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A week passes. Maybe more. I lose track of days. All I know is that I’m happy. Sure, we’re in a creepy tower, and the Spidae lurk around every corner, and we’re out of our traveling supply of food so we’re now eating whatever we find in the pods the Spidae have scattered around the keep.
But every morning, I wake up in Aron’s arms. Every night, I go to sleep in Aron’s embrace. Every day, we spend together—making love, talking, or laughing.
And that’s worth everything. I don’t care if a million days pass by. If they’re all like that, then sign me up.
It’s easy to forget the world outside of this tower. It’s so easy to forget that out there, in this strange world, dozens of Aspects are roaming the world, looking to put an end to anyone that has the same face. It’s easy to forget that our lives were—and still are—in danger. Here, we’re safe from the world because no one wants to cross the mountains and that awful lake. I’m still not entirely sure how our woales got on this side of the lake with our supplies. Every time I ask, Aron just laughs and says “not easily.”
Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. If this is what happiness looks like, I’ll grab it with both hands.
One morning, though, I wake up to the sound of swords clashing. To male laughter. Aron isn’t in bed with me, and I frown to myself as I get up and pull on a robe. There’s no window in our room, but I know the sounds are coming from outside. I pad into the hall, where there’s a large, spiderweb-covered balcony and find Yule
“Hi Faith,” she says cheerily as I move to her side. “You hungry?” She offers me some fruit.
It seems that the pods are a bit more benign than I’d originally thought. The ones that we’ve split open have had a variety of food items—from vegetables to fruit—and though some had a bird or fish in them, it was alive. It’s like the spiders bring back food for the Spidae…who don’t eat.
It’s all very odd.
At any rate, the food has served us well enough, and I don’t feel weird about taking a handful of the small, purple cherry-like fruits and popping a few into my mouth. Down below, the men are sparring. Aron has a long sword in his hand and he’s got one arm tied behind his back, and he’s blindfolded. He’s fighting both Kerren and Markos and wi
They all laugh, and I hear the words “I yield” float up as Markos grins.
Aron’s smiling, too. His face is lit up with pure, unadulterated joy, and sometimes I forget that he’s a battle god. He loves a fight. As I watch, Kerren approaches Aron and helps him remove his bindings. Aron slips off the blindfold and immediately looks up at the balcony to me.
He grins, utterly pleased.
I wave back at him, then lean over to Yule
“The men were bored so they started sparring. Aron must have heard it and joined them. They’ve been at it for hours.” Yule
War? My good mood sours. Aron says something with the guys below and points at weapons, discussing. As I watch, Aron talks with Kerren, showing him a sword move and how to block. It’s clear Aron’s in his element.
I don’t want him thinking about war or battles.
“He is a god of war, though,” an eerie voice says behind me.
Yule
The smile that curves his mouth is unfairly pretty. “I do. But I sensed your mood. There is no need to be angry over things you ca
Faithful. That was what Tadekha called me. It irritates me to hear it, but I know why he’s doing it. He’s showing me just how much he knows. Yule
“He ca
Is that a warning? Angry, bitter words threaten to spill forth but I bite them back. There’s a sympathetic note in his voice that makes me pause. I don’t know if he’s trying to be nice or to mess with me. I never know. I clutch my robe tighter to my front. “Is it so wrong to be unhappy at the sight of him sparring? I don’t want to lose him. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“You will lose him no matter what you do,” he intones. “The question is, what are you willing to risk for him?”
Is this an offering? A way out? “Everything,” I breathe, taking a step forward despite Yule
He merely smiles and turns away.
Shocked, I watch him leave. So that wasn’t him offering to help me? That was just more fortune cookie bullshit. I clench my teeth, utterly a
“Who was that?” Yule
“The Spidae. And yes. I don’t know which one, but I think they’re all the same. They’re assholes and manipulators, and completely, batshit crazy.” I turn back to the narrow strip of beach, where the men are sparring again. “Let’s just forget we saw them, okay? I don’t want to ruin this day.”
Fu
It feels a bit like I’m pouting. I know Yule
You can take the boy out of the battle, but you can’t take the battle out of the boy. Aron is and will always be a soldier, a warrior, a warlord. He’s going to want to leave this place behind soon enough to go and meet his destiny in Yshrem, a place I’ve never heard of but already hate.
I feel like I’m losing him. That’s why I hate Aron’s sparring practice. That’s why I hate the swordplay.
It’s too soon. I don’t want to lose him just yet. Or ever.
But definitely not this soon.
The men pause for a while to take a break. Kerren groans loudly, and the others flop down on the pale shoreline and I know the reality of it—they’re exhausted. No one can keep up with Aron. He’s immortal and has had mille
But when they take a break? He comes to see me.
Aron arrives, sweaty and covered in sand, and pulls me into his arms. “My body craves another kind of battle right now,” he murmurs, sliding a hand under my dress. “Luckily I have the fairest anchor in six kingdoms to please me…” His words trail off and he frowns. “What’s wrong?”
I feign ignorance. “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.”
“You look upset.”
“I’m totally not upset,” I lie. I don’t want to explain to him why I really am upset. That I’m terrified of losing him. That not only will I lose the man I love, but I’ll lose my life and whatever afterlife I had pla
His eyebrows furrow and he puts a finger under my chin, tipping my face up so he can study it. “We were simply sparring—you know I would not get hurt. I ca
“I know.”
Aron frowns at me for a moment longer, and then realization flickers over his face. “Ahhh. You are jealous of the time I’ve spent with the men. That’s it, isn’t it?”
It’s the most absurd and arrogant thing and a laugh bubbles up inside me, because it’s so typically Aron to say that. “No!”
“Yes,” he agrees, gri
I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry. “Have my way with you, you say?”
His eyes gleam. “You can tie me down and we can pretend I’m your anchor and you’re the fierce goddess who must lick my cock for endless hours to sate herself.”
I snort. “This sounds suspiciously like a male fantasy.”
“Of course it is. But you’d still enjoy it.” His hands fasten on my ass and he holds me close, twirling me slightly on the balcony and gri
I want this moment—this silly, ridiculous moment—to last forever.
But I have a terrible feeling it’s all about to come to an end.