Chapter 20
The morning after Persephone’s unexpected appearance, Bellanca trudged up the dusty goat path alongside Carver, not sure if she was more in shock that they were finally about to get their hands on the Shard of Olympus or that Carver had spilled half their secrets to Dex and Silas.
“You should’ve fought them off,” she muttered—and not for the first time.
“Have you seen the size of Silas?” Carver shot back despite being noticeably winded from the long, steep climb. “Even just his arms?”
“Well, he’s no Pan, and you killed him.”
“I didn’t want to kill my friend.”
“Friends don’t hold friends down for a whipping,” she snapped.
Carver’s eyes heated with annoyance. “Not everyone can burst into heroics instantly. It took you twenty-five years to stop watching and do something obvious, something that meant real change. Showing a little understanding wouldn’t be the worst thing,” he suggested sharply.
“Hmph.” Feeling like he’d just picked off a scab and then squeezed lemon juice onto her still-healing cut, she kept walking.
His thundercloud gaze cut to hers. “Bel?”
Forcing her molars apart, she ground out, “Fine. Understanding has been shown.” She scowled. “Happy?”
Scowling back at her, he nodded. Sweat glistened on his brow.
Turning forward again, she slowed her steps. Unfortunately, she couldn’t be too angry because Carver was right—about her and them. She was just loath to admit it. It was doubly hard to hold on to her ire when so much beauty surrounded them. They’d left the northern outskirts of Atlantapol behind and now neared the final rise that would bring them down into a valley and the woodlands beyond. From there, it would be a two-day ride to magical creature territory— if they could animate the horses. Athena’s owl-shaped cavern dominated a little cove a few hours beyond the tacit border, which she had serious reservations about crossing again.
They’d explored on foot when they’d first arrived in Atlantis, taking weeks to cover much of the island. The one time they’d crossed into creature territory, they’d seen the owl-shaped cavern—and then been chased off by an angry herd of centaurs. If they hadn’t already been almost over the border again, she didn’t know what might’ve happened. Magical creatures didn’t like humans in general, but these centaurs were known for being particularly violent and intolerant of people. Feral eyes didn’t lie, and every single one of those gleaming orbs had been unnaturally savage.
Worry darted through her. They were headed straight for those centaurs again. What were the chances the huge herd was off in another area of northern Atlantis?
Or maybe…it could be.
She sent off a quick, silent prayer to Zeus. He’d been infuriatingly hands-off so far about this whole mission, but since he was apparently always spying and listening, maybe he could nudge the creatures away from them.
She glanced over her shoulder at Carver. Despite their moderate pace, he’d fallen behind. “Do you need a break?”
Shaking his head, Carver took a few bounding steps to catch up to her.
Bellanca rolled her eyes. “You have nothing to prove. Magical healing is awful and takes a lot out of you.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fully fine.”
Carver glared at her. “I’m fine .”
Ugh. Men. “I guess having allies wouldn’t be the worst thing,” she decided to admit, maybe as a peace offering. And from what Carver had told her, Dex and Silas were both intelligent people and formidable soldiers.
“We need a team,” he quickly agreed. “We could be fighting a war next, a war for Atlantis. We need people in our corner.”
“We don’t know if they’re in our corner,” she pointed out.
“And we can’t know, unless we ask ,” he said, his breathing labored.
She pursed her lips. “They haven’t done anything exceptional so far. Checking in on you after holding you down for Eryx doesn’t balance in my books.”
“I think they more held me up than down,” he muttered. “But this is it.” He spread his arms, slowing and turning in a circle to encompass the huge spread of Atlantapol below them. “It’s happening now , and we’ll need allies. Dex and Silas are good men. Not perfect, but sometimes, you have to grow into the role of hero,” he reminded her again.
“I’ll grant that it helps to learn from other people, to be inspired.” She flashed him a vicious smile. “Frankly, I just wanted revenge at first.”
“And your brother deserved every bit of yours. But that’s not the whole of it, and we both know it. You saw Cat and Griffin standing up to Galen, and for the first time, you thought, Maybe I can do that, too .”
Her brows rose. “So now you’re an expert at what goes through my head?”
“Oh, darling, I know every thought that goes through your head.”
She snorted, a few incredulous sparks popping out. “Is that so?”
“Careful.” Carver’s lips twitched. “You don’t want to set this rain-parched hillside on fire.”
