27 - ARACHNE
“I like your place,” I said to fill the uneasy silence, taking a seat beside Athena at the marble breakfast bar. We were completely alone. In her home. Which seemed like a great idea twenty minutes ago, but now— after that Councilor run-in —I no longer knew how to behave.
You missed her. I did. However: she’s on a first name basis with Supremae. I didn’t like that either.
Despite the casualness of our circumstances, my nerves were skittering under my skin, leaving my gut spiraling. I couldn’t decipher if it was from the need to escape, or excitement in having her so close again. Perhaps a cocktail of the two.
I was on edge… Her scent. Her stuff. Her scrutinous gaze catching every second of my perusal. Athena always managed to throw me off-kilter. But the revelation of her closeness to them …
“We should likely discuss Supremae,” she said, leaving my mouth drying. How’d she know? Is she telepathic?
“I understand why you hate them,” she continued, “know that you likely despise the entire Council. I can’t blame you for it, nor do I judge you. However—” Athena paused, leaving my anxiety spiking as she weighed her wording… As she fretted over my reaction.
This gorgeous being cared for me far more than she should. Unfortunately, as much as I cared for her.
There was no doubt in my mind. All those months icing her out thawed as her amber eyes searched mine like she was attempting to predict my response before sharing whatever it was. All but forcing me to ask, “What is it?” As the question fled my lips, I knew her answer couldn’t alter my feelings.
That the buzzing underneath my skin was likely from the magnitude of our connection.
“Supremae raised me; they took me in after my parents’ demise. It’s not private information, but most of the public isn’t aware. If that’s cause for you to?—”
Sure, I was certainly shocked by that; despite her closeness to the youngest Drago, I hadn’t pieced it together. However, one’s parentage wasn’t something you could change… If anything, they raised her perfectly. Which was why I interrupted with, “I don’t care.”
“You don’t?” Athena confirmed, her mouth ajar.
Reminding me of just what she could do with those lips, with that tongue.
I shook my head, incapable of speaking. She sighed in relief before adding, “The Council isn’t a reflection of Supremae.
They despise leading the rest of the psychos but they’re the ones best suited for it.
I don’t say that because they’re my parents either. They care.”
That part, I couldn’t agree with.
“What?” She pressed, the furrow in her brow giving her nose scar further prominence.
“You weren’t around a few millennia ago, Athena. Their personal ties aren’t a bother; however, you can’t attempt to alter my opinion either. That will not change.”
“That’s fair,” she said, grabbing at her container of food. “So, since you’ve forgiven me?—”
I cackled, having done no such thing.
“That kiss was self-serving,” I explained. “You have at least eight months’ worth of groveling ahead of you. Eat up, you’ll need the nourishment for what I have planned for phase one.”
Athena’s face spread into an irresistible grin as she obeyed with a wink. Such a damned brat … but you really missed her .
“Give me your phone, I’d like to see those texts that didn’t go through.”
??
After enjoying dinner and reviewing a couple hundred messages, I felt silly for torturing myself all those months. For attempting to cut her out when she didn’t deserve it. Not in the slightest.
We’d played a game to strip, but Athena had been keeping a noticeable distance. Her laughs and smiles were real, yes, but she was tiptoeing around me. I was tempted to say all was forgiven just to move past the weirdness.
“Can I take this off too?” I asked, reaching to tug at the unmarked amulet she always wore. Needing an excuse to touch her. Loving the way her nipples pebbled from our brief contact.
“So, about that,” Athena started, rising from the edge of her bed to pace. “No one really knows about it besides Zusicia. And likely Atha because she tells him everything.” She was twisting her hands with each step, oozing discomfort.
I stilled, unsure of what a silver disc on a leather strap could be spelled to do.
“You’ve seen my scars, I’ve faced off against plenty of cursed weapons, but my wing is the worst. It will never completely heal.”
“And what exactly does the necklace do?”
“It keeps the wound closed and bones fused while I’m wearing it. Zusicia obtained it from fuck knows where, but it’s not a permanent solution. I can’t sleep or shower with it on.”
