“Are these your feathers?” I gaped as she laid the cloak across my arms.
“They fall out just like hair does. Why waste them? Like I said, your plumage is valuable.” She gave me a smile. “Take it to him. It will give him the gift of speed. But he can only use it three times before it disintegrates.”
Speed. Would that be enough to keep him out of the mouth of that blood-thirsty panther-man? I folded the cloak in my arms. Without another word, I transformed myself into a bird and flew into the arena.
As soon as my feet touched the grass, I effortlessly reverted to my human shape. Which was rather ironic, because I wasn’t exactly human anymore, was I? I swiveled on my heel, the cloak hanging over my arm, and looked for Aaron, just as Meredith floated down to the ground beside me. I stiffened when I saw her, but I couldn’t help my curiosity.
“How did you get here?” I demanded. “Don’t tell me you can turn into a bird too.”
“I came on my broomstick,” she said, and I couldn’t even tell if she was joking or not. Maybe she meant the little fork she’d been carrying.
Meredith laughed when I looked around. “I can command the wind currents to carry me.” A whirlwind of broken grass and leaves rose up from the ground and enveloped us.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m protecting us. The debris will shield us from the sight of the bicorn.” She lowered her voice. “And from Jumis, who is with the other spectators.”
I relaxed. Meredith wasn’t trying to thwart my plan. I peered through the leaves swirling around us, looking in the direction where I had last seen Aaron. I spotted him and pushed my way through the charging heroes, Meredith sticking to my side and bringing our personal tornado along.
“Aaron!”
He turned at the sound of his name, but he didn’t see me. I sensed more than saw Meredith beside me, spreading her arms and widening her wind shield to include Aaron. His eyes went wide as he took me in, gaze traveling from my bare feet to the gown draped around my shoulders and then stopping on my face. He lowered his sword, an agonized expression crossing his features.
“Jayne,” he said, his voice gruff. “This wasn’t what I intended when I gave myself up for you.”
My eyes followed the movement of the sword at his side, and I wanted to ask him what he really expected, that I would just let him be Samantha’s present? But instead, the words that left my mouth were, “Where did you get the sword?”
A ghost of a smile lifted his lips. “You always wear one for the finite details.”
Only Aaron with his British accent could make those words sound like a sensual compliment. The warmth rushed to my cheeks. Were goddesses supposed to blush?
“Perkons,” he said, answering my question. “He gave one to all of us. Said it was his first gift. That we would receive more as we prove ourselves worthy.”
I pushed past his comment. “You shouldn’t be out here. I gave up my freedom for you so you could have a life. Please don’t do this. Go home. Be happy.”
His dark blue eyes never left mine. “And I gave up my soul for your freedom. I will not accept you throwing it away.”
I remembered Laima’s cloak, and I thrust it out. “Then take this.”
He sheathed the sword and took the downy robe in both hands. “What is it?”
“A gift from Laima.”
“Ah. Your goddess sister. The one who dragged us into this mess.” There was humor in his voice, the running joke so customary in his tone, and I wilted at the sound of it. How could he sound so normal?
I cleared my throat. “She said it will grant you speed when you wear it. But only three times, and then it will disintegrate.”
“Well.” He slipped the cloak over his shoulders, which made him look like a viking. “If a goddess of fate wants to give me a gift, maybe that means I can’t lose.” His expression grew somber, and he lowered his face closer to mine. “I can’t lose,” he repeated. “There’s too much at stake.”
I caught my breath, mesmerized by his expression. “Stay alive,” I whispered. “That’s all that matters.”
“How could I refuse you?” He took my hands. “You are my goddess.”
I melted inside. I gripped his wrists, longing to pull him to me, desperate for a kiss. I saw the desire rise in his eyes, and he didn’t resist when I pulled him closer.
“Not now,” Meredith said sharply, drawing my attention. “Jumis is watching, and our mini cyclone won’t conceal that. If Jumis gets in a jealous rage, he will do everything in his power to make Aaron fail.”
