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“Because whatever secrets you’re keeping, Maya, they endanger my team. No matter how much I’d like to pursue this with you.” He wiggled a finger from him to me. “I can’t justify the risk.”
Could I?
I contemplated the demigod in front of me. Vale had proven himself trustworthy. I was the one withholding crucial information. If I had any hope of building a foundation with him, I had to open up.
His thumb brushed my cheek. “You seem to have something on your mind. What is it?”
It was time to tell him. I gathered my inner strength and forged ahead. “There are things you don’t know about me that you should.”
“I’m listening.”
“Now might not be the best time to tell you. It’s a long story.”
“I’m a demigod, Maya. I have nothing but time.”
My gaze darted around the beach. “Somewhere private.”
Vale’s laughter tickled my ear. “Everyone’s gone, Maya. The beach is ours, unless you’re concerned about the hatchlings spreading gossip across the Atlantic.”
He was right. We were alone and I was merely delaying the inevitable.
“Is there a bounty on your head? You’re married? You have an evil twin? Trust me, Maya. Not one of those things will change how I feel about you, although the married one could present a moral dilemma.”
“It’s worse than any of those.” What endangered me endangered anyone I cared about. If Vale wanted to get involved, he deserved to know the stakes and decide whether I was worth the risk. I wouldn’t blame him if the answer was no. In my mind, nothing was worth the risk of tempting the wrath of the Fates.
He curled his fingers over mine. “Tell me. Whatever it is, I can handle it. We can handle it—together.”
A team. I’d never been part of a team until Judd. Obviously, that had ended badly, but still. There was something undeniably appealing about sharing the load of life. If Ben could accept Yume as his life partner, maybe there was hope for us, too.
I drew a calming breath. Here goes nothing.
“I’m not a Gorgon.”
His expression didn’t change. “Interesting. Go on.”
My face heated. “I’m a fury.”
“I don’t understand. How can you be a fury?”
“That’s a much longer story, but for now, you should know that I’m living under an assumed identity.”
“Your name isn’t Maya August?”
“It is now. It’s the name I’ve adopted and the one I’ve chosen to keep.”
“That explains why there’s no record of you.”
“I had help creating a record solely for the purposes of obtaining this job. There’s nothing else.”
“I see. And when did you decide to become a fury?”
My gut twisted. “I didn’t choose that life. It was chosen for me.” Until I decided to choose myself.
“And you left their service. Why did that require you to change your name?”
“So the Fates couldn’t find me. They wouldn’t let their prized pupil just up and leave.”
“You’re not given the option to walk away?”
