East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemo)

by Laura Kaye

  Owen slid off the bed onto his knees and clasped his hands in front of him in silent prayer. The snowflakes circled the room in tight loops, three points of light spiraling lower and lower over Megan and her child. Anticipation filled the air and connected them all in a circle of love and hope and family—family in which a father’s love was so strong that it crossed over the divide separating the Underworld from the realms of the living to offer comfort and solace and strength one last time.

  Snow began to fall from the circle of lights, soft, floating flurries at first, and then heavier, until the falling snow formed a curtain that surrounded mother and child.

  “Oh my God,” Anna whispered. “What’s happening? It’s so beautiful.”

  The curtain stretched from the mattress to the ceiling, a tunnel of glowing snow anchored by the three pinpoints of light made by the snowflakes. Suddenly, shadows moved inside the curtain. Devlin’s racing heart echoed the gasps and murmurings of surprise all around him. He wasn’t sure what he was witnessing right now, but it was beyond spectacular, and Devlin hoped like hell that it left Owen a whole god again.

  The shadows floated downward until they merged at the bottom of the tunnel that lay flush with the bed.

  Then, in a great spray of light, one of Boreas’s snowflakes detached from the inside of the curtain and fluttered to the bottom. Devlin traded glances with Zephyros, who appeared as bewildered as Devlin. Next to him, Ella wore an expression of hope. In her arms, the little boy had awakened, and he was mesmerized by the display in front of him. His eyes shone brightly, one brown and one blue. Owen’s eldest son, then. Teddy, Devlin thought his name was.

  Anna gasped and Devlin looked just in time to see a second snowflake fall inside the glowing tunnel. And then another, the last.

  Teddy thrust out his hands toward the whirling snow. “Gampa, Gampa!”

  A spray of snowflakes shot out from the side of the tunnel and sprinkled down on Teddy’s head. He laughed and caught them in his little fingers. Smiling, Ella burst into tears. Zeph caught one of the snowflakes and touched it to Teddy’s nose, then the new storm god looked down and wiped at something on his eye. Chrys didn’t flinch as a few of the snowflakes glided onto his arm, his expression absolutely rapt.

  Anna reached out and caught several of the fluttering snowflakes. Every trace of Megan’s blood disappeared from her skin. Anna gasped.

  With all the love in my heart, I give you the last of me. Boreas’s voice, though much more distant and thinner now. The swirling snow over the bed sucked in on itself and then exploded in a burst of snowflakes that rained down over the room.

  The air cleared to reveal Megan and the baby lying still unconscious on a bed of crisp, clean snow—but looking brand new and absolutely radiant. Devlin almost wanted to hold his breath lest he do anything to interrupt the incredible miracle unfolding in front of him.

  Owen scrabbled up beside her and grasped her hand in his. “Oh, gods, it’s warm. Her skin is warm.” With a low cry of relief, he stroked his palm over the baby’s fine hair and pressed Megan’s knuckles to his face. “Oh, thank God. Thank you, Boreas. You saved their lives and mine.”

  “She…she has an aura,” Laney said from beside Chrys. “White and strong, just like Owen’s. The baby, too.”

  Chrys frowned. “But I thought you only saw auras around—” His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open.

  Gods. Laney had told Devlin she saw auras around all the gods. He looked from Laney’s and Chrys’s amazed faces to Megan, who was not only the picture of health, but absolutely beautiful—her skin flawless, her lips deep pink, her blond curls shiny and bright. Against her side, the baby was a pudgy little bundle with a shock of black hair on his head.

  Slowly, Owen turned his face toward Laney. “Are you saying they both appear to you as I do?Exactly as I do?”

  Laney nodded, her tears turning into a huge, joyful smile. “Exactly.”

  “If this works like it did with Ella, you might have to wait a few days, maybe even a week, for them to awaken into their godhoods,” Zephyros said.

  Silvery light flared from behind Owen’s eyes and he turned back to his wife and new son. “I’d wait forever if it meant they came back to me,” he said, and then he bowed his head and launched into a long speech of thanksgiving in the ancient language.

