We can only fight. Until, presumably, he’s out of arrows and we can get close enough to him to slice him with our blades. Maybe we won’t be able to kill him—I’m obviously unsure of the technicalities behind killing gods—but we can hurt him, just like we hurt that night fae in the cave.
Meanwhile, Riven uses his sword to deflect another arrow that breaks through my water shield, snatching it up before it can fuse back together with the others on the ground.
“Take it,” he growls, holding it out to me. “Use it against him.”
“Seriously?” I say, creating a gust of wind so strong that it knocks the next group of arrows off course.
“Throw it like you’d throw your dagger,” he continues, as if he’s not suggesting something crazier than me trying to project myself into space. “Your aim is all but perfect.”
Frustrated by my hesitation, he forces it into my hand—the one that’s not holding my dagger.
I tighten my grip around it, my heart hammering,feelingits magic as it buzzes across my skin.
This is dangerous. Stupid.
But maybe just reckless enough to work.
“Guide it with your wind,” he continues to instruct, knocking aside another arrow with his sword as it hurtles toward me. “Don’t overthink it—just throw it.”
I don’t have time to argue. Because Eros has already nocked another arrow, his golden eyes flicking toward me, amusement curling at his lips.
So, I shift my weight, channel my air magic, and hurl the arrow straight at him.
The wind carries it like a missile, guiding it toward him…
But Eros is fast.
He leans to the side at the last second, and the arrow whizzes past, missing his arm by a breath.
I curse and strengthen my water shield.
“Nice try,” Eros says as he picks up the arrow, laughing softly as he twirls it between his fingers. “But you forgot—this is my game, not yours.”
Before I can respond, he unleashes a fresh wave of golden arrows, faster than any before. And these arrows aren’t just splitting. They’re creating patterns, forcing Riven and me to dodge in opposite directions.
I try to fight my way back to him, but Eros’s assault is perfectly calculated, herding us like sheep until we’re on opposite sides of the dome.
“Much better,” Eros says, standing between us, nocking three arrows at once. “Now, we can have some real fun.”
He releases the arrows, and they split into a deadly web that forces me to throw myself behind another water shield. Through the rippling barrier, I see Riven moving toward me, but more arrows cut off his path.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice your little strategy?” the god asks, his voice easily carrying despite the chaos. “Agreeing to work together and protect each other from the inevitable?”
“We’re not—” I start, ducking as more arrows slice through the air where my head was.
“Not what? In love? Are you sure?” He laughs again, and this time there’s real venom in it. “Because you’re still fighting together. Still trying to protect each other. Still trusting each other. Which, ironically, makes his sacrifice even worse.”
I catch Riven’s eye across the dome.
He’s breathing hard, his sword slightly lowered, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. But his expression is steady. Calculating. Challenging me to not let anything Eros says disrupt my focus.
Given the way he looks right now, with the Summer Court’s magic clearly affecting him, our survival depends on me figuring this out.
Eros sighs, twirling another arrow between his fingers, his eyes glittering with something between amusement, boredom, and malice. “I’ll admit, keeping you two apart has been fun,” he says. “But watching you struggle just isn’t enough anymore. It’s time to raise the stakes.”
In a heartbeat, he exchanges the gold arrow for a lead one, positions it with deadly precision, takes aim at Riven’s chest, and fires.
The lead arrow splits.
