Moon Borne (Halcyon Romance Series Book 1) Page 26

  As far as the myths claimed, Persephone was one of the more pleasant goddesses. At least in so much as she didn’t find entertainment in the torment of mortals.

  The one possibility he refused to acknowledge concerned Persephone’s connection to Hades. His stomach churned at the fear he was too late—that his sister’s soul was somewhere he could never reach. That she was in the Underworld.

  A winged male greeted them as they dismounted at the stables. With sky blue eyes and golden hair, framed by fluffy white wings, he resembled an angel. “A pleasure to meet you. I don’t think my older brother thanked you enough.” Ah, so this was Gaven. The male shifted his gaze between them. “Kyme, my mate has told me of your kindness. I owe you much.” He gave a slight bow.

  “It was my pleasure.” She inclined her head in return.

  “I sense you are not here to discuss the weather. How can I be of service?”

  Arsenius clasped the male’s outstretched hand. “I’d like to speak with you and your brother, if he’s available. I must request that favor, after all.”

  Gaven nodded. “He’ll be here in a moment.” Even as the winged male spoke, a figure ambled toward them. Nazrin. Poor fellow’s brows furrowed as wretchedly as they had a few days ago.

  “Welcome back, Arsenius.”

  This time, he was grateful the male could read his mind, so he wouldn’t have to reveal anything in front of Kyme. He communicated with the Wind Borne his urgency to converse. Nazrin sent him a subtle nod.

  “Kyme.” Arsenius clasped her hand. “Why don’t you visit Aedre, while I discuss a few details with Nazrin and Gaven?”

  Her scowl burned through him. “I’m not one of those domesticated women who stay at home while the men plot war, Arsenius.” Her hands perched on her hips, Kyme’s fierce will was twice the size of her slight body.

  “Aye, I know, Amazone.” He grinned at her mettle. “I’m sworn not to reveal any of this to you, and besides, it’s safer for you this way.”

  She opened her mouth, but his possessive kiss cut off the thousand protests on her tongue. Her body yielded; if only her mind could be tamed with such ease.

  “You’re supposed to be my slave, remember?” he murmured against her lips. “Will you trust me in this?”

  Without waiting for her answer, he snared her arm and led her to Gaven’s cabin. She followed Gaven inside, but Arsenius paused in the doorway.

  The winged male strode to Aedre’s bedside and gripped her hand. Bending, Gaven whispered lover’s words in his mate’s ear and kissed her forehead, before leaving her side. The color rose in her cheeks. Arsenius stepped aside to let Gaven pass, but blocked Kyme’s attempt to follow them.

  ***

  “Very well,” Kyme mumbled against a wall of steel muscle. Arsenius bent once more to kiss her, deserting her at the threshold as she glared after the males who held her fate.

  Her hands hung without purpose at her sides, empty and unused to this exclusion from strategizing. It cut her to be dismissed, but Arsenius had asked for her trust.

  Warmth spread through her and she smiled. For the first time in her life, she’d placed complete faith in someone who wasn’t one of her sisters. Yes, she trusted him, even with her very breath.

  The vermin of uncertainty and self-doubt crept back into her mind.

  Embrace your true path, her goddess had instructed.

  She was an Amazon warrior. Her path had to lie with her sisters.

  Arsenius would never fail her.

  But what if I fail him?

  Kyme approached Aedre and clasped the mermayde’s hand. Though she’d love for nothing better than to sit and talk, she wasn’t sure the mermayde would remain conscious for very long. Her body seemed even frailer than before.

  As Aedre’s weak hand clasped hers, Kyme thanked the goddess that she hadn’t been born a mermayde. To endure this every one and a half years? She snorted.

  Yet the love Gaven possessed for Aedre had been a tangible force in the air. They’d smiled at each other as though no matter what hardship was presented to them, they would endure it. Together.

  Was what she felt for Arsenius so different?

  Aedre studied her, turquoise eyes penetrating. “You must tell him how you feel. He needs to hear it.”

  “He will never believe me. Amazons do not love.” Having voiced her deepest fear, she hugged her arms across her chest.

  “I am not acquainted with your kind, but everyone is capable of love. It is the most powerful force. Believe me, I am well acquainted with every enchantment.” Aedre placed a gentle hand on Kyme’s arm. “He has no reason to doubt you, unless you doubt yourself.”

  She squeezed Aedre’s hand. Perhaps the mermayde wasn’t so delusional, after all. Departing her new friend’s side, she closed the cabin door behind her and strolled down the dirt path.

  If only she could lock away her fears, shut them out with as much ease as she’d closed the cabin door.

  ***

  The consultation with Gaven and Nazrin was going well. Neither betrayed their surprise upon learning the bargain Arsenius had struck with Persephone.

  Nazrin claimed he knew the goddess and offered to aid Arsenius in negotiating Kyme’s freedom.

  Gods were rather particular about their human and descendant “pets,” and Arsenius suspected Kyme continued to carry Artemis’s favor. Unless Persephone wished to cause a war, she would not harm the Amazon.

  They slipped out of the cabin—Gaven to care for Aedre, Thereus to prepare the ship, and Nazrin to ready the supplies. As for him, Arsenius hungered for nothing more than to steal away to a secluded place with Kyme, but it was out of the question. He didn’t dare trust his tongue not to reveal his secrets, so he tarried by the lake’s shore and waited, without patience, for the hours to pass.