  Devlin ached with a foreign happiness for Owen and his family, and his heart clenched at the idea of a father having so much love for his son. Devlin would never have that kind of father, but maybe he could be that kind of father. Someday. Because now he knew what it looked like, now he knew it was possible, now he knew that kind of loving bond existed in the world.

  Anna turned in his arms and ran her gaze over his face, which still stung from the sun in the one box. She pushed up on tiptoe to kiss him, and Devlin fell into the kiss like a man dying of thirst. When they broke apart, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a hug that felt like finally coming home. “I’m so glad you’re all right,” she said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if…” She shook her head against his chest.

  The words filled Devlin up and made him feel ten feet tall. Emotion gripped his throat. “I’m here, Annalise. I’m here.” And though Devlin’s deepest feelings yearned to spill out, what he had to say weren’t things he wanted to say in front of his entire family, and certainly not while they were celebrating the miracle that had unfurled here.

  Because that’s exactly what the moment had turned into. As Megan and the baby slept, laughter, hugs, and words of love rose up from every corner of the room. And Devlin was entirely positive he’d never been surrounded by so much happiness in his life.

  Suddenly, Chrysander froze. His gaze cut to Devlin and Zephyros beside him.

  “What is it?” Zeph asked in a low voice as he moved in front of Chrys.

  “I just sensed…” Chrys placed a hand on Zeph’s arm. “Eurus’s storm is arriving way ahead of schedule. And it’s worse—much worse—than we ever expected.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ice filled Devlin’s gut. Since they’d returned from the East, the lesser Anemoi announced that the storm had upgraded to a hurricane. Now it was worse than expected? Devlin didn’t let himself ask how much worse, because knowing his father, the sky was the limit. Fear for Anna’s father and all the Anemoi who would have to confront Eurus in the coming fight flooded through him, replacing the amazing happiness he’d felt just moments before at finding Anna safe and at the miracle of Megan and her baby coming back to life.

  “To the Hall of the Winds,” Zephyros said, and then he turned to Devlin. “You must ascend to the East Wind. Now.”

  A shiver of anticipation ran over Devlin’s skin. He’d been all but certain this day would never arrive.

  “May I come?” Anna asked. “I want to be there for you.”

  “Yes” sat on the tip of Devlin’s tongue, but he’d never been to a ceremony like this before and had no idea what the rules were. He glanced at Zeph, who gave a tight nod.

  “I mean no disrespect, Zeph, Devlin, but I’m not leaving here until Megan and Athan can leave with me,” Owen said.

  “None taken, Owen. I wouldn’t let them out of my sight, either,” Devlin said, taking Anna’s hand. And the warmth that flowed into him at getting to touch her this way, at her wanting to be there for him, beat back some of the stress clawing up his spine.

  Zeph rounded the bed and came up behind Owen. He clasped a hand to the god’s shoulder. “Anything you need, just ask.”

  Owen nodded, then reached for something under the neck of his shirt. “Here. You should have this,” he said, grasping an iron amulet on a cord.

  Shaking his head, Zeph said, “No, Owen. You keep it. This situation isn’t over yet, and I refuse to chance something happening to you after what you and your family went through here.”

  “Zeph—”

  “No, I’m pulling my new rank on you. Keep it. That’s an order.” Zeph winked.

&nb
sp; Humor passed over Owen’s expression, and it was a miraculous change from the devastation of only moments before. “Okay, boss,” he said. Zeph smiled. “Ella, I’ll take Teddy. I just want us all together right now,” Owen said. She passed the boy off with a smile, and the father-son resemblance was even more obvious.

  With that, Zephyros directed everyone to leave, but they halted again just outside the closed bedroom door. Seth lay in a naked heap, his back, arms, and face flayed open and bruising. Laney gasped and went to her knees beside him. “You all go on, I’ll take care of him.”

  “I’ll help,” Ella said, kissing Zeph on the cheek.

