“Something the matter?” she asked.
“No, why would there be?”
Euryale forced a smile and shook her head before yawning and stretching her arms high above. “You know how dreadful this day has been,” she said. “I guess I figured things would still get worse.”
“Oh, well, relax,” he said. “Everything’s fine.”
“Have you been standing there long?”
“Long enough to watch you sleep and fall in love with you all over again.”
Euryale blushed and couldn’t help but slip a little bit deeper into the water. “You’re too much,” she said before throwing him a wry grin. “But I hadn’t realized you’d fallen out of love with me.”
“Didn’t you get the memo?” Alex teased.
“I’m afraid I must’ve missed that one,” she said. Her eyes then drifted to a small leather sack that had been propped up against the marble column Alex leaned against. “What’s that?”
“Oh,” Alex said, glancing down. “That’s for you, but…”
“But what?” Her mouth twisted to the side, and she ended up biting her lower lip. She knew that tone in his voice, that tone that held the wariest of edges. “I thought you said nothing was wrong.”
“I did! And there’s not!” Alex quickly replied, stumbling over himself in the most adorable of ways. “It’s just, well, something’s been on my mind for a while now, and I’d really like to know, and I don’t want it to be a fight, and you know I’ll always give you your space, and—”
Euryale laughed before shooting her husband a deadpan look. “You might as well come out with it now, because there’s no way you’re going to walk this back.”
“I was hoping maybe you’d tell me a little more about what happened when you died, is all,” he said with a shrug as his gaze found the floor. “I mean, I know what it was like being with Kharon and all. You know, been there, done that. But Nyx? Cronus? I’ve got to know more.”
Euryale groaned as she rubbed her temples with her fingers. Though she couldn’t blame her husband for wanting to indulge his curiosity, and she did want to tell him the specifics eventually, she still wasn’t sure it was in his best interest to know. After all, he had plausible deniability if any Olympian came and wanted answers. Then of course, there was the little fact that Alex was a terrible liar, especially when it came to dealing with the gods. They’d know something was up the minute he opened his mouth, and then not only would she be in danger, but Alex and her children would be as well.
“What?” he asked, cutting into her thoughts.
“Can we not talk about it now? Please?”
Alex frowned, and he ended up crossing his arms over his chest. “When then?” he asked. “Shouldn’t I get to know?”
“I already got grilled over it once today,” she explained. “I really don’t want to get into it with you. There’s…There’s a lot to unpack, Alex. You’ve got to believe me that if I don’t want to discuss the matter, it’s not because I’m hiding anything from you.”
“Kind of seems like you are hiding something from me.”
“You know what I mean, Alex,” Euryale said.
“I do, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still keeping me in the dark,” he pushed. “I thought we could trust each other.”
“We can,” she said, shocked. “Why would you even suggest otherwise?”
Alex shrugged again. “I don’t want to be the guy who gets blindsided, is all. I mean, how many times do you think Aphrodite said the same thing to Hephaestus and look where they ended up.”
“Don’t you even dare suggest I’d ever do anything like that behind your back,” she growled.
“Then stop acting like it,” he replied. “What would you think if you were me?”
“I’d trust you had good reasons, that’s what I’d think!” Euryale snatched up her bottle, poured a glass, and downed it in one shot. “I can’t believe you’re being like this, Alex. Why does everyone all of a sudden want to know what it’s like being dead?”
“Who else wants to know?”
“Zeus.”
“Did you tell him?”
Euryale shot him an incredulous look. “You think I’d tell him something I wouldn’t tell you?”
“No…”
“No, but what?” she said, frustration clear in her tone. To make things worse, as if they couldn’t be already, her headache, once thought gone, quickly made a reappearance. “Tell me the truth, Alex. Do you think I’m doing something I shouldn’t be?”
“No, but I think I’m your husband, and I deserve to be treated as such.”
For whatever reason, his words struck a chord in Euryale. Perhaps because in and of themselves, they were true, but perhaps it was also because at some level, she still couldn’t believe she was married and had been for over a year now. Either way, it pained her to argue any further. “I can’t keep doing this, Alex,” she said, half choking on her words. “I’m losing my mind here. I promise I’ll tell you eventually. Just not now.”
“Then when?”
“I don’t know, Alex. Eventually. I promise.”
Alex drew in a slow lungful of air and exhaled. His features softened, and he ended up forcing a smile. “Okay, okay,” he said. “But I’m going to hold you to that. You have to tell me. Eventually. Not never. Eventually. Preferably before I hit my ten-thousandth birthday.”
“Thank you,” she said. She ran her fingers through her vipers, concentrating on the way their scales felt against her skin, an act that often helped her calm down. At that point, she decided to change the subject. “Mind telling me what’s in the sack?”
Alex grinned and arched his eyebrows a couple of times. “Something special.”
“Oh?”
Alex nodded before reaching into it and pulling out a small copper pendant in the shape of an eagle claw on a simple chain. He twirled it a few times on his fingers as he sauntered over to his wife. “Know what this is?”
“A necklace?”
“Not any necklace, my dearest,” he said. “I bumped into Zeus on the way back. He wanted me to give it to you.”
