Chapter Forty-Four Ethan
Chapter Forty-Four
Ethan
I pull Sunny into my arms and curve my body around her, even as her thunderstruck question rings in my head. Why the hell would you do that? That is a valid question, but I don’t have a good answer to it.
It makes no sense, but the wall of water reminded me of Draco, and I reached toward it before I realized what I was doing.
Fucking hell.
If Sunny gets hurt because of me, I’m going to kick my own ass. This must be the most brainless, impulsive thing I’ve ever done.
Even as I berate myself, I brace for impact. But . . . the ocean doesn’t crash down on us. I don’t even feel a spray of water. And after another nerve-racking second, I peek out with one eye, then the other one shoots open.
The wall . . . It’s gone.
After another beat of taut silence, Sunny squirms in my arms, and I gingerly release her. I stay alert, scanning the dry, cracked ocean around us. The hair stands on the back of my neck. The churning ocean might be gone, but the danger isn’t. Far from it.
“Can you put me down?” Hailey asks in a muffled voice. The Judge of Tenth Hell holds her aloft in his arms, his head bent protectively over hers.
“Guh.” He drops her to the ground so abruptly that Hailey stumbles. With a sharp yelp, he reaches out and steadies her by the waist, then he drops his hands as though she burned him. Fumbling to straighten his sunglasses, he mutters, “My apologies. I do not know what came over me.”
I turn to Sunny to share a knowing smile, but something else holds her attention. She’s gaping at the sky with her head tipped back. Her parted lips wobble and tears leak from the corners of her eyes. Trepidation shortening my breath, I follow her line of sight.
Draco.
Sharp, searing grief slams into my chest, and my throat tightens with unshed tears. The serpentine dragon undulating above us is far larger than Draco, and several shades darker, but I can’t help but see the kid in the god of Water.
Sunny must see it too.
Not trusting my voice, I take her hand and squeeze it tight. Her fingers feel like ice. She stares at Yongwang for a second longer, then she buries her face in my chest with a broken sob.
“I’m so sorry, Sunny.” I wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head. “Gods, I’m sorry. I know how much they meant to you.”
She cries as though a dam broke inside her. I gather her close so she can grieve for the kid. She’s held her heartbreak at bay for long enough. Both she and Draco deserve this moment before she lets them go.
With a mournful sigh, I tuck her head under my chin and rub her back. Even in grief, I want her to know she is not alone. My chest constricts so tightly that I can hardly breathe. I wouldn’t be holding Sunny in my arms if it wasn’t for Draco.
But why did it have to be them? They were just a kid. A good kid.
Gratitude, guilt, and sorrow claw at my throat, and I tighten my arms around Sunny. It hurts, but we’ll hurt together.
“Your Majesty,” the Judge of Tenth Hell murmurs. “The god of Water—”
“Can wait a moment longer,” I cut him off.
“I have an eternity at my disposal,” a voice like the roar of waves rumbles above us, “but you do not have a moment to spare.”
I glare up at the dragon, holding Sunny closer.
“Ethan, it’s all right.” She pushes against my chest and runs the back of her hand across her eyes. “I’ll be okay.”
I keep my gaze trained on Yongwang as I reluctantly drop my arms from around her. Then she faces the god of Water—with me standing at her back.
“Lord Yongwang, do you know why we seek you?” Sunny rasps, her throat raw from tears.
“Yes.” The god descends in a cyclone of water to stand before us in his human form, wearing a long, flowing gown of darkest blue.
“But you won’t help us.” Sunny sighs, rubbing her forehead wearily. “Why?”
“Perhaps I lack your futile courage.” Condescension warps his handsome face. “Or your unrelenting hope.”
“What are we without hope? You must see that daunting odds are better than certain death. Please, Lord Yongwang.” She drops to her knees, and I follow her to the ground.
Hailey and Gyun kneel as well, adding their own silent pleas.
“If I must die, I want to go down fighting for life rather than waiting docilely for death. I want to fight it with hopeful desperation, rather than surrender to it with helpless fear. Death comes for everyone, but I will decide how I meet it.”
“You are”—the god cocks his head, interest sparking in his eyes—“wholly unexpected.”
“My wife is extraordinary.” I manage to keep my tone civil, even as my jaw clenches.
