by Laura Kaye
“Chrys?”
The sound of her voice seemed to startle him. He dropped her hand and stepped back. “What else do we need to do?” His gaze fell to her leg.
She forced herself to focus. “Just the tubular bandage to cover the dressings. Um.” She slipped by him to sit on the toilet lid. “Probably easiest if I sit for this.”
Tension rolled off Chrys’s body and seemed to fill the small room with male heat. Having already cut a bunch of bandages to the correct length, Laney grabbed one and slipped it over her foot.
“Here,” he said, brushing her fingers away. He slid the material up her leg, stretching it so it settled over the dressings on her calf. His knuckles grazed over her skin and she sucked in a breath. He bit out what sounded like a curse, from the tone of it, though Laney didn’t recognize the language. “That it?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.”
“Good. Let’s go.” In a series of quick movements she couldn’t quite make out, he was up and out of the room.
“Maybe I should just stay here,” she called. Not that she wanted to miss out on the time with him, or meeting his family, but Chrys was clearly agitated by her.
“Come on, Laney. Please.”
She pushed herself up and limped into her bedroom, her gaze first finding his unique light and then settling on his face. “I guess I’m ready.”
For a moment he didn’t respond, and then he stepped in front of her. “I want you to have something.”
“What?” she asked, hoping he didn’t hear the breathiness of her voice. Her brain was still stuck on his mouth exploring her body.
He grabbed her palm and turned it upright. Something cool and metallic fell against her skin. She traced it with her fingers. “It’s for protection,” he said, his tone deep and solemn.
Marks had been etched into the face. “What does it say?”
“Forged in righteousness.”
Emotion welled within her. Honestly, she didn’t get the significance of the inscription, but the gesture was beautiful. “Thank you.”
“Here, let me.” He lifted the necklace and she offered him her back, pulling her hair into a handheld ponytail. His fingertips skimming the back of her neck tickled and fueled her arousal. “Done,” he rasped, his breath ghosting over her skin. She turned back to him. “To work, it needs to be worn against your bare skin. Like this.” He slipped it under her shirt and the metal fell against the skin of her chest, cool and heavy. “Against your skin, it will prevent magic being used against you. Okay?”
She nodded, his seriousness beckoning hers.
He tugged it out and laid it atop her shirt again. “But, for what we’re doing next, I need it off your skin. Which leads me to a question.”
Something about the tone of his voice was odd, hesitant. “Uh, sure.”
“Do you trust me?”
“What does that have—”
“Please. Just tell me.”
She searched his face. His eyes were absolutely blazing at her, that intense light again playing around them, seemingly coming from them. “Yes,” she said.
“I don’t have a car.”
“I know. You have a truck.”
“Wha— Oh. No. I don’t have a truck, either.”
“You drove one here yesterday. And what does this have to do with how I wear my necklace?”
He tugged his fingers through his hair and groaned. Man, how she’d die to do that. Just once. “Never mind about the truck. I need the necklace off your skin so I can do this.” His hand clasped hers.
Suddenly, the world disappeared. Laney screamed as light and color exploded all around her.
…
“Are you sure about this?” Megan asked. “I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
Boreas crossed his arms and nodded. “Do it.”
“This is crazy.” She stepped to his side.
“Maybe. But it is also time. If I want to participate in your world, I need to look the part.” With everything going on, being at Owen and Megan’s wasn’t even a question. He wouldn’t leave them unprotected. He’d made that mistake once before. Never again. He tugged the towel tighter around his shoulders and shifted in the chair.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said, taking a long lock of his hair in hand. “You can’t be mad at me if it doesn’t turn out.”
He chuckled. “Fear not.”
“Sure, easy for you to say. Here goes nothing.” She lifted the scissors and cut off a length of his hair. “Oh, my God.” Megan held the long white strand so he could see it.
“Excellent. Continue.”
She dropped the hair to the kitchen floor. Speaking no further, she worked around his head. Each cut of his hair left him feeling lighter, freer.
His thoughts turned to Ori. Orethyia. His Athenian princess. From the first time he’d seen her dancing on the banks of the Illissus, he’d wanted her. And she’d wanted him in return. They’d run away, angering her father, who spread rumors that Boreas had abducted her. Ori paid the stories no mind and insisted he not do so, either.
Years later, her death came as such a shock. At her father’s invitation, she’d returned to visit him. Boreas had wanted to accompany her, but she’d begged him to let her attend her first reunion with her father alone. She’d feared that Boreas’s presence would antagonize him. Finally, Boreas had relented.
The greatest mistake of his life.
King Erechteus had slain her for disobeying and humiliating him before his people, for honoring a god above her father. Only the fact that the king fell at Poseidon’s hand in a war not long after prevented Boreas from exacting his own revenge.
Upon the sight of his beloved’s body, her face frozen in a pale mask of death, Boreas’s hair had turned immediately and irrevocably white, a physical badge of his shock and grief.
Afterward, he cared for nothing but their children and his job as Supreme God of the North Wind and Winter. He paid no mind to his appearance. He made no effort to soothe his heart with new love, even eons after the fact. He worried not about trivial needs like happiness and companionship.