Euryale reflexively pulled away, and she eyed the pendant with suspicion. “Why?”
Alex didn’t answer, at least directly. Instead, he continued to walk until he was standing behind her. Once there, his clothes hit the floor, and he dropped into the tub behind her. “You’ll see.”
Euryale tensed as he slipped the pendant over her head. The chain was cool against her skin, and the moment the pendant settled in the middle of her chest, a warm, tingly sensation emanated from it. A sharp pain, like the digging of a heft needle, hit her on both sides of her hips. She winced in response and immediately tried to tear the necklace free, but Alex was quick to catch her by the wrists and hold her back.
“Give it a second,” he whispered in her ear. “It should only take a moment.”
“What should?” she replied, grimacing further. The muscles in her tail contracted, painfully so, and it soon became excruciating. She fought against her husband’s iron grip, but somehow either she had grown weaker, or he had grown stronger, and she was unable to wrestle free.
“Alex,” she cried out. “Get it off me.”
Her words had barely passed her lips when all the pain suddenly melted away. Relief washed over her body, and she fell back against his embrace with a sigh. For a moment, she thought he’d ripped that awful piece of jewelry away from her, but that notion only lasted a fleeting instant. It still hung off her neck, and to her shock and utter delight, she noticed she no longer sported a massive, serpentine tail, but rather she once again had her long, supple legs that were the envy of any woman, save perhaps Aphrodite.
“They’re back,” she whispered, as if the slightest acknowledgment of their existence would make them disappear.
“Thank the Fates,” Alex said with a chuckle. “I was going to feel really bad if that didn’t do what he said it would. I mean, all that build up and nothing?
Talk about embarrassing.”
Euryale kicked a foot out of the water and brought it close for inspection. It was as small and as cute as she’d ever remembered. All of her toes wiggled exactly as they should, and when she lightly tickled the arch of her foot, she couldn’t help but jerk it away and laugh. “I can’t believe I have these back,” she said. “I mean, I honestly thought I’d be stuck with that tail forever.”
“You like?”
“Are you kidding me? I love!” she exclaimed. “I actually feel normal again, even if I still have the snakes.”
Alex slid his hands around her midsection and pulled her in close as he lightly kissed her cheek and sides of her neck. After every brush of his lips against her skin, ecstasy seemed to follow. Her heart quickened in tempo, and her breathing increased. “You know,” he whispered softly into her ear. “Feet aren’t the only thing you have again.”
Euryale’s body warmed to his suggestion, but as she reached back and ran her fingers through his thick hair, she couldn’t help but feel a little playful as well. After all, half the fun was in the chase. “I know,” she said. “I’m quite fond of my knees. Maybe I should give them a run, you know? Make sure they work and all.”
“Mm-hmm, knees,” Alex replied, still kissing her soft and slow. “I like your knees too. And your shoulders. And your breasts.”
Euryale rocked her lower half a couple of times, being sure to press it firmly against his groin, taking pleasure in his growing arousal before slowly turning around. She straddled his waist and lifted herself slightly out of the water so that not only didn’t she sit on him, but her husband got a good, close-up view of her chest, glistening with water. “Oh, you like them, do you?” she said, stroking the top of his head. “I’d never noticed.”
“Perhaps we should fix that,” he said. His mouth found the underside of her jaw, and she tilted her head up to encourage him to travel further down, which he gladly did.
“Perhaps.”
Alex’s hands swept down her body and under her bottom. With a heave, he lifted her into the air and carried her out of the bath. Euryale had barely managed to cinch her legs around his waist before he crushed her back against a column.
The air flew from her lungs, which only seemed to drive her husband into a further state of frenzy. The foreplay felt carnal, his hands clenching her body, and her nails carving deep lines across his skin. And the more he ravished her body like a wild animal, the more she fed off his energy and ravished his.
When he finally entered her, she arched her back and gasped. Gods, had it been that long since they’d been together? Or had she just missed it so?
The two toppled over onto the floor, not slowing in the least. Alex built himself into a steady rhythm while clasping her hands in his and stretching her arms over her head. She struggled against his grip, dying to touch him, but loving the control he exerted over her. It wasn’t long after that when Alex grabbed her by the waist, flipped her around, and took her from behind, at which point, her nails clawed at the marble floor, and she gasped in delight.
The intensity built from there even more, and by the time their escapades finished, the two lay there, panting, spent, and awash in a sea of bliss. Alex was on his back, while Euryale rested her head against his chest, face glowing. Sweat covered them both, and the gorgon had the distinct feeling walking might be difficult come the morning.
A small price to pay, she felt, and certainly no worse than what he’d suffered thanks to her nails and a few overzealous vipers.
“You’ve never been like that before,” she whispered, reaching up and caressing his cheek.
“You didn’t seem to mind.”
Euryale tilted her head and looked deep in his eyes. “Not one bit.”
She settled back down and nuzzled her head against his neck. His arms wrapped around her back and squeezed, and the love she felt in them made her wish she could freeze that moment in time for all eternity.
“So…Cronus?” he asked, half-joking.
