Page 54 of Greed of Giants

What was unmade shall not stay long.

Return,return, to that first place,

As restoration shows its face.

What once was lost shall be restored,

Unbroken now and whole once more.

The words hummed and buzzed,rich and poetic, beautiful and dramatic. As he read, the meaning became clear. It wasn’t a quest about awakening the giants and guarding the seals, keeping the Unmaking from breaking free. It was power, choice, and sacrifice that would seal the barriers and reform the gates. In order to do so, one had to collect all three of the gifts of the gods and return to the place where it all started.

When Killian finished reading, we both lay there, silent, our breathing heavy.

“I was wrong,” he spoke quietly. “This was what Lady Justice was getting at, this must be what Theron wanted you to know. It’s not about the seals. It’s about power, righting the wrong, being willing to do so even though it will cost everything. I’m not sure I know what the ultimate sacrifice is. Perhaps it will become clear as we move forward.”

“And Lady Justice?”

Killian cursed, the first time I’d heard that sound from his lips. “She must believe she’s the rightful one to do so. Or that we can’t be trusted to complete the quest, especially now that she has the Heart.”

“The gifts were never meant to be kept,” I said quietly. “They were meant to be returned.”

“We’ll get the Heart back,” Killian responded.

“You don’t know that,” I protested.

“Theron gave it to you, specifically, for a reason. What did he say?”

“It was for me, the scholar.”

“He knew you were coming,” Killian said quietly, staring at the scroll as if it would give him answers. “How he knew the future, I don’t understand.”

“What does it mean for us? What do we do next?”

He looked at me then, the rawness, the questions in his eyes made my heart skip a beat. A flood of warmth filled me, and I wanted to reach for him, to comfort him. He was the last giant, and the others had abandoned him. The stone giant’s denial to help must have been painful, along with the knowledge that Killian had misinterpreted his purpose. I wasn’t sure where it left us. The idea of going home wasn’t as enticing as it had been weeks ago, when all of this had begun. I’d been pulled into something ancient and deep, and I wanted to see it through to its conclusion, whatever it might be. Now that I understood the dangers, what had been buried deep, I wanted to see the surface as well.

“We go on,” Killian sighed. “This time, instead of waking my brethren to help us seal the gates, we ask about the gifts of the gods. They are hidden in each kingdom, and when we find them all, we return to the place where it all began, return the gifts, and seal the door once and for all.”

My throat hurt suddenly, not because of what Lady Justice had done to me but for another reason. Killian. What would happen when we sealed the gates? Would he return to his stone prison, or would he be free to walk this world, to live his life? The words I wanted to say wouldn’tcome forth, so I whispered the next ones. “It’s clear that Lady Justice believes she’s the one to return the gifts and seal the gates. Why?”

“Where final sacrifice descends.” Killian repeated the words. “She has to be willing to make the sacrifice, but stealing the Heart does not imply willingness. The gods do not look kindly on theft. There was a reason the gift was given to you, not to me, not to her. Perhaps you were chosen for this specifically. We all failed, but you have the opportunity to bring redemption, and have it come from the mortals. Not giants. Not Lady Justice. Nor the Guardians either. I’m sorry, this is not what you would have chosen. I was ready to take you home.”

“I want to be here,” I admitted. “With you. It’s dangerous, yes, but it’s the kind of adventure I never knew I longed for, especially as a scholar. This is everything I didn’t know I longed for. Especially you, not because you are a giant, but because I didn’t expect to feel for you the way I do.”

“Ilaris,” he said gently. “I have tried to keep my distance from you. I have tried not to give in. I find that I cannot.”

I reached for him, tentatively touching his chest. It was bare, warm, but his fire didn’t flare. I straddled him, the material between us as I slowly lowered my face to his.

“Ilaris,” he groaned. “This is dangerous—I could burn you.”

“Don’t,” I whispered. And kissed him.

His mouth was warm and his lips parted, welcoming me, tasting me. I felt the moment his restraint shifted. His hands came to my waist, ever so gently, and his palms spanned the material there. I felt the coiled edges of his firehiding behind gates of control. An inferno was there, dangerous, close enough to explore, to burn us to ash, yet he held back.

For me.

My hair tumbled free like a curtain, like a soft material brushing against his arm. I heard the intake of his breath, a sound that left me greedy for more, well aware of the power I held over him. Of intoxication and passion, of sinking into the worship, the pleasure of each other. And I wanted it like nothing I’d wanted before. I brought my hands to his shoulders, then dared to lace my fingers around his neck, anchoring him to me.

His jaw went tight as he broke the kiss and went still, his chest rising and falling as he drew back. But I didn’t move. I held my position, watching those molten eyes deepen and darken.