“If you know so much, then what am I thinking right now, O Insightful One?”
His smile widened. “That it’s a shame we haven’t had more time for kissing, and you’re dying to get your mouth back on mine.”
Her jaw dropped. Actually, she’d been thinking about war and allies and quests from the gods, but now that he’d mentioned kissing, heat rose straight through her and scorched her lips.
Her mouth went dry, suddenly aching for his. “Wrong.”
“Am I?” He winked.
“Well, now I’m thinking about kissing,” she ground out.
Carver laughed. “You make it sound so appealing.”
Appealing didn’t even begin to describe it, and no one was more surprised than she was. Desire swirled deep inside her, the molten warmth weighing down her legs and suddenly making hiking a chore. “You’re distracting me,” she muttered, forcing out a few last, big steps to finally make it to the top of the soaring hill.
Carver scrambled up the final part of the incline and stopped beside her, breathing hard. She looked around. The summit dominated the southeastern portion of the island, with Atlantapol and its outlying districts sprawled below. Much smaller cities with their own sheltered harbors dotted the coastline to the south and west, and farming hamlets broke up the rolling inland. She turned, her hands on her hips. The island narrowed to the north, where there was almost nothing but woods, mostly cliffy shores, and Mount Olympus with its vast marble palace crowning the peak of peaks. The home of gods.
She nodded toward the coolly glittering castle. “That place will bring us nothing but trouble, especially if Hera’s gathering an army of potential future Magoi there.”
“They’re children, barely into teen years. Who knows when their magic will actually manifest.” Carver lifted his tunic and wiped perspiration from his face.
“Probably just in time for her to throw them at me and make me choose between helping Zeus and hurting kids.” She glared at the mountaintop. Her hatred had been reserved for true monsters her whole life, and now Hera was joining their ranks. “There’s Cleito. Those kids…” Her stomach twisted. Was Carver next?
“I see your thoughts veering toward the worst, but we’re not there yet.” Carver reached out and tucked a flyaway hair behind her ear. A dry, wild-herb scent swept over them, carried by a salt breeze. Her magic heated under his touch, adding wild cherries to the mix. “We don’t know anything about the missing children. Only that we think the automatons took them to Mount Olympus. And they’d still have to want to fight for Hera, who kidnapped them.”
“She might put a spell on them.”
“I don’t think she can.”
Bellanca frowned. “Why not?”
“Free will is part of the sacred covenant between gods and humans. A destiny might be drawn, but how a person gets there is up to them. Mind control would betray that.”
“Hera’s already betrayed her pledge to humanity. She’s supposed to protect women and children. Families. She cursed Cat and nearly prevented baby Eleni from being born, and she didn’t care that she was slowly destroying a family in the process. She sent Pan to terrorize Thalyria. Lives were lost. Livelihoods, too. And now she’s ripping families apart in Atlantis—stealing children from their beds.” Her voice dropped, bitterness and fury weighing down every word. “She went too far, stepped over a line, and now I think she’s broken. Hera doesn’t see anymore.”
His brows drew together. “See what?”
“See what she’s doing. See how it hurts.”
“Maybe we can remind her.” A little hesitantly, almost asking permission with his touch, Carver tugged her into a gentle hug. She moved effortlessly into his arms, which helped both of them relax. He no longer panted, his heartbeat against her body returned to normal, and they stood together, drawing comfort from each other’s strength. “Maybe we can stop her from going any farther in this War of Gods.”
“Maybe.” Bellanca leaned in a little closer, testing their new intimacy. “We can try.”
A low chuckle vibrated in his chest. “You sound like my brother.”
“Is that bad?” she asked.
“No. He conquered a kingdom. So will you.” His chin brushed the top of her head as he spoke, the sensation oddly soothing. He surrounded her, but she didn’t feel trapped.
“One step at a time.” She exhaled some of her worry, surprised at how at ease she felt in his arms. It was amazing what kissing could change. She wished they’d do it again.
His hand on her back slowly rose to her nape, and a warm shiver echoed the slide of his palm. Gripping the bare skin under her braid, he rasped, “Can the next step be another kiss?”
Her eyes widened, and fire whooshed through her blood. “Oh gods, you really can read my thoughts.”