  Zeph grasped Ella’s hands. “After all he did to keep you safe, let me.” Devlin agreed with the sentiment to the bottom of his soul. Who knew what might’ve happened to the women without Seth’s presence? Zeph knelt with his hands over Seth’s back. Brilliant golden light shot out of Zeph’s palms and healed the wounds almost instantly. Much quicker than when he’d healed Devlin’s ribs or Anna’s hand—a benefit of his elevated status, Devlin guessed. Zephyros repeated the action on all the other injuries until Seth blinked up at him, surprise and relief in his gaze. “Jesus, thank you.”

  Chrys handed the man a blanket that he wrapped around himself as he sat up.

  “Laney said you protected everyone, so the thanks are all mine,” Zeph said, and then he faced her. “Why don’t you and Ella stay with him and make sure he gets back on his feet.”

  “Okay. Oh!” Laney’s gaze went distant and she grabbed Zeph’s hand.

  Chrys knelt beside Laney and rubbed her back. His expression was full of the same dread curling through Devlin’s stomach. What now? Suddenly, Laney blinked. “What is it?” Chrys asked.

  Slipping her iron wedding ring off her finger, Laney pressed it into Zeph’s palm. “All I know is you have to wear this,” she said.

  Chrys’s brow cranked down, golden light flaring from his eyes. “Uh, Laney—”

  “Laney, I’m not taking your ring,” Zeph said, glancing from Chrys to her. Zeph tried to put it back in her palm.

  Her eyes went glassy. “Yes, you are.” She turned to Chrys and cupped his face in her hands. “If he doesn’t, you both die. Without this infernal iron to protect Zeph, he isn’t there to protect you when you need it.”

  “But how can that be?” Zeph asked. “He has a ring already. He should be protected.”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I just know it’s true.” Chrys’s shoulders fell, and Laney turned back to Zeph. “With it, you save Chrys and by extension, me, too. Without him, what use is my long life?”

  Zeph dropped his gaze to the floor and shook his head. “But I—”

  “I’ll be here,” Seth said, appearing strong and healthy again. “Now that the whole…griffin thing has happened once, I can feel it inside me. It will come again if I need it—if anyone here needs it.”

  After another moment of hesitation, Zeph looked to Chrys, who nodded. Zephyros pushed the iron band onto his pinkie finger with a sigh. It wouldn’t go all the way down, but from what Devlin understood, it just had to be worn against the skin to protect the wearer from evil magic.

  Laney threw her arms around Zeph’s neck. “Thank you. Oh!” She reared back. “I guess I shouldn’t do that anymore.”

  Zeph gave a small smile and Chrys chuckled. “I’m the one who should be thanking you. Besides, I may be a different god, but I am not a different man. Not everything has to change.” He squeezed her hand as he rose to his feet. Crazy as he might’ve thought the idea of it a few days ago, respect welled up inside Devlin for Zeph, who didn’t seem to be letting his new position as the master of all of them go to his head.

  Chrys bent and kissed Laney on the head. “Promise me you’ll be okay.” His voice was filled with a worry Devlin totally understood. Every woman here had powers of her own, Anna foremost among them, though hers weren’t fully developed, but that didn’t lessen Devlin’s fear for her even a little.

  She nodded. “I will. Now go do what you need to to end this once and for all.”

  Zephyros led the way as they wound through the halls to the ceremonial center of the compound. The closer they got to the ceremonial hall, the faster Devlin’s heart raced in his chest. As if sensing his anxiety, Anna squeezed his hand, and he was so glad—lucky, even, and who ever thought he’d use that word to describe himself—to have her by his side.

  “Zeph?” Devlin asked. The storm god looked over his shoulder. “What do you think is going to happen when I ascend? To Eurus?”

  “I hope when you consume his power, it ends him once and for all. But we’re so far off the grid with this situation, I just don’t know.”

  Devlin nodded as lesser Anemoi joined the procession, some badly injured but there all the same. An end to his father? It felt like a fucking dream, and that wasn’t something he’d ever done much of in his life.

  And then they were in the hall, and all the Anemoi took their places around the great compass rose. Though they all wore the weariness of battle like a second skin, anticipation zinged around the circle nonetheless. Notable openings stood not just at the North and East, but at the Northeast and Southeast, too, as Kaikias and Phoenicias had remained in the human realm to watch over Anna’s father. Most problematically, the Western point on the rose currently stood unguarded, and that would change only when Alastor, the officially agreed-upon heir, was free and well enough to do his duty.