And then Owen, the son he’d adopted long, long ago, met Megan. Megan’s love had restored Owen to the world, returned his humanity, and gave him a blood family he’d never before possessed.
And their joy had thrown into stark relief everything Boreas had given up on.
But he could fix that. Now was as good a time as any. No. For Owen, Megan, and Teddy, now was the time to rejoin the living.
Not to mention, Tabitha…
He sighed. One change at a time.
“You okay?” Megan asked.
“I am fine.” Or would be.
“Beard, too?” She stepped in front of him.
He smiled. “Beard, too.”
She shook her head. “Okay. I’ll cut it short and then we’ll use the clippers.”
“Good.”
“I still can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said, tugging at a hank of hair on his cheek.
“Well, I cannot believe I’ve waited so long to have it done.”
She paused and met his gaze. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. “You look so much younger already.”
“Yes?” He arched an eyebrow. “Do not cry or you will be unable to see where you are cutting.”
Dabbing her eye, she gave a watery laugh. “Okay.” She finished trimming his beard.
Boreas ran his hand over his head, his face. He smiled.
Megan traded the scissors for a pair of clippers. With slow upward strokes, she ran the clippers through his hair. “I don’t know if I’m getting this exactly even.”
“Worry not.”
“Owen is going to flip out when he sees you.”
“Yes.” Boreas grinned, imagining everyone’s reaction.
She ran her fingers through the top of his hair. “I’ll leave it longer on top. It’s a style.”
He chuckled. “If you say so.”
After a few mo
ments, she stepped in front of him again. She made a few more passes, then lowered the clippers to her side. “Just the beard now. Do you want to—”
He stood up and rubbed his jaw. “You know what? I want a clean shave.”
“Owen has razors and shaving cream in the bathroom.”
He squeezed her arm. “Thank you, Megan.”
“Um, Boreas?”
“Yes?”
Her gaze ran over his robes. “If you’re trying to fit in, it might be time to update the clothes, too.”
He looked himself over and nodded. “Indeed.” He thought of the clothing his brothers wore and willed the change. His fur robe gave way to a pair of blue jeans and a light gray long-sleeved T-shirt.
Megan gasped. “Holy wow.”
Had he done something wrong? He looked himself over again, not seeing anything amiss. “What is it?” Was the denim supposed to be this stiff?
“You look so different.” She met his gaze. “So good.”
“Oh. Good. Well, okay, then.”
“There’s just one thing.” She smiled and pointed at his feet. “You should probably try to keep those on the floor.”
Boreas had so long ago given up on any pretense of humanity, he usually paid little attention to the conventions of the physical world. “Right.” He settled himself upon the floor, standing just as a man would. “So.” He held out his arms. “How do I look?”
Her smile was slow but bright. “Very handsome.”
Footsteps jogged up the basement stairs. “Shall we see what Owen thinks?”
She nodded, a big grin shaping her pretty face. “Hey, Owen? Can you come here a minute?”
Boreas faced the passage from the living room into the kitchen. He threw Megan a wink.
Owen came through the doorway. “What’s up, angel—” He did a double take and froze. His mismatched eyes narrowed on Boreas’s face. Shock transformed his expression a moment later. “By the gods! Boreas?”
Good humor flowed through him. Since Owen’s marriage and Teddy’s birth, it was an emotion with which he’d been becoming more and more familiar. “Ha! You did not recognize me right away.”
His mouth dropped open and he appeared to struggle for words. “What…why…?”
“With all the time I spend here, I need to fit in better with this world. And I was overdue for a change.”
Owen nodded, his gaze shifting to his wife, nearly bouncing with excitement. “Aw, angel. Did you do this?” He crossed the room and took her in his arms. She nodded against his chest. Intense satisfaction at their happiness filled Boreas’s heart. “You did good,” he whispered.
“Well, I still require a shave.”
Owen stepped in front of him. “I am glad you’re here,” he said, holding out his hand.
Boreas grasped the offered hand and pulled Owen into his arms. “As I am glad to be here, son.”
And now that his physical appearance was no longer a liability, he could play an even bigger role in guarding this precious family of his. He might’ve failed Ori, but it was a mistake he’d never make again.
Chapter Thirteen
Chrys! Chrys! Laney screamed, barraged from every angle by blinding light and color. No. Not blinding. Because she could see it. Every bit of it.
She slammed back into her body, swayed, fell into something hard and warm. What the hell just happened?
“Laney, what’s the matter? What’s happening?” Chrys’s voice, deep and strained.
She threw herself around him, emotion overwhelming her, and labored to restrain the sobs threatening to tear up her throat. It had been the better part of ten years since she’d last seen light and color so vividly, so fully, coming at her from every angle.
He spoke in that language she didn’t understand, then, finally, his arms settled around her. He pulled her in tight, one hand petting her hair in slow, soothing strokes. “Shh, you’re okay. I’ve got you.”
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get her breathing to even out or her heart to stop pounding. She was shaking so hard she didn’t think she’d stay on her feet if Chrys wasn’t holding her.
