“Are you angry?” he asked carefully, his eyes on the horizon.
I turned to him in surprise.
“Of course not. What would I be angry about?”
He looked at me. “Well, we weren’t able to bring back the dragon, so I thought you might be disappointed.”
I shook my head. “Of course not. You contained it so that we can go back and get it. And you saved my life- and that of my sister. My father is going to be very happy with you. As am I.”
We were silent for a few more minutes as Cadmus digested that.
“So why are you so quiet?” he finally asked. “In my experience, it is not good for a woman to remain so silent. It never ends well.”
“Oh, no?” I laughed. “In your vast experience with women?”
He laughed too. “Yes. In my vast experience with women.”
“I’m fine. I’m just trying to guess what my father will do. Will he free you early? Isn’t that an interesting thought? It is possible that you will be a free man as soon as we reach the palace.”
Cadmus shook his head.
“I won’t ask for that. I killed his dragon. I received my sentence and I will carry it out. It is only six months more. And I am able to be on Olympus with you. That is certainly not a punishment.”
He stopped walking and turned to me, a strange expression on his face.
“Harmonia, today, when I saw that dragon hovering over you…and then again when it was going after you and your sister…I’ve never been so afraid in my life. You looked so small and vulnerable and all I could think of was that I was going to be too late, that I wouldn’t be able to protect you.”
“But I’m a goddess. You’re a mortal,” I pointed out. “I don’t usually need your protection.”
He nodded slowly. “Perhaps. But there in that clearing, your father took your abilities away for the game. You had no defenses against that beast. You only had me. And I was almost too late. I was as scared as I’ve ever been.”
Butterflies started churning in my stomach.
“You were scared because of me?”
I stared up at this soldier. He was so strong, so assured, that I couldn’t imagine he’d ever been scared a day in his life, but he nodded in confirmation.
“I was scared today. Don’t do that again.”
He lowered his head to mine and kissed me as soundly as I’d ever been kissed. Light exploded behind my eyelids like stars and I gasped for breath when he pulled away.
“Do you love me now?” I asked jokingly, although secretly I was waiting for his answer.
“I’m getting there,” he replied with a small smile. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Getting there?”
He nodded.
“Getting there.”
* * *
“So, you mean to tell me that you not only came back empty-handed, without the dragon, but you almost got two of my daughters killed?” Ares’ voice boomed throughout the courtyard.
We had walked for hours, arriving at the palace just before midnight, bedraggled and dirty. We stood slumped before Ares now, bone-tired.
I interrupted Ares’ tirade.
“Don’t you mean… he captured and contained the dragon so that you could go pick it up and in the process, he saved the lives of two of your daughters?” I demanded. “You should be grateful, father.”
Ares stared at me, his gaze dark and thunderous. “Don’t push it, Harmonia.”
But he turned back to Cadmus. “My daughter makes an excellent point. You have gone against the odds. And you have brought two of my most valued treasures back to me unharmed. For that, I am grateful and in your debt. How would you ask that I repay you?”
Cadmus stood proudly, straight and tall, in front of my father.
“I do not ask for anything in repayment, nothing as a gift,” he answered. “But soon, very soon, after I have served my time in your home, I will come to you again, to ask for your daughter’ s hand. I hope that you will consider it.”
“You struck a fancy to Ortrera?” Ares asked, his eyes glittering with his own humor. My sister rolled her eyes.
“Not hardly,” she muttered.
Cadmus smiled at her. “While Ortrera is brave and beautiful, it is Harmonia who haunts my dreams. I would be honored to have her for my wife.”
I sucked in my breath. His wife. I would be bound to him for eternity…if my father granted his request.
Ares eyed Cadmus and then looked to me.
“I will think on it,” he replied, before spinning on his heel and walking away.
I thought my legs would collapse from the sheer emotional toll that the day had taken and Cadmus must have sensed as much. With a strong hand, he grasped my elbow as he walked me to the palace doors.
“Thank you for the adventure,” he told me, his eyes twinkling warmly. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
I laughed.
“No, I guess you wouldn’t have. Dragons are your thing, right?”
He laughed with me and nodded. “Yes. Dragons and beautiful women. I guess I have a weakness.”
“A weakness for all beautiful women?” I asked, feigning shock.
“Nope,” he answered. “Just one.”
He leaned down and kissed me softly, his lips warm and yielding against my own. I knew that I would gladly kiss him every day for the rest of eternity. His strong hands slid up my back and I pulled him to me, trying to get closer. He laughed against my mouth and pulled away.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he said, shaking his head. “Good night, little one. Have sweet dreams about me.”
I smiled at his arrogance. I couldn’t lie. I liked it.
“Have sweet dreams about me,” I answered.
“Oh, don’t worry. You live in my dreams every night. You would be surprised at your behavior.”
I swatted at his arm and laughed. “Good night, prince of Phoenicia. Thank you for saving my life.”
“You’re welcome, Harmonia.”
He turned and walked away and I stood still, watching him leave. I inhaled the sweet fragrance of the lotus blossoms and enjoyed the cool night air on my skin. Suddenly, everything seemed more vibrant than it had before. The colors seemed brighter and more beautiful, the scents around me seemed more fragrant. I puzzled on that for a second.