Jumis. I dropped Aaron’s hand and stumbled backward, suddenly remembering my husband. Fear shot through me. He couldn’t know Aaron was here, couldn’t know the plan.
“Keep yourself safe,” I said, averting my eyes from Aaron’s face.
“I will win this, Jayne,” Aaron said, his voice ringing with confidence and surety. “I will win you back.”
“Jumis is coming,” Meredith said.
“Let him come.” Something like a challenge sparked in Aaron’s eyes, but I was already rolling away from him.
“Get Aaron out of here,” I said, and then I stepped out of the cyclone of leaves to find myself chest to chest with my husband.
“Jumis,” I said.
His stormy eyes met mine briefly before peering over my shoulder. “Who were you talking to?”
I didn’t dare turn around. “I was just checking on the heroes,” I said breezily. “Trying to decide who I’m going to sponsor.”
“Where is he?” Jumis tried to step around me, but I matched his footwork.
“Who? I talked to lots of heroes. Well, almost-heroes.”
“You gave something to one of them.”
“Oh. Laima selected a champion and asked me to deliver her token.”
“He bore a startling resemblance to—”
I placed my hand on Jumis’ chest, stopping him from moving forward. “Your concern for my well-being is sweet,” I said, keeping my voice light. “But it’s not necessary. Ragana and Auseklis are here. They will protect me.”
He was still searching over my shoulder, trying to find the elusive Aaron, and I hoped Meredith had managed to whisk him away and keep him out of sight. But I had to distract Jumis. If he found Aaron and confronted him, he would read his mind and find out everything. I double checked for my own mental block, and then I flexed my fingers so that they jabbed slightly into Jumis’ chest.
For the first time I noticed how strong his muscles were. Firm flesh met the tips of my fingers. I spread them along the exposed skin of his torso, surprised to see goosebumps pop out along his chest when I ran my hand up to his shoulder and down his arm.
His hand crossed his body and grabbed mine, squeezing my fingers and stopping their exploration. I froze, heat rushing to my face as I realized what I’d been doing.
“Dekla,” Jumis said, his voice low and with a husky quality to it I hadn’t heard yet.
I lifted my face to find him staring at me, and the shiver that started at the back of my neck and went down to my belly button was very much a human response.
The smoldering in his eyes was a cross between desire and hope. Like he very much wanted my intentions to match his own. “Do you remember us?”
It had never been a matter of not remembering. “I remember,” I said softly.
His eyes softened, and he looped his fingers through mine, then leaped, taking both of us to the top of the arena.
I did remember. I had Dekla’s memories of her love for him, of everything they shared. But they were not my feelings, even if they were in my head.
Jumis couldn’t accept that. He wanted me to be her. I didn’t know how to make him see that I wasn’t, and I couldn’t be. I felt guilty for this, even though I had been forced into this farcical marriage. For all the wrong he was doing, he did it out of love. Just not for me. For a woman who was gone.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I stood with the other spectators, steeplin
g my fingers and breathing words of encouragement as the would-be heroes battled the bicorn. I glanced at Jumis once and found him watching me closely, and I flashed him a carefree smile.
But I didn’t need to worry. With the cloak on, Aaron was nothing but a white blur in the arena. He zipped around at super speed, running in circles around the beast, who spun itself dizzy as it tried to focus on him. The other warriors took advantage of the creature’s confusion and tangled its legs in ropes. The beast toppled and bellowed.
Then Aaron’s three times was up, and the cloak disintegrated. But it was too late for the bicorn. The heroes rushed upon it and speared it over and over again like a bunch of primitive cavemen.
“You did it,” I whispered. “Now get out of there.”
Of course Aaron could not hear me, and he probably wouldn’t have listened even if he could. He joined the men, lifting his sword and stabbing the beast.