In his human form, the god of Water looks nothing like Draco.
I would feel no compunction punching his freakishly handsome face, if he doesn’t stop ogling Sunny.
“But she speaks for all of us in the Realm of Four Kingdoms. We will not go down without a fight.”
“All of you?” Yongwang deigns to address me.
“Yes, Lord Yongwang,” Gyun responds in my stead, with a nervous glance my way. “His Majesty has united the four kingdoms. We, all of us, will follow our king and queen wherever they lead us.”
“This indeed intrigues me.” The god of Water resumes watching Sunny, and a warning growl slips past my lips. “I cannot share my life force with you, but I will fight at your side.”
“That won’t be enough to save the realm,” I object from the ground, my hands fisting on my bent knees.
“It’s okay, Ethan.” She gives Yongwang a flat stare. “It’s gotta be better than nothing.”
The Judge of Tenth Hell makes a choking sound, kneeling next to us.
“Thank you, Lord Yongwang,” Hailey rushes to say. “We are grateful for your generosity.”
“I have never seen such disrespect.” The god of Water gives a bemused shake of his head. “Perhaps the gods have slumbered for too long. The people need to be reminded of our might. Isn’t that right, Yeomla?”
“I suppose,” a disembodied voice answers before the god of Underworld materializes at Yongwang’s side, his red robe flowing artfully in the air. “But it is unlike you to be swayed by a pretty face, old friend.”
“It isn’t her beauty that compels me, but the strength of her spirit,” the god of Water murmurs, his gaze roaming over Sunny. “I have never seen anyone more vibrant—more full of life—than this gumiho.”
“And she may have met her equal in her fated mate,” Yeomla says with a meaningful glance my way.
“I merely strive to deserve her.” I bow my head to the god of Underworld, grateful for his unexpected support.
“It will serve you well to remember, Yongwang,” he continues as though I haven’t spoken. So much for support. “Even a god cannot separate lovers bound by the threads of fate.”
“I have not forgotten.” The god of Water shrugs with careless grace, and I narrow my eyes at him. “But you must admit it is exciting to find someone unique and surprising after all our years.”
“Indeed.” Yeomla studies Sunny too closely for my comfort. These fucking gods. “Even so, it will be best to employ the look but don’t touch policy with this one.”
I try very hard to remember that I cannot take on a god, much less two, and walk away with my life intact. The problem is I’m starting not to care.
“This one”—Sunny raises a finger then points it at her ear—“can hear you.”
Yongwang and Yeomla exchange startled glances, as though asking each other, Did she really just say that to us? I cover my triumphant laugh with a hacking cough. I might not be able to take on two gods, but my wife certainly can.
“You may all rise,” Yongwang says with as much dignity as he can muster. Then he gazes into the horizon, striving for godly gravitas. “We have a long way to go.”
“We?” Gyun asks, rising to his feet with the rest of us.
“You do know where Hwanin slumbers, do you not?” Yeomla manages to look down his nose at the taller male.
Before the Judge of Tenth Hell can respond, Yongwang sweeps his long blue sleeve through the air and transports us without warning. I hold Sunny’s hand in an iron grip as we shrink and expand, dissipate and solidify, all at once.
“Hwanin has hidden so deeply that even we cannot sense him,” Yeomla murmurs when the four of us land on solid ground, fighting for our balance. “We will rely on your guidance, Judge of Tenth Hell.”
The gods brought us to a faded version of the Kingdom of Sky, where everything is muted and blurry, like June Gloom settled over purgatory.
“I will do my best.” Gyun bows to the two gods before leading the way. Then he nods at us over his shoulder. “It will be another taxing search.”
“Where exactly is the god of Heavens?” Hailey asks, falling into step next to the judge.
“There is no particular landmark to indicate Lord Hwanin’s sanctuary.” He pauses to glance down at her. “But we will know when we get there.”
“Must you always be so enigmatic?” Hailey side-eyes him.
“No, not always,” Gyun answers enigmatically.
I plant my hand on Sunny’s hip and pull her close to my side. She rolls her eyes at me, but her mouth curls into a pleased smile. I grin back at her like a lovesick fool, and we set out to play hide-and-seek with yet another god.
Too bad we’re always It.