“It’s because you’re in love,” my mother’s soft voice came from behind me, answering my unspoken question. “Everything seems more vibrant because you love him. That’s what love does.”
I exhaled a blissful sigh and turned to face her.
“I love him?”
She laughed her feminine laugh.
“You do. Can you not feel it?”
“I feel everything,” I answered. “I feel so wonderful. Like I could dance on the air and stay awake for hours, just thinking about him. That’s love?”
Mother laughed again. “That’s love. Why do you think it’s so intoxicating? Men would move mountains for it… and crumble them, too. You must be careful, sweet one. Love is a dangerous thing. I should know.”
“What I feel for Cadmus could never be dangerous,” I told her confidently. “It’s honest and true.”
“I have no doubt,” she agreed. “Honest and true, just as you are. Just be careful, Harmonia. Love can change. And it can change people.”
“My love won’t,” I answered firmly. “I know that it won’t. Do you think father will grant Cadmus’ request?”
Aphrodite looked at the horizon as she thought, her silver eyes narrowed. “I know not,” she finally answered. “But I know that he respects Cadmus in his own way and I know that he wants you to be happy. Let us just see how the next six months unfold, shall we?”
She linked her arm with mine and we made our way back into the castle. I didn’t dance on air that night, but I certainly laid awake for hours thinking of Cadmus’ beautiful smile.
Chapter Eight
Six Months Later
My eyes popped ope
n to find sunlight pouring into my bedchambers. The night had passed and it was finally today.
The day that Cadmus was released.
My feet barely hit the floor before I was running in a blur toward my doors. I was down the hall, across the courtyard and through the servant’s quarters before I even realized that I was still in my night dress.
I burst into Cadmus’ bedchamber and found him still abed.
“You’re free,” I announced, moving straight to his side. “Cadmus, you’re free today.”
He opened one eye.
“Good morning, little one.”
I stared at him in consternation. “Why aren’t you more excited? You’re free, Cadmus. You are no longer my father’s slave. You are free to be with me.”
“Only if your father decrees it,” he reminded me. “If he doesn’t…”
“If he doesn’t, I will go with you anyway,” I told him defiantly. “I am a grown woman. I do not require my father’s blessing.”
“But I do,” Cadmus answered softly. “I would not feel right without it.”
“You would walk away from me if he says no?” I asked incredulously. “You think so little of me that it would be easy for you to leave?” I couldn’t believe it. Cadmus smiled.
“I didn’t say that. I would simply try harder.”
His mouth was too tantalizing to ignore, so I leaned forward and kissed it, stroking his chiseled cheekbone with my fingers. It was as though he had been carved from the most perfect piece of marble by the most skilled of artists. I couldn’t keep my hands from roaming across his body. He groaned and pulled me to him.
“You’ve been tempting me for six months,” he growled into my mouth. “You are not playing fair.”
“All is fair in love and war,” I reminded him. “I just wanted to keep you interested.”
He grinned. “Oh, I’m interested. Trust me. I’m interested. But you should go get dressed, little one. Everyone will be rising soon. You should probably have clothes on for that.”
“You might be the first man in the history of time to suggest to a woman that she put clothes on rather than take them off,” I pointed out. He shrugged.
“Perhaps. Or perhaps I’m just confident.”
“Confident in what?” I asked.
“Confident that when the time comes, I won’t have to ask you to take them off.”
I laughed. “You’re confident all right.” But in my heart, I knew he was right. When the time came, I was certain that I would be all too willing. It had been a very long and chaste six months.
“I’m going to get dressed and then I’m going to find my father. He’s likely having breakfast.”
“Let the man eat, Harmonia,” Cadmus said with a smile. “He’ll be in a better mood if you do.”
“I probably don’t have the patience,” I answered as I kissed him quickly and slipped back out of his room. In my excitement, I barely felt my feet hit the ground. I made my way back to my bedchambers in record time and only took five minutes to ready for the day.
Many times, I enjoyed dressing myself the old-fashioned way. But today, in my hurry, I simply envisioned myself dressed in my favorite green sheath, belted with an elaborate silver belt and instantly I was. I pictured my hair piled onto my head in an elaborate up-do embedded with emeralds, and instantly it was so. There were times when being a goddess came in handy.
And I wanted to look beautiful for Cadmus today.
“And you do,” my mother said as she quietly entered my rooms.
“I hate it when you sneak up on me like that,” I told her, as I’d told her a thousand times before. She simply grinned.
“I must, if I ever want to hear what you are thinking. If I don’t, you hide your thoughts from me. What’s a poor mother to do?” She shrugged her shoulders elegantly. I laughed.
“A poor mother? That’s hardly the case.”
Aphrodite looked radiant today and incredibly happy, which meant only one thing.
“You’ve just come from father, haven’t you?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes. He’s in a wonderful mood today.”
My heart beat picked up. That was good news.
“A good mood?” I asked innocently. She narrowed her eyes at me.
