How unfair that I should take the rap for Dekla’s superiority complex.
“Sorry,” I said, letting some bite into my tone. “I seem to have blocked out a lot of bad memories. The good ones are coming back to me, though, so I’m sure you guys will show up!” I forced my smile to stretch from ear to ear.
The three of them glowered at me, giving the effect of three beautiful witches plotting my demise in their evil minds.
“What does Jumis see in her?” one of them stage-whispered to another. “She just looks like a common mortal to me.”
“She doesn’t look like Dekla at all,” the other agreed.
They were too beneath me for the words to offend me. Maybe I had inherited more of Dekla’s superiority complex than I first suspected. “Jumis has pretty particular taste. I’m guessing over the past thousand years he hasn’t shown an interest in any of you? No? That’s too bad. I’m sure one of these mortal men would fall over their feet for you.” I gestured to the hero candidates standing around awkwardly in their armor.
The first one who had spoken to me trilled delicately. “They think this is a party. This is just another test to weed out the weak.”
I felt a jolt of alarm. I spoke slowly, keeping my expression neutral. “This is another test?”
She arched that beautifully shaped eyebrow again, her green eyes acidic. “Of course. Whoever drinks from the fountain will become drunken and be cast out. Any good warrior should know better than to partake of the wine.”
Panic welled up in my chest, and I fought hard to mask it from my face. I managed to keep myself from searching Aaron out. “Clever. What an underhanded way to test people.”
“People fail best when they don’t know they’re being tested.”
They uttered this as if it were immensely funny, and I straightened up, done with them and their high school-worthy contempt. “Enjoy the show then, ladies. Excuse me.”
I scooted past them, trying to be discreet as I worked my way around the back of the room, eyes open for Aaron. I had to warn him.
Jumis stepped to my side, stopping my search. “How are you?”
I swiveled to him, my annoyance boiling over. “You just left me to the vultures. Thanks a lot for that.”
His brow furrowed. “Vultures?”
I rolled my eyes. “Harpies, then? Whatever you want to call them.” I gestured at the goddesses, still glowering my direction. They looked away quickly when Jumis turned toward them.
“Those girls?” He gave me a confused look. “They were bothering you?”
I was on my own, apparently. “Never mind. Just go mingle.” I walked away from him, deliberately giving him the cold shoulder and hoping he’d respect my space.
He did. When I glanced behind me I saw him approaching the girls, and I had to stop and watch. Was he going to flirt with them? Did this guy only put on a devoted face in Dekla’s presence?
They peered up at him with hooded eyes, vacuous smiles on their faces. But then he spoke, and his words wiped the smiles off. I ducked away before they saw me watching. Whatever he’d said, he’d stood by me.
I wished he hadn’t.
I spotted Aaron in a swarm of other warriors, laughing and chatting with several girls similar to the ones I had just left. But now I could decipher a bit of that knowing haughtiness in the goddesses’ eyes as they giggled and flirted with the heroes. The poor men looked uncomfortable as they laughed and responded. They probably weren’t quite sure how they had managed to revert back to junior high.
Aaron was on the edge of the group, closer to the back wall. He swirled his goblet, the smile on his face looking forced, his eyes brooding. I stepped up to him, smiling at the girls and watching for Jumis. He stood in a group of men now, standing so that he would only see me if he turned his head eighty degrees. Still, I acted cautiously, speaking out of the side of my mouth.
“Having a good time?” I said.
I felt his eyes shift to me, and then he faced forward again.
“It’s a tough crowd. I’m not quite sure what to make of them.”
I grabbed a goblet when a server passed and took a tiny sip. Sweeter than I expected. “You’ve certainly already started to amass a fan club.”
He gave a soft laugh, the familiar, intimate sound sending thrills of pleasure down to my belly. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous. You don’t have any room to speak, considering you got married.”
“Not in my heart,” I whispered, so softly I wasn’t sure he heard. “And not with my body.” I wanted him to know that. It was important he know I was still his.
He shifted, swiveling to face me. One hand reached out, nearly touching my waist before he withdrew. I didn’t look at him, didn’t acknowledge his actions.
“Don’t drink the wine,” I said, staring into the depths of my goblet.
“What?”
“The wine. It’s a test. The warriors who get drunk are out of the competition. Only those who stay sober will be able to continue.”
“Jayne.”
The warm humor in his voice, the affection with which he said my name, finally forced me to look at him. He lifted his goblet.
“I don’t drink, remember? Hasn’t changed.” He saluted me.
I followed the movement in bewilderment. “Then what are you—”
“I’m not. I’m holding this for decoration. It helps me blend in. And I’m practicing being a spy.”
I exhaled in relief and looked away from him again. “Overheard anything interesting?”
“A few things.”
He didn’t offer any more information, and I suppressed a smile. “I guess I don’t need to worry about you.”
“If it doth please you, my lady, I intend to win thy hand.”
Our conversation left something giddy in my chest. I couldn’t stand here anymore or I would do something improper for a woman married to another man. “I might not get the chance to speak to you again. So good luck, my hero. All of my hopes and prayers go with you.”