I hadn’t realized the severity of her injury; feeling horrid for having doubted its reality before we met. Athena must’ve misread my expression, because she blurted, “You don’t have to look at it, don’t worry.”
“No. It’s not that.” Shaking my head, I explained, “Before we met, I questioned whether you were actually disabled and it was absolutely horrible of me. I feel sick over it.” Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes making it impossible to look at her without crying.
But she barked a laugh, pulling me off the mattress for a hug. “You hated me that much?”
I didn’t want to answer that, murmuring instead, “Will you show me? I promise not to pity you.”
“Are you sure? It’s—” Athena was cut short when I gripped the amulet to take the damn necklace off myself. Her amber eyes widened before she agreed. “Fine. Fine.”
Once it was over her head, her right wing drooped. As I opened my mouth to ask if that was it, blood dripped like a leaky faucet; with a now obvious slash cutting through the frame. “Does it hurt?” I couldn’t help but ask, staring at the unnatural angle and gap between muscle, tendon, and bone.
It was a wonder that a necklace could be powerful enough to fuse and hold it together.
Athena shrugged her shoulders, leaving me frowning.
“It’s not exactly comfortable while also no longer being painful.
More so annoying when I’m not wearing the amulet because I have to wrap them in bandages to keep blood from getting everywhere.
And I have to be careful, obviously. The worst part is that I can’t fly like I used to. ”
“I highly doubt that’s the worst part, I’d rather you were honest with me,” I replied, and she huffed, rolling her eyes.
“Could I wrap it for you? I trained underneath a healer. It was a long, long time ago but I want to help. It can’t be easy to do it yourself,” I said, refusing to blink. This was too important.
Athena smiled, then nodded, before taking off toward her washroom.
It felt… oddly nice. To an unsettling extent.
“So, it’ll be a pain because of the angle,” Athena said, extending a roll of gauze as she ran her other palm through her hair. I motioned for her to take a seat on the mattress since she towered over me. “When did you work as a healer?”
Pulling the strip of bandage free, I explained, “Never worked as one, only completed training.”
“When?” She parroted, having caught onto my avoidance.
With a sigh, I explained, “Right before Blossom was arrested for treasonous acts against the Council. Back when I was still dedicating my life to the betterment of immortal kind.” I winced at the mere mention.
Athena spun so quickly I was smacked in the face with bloodied feathers.
“You’re staining your sheets,” I pointed out, but she ignored me, searching my face with her owlish yellow gaze.
“Is that why you care so little for pleasing others now?”
No one had ever asked me that, had ever cared enough to understand my behavior, so it took me a second to process. Her summarization was… “I suppose.” It was a relief that her focus was on me, not the particulars of why I abandoned the path I was set on.
“I can’t imagine you as approachable or charitable, honestly,” Athena mused and a laugh burst from my chest. “No offense, of course.”
“It was a different time. I was a different femme. Phones weren’t even a thing yet.”
“Okay, all ancient one,” she muttered, winking before turning around once more.
Witnessing the damage up close was sending my stomach for a loop. The fact that she’d have to live with this forever was devastating. Especially, knowing she kept the burden to herself.
Using a light touch, I held the torn segments together. Instead of tensing, as I expected she might, Athena softened under my fingertips. “Tell me if it hurts at any point,” I urged, beginning to loop the gauze between feathers.
“You’re far gentler than I thought you’d be.”
Not knowing how to respond, I didn’t, focusing on the task instead. She didn’t so much as twitch with discomfort once. Not even when I applied pressure to tighten the wrappings.
When I was finished, now fully knowing what she’d been living with, Athena was without a doubt the strongest being I knew. The Great was a valid nickname.
Every second with the femme was pushing me deeper into the abyss of obsession. I loved the way her hair complemented the patterns in her wings. The messy but cute and carefree mullet had grown on me, too.
There no longer were flaws, just facets of her I didn’t quite understand yet… And couldn’t wait to.
“I wish I knew what you were thinking,” she muttered, breaking the comfortable quiet.
“I’m thinking that this is something I could get used to. And despite how very naked we are, I’d be okay with just cuddling as you share how this happened.”