“Yes. You aren’t planning something that will turn him sour, are you? I’m planning a feast for this evening. I would like for him to be pleasant and accommodating.”
“Father loves to feast,” I reminded her. “He will be fine. Make sure you serve roasted leg of lamb and he’ll be putty in your hands.”
Aphrodite wasn’t distracted. She focused on me with laser-precision.
“What are you planning, daughter?” she asked firmly. “I know you well and you are up to something.”
I wrinkled my nose at her as I walked to my balcony. “I’m not planning anything at all. Today is just the last day of Cadmus’ sentence. He’s free today, mother. I’m going to ask father if he has given any thought to Cadmus’ proposal.”
I watched realization pass over my mother’s face. I hadn’t discussed this with her over the past few months. I had quietly met with Cadmus in secret—innocent get-togethers where we laughed and got to know each other better.
And the more we got to know each other, the more I knew that he was the one for me. There was no one else who would ever be as suited for me as he was. If Ares didn’t grant his permission, I would be devastated.
“So, I see,” Aphrodite mused as she rifled through my thoughts. “I hadn’t realized that things had progressed to this, daughter. You’ve been keeping secrets.”
She looked slightly offended that I hadn’t confided in her, so I rushed to reassure her.
“Mother, I love you. I just wanted to keep this one thing to myself while it was in such a new stage. Cadmus and I…we love each other. But our relationship is new. I didn’t want it exposed for the world to see, particularly when he wasn’t free to be with me. But he is now. And that changes everything.”
I rushed to her side and hugged her, breathing in her floral scent and kissing her lightly on the cheek. “I love you, mother. I really, really do.”
“I know you do, Harmonia,” she sighed. “And I guess I knew that this day would come. I just don’t have to like it. I don’t want you to leave.”
I froze in my tracks.
“Leave?”
She looked at me in amusement. “Of course, sweet one. If you are with Cadmus, I am sure that you will be leaving. He has a kingdom to rule. He is his father’s only remaining son. He is the heir to the throne. He has an obligation to return.”
My heart hammered in my chest. Never, over the course of the past few months, had we ever spoken of this. Cadmus had never mentioned returning to the mortal world and I had never asked…because it hadn’t occurred to me. Why would anyone ever want to leave the Spiritlands? But in this instant, I knew that my mother was right. Cadmus would need to return to the mortal world to rule his father’s kingdom.
If I didn’t go with him, we couldn’t marry.
That fact loomed large and prominent in front of me. I sighed a long sigh and my mother hugged my shoulders.
“You didn’t think of this?” she asked incredulously. “You didn’t realize that he would have to return?”
“No,” I admitted softly. “I will admit that my thoughts have been clouded of late. I haven’t thought of practicality at all. I’ve only thought of him.”
“Love,” Aphrodite shook her head. “I’ve warned you. It does strange things to a person.”
My chest suddenly felt hollow. After feeling ecstatic since the moment I awoke, this sudden realization that all might go awry weighted me down horribly. I should have known that there would be an obstacle. There always was.
“Don’t think like that,” my mother said sternly. “Life is not always rainbows and butterflies, my sweet. Life is ever-changing and ever-challenging. If it were not, we would grow bored. You must look at this situation for what it is: A choice. Yo
u must simply decide if you are willing to relocate for this man. Do you love him enough to move from your home and follow him to his?”
She stared at me, her silver eyes knowing. It would be difficult for anyone to choose to move from the home of the gods to the mortal world. She knew that.
“My darling, think long and hard on this decision. It is ever so important. Do not rush into it.”
I shook my head. “I won’t. But I love him, mother.”
“I know,” she replied. “I’m the goddess of love, remember? I can sense it from a mile away. You love him. Now, you will simply have to decide if that is enough.”
I sank into a nearby seat and numbly stared at the birds flying in the trees outside of my windows. They were so happy and content. I had the random thought that I wished I was one of them. Their lives were so simple.
“Sweetling,” my mother sighed as she knelt in front of me and pushed a stray tendril of hair from my eyes. “This will be simple, as well. And really, first things first. You must speak with your father and see if he will grant his permission. Do not worry yourself until you know that there is something to worry about.”
I nodded. My mother spoke the truth. I should find out this small detail before I got ahead of myself. But she was wrong on one aspect. Of course I would worry about my father’s decision. I loved him, but Ares was known to be a touch difficult when he wanted to be. Sighing, I rose from my chair and turned to face another dragon.
My father.
Chapter Nine
I heard him long before I saw him as I approached the dining hall.
Ares was laughing boisterously with someone. Hermes, maybe? It sounded like Hermes’ voice. The hall was filled with chattering and laughter, so most of the Olympians must be in attendance for breakfast. I swallowed. Ugh. I’d have an audience.
As I reached up to grasp the ornate door handles, a large hand reached from behind to open the door for me.
Turning, I found Cadmus.
From the dampness of his hair, I could see that he was freshly bathed. I longed to lean in and inhale his clean, woodsy scent, but I restrained myself. Instead, I gazed at him for a moment, appreciating his masculine appeal. Looking at him, however, made me want to touch him. So, I pulled my eyes to his, which were twinkling in amusement.
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