That sounded a little dramatic, even to my ears. But if anyone was ever a damsel in distress, it had to be me.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The celebration went on well into the early morning hours, and by then most of the mortals were lying on the ground, much to the derision of the gods and goddesses around them. I felt embarrassed for them, though I couldn’t be sure if they were actually drunk or just tired. It had been a bit of a long day for everyone.
I noticed Meredith and Trey never made an appearance. They were not strapped to the same social mores I was, it seemed.
Perkons clapped his hands and called everyone to attention. He raised his goblet. “To the hero who will liberate us from my brother Velns. May our champion be chosen from the warriors still standing.”
Only a handful of mortals, including Aaron, had not drunk the wine. A few others who lay on the ground in a half comatose state attempted to rise to their feet, but most didn’t even open their eyes. The smiles on the faces of the gods and goddesses changed from polite to condescending, and they sneered down at the inebriated men and women, obviously luxuriating in their immortal supremacy. Hardly seemed fair, if you asked me.
Perkons made a hand motion, and one of the gods stepped forward to collect the slumbering bodies.
Perkons spread his arms wide to indicate the ten or so mortals remaining and faced the gods. “These men and women are our chosen champions. One of them will be our hero. You are invited to bestow them with gifts and powers to help them accomplish their tasks.”
There was a flurry of movement as gods and goddesses stepped forward, congratulating the mortals and giving them tokens. I remained where I was. The only thing I could give Aaron was my heart, and he already had it.
When the activity finished, Perkons said to the mortals, “You may return to the lodge of the heroes. We will call you for your next task.”
On that note, the party ended.
I was quiet as Jumis and I walked back to our house.
“I know you’re not tired,” he said. “We rest for pleasure, not for need. You seem troubled. I cannot read your mind, so what are your thoughts?”
I couldn’t speak what was truly in my heart, so I said the closest thing to it. “Doesn’t seem right, not giving them a chance. They don’t even know what hit them, and suddenly they’re out of the running.”
“You thought it was cruel? Some kind of practical joke for the amusement of the gods?”
Was he mocking me? I shot him a glare. “Yes.”
“This is not a beauty contest. This is a fight to the death. Perkons is doing them a favor. Those men and women that fell tonight, they would certainly die attempting to rescue Saule and defeat Velns. Perkons is trying to narrow it down to the one most likely to succeed. We want to win just as badly as the hero does. But even with all of our precautions, there is no guarantee.”
It made sense, and suddenly I wasn’t so ashamed of my immortal relatives.
We stepped into the house, and Jumis paused in the living room while I continued down the hallway to my room. I took the bracelet off my forearm and pulled the leather band out of my hair, letting the unruly waves crash down to my shoulders.
“You are as beautiful in this form as you were in the last.”
I whirled around to find Jumis in the doorway, watching me, a softness in his eyes that made my heart leap into my throat. He took a step into the room, and my pulse hammered in double time.
“Jumis,” I began, but then he was in front of me, his hands on my hips, pulling me to him and nuzzling my neck with his smooth face.
I put my hands on his shoulders and tried to pull away, panic stirring in my gut. He didn’t budge under my touch. “Jumis, let me go.” I tried to sound calm, but my heart slammed like a drum stick into the side of my neck. I was helpless here, and if he wanted to control me, he could with only a word.
But to my immense relief, he released me, moving a step back even while his heady gaze remained locked on me. I let out a short gasp and nearly collapsed onto the bed, using the post to steady myself.
His hand reached out and fingered a lock of my hair. “How much longer will you keep me out? Your heart is softening to me, I know it. Let me in. Dekla, let me in.”
My hands shook as I pulled my hair from his grasp. I was walking on a tight rope, balancing between leading him on and not letting him get too close.
“I’m not ready,” I said. My stomach turned over, and I felt nauseous. “I’m sorry.”
Disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he merely nodded and gave a tight-lipped smile. “I’ve already waited six hundred years. I can wait a few more.”
How nice of him to be so patient. I took a step away from him, away from the bed and toward the window. “You can leave my room now.”
“You could let me stay. I promise I would not attempt anything.”
“No.” The word came out sharp. I tried to temper it, but all I could think of was when Aaron and I went to New York and shared a little room together in Dana’s cousin’s apartment. I held that memory close to my heart, remembering our closeness, the words we’d spoken, the hope I’d felt for our future. I softened my tone. “I just need to be alone right now.”
I turned around and stared out the open window, prepared to take flight if he stayed a moment longer.
But he didn’t. His bare feet padded across the wood floor, and as soon as he left, I closed the door and flung myself on my bed.
Sleep was something I could control, and I willed myself into dreamland.
I couldn’t control my dreams, however. I was startled to find myself descending the dark, twisted stairwell from the land of the living to the land of the dead. I had dreamed of this place often before the doorway opened and I made the descent to the underworld in real life. I hadn’t expected to dream of it again.
I knew where I was going this time as I descended the steps, but I wasn’t sure why. The last time I’d been here, it was to free the souls from Samantha and Jods.
Something flew at me from the darkness, and I ducked my head and shrieked.
“Jayne.”
Of course Trey would be here. Could I even dream without him? The sound of his voice calmed me, and I turned around as Trey stepped out of the gloom, coming up the stairs.