  Alastor. Free. It was another dream that felt almost too good to be true.

  But, damn, was Devlin ready for some happy endings. Just once.

  And the sooner they replaced the god of the East Wind, the sooner they could confront Eurus and take him down once and for all. Devlin hoped the strength of righteousness and the power of justice turned out on their side today, because if Eurus’s storm had progressed as severely as Chrysander sensed, they were going to need every ally they could get.

  Devlin kissed the back of Anna’s hand and then let her go so he could take his place just outside the large blue E tiled into the floor. His heart lodged in his throat. He couldn’t believe this moment was about to happen, but he was filled with so much hope for a better life that he could barely stand still. He shifted feet, shoved his hair out of his face, clenched and unclenched his fists.

  And then Zephyros stepped to the center of the circle. “I stand before you today with great humility and an even greater sense of duty. I promise to you what I promised upon ascending to this godhood—that I will be a faithful servant to the winds and the storms, that I will rule fairly and without favoring one wind over any other. We need all of you. Humanity needs all of you. And each of you is equally important.” He walked toward Devlin. “I also say this day that we have all done this god”—eyes flaring with royal-blue light, he pointed toward Devlin—“a grave injustice in painting him with the same brush as his father. Devlin Eston has proven himself to me personally, and to my father before me. We will be honored and strengthened to have him join our ranks.” Zeph bowed toward Devlin.

  Stunned by such a public and explicit rejection of the legion of rumors about him, Devlin mechanically returned the bow. “My lord,” he managed.

  Zephyros gestured toward the large E. “Devlin, son of Eurus, son of Aeolus, step forward to claim your godhood and your rightful and just place as Supreme God of the East Wind and Guardian of Autumn.”

  Feeling a little like he was floating above his body, Devlin stared at the tiles for a long moment, and then stepped into place as the master of the East Wind. As Zeph recited the oath, Devlin repeated after him, “I accept the power, the privileges, and the duties of the East Wind. I will be a fair and faithful master and a true and conscientious guardian. From this moment until I am no more.”

  Zephyros lifted the circular glass lantern out of the floor. “The key?”

  Devlin pulled the golden skeleton key from his pocket and glanced from Zeph’s face to the lantern, then over his shoulder to Anna, who stood against the w
all with her hands clasped over her heart. Her expression radiated so much pride that Devlin could barely process it. She gave a small nod, and he focused back on the lantern and inserted the key. With a deep breath, he turned it to the right until a loud click rang out. The glass and iron door eased open, exposing the dancing reddish-orange ball of Eurus’s divine energy.

  “Hold out your hand,” Zephyros said. As Devlin did, Zeph raised his hands toward the sky. “As master of storms and ruler of the winds, I command the great, cooling winds of the East to bow to the new master now before them. It is not the vessel of the god, but the wind and the season that must be honored and protected. This, the current master has not done, and the new master must and will do. So I command the East Wind, with all of its powers, privileges, and duties, into Devlin of the East and commend him as the next Supreme God of the East Wind and Guardian of Autumn.”

  For a moment, nothing happened, and Devlin’s heart dropped to the floor at the thought that even the wind he was destined to command might reject him. But then slowly, a cool, crisp breeze stirred within the great hall. The wind picked up more and more until it was a fast, strong current that swirled immediately over Devin’s head. Leaves of orange and gold and red floated in the whirling ring above him, reminding Devlin of the beauty that his season possessed. It wasn’t something he’d thought of—or that had been well protected or cherished—in eons.

  Devlin would change that. Devlin would restore the grandeur of the East.

  As if the thought beckoned it, Eurus’s divine energy levitated out of the lantern and hovered in front of Devlin. Without any warning, it divided in half and shot straight at Devlin’s forehead and chest. At first, Devlin flinched, the reaction so well ingrained. But then he held firm against the pressure, refusing to have his first moment as Cardinal Anemoi of the East Wind marred by fear. For Devlin did not fear this new mantle of responsibility so much as he yearned to begin the task of rebuilding and restoration.