Goddess Ascending
Page 21
“I enjoyed being caught between the floor and your naked body,” I tell him.
He blows in my ear, and I laugh, wiggling away.
The door to the guest house opens then closes, and a second later, I hear a groan.
Kol sits up, and I lift onto my elbows to see Helix scowling at us both from the other side of the couch.
“Get a room,” he mutters.
“We have a room,” Kol says cheerily.
“It’s being used by the patient,” I remind him, nodding at my closed bedroom door where Aerina’s still resting.
Helix sighs extra loud, but his eyes skim over my body covered only in a blanket.
At Helix’s perusal, Kol’s expression hardens.
“You mind?” he snaps.
Helix turns around and crosses his arms, waiting.
I scramble up and pull on an oversized pajama shirt then do my best to smooth out my hair. Kol leans down and plants a quick—loud—kiss on my mouth. Then we both straighten to face Helix.
“Ready,” I announce.
Helix spins, eyeing both of us warily.
“How’d it go?” I ask, dropping to the couch and doing my best to ignore his judgy eyes.
“Fine,” he assures me.
Kol goes to the kitchen with the tray of dinner we abandoned last night in favor of each other. Helix takes advantage of the space to wander farther inside the room.
“Looks like a lot happened while I was gone,” Helix says.
Kol strides over and hands me a glass of water.
“Looks like,” Kol says in a voice I know is meant to irritate.
Helix just draws in a long breath, and I wonder if he’s doing a mental count to ten or something.
“You ready to go?” he asks me.
“Actually, I’m going to stay,” I tell him.
“What?” Helix’s brows crinkle, but he shoots Kol a look that says he knows exactly where this is coming from.
“I’ve chosen Kol as my guardian,” I say. “And I’m not leaving his side again.”
Helix stares down at me so long I fight the urge to squirm. Heat burns my cheeks, and even though I don’t owe Helix anything, I duck my head, unable to meet his eyes.
The silence stretches on, and I feel Kol’s hand drop to my head, smoothing my hair.
“Kol, can you give us a minute?” I ask.
“Sure.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and I can tell from the way Helix’s expression tightens the kiss was a message.
I roll my eyes then offer Kol a reassuring smile as he slips out.
When we’re alone, I look up at Helix, searching for the right words. I don’t know why, but it matters that I’ve hurt him just now. His expression has become stony and distant.
I reach for his wrist and tug him down next to me on the cushion.
“Helix, I want you to know how much I appreciate—”
“Kol is in.”
Helix’s words are so unexpected, my jaw drops.
“What?” I say.
“Kol is in,” he repeats. “I pulled a few strings, which wasn’t easy, trust me. I owe way too many people favors for this.” He grimaces, which lets me know he’s not happy with the prospect of what he’s promised. But he looks me right in the eye and adds, “Kol can come with us to Tegwood.”
I throw myself against him in a tight hug. He rocks back with a soft grunt. A second later, his arms come around me tentatively, and he hugs me back.
“Thank you,” I tell him, squeezing tight.
“You’re welcome,” he says against my hair, and there’s amusement in his tone. Or maybe even pleasure.
“Does that mean I owe you a favor?” I ask.
Helix’s lips curve slightly. “Would that be so bad?”
"Not even a little,” I say with a smile.
“I already spoke to Iynx about creating a portal for us. We can leave whenever you’re ready. The sooner the better so that we can get Aerina to the healer.”
The mention of Aerina does wonders to refocus my brain.
“Is Iynx up for that?” I ask.
According to the others, creating a portal inside the barriers Iynx is using to block Nyx is a delicate and draining thing. Besides the strength it would take to balance the two, Iynx has been shut up in her room since we got back, too upset about Nicki’s interrogation to come out.
“Kol promised her Grim will stay with Nicki and keep her safe until Vayda releases her. In exchange, she’ll create a portal to let us go.”
I make a mental note to kick Vayda’s ass on behalf of Iynx someday.
“I can be ready in an hour,” I say.
He begins to rise, but I grab his wrist again.
“Helix.”
He sits again, and I bite my lip as I try to figure out how to ask another favor when he’s already done one so big.
“What is it?” he asks.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I say quietly. “Like with the fire. I burned Grim once before, and I’m just afraid that if I start training with my gifts again, I’ll hurt someone else. I don’t know if my gifts are as pure as you all think. You swore an oath to protect me, and I know Kol wants you to take it back. And maybe you should since I chose him, but . . . Do you think you could use your oath—just while we’re in Tegwood—to protect me from myself? Or protect everyone else from me? Just until I figure this out?”
I half-expect Helix to brush off my worries as silly or stupid or even reject me outright, considering I’ve officially chosen someone else as a guardian, but he doesn’t do either. Instead, he nods slowly, his expression solemn.
“I might have made my promise before my clan and before the gods, but my oath is to you, Elidi, first and last. That means protecting you from all threats including yourself. I’ll make sure no one gets hurt if you promise not to hold back and try to ascend. Deal?”
Our gazes lock.
“Deal,” I say, and something that’s strangely and intrinsically a part of me clicks into place.
Whatever waits for me in Tegwood, I’m not afraid. With Kol on one side and Helix on the other, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to ascend.
Goddess Claiming (Gods & Guardians #2)
Coming April 2019!
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About the Author
Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. (She’s only slightly socially awkward as a result.) She writes romance of all kinds with plenty of abs and angst. Her most frequent hobbies are riding motorcycles and avoiding killer slugs.
You can find out more about Heather and her books at www.heatherhildenbrand.com.
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Other titles by Heather Hildenbrand:
Remembrance: She’s the cure that could save him… if only she could remember how. “Witches, Werewolves, and WTF?!” Get it for Kindle now.
A Risk Worth Taking: A New Adult Contemporary Romance with southern charm and a hippie farmer capable of swoon and heartbreak in the same breath. To get it for kindle, click here.
Dirty Blood: A Young Adult Paranormal Romance about a girl who falls in love with a werewolf, only to find out she’s a Hunter, born and bred to kill the very thing she means to save. To get it for Kindle, click here.
Imitation: A Young Adult SciFi Romance with life or death choices and a conspiracy so deep, even a motorcycle-riding bodyguard can’t pull you out. To get it for Kindle, click here.
O Face: Is Summerville’s most eligible bachelor hot enough to melt the ice princess herself? Find out!
For a complete list of titles, visit Heather’s website.