“So clandestine,” I said, my heart rate slowing as I faced my protector. I didn’t let on how relieved I was to see him. “Choosing to meet me in my dreams. Did I call you again?”
“Not this time. But I don’t dare meet you in your waking hours,” he said. “I fear Jumis would see my thoughts and know what we plot.”
I watched him step closer, feeling a hollowness in my chest. The distance between us was immense, and only in sleep could we cross it. “All I know for sure is you’ve dragged Aaron into this, and I’ll never forgive you if he dies.”
His eyes were steady on me, unapologetic. “I’m your protector. Your predecessor might’ve chosen a life with Jumis, but you did not. It will destroy who you are, and I cannot let that happen if it is in my power to prevent it.”
I acknowledged his role with a bob of my head, but I still didn’t forgive him for involving Aaron in the hero trials.
“Remember what I told you,” Trey said. “If the champion succeeds in his quest, if he vanquishes Velns, he will become powerful enough to challenge Jumis for you. He will be the hero, and the gods love an underdog. They also love romance.” Trey cocked his head, a sliver of mischief appearing in his eyes. “And there is chemistry between you and Aaron.”
I couldn’t take his teasing quietly. “Chemistry? There’s like a physics lab blowing up between you and Meredith.”
It surprised me how quickly the mischief in his eyes lightened, and he laughed. “Yes, whatever is between us is more explosive than chemical,” he agreed. “She is like a fuse and I am dynamite.”
“I certainly didn’t see that one coming,” I said.
“Feeling like your romance is tame in comparison?”
“Not tame enough,” I retorted. “My boyfriend had his soul enslaved because a rogue goddess was trying to take control of me, and when I tried to free him, I ended up married to a man who is in love with a dead woman and he thinks I’m her. Someday I hope to live my life in peaceful anonymity.”
“That’s a lovely dream, Jayne. And I hope for it for you. But don’t expect it. It’s not who you are.”
I didn’t like the implication in his words. “There is an end to this.”
He didn’t answer, and I pushed further. “Right? I pass these powers on to someone else just like Dekla did, and then I’m free.”
“Yes, there is that route.”
Why did his tone of voice make me so defensive? “Is there something else you came here to say?”
“Only that you need to trust me. And believe in Aaron. It might surprise you how much power there is in something as simple as faith. And keep your thoughts from Jumis. If he suspects where your allegiance lies, he will do everything possible to sabotage Aaron.”
That went without saying. I turned around and started charging up the stairs. “We shouldn’t keep meeting like this,” I called after him. “There might be someplace more comfortable than a wet, nasty stairwell.”
I barely heard his chuckle before the dream faded and I opened my eyes, once again awake, lying on my canopy bed in the overdone room in the house I shared with Jumis.
“What were you dreaming, Dekla?”
I froze when Jumis’ voice rang through the room.
He stood in my doorway, moonlight cutting across his features. Sitting up, I pulled the light sheets up around my shoulders as if they could conceal me somehow. “What are you doing in here?” I thought we settled this a few hours ago.
He tilted his head, his eyes glittering with the reflection of the moon through the open window. “You cried out. I came to make sure you were safe.”
Had he read my thoughts while I slept? I checked my mental barrier, making sure it was in
place. It was now, but I didn’t know what it did when I was unconscious. For once I wished I could read his mind and know what he was thinking. “It was a memory,” I said, straight-faced. I’d had lots of practice lying in the past few months. “Of when Trey and I crossed the border into the underworld.”
“Our wedding day,” he said with the barest hint of a smile. “I’m sorry it holds so many negatively charged emotions for you. But it’s not all bad, is it?”
I didn’t even have to think about it. Trey, Beth, and I had descended into the underworld. It had tried to disorient us and lose us on the steps, and then my sister and I had liberated hundreds of souls before I’d been forced to marry Jumis so that I could cross through the veil and free Aaron. I had thought that moment would be the last time I saw him.
So no, there weren’t a lot of happy memories associated with it.
But I had freed Aaron, at least. And all of those souls.
“There are a lot of negative feelings associated with that night,” I admitted. “But they are not all negative.”
The relief and joy that lit his features sliced through my heart like a knife. He took a step toward the bed, as if taking my admission as permission, and I scooted farther up against the headboard, casting him a warning look. He stopped mid-motion and uttered a soft sigh.
I grasped around for something I could say that would make him back off. “I might have the memories of a thousand-year-old goddess, but I’m only an eighteen-year-old girl. And I’m just not ready.”
The way he looked at me, with hunger and desire, I wasn’t sure if my admittance had helped my case or made things worse. Maybe the thought of conquesting a maiden only fueled the fire.
“So let me go at my own pace,” I finished.
“I would never disrespect you. I will wait.” He stepped forward. Putting a hand on my shoulder, he dipped his face toward mine and kissed my forehead, his lips hot against my skin. A shiver of recognition rippled through me, and I fought hard to remember that it was Dekla who wanted him, not me.
As if to confirm my thoughts, he pulled away with a murmured, “Dekla,” and reality returned.
Destined (Goddess of Fate Book 4) Page 9