Page 92 of The Mortal Trials

He kneels behind me.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re so short, I can’t see what’s caught,” he says, lips curving at their corners. I hear his knee softly hit the tile.

I twist to glower at him. My body tenses when his knuckle grazes the small of my back. I know he can see the goosebumps prickling my skin.

Another brush of a touch before I feel him tug the end of a strand of my hair. “Watch your hair.”

Right.

I gather it over one shoulder.

He pinches the gown at the bottom of the zipper while tugging the metal upward. “Some of the material’s stuck in the channel…” He wiggles the blasted thing back and forth, but it won’t give. He uses his fingernail to try to pry the fabric out. It doesn’t budge.

This is useless. “Don’t worry about it. I have other options.” I start toward the bed.

His hands catch my hips, stopping me. “I’m not ready to give up just yet.” He draws me backward, then goes back to work.

I press my eyes closed. It’s just a caught zipper. He’s just a friend trying to fix it. It’s nothing. It shouldn’t be so hard to breathe. But August’s breath fans my back. His knuckles graze my bare skin, and even though it doesn’t mean anything, it feels good.

I thought… I didn’t think a man would ever touch me again. Even to do something as mundane as freeing my zipper.

“I got it!” he declares, then drags it up my spine. August stands and clasps the top of the gown to smooth the zipper’s path.

I can’t look at him when I thank him. Don’t want him to know how pathetic I am.

“The sun’s setting.” He reaches around me for something.

When he draws back, I finally garner the courage to face him, dousing all the need and want that surfaced. This is August. He is a friend. An ally. He’s famous. Women all over the realms want him. He would never in a thousand years want me like that.

I find him dangling the golden laurel from his finger, a dare in his eyes.

I take it and settle it onto my head.

August’s eyes soften as he pushes my hair back on one side. “You look exquisite.”

Not pretty. Or lovely. Or even beautiful. Exquisite. The word clangs like a gong through my chest.

We flinch as the ram’s horn blasts from the temple, calling us to dinner.

19

My leg aches by the time we reach the top landing. I’d slowed my stride trying not to push it too hard, pretending that Akira’s dress limited my movement.

The truth is that we have a trial tomorrow and I don’t want to chafe or blister my skin tonight.

August and I are the last to arrive and everyone notices, divine and mortal alike.

When Aymes offers me his arm, I beam a smile at him and watch his brow flinch with surprise. Then enjoy the sight of his grin stretching to match as we move through the gathered crowd to find our friends.

With two trials out of five complete and the third one tomorrow, many of the deities mingle with the mortals, seeming motivated to select one of them tonight.

Tae stands with Isis across the room. She gestures to her own dress and nods to the one she chose for me. A silent compliment. I grin my thanks.

Ulani is in deep conversation with his champion, the mighty Polynesian sea god Kanaloa. Vailea waits nearby, waving briefly as we walk past.

Koda uses his cane to reach us, so we hurry over to keep his journey brief. His worried eyes calm with relief as he comes within earshot. “I thought something had happened. You’re never late.”