Perkons stood from his seat and wandered into the midst of the mortals. I raised up on tiptoes, trying to see over the heads of the deity in front of me. The warriors parted, allowing Perkons to pass through. He kicked the bicorn, then turned around and pronounced, “The beast is dead!”
A great cheer went up, and the gods and goddesses around me hugged each other. I studied them, trying to make sense of their obvious relief. The bicorn was no threat to them. Did they really believe the hero would be the one to save them all?
To save us all?
“We honor the humans who died here this day,” Perkons boomed, launching into speech mode. “Their souls will be escorted with dignity and care to claim their final reward.” His serious demeanor morphed as a smile spread across his face. “Tonight we will celebrate with the remaining victors who have shown great courage and valor!”
A loud and lusty roar went up from the spectators.
“What does that mean?” I asked Jumis.
“Perkons is throwing a feast at the meadow. The remaining men and women will be allowed to attend.” He took a step toward the arena.
“At the meadow? The mortals will be there?”
Jumis nodded. “We have mortals at the meadow from time to time. Auseklis and your ragana come and go as they please.”
I hadn’t considered that.
Jumis took another step down the hill, and I grabbed his arm.
“Where are you going?”
“To free the souls of the dead and escort them to the underworld.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll be back in time for the feast.”
“Okay.” I released his arm. Hopefully he didn’t also plan to examine the victors.
And then my stomach clenched, because I realized we would be at a party together. Aaron, me, and Jumis.
How was I supposed to keep my distance from Aaron if we were at the same party?
I paced the living room of our cabin while I waited for Jumis to return from the underworld. The stairway wrapping around the tree caught my attention, and for the first time I felt a twinge of curiosity. What was upstairs? Dekla’s memories didn’t surface, and I decided to do some exploring.
I left one hand on the railing as it curved upward and stepped out into a loft. One half of it opened to the sky, while the other half remained brightly lit from the exposed beams.
The empty space stared back at me, and with a sudden longing, I remembered what Dekla and Jumis had planned for this room.
A nursery. For their offspring.
Now the memory surfaced, a vision in my head of the tiny bassinet, curtains, flowers and lively greenery decorating the space. It was a dream, future plans, something Dekla hoped would happen after they married. They intrigued me, filling me with curiosity. Immortal beings having immortal children.
Dekla waited too long. She never got to be a mother.
Downstairs, Jumis called me. “Dekla?”
I turned around and hurried down the stairs, not wanting to be caught up here. “I’m here,” I said, bounding to his side.
I saw the way his eyes tracked up the stairway. The stairway, I realized now, that he never climbed. He turned to me, the question on his face. But I staved it off.
“Let’s not go to the party tonight.”
He cocked his head at me, his interest at my words distracting him from whatever he’d been thinking before. “I could be persuaded to arrive late. Did you have something else in mind?”
Oh, criminy. Maybe he wasn’t as distracted as I’d thought. What reason could I come up with that didn’t involve us getting to know each other better?
“No,” I said, taking a step back. “I’ve just had enough of crowds today. I’m not used to so many people, and I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath from yesterday. Couldn’t we just stay home and watch a movie or something?”
Jumis chuckled, and he had the gall to reach out and tuck my chin with his knuckle. “We don’t watch movies. We watch mortals. It’s better than a reality show.”
“I’m not sure I can give up my favorite shows.”
“You’ll have to introduce them to me. Some other time. Tonight is not optional. This is Perkons’ chance to show how generous he is, how powerful. It will incite the heroes with courage.”
“I have to go to a party just so Perkons can show us how benevolent he is?”
“Yes.” Jumis walked to his bedroom and called after me, “You don’t have to talk to anyone. Just stay next to me.”
I did not want to stay next to him, but that was probably my safest bet to keep from talking to Aaron. I trailed him down the hall. “What will we be doing?”
“Mingling, eating, drinking. Unfortunately, alcohol does not affect our bodies the way it does mortals.”