Even without magic, Carver’s gaze unmistakably flamed. Heated silver shimmered in the gray as he lowered his head. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He pressed his lips to hers.
Her pulse sped up, and a taut, achy sensation she was just becoming familiar with gripped her abdomen and spread. She kissed him back, timidly at first and then with increasing confidence. Carver didn’t push her into something fierce and heavy all at once. Taking his time, he seemed to savor her, and she got used to the closeness again, the feel of their pressing mouths and touching chests. She slowly lowered her remaining defenses, sinking into him, and Carver increased the pressure against her lips. She parted them, and every sensation doubled as he swept his tongue into her mouth. He coaxed her into reciprocating, and his growing hardness pushing against her lower belly only excited her more as she gripped his shoulders and kissed him back. Her magic inevitably heated up along with the intensity of their embrace, and she had to use precious concentration she didn’t want to spare to keep it in check. She would not burn him again.
Carver slid a hand down and gripped her hip, squeezing as he pulled her against him. A groan tore from deep inside him, and the sound thumped between her legs with such force that she gasped. Panting, she tilted her head back to breathe. He trailed his lips from her jaw to her throat, the scratch of stubble he hadn’t had time to shave rasping against her skin. The delicious pleasure-pain tipped her over the edge, and magic cracked in her veins. Cherry-scented sparks crossed her skin with a sudden, hot brightness that shocked them apart.
Carver dragged in a breath, his eyes clouding with worry.
Staring at him, she shook her head. Her magic wouldn’t come between them. “I know my power better than I know any of this yet, and I will bend it to my will.” Just like she always did.
Carver stepped back in and kissed her again like he’d never stopped. His faith in her didn’t rattle her. It shored her up, leaving all her focus on them and the heat they generated. Arousal singed her, different from magic. She gave herself over to it, over to Carver, and governing her magic got easier the more completely she surrendered to their passion. Her ever-raging fire faded to a background hum, and instinct took over, just like when they fought back-to-back.
This… She kissed him fiercely, loving how his excitement and desire leaped right out at her and amplified her own. This was magic.
His fingers pressed into her sides, but she didn’t know who he was steadying. They both swayed. Breathing raggedly, he gazed down at her with glittering eyes. “You could burn me alive, and I wouldn’t even know. I’m already on fire.”
A hot twist whipped through her chest. “Then we’ll burn together.”
“To the ends of worlds,” he vowed.
“To the ends of worlds,” she echoed, gripping his face and kissing him with new intensity. She instinctively angled her hips toward him. He thrust back, and heat washed through her, a needy ache in her core throbbing feverishly enough to explain the lack of control lovers displayed and that she’d never understood.
With an almost tortured groan, he broke the kiss and inhaled deeply against her neck. “Wild cherries in the sunshine. Heat and magic.” He licked where her neck met her shoulder, then bit down, holding on. Her eyes flared, and her mouth popped open as a hot jolt burst between her legs. He swirled his tongue over her skin. “I’ll never get enough. I want to lick every part of you until you pant my name and beg for my cock.”
Shock hit her first, then arousal overtook everything else. She didn’t fear them being a couple anymore, but if she’d had any fears left, the wild inferno in her blood would’ve incinerated those worries on the spot.
“Beg?” She arched in to him, trying to relieve some of the pressure winding her tight. “Only in your dreams.”
“ You’re my dream.” His teeth gently clamped down on her neck again.
Sensation rushed through her. Her breasts tight, her skin a wash of shivers, she laughed, the sound low and rough. “It turns out I like kissing. Who’d have thought?”
“You like kissing me .” Carver trailed his lips up her neck again and captured her mouth, his deep, hungry kiss so scorching that her magic felt weak in comparison, as if the true power were here, in this. She lifted into him. She tried, but she couldn’t get close enough. They kissed, touched, devoured . They joined as thoroughly as they could and like nothing else existed until a gull screeched directly overhead, breaking them apart.
Bellanca blinked herself out of the passion haze, breathless, her heart pounding. They steadied each other, the thickets around them rustling as a light, sun-hot wind blew over the summit, reminding them of where they were and what they faced. Desire gradually faded, and Atlantis came back into focus—along with everything else.
She exhaled slowly. Letting go of Carver’s arm, she glanced down at the valley they needed to cross to reach the woods. Far below, a glittering stream running toward the coast split the green terrain in half. There was no path on the other side of the hill. They’d have to forge their own, keeping the sea on their right and Mount Olympus ahead. She sighed. Their journey awaited, but before they took another step, it seemed imperative to unleash the words that had been clogging her throat for months.