“Can you tell me what just happened?” he rasped against her hair.
“I…I…what did you do wh-when you took my h-hand?” she managed, her limited vision filled with his unique aura from standing up against him. The near blindness was so familiar, so much a part of her. That glimpse of sight… So unexpected, it had been as terrifying as it was awesome.
He pulled back and cupped her face in his big, warm palm. His thumb stroked her cheek, catching tears she didn’t realize had spilled. For a long moment, she felt examined. She inhaled a calming breath and leaned her face into his hand.
“Come here,” he said. He led her to the bed and tugged her down beside him. “I’m sorry. I should’ve explained it. I just…I suck at this. I never do this.”
“Do what?” she whispered, trying to focus on his face.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Goosebumps erupted on her arms as he treated her to a series of soft, affectionate touches. “Get…involved. Reveal stuff about myself.”
His words had her heart thumping for a new reason. “Involved” was a good thing, right? “Involved” meant she wasn’t the only one affected by whatever was going on between them.
He leaned his forehead against hers. Laney sucked in a breath. Something about the moment felt weighted with a significance she didn’t understand. And, was he shaking?
She debated for less than a second, then gave in to the urge she’d felt since the first time they’d met. She reached up and caressed his hair. Oh, God, it was thick and soft. Her fingers ran through the golden strands, her nails lightly scratching his scalp.
He released a halting breath and swallowed hard, light seeming to concentrate around his eyes again. “I pulled you into the elements with me. Out of the physical world and into the wind. That’s what happened when I touched you.”
For a long moment, Laney tried to absorb the meaning of his words. Into the elements? “How?” She stroked his hair harder, loving the feel of it against her sensitive fingers.
He shuddered. “It’s just part of me, part of my nature. But we don’t have to—”
“I could see,” she whispered.
He lifted his head from hers and, from the way the light shifted and focused, she knew his eyes were right in front of hers. “Are you saying you could—”
“Totally see. As in”—she shook her head, amazement and more than a little fear flowing through her—“no more blindness.”
“Almighty Zeus. Are you okay? Did it hurt?”
“No. No, it didn’t hurt. It just scared the shit out of me.” She gave a small laugh despite the way her head was spinning. “It was incredible.”
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
Laney’s heart squeezed, and her chest filled with the pressure of her competing emotions. Total wonder at the return of something she thought she’d never again have, even if for only a moment. Sadness at the thought of being reminded of exactly what she didn’t and couldn’t have. Anticipation of doing it again, seeing it again.
Screw the fear. This was a “dare to know” moment if she’d ever had one. It might hurt like hell to be plunged back into the dark again, but in the meantime, she was embracing this amazing, magical opportunity to see the world in all of its full, bright, glorious detail. “I’m ready now.” She nodded. “I want to try again.”
“Are you sure?”
“Please?” she whispered. “I can do it.”
For a long moment, he didn’t respond. Finally, he grasped her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “When we shift, just think your words. I will be able to hear you. If it’s too much, just say so, and I’ll pull us right back out. You will be totally safe.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“At first, we’ll stay right here. If you can…see, just take a moment to study your surroundings. Get grounded in your sight. Does that make se
nse?”
“Yes.” The pressure in her chest shifted, now filled in part with intense gratitude for his compassion and thoughtfulness. His concern for her was clear in his words, his touch.
“Here we go,” he said in a low voice.
She sucked in a harsh breath as they shifted. Her soul trembled.
Talk to me, Laney.
She heard his voice, just as he’d said she would, but the return of her vision was so monumental, so overwhelming, that she couldn’t divert one iota of attention from soaking in the details of the world around her. It was just her room, but it was her room. Her bed with its molded headboard and purple comforter. Her shelf of trophies and ribbons from her high school equestrian club. The evening sunlight pouring through the sheer lavender curtains and throwing rainbow prisms off of the crystal teardrop hanging in the window. A million shapes and colors flooded her brain, bolstering her memories and restocking her imagination.
Laney?
I’m okay. I’m…better than okay. It was, perhaps, the most amazing moment of her life.
What does it look like?
Just like I remembered, only more. More colorful, more detailed, more…alive. So, now what do we do? How do we get where we need to go?
I’ll guide us. It won’t take long.
It could take forever, as far as she was concerned. All right. I’m good to go.
The next thing she knew, she was looking down on the roof of her house. She squealed.
I’ve got you.
I’m okay, I’m okay. Oh, my God. She scanned all around, and her awareness fell upon the setting sun. She gasped. Somehow, that incredible emotional pressure filled her, even in this form. The sun. I haven’t been able to really see it in years.
I’ll help you see anything you want to see.
She would’ve sworn he brushed her face. But how could that be? She looked around, to the barn and the fields beyond. Sappho!
Yes. Slowly, they moved over the house, the yard, and toward the barn. The horses were grazing in the field.
Oh! She’s even more beautiful than I’d remembered. The Friesian’s black hair normally made it difficult to see her details. But now, Laney could see the whole of just how gorgeous and majestic she was. For a long moment, she lingered.