Good to know, but I wouldn’t be aware of the difference. I’d been a strictly law-abiding citizen until a few months ago, which meant no alcohol. I stopped in his bedroom doorway.
Jumis pulled his tunic over his head, revealing his rippling muscles and his man-skirt. I stared, remembering the effect my touch had on him earlier. He replaced the tunic with a one-armed robe going across the shoulder, tiny bits of grain flaking from the grass weave to fall on the wood floor. I averted my eyes from his perfectly formed body as he faced me.
“You can change gowns if you like. Put your hair up, maybe a bangle around your forearm,” he said. “You always did love getting dressed up.”
Not me. Dekla. But I didn’t comment. I needed him to believe in my loyalty so he would leave Aaron alone. I returned to my room and stopped in front of the large mirror. The orange gown draped down to my ankles, and I wondered if I could find something shorter.
A quick search of my closet yielded a sheet of cloth that wrapped around my chest like a strapless gown. A braided rope held it around my hips, and the fabric fell to my calves. Nice. I twisted my hair up before securing it with a leather clip I found in the vanity. I wasn’t surprised to find a box of jewels there also. I picked up a bracelet shaped like a coiling snake and wrapped it around my arm, feeling very punk-rocker like.
Jumis appeared in my doorway, his eyes roving over me. One foot hovered in the threshold, and I wondered how long I could expect him to honor my space. I was his wife, and at some point he might expect me to perform my wifely duties. A shiver ran through me at the thought. I didn’t want to be close to him, but I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt.
“You look ravishing,” he said.
I forced a laugh and pushed my way past him. We were safer out of my room. “I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”
“They would like me to.”
Should I be jealous? I accepted his proffered arm, and we stepped out of the house, making our way down the pathway to the courtyard.
Dozens of people already milled about, and I couldn’t help the way my eyes immediately scanned the crowd, searching for Aaron. A flautist played in a corner by a trellis, and I spotted Beth flirting shamelessly with one of the would-be heroes, still decked out in his armor. All of them were, actually, which lent a very distinct “
Battle of the Titans” feel to this party.
The back of my neck tingled. I turned around to see Aaron behind me, staring at me. Although he was several yards away and twenty or so people stood between me and him, my breath caught, and the distance between us seemed to disappear as his gaze held mine. He lifted a golden goblet in the air and nodded at me, then pressed it to his lips.
“Come.” Jumis’ hand on the small of my back turned me away from Aaron. “We must pay our respects to Perkons.”
I followed his lead, some of the aristocratic rituals coming back to me as we stepped forward. I curtsied awkwardly in front of Perkons’ throne, the motion perfect in my memory but my thigh muscles unaccustomed to the movement.
“Rise, Dekla, Jumis.”
We did, and Jumis turned to me. “You may go,” he said. “I’m going to converse with Perkons for a few minutes.”
What I really wanted was to linger and hear what they were going to discuss, but Jumis’ sentence had not been a request. The underlying command in his words sent me spinning away and searching for people to talk to. Resentment brewed in my chest, and I spewed angry words under my breath. To think only moments ago I’d thought him hot!
I spotted a group of girls in dresses similar to my own, whispering together, their eyes feasting on the mortal candidates. Was it my imagination, or were they ogling Aaron more than the others? They looked about my age, so I sidled up to them and gave a smile.
“Hi,” I said. “I’m Jayne. I’m kind of new here.”
The three of them turned away from their discussion and stared at me, somehow managing to give the impression of looking down their noses even though we were the same height.
“We know who you are,” one of them said in a stiff, condescending tone that immediately reminded me they couldn’t possibly be my age. She took a sip from the goblet in her hand and spoke again. “But of course you don’t remember us. We’ve never been anything but the lesser goddesses to you.” She said this with a sneer, and the other women huffed and rolled their eyes at me.
Destined (Goddess of Fate Book 4) Page 8
