion’s magic?”
“If you can share all of yourself with your competing Champion, the two of you together can free yourselves.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Show each other your anger, sadness, envy, joy, lust, and fear.And not the surface level. As with your anger, it has to be deep-rooted.”
This wasn’t good. My fingers ran over the six gems in the throne shape. Then they moved to the dragon’s eye. “What about the seventh?”
Scarlett laughed. “That one will test you the most. It is the most important aspect of all of this—at least to Eris.”
It felt so hopeless. My entire life revolved around not showing my emotions. I’d been furious with Hart since we left Kavios, and I’d refused to show him. He didn’t deserve any of my feelings. I just wanted to forget him. Yet, somehow, anger felt easiest of everything Scarlett listed.
Sadness? Never.
Joy? Did I even have any to show?
Lust? Goddess curse me.
I gave up on going through the rest. And what did we get if we completed them? Another unknown challenge?
“This is impossible.”
“It’s not,” Hart said, meeting and holding my gaze. “But things between us will have to change.”
I felt like a caged animal, my gaze darting in search of an escape route. He already saw too much. He couldn’t see this. This couldn’t be our only path.