Turning, she drew her shoulders back and snagged Carver’s gaze with hers.
The sudden, wary cock of his head told her he didn’t think he’d like what came next. His eyes narrowed, and she put a hand on his chest to reassure him. Or maybe it reassured her, that steady heartbeat and vital strength.
“Carver…” She swallowed. “I never told you…thank you. Thank you for coming with me. You don’t know how my heart exploded when you insisted. I know I argued, but I was so glad.” Her voice cracked, and she sucked in a breath. “So glad and grateful. I know you gave up everything when you took that path.”
His already troubled gaze went storm dark. “You don’t have to thank me.” He reached out and gripped her head, forcing her to keep her eyes on his when she tried to look away from his flash of hurt. “I didn’t give up everything. I kept you.” His fingers tightened, pressing into her hair. “All those months of antagonism? Of inseparableness? Don’t you understand? The heat of the entire cosmos burned inside my chest. It was torching me alive. I didn’t know what to do with it until you were about to walk out of my life.”
Her throat thick, she said, “The entire cosmos?”
“Every godsdamned star,” he growled. “I knew right then, down to the very deepest corner of my soul, that if I didn’t follow the fire, I’d regret it forever and die miserable and cold.”
Her heart wrenched. Chills stung her from the inside out, raising goose bumps on her arms. “That sounds awful.”
The corners of his lips jerked up, but his eyes stayed hard. “For once, we agree.”
She breathed shallowly, her lungs refusing to expand. “I guess I would’ve died miserable, too, then.”
“I don’t know. I’d have to hope not,” he said, releasing her.
She shivered, missing his touch. “Because soulmates don’t usually find each other? And they survive just fine? Live their lives?”
He shrugged. “But we’d already met. We’d known each other for months, through trials and battles. Through working together, day in and day out. And some part of me knew. I just…knew, even if I didn’t understand yet.” A swallow bobbed in his throat. “I would’ve followed you anywhere.”
Her eyes stung, and the screams in her heart when Persephone ripped that doll in half howled inside her again. “I didn’t understand either yet, but the absolute certainty that you’d follow me through that gateway was the only reason I had the courage to go. And now…” Her voice quieted, turning hoarse. “I want more. I want us. I want to be yours.”
“And I want to be yours,” Carver whispered back, lowering his lips to hers again.
The rightness of them infused her as their mouths moved and their bodies pressed. Emotion swelled in her chest. This kiss—so tender and fierce. It was the kiss of every blazing fire, of every burning sun, of a thousand years together, and then a thousand more to come.
“Is this claiming?” she asked breathlessly. Mutual claiming would bind them in life, in death. Right now, she couldn’t imagine anything she wanted more.
Carver drew back, a slow smile spreading across his face. “You’re very curious about something you ridiculed for months.”
“Is it?” She gripped his tunic, keeping him close. “Carver?”
His eyes heated. “I told you. I’ll be inside you, and you’ll know .”
“I want to know.” Sun-flare magic wrapped around the desire coursing through her, warming her whole body. “I want you.” It was an invitation. It was accepting them , their future, however, whenever, as soon as possible.
He stared at her. Her pulse thumped hard, but instead of fear, all she felt was anticipation.
He finally closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring on a long, deep breath. When he opened them again, he’d banked the fire. “Of all the places to tell me that.” He glanced around. “There’s nothing but rocks and dust here.”
Bellanca knew exactly where they were—on a windswept hillside, a monstrous king behind them and a monstrous queen ahead. But he was right, and this was no place for what she had in mind.
“Has Atlantis made you soft?” Smirking, she started down the far side of the rise. “When have you ever given a Cyclops’s eye about what the terrain looks like?”
Following her, he muttered, “I’m thinking of you.”
“Me?” Her brows rose.
“We should’ve left tomorrow.” He leaned closer as they walked side by side, his voice smoky rich, fire-warm, and just right to heat her blood. “Because right now, if I had a bed…”
Her insides tumbled, and her quiet laugh surprised her, along with a few sparks of magic that snuck out. She bit down on a smile, her eyes flashing to his. “Oh darling, I don’t need a bed.”