“Wants me to rule Olympus,” she replied with a heavy sigh. The words had come so naturally, so quickly, it took her a second to realize what she’d said. Immediately, she jerked up, eyes fearful, and covered her mouth. “Oh, gods, Alex,” she said. “You can’t say a word.”
“But—”
“Not a word,” she reiterated, voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “If they found out, there’s no telling what they’d do to us.”
“I think they’re going to find out once you take the throne,” Alex said with a nervous laugh.
Euryale shook her head. “I don’t want the throne. I never did.”
“Is Cronus aware of that?”
Euryale’s shoulders fell, and then her whole body seemed to crumple under the weight of the impossible predicament she’d gotten herself in. “No,” she said. “He made it quite clear it didn’t matter what I wanted, and frankly, I’m terrified what will happen if I cross him.”
“If?”
“When.”
Alex played with his fingers. She could tell his thoughts were churning like the sea caught in a violent storm, but he didn’t share what those thoughts were, only what he thought should be done. “You’ve got to tell Zeus.”
“I can’t. He won’t understand.”
“He’ll understand,” Alex said, sounding as if he were saying it for as much his sake as hers. “I mean, unless you really want the throne…”
“No, I…” Euryale rolled away and buried her face in her hands. “I wish it were that simple, but I’m afraid whatever I do, I’ll put everyone I know and love in danger.”
“Yeah, but still…they’ve got to know. Right?”
“No, they don’t,” she replied before settling into the familiar, safe, dark space her hands over her eyes provided her. After several moments of silence, and after she felt strong enough to continue without becoming a complete wreck, Euryale looked up. To her surprise, she found that no one else occupied the room with her.
“Alex?” she called out. “Alex, where are you?”
For a brief second, terror gripped her heart as she feared Alex had gone to see Zeus on her behalf. That thought vanished, however, when she heard his voice call to her from far off in the house.
“Euryale? Where are you?”
Euryale, confused, could only take to her feet and give a short reply. “I’m still in here. Where are you?”
A few seconds later, Alex appeared in the doorway, wearing mud across his body and excitement across his face. “You should’ve been there,” he said, laughing and leaning up against the threshold to the bathhouse. “I had Athena spinning in circles for at least a couple of hours before she got fed up.”
“A-Athena?”
Alex cocked his head. “Yeah, why?” He then perked and smiled. “Oh, hey! You got your legs back! When did that happen?”
Chapter Confessions
Rats clawed at her insides.
Or at least, that’s what it felt like. Euryale staggered, wailing and clutching her stomach, as the world spun around her. The floor suddenly disappeared beneath her, and she lost her balance and toppled backward into the bath.
Under the hot waters she went, thrashing about underwater in a complete state of panic. She had to get out of there. Had to leave the bath, her home, her everything. Had to go where there was nothing and no one for thousands of miles.
The moment she broke the surface, Alex grabbed her by the arms and yanked her out. “Oh my god,” he said, terror striking his face. “Are you okay?”
Euryale flew backward, all the while fending off additional grasps that never came. Her eyes burned with anguish, and it was hard to see anything in the blur of shadows in color. “Stay away from me,” she said, driving toward the exit.
“Euryale—”
“I said, stay away!” she yelled. Her foot found her robes, and she quickly scooped them up and hastily threw them over her body to cover up as best she could. She then raced up the flight of stairs that led to the
main floor of her home. Twice her feet slipped, and she nearly came crashing down, but she managed to catch herself each time on the rough stone walls.
When she reached the inner courtyard, she could hear Alex calling out to her, trying to catch up, but instead of slowing down or even answering him, she fled faster than she’d thought possible. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she still had to find somewhere safe, somewhere she could melt away.
With every step she took, she could feel his fingers caressing her body and his lips finding hers. She could smell the stormy scent of his body, taste the salt of his skin on her tongue. Euryale dragged her claws time and again down her neck and chest, leaving grievous wounds in the process, but the pain did nothing to rid herself of the horrors going through her mind.
Someone had been with her, on her, inside her. Someone who wasn’t Alex.
Euryale fell to her knees as a tidal wave of shame and anguish crushed her spirit. Sharp pain exploded up her legs as bone struck rock, which was the only thing that spurred her back into action. The physical agony gave her something to concentrate on, something she could concentrate on.
“Euryale!”
The gorgon stood and gritted her teeth, Alex’s voice feeling like rusty hooks tearing through her head. She didn’t dare look back, afraid she couldn’t ever see him again without having to relive the past hour over and over.
“Leave me alone!” she bellowed, her voice no doubt staggering all who happened to be in the great city.
On she ran, darting through her kitchen and dining hall, slamming oak doors behind her. She had no rhyme or reason where she was headed until she was about to fly out a side gate and realized she had a place she could go, a place where no one would ever follow her. A safe place, a place she called home.
Euryale spun on the balls of her feet and bolted toward the house’s stables where her and Alex’s ponies stayed. She found them in their stalls, casually nibbling on some nearby hay, their chariot parked only a few yards away.
A Storm of Blood and Stone (Myths of Stone Book 3) Page 5