  At last, they were ready, and he collected Kyme. They boarded the ship together. Thereus conveyed the coordinates to Castor, and the crew set sail. Once everything was smoothly underway, Arsenius led Kyme to his cabin.

  He would hate for her to feel betrayed at the end of this—he’d had no choice.

  Inside his cabin, he loosened a plank from the floorboard and withdrew a clothed bundle, tucking it into his waistband. After he replaced the plank, he seized a pair of iron shackles from the cabinet and adjusted them around Kyme’s ankles and wrists. Though she was his willing slave, he had to make it appear otherwise.

  This ruse was a delicate balance, for he also did not aim to anger Persephone. He still required the information about his sister.

  “Kyme.” He drew her into his arms. Would this be the last time he held her? Kissed her? After this meeting, she might refuse to ever see him again. His chest constricted against the pounding of his heart. The organ wouldn’t still until Kyme was his. He winced. She will never be mine.

  “When we reach our destination, act like you did when I first captured you.” The corner of his mouth turned up at the memory. He’d recognized at once that this fiery creature was his. No, not mine. He winced again. Collect yourself. Focus. “My client is unaware of our plan.” He cleared his throat. This was the hard part. “I cannot divulge everything to you, but I would not bring you if I believed you were in any danger. Do you trust me?” He tilted her chin and peered into her darkened indigo eyes.

  She parted her lips as though she wished to speak. The words he sensed she’d been anxious to tell him earlier? As before, she closed her mouth and nodded.

  He didn’t wish to press her, so he kissed her instead. Slow and tender, his tongue met hers in a caress that defied his intense passion. He would savor this moment, endure the agony of not claiming her, and instead focus on committing her taste, her softness to his memory.

  He tangled his fingers into her silken locks, nibbling away at her delicate moans. She snared the waist of his breeches, skimming her hands over the bulge of his straining cock. Groaning into her mouth, he resisted the instinct to thrust into her hands. No time for that.

  In affirmation, th
e boat creaked as they docked.

  Arsenius grasped her shackled wrists and held them above her head, her back against the wall.

  If this was to be their last kiss, he would sear Kyme with his scent, claim her lips with such thoroughness he would brand his imprint on her. If he couldn’t have her, no other male would either.

  With all of the love he could never express, Arsenius kissed Kyme goodbye.

  A knock at the door ended their kiss. Panting, he traced her lips with his finger one last time.

  “Tell me.” Her blue eyes flashed up at him, desperate.

  He swallowed hard. Was she asking of him that which he’d sworn never to speak again?

  A louder, more insistent knock. “Coming.” He growled at the door, snared her elbow, and led her off the ship.

  Arsenius took the lead, with Nazrin and Gaven flanking either side of Kyme, and Thereus in the rear. They encircled Kyme, a boundary of muscle and armor.

  They were impressive. Lethal. Formidable.

  Yet they’d be utterly impotent in the presence of the goddess.

  ***

  Kyme struggled to match the pace of the massive males around her. She ought to be comforted by their presence, yet icy foreboding crept down her spine. Dread broke out as a light sweat on her skin, leaving her throat parched. Making the heavy chains seem like they were wrapped around her heart instead of her wrists and ankles.

  Arsenius hadn’t spoken any words of love, though neither of them might survive this encounter. No, she fought back her tears, choosing to trust instead in the male she loved.

  As they approached the impressive, ivory stone castle, the gilded doors opened, though no servant performed the task. The great alabaster hallway they trod through echoed with the clinking of her chains and their footsteps. The sweet fragrance from dozens of vases brimming with summer flowers permeated the air.

  At the end of the hall, another set of heavy doors opened, once again on their own. They were expected and whomever they were meeting was powerful. Kyme bolstered her courage. Lena.

  She exhaled and steadied herself. Regardless of the outcome today, she would not fail Arsenius. She would sacrifice anything for his sister.

  If she survived, she would gather the strength to tell Arsenius of her love.

  The throne room was bare of adornment, save for fresh flowers and a few tables laden with fruits and meats. Marble columns lent the room the aura of a temple and peculiar swirling carvings were etched into the west-facing wall.

  The feminine figure seated upon the marble throne was draped from head to toe in lavender silk. A female handmaiden framed her on either side. Kyme gasped as the woman lifted her veil and the faint violet glow of the goddess Persephone filled the chamber.

  Nazrin snatched her arm to steady her. How? What? Why? The questions flew through her mind so quickly she didn’t have time to absorb them.

  Was this what Arsenius had been unable to tell her on board his ship? She pursed her lips and studied the goddess. It made no sense. A god would never enslave the possession of another god.

  Have I ever wronged Persephone? Curiosity rather than fear prodded at her. The wall of masculine muscle surrounding her stood firm. None of these males would permit her to be harmed.

  The goddess rose from her throne and glided forward, brushing aside her two attendants. Her bronze locks fell in tight curls well past her waist, but did not sway as she strolled.

  She drifted toward Nazrin and addressed him first. “Your new alliances please us greatly, warrior.” Persephone offered him a warm smile as he knelt before her, head bowed. “Your presence is not required. You have my word the Amazon shall not be harmed.”

  At the goddess’s declaration, those four sets of tense, broad shoulders deflated. Kyme also released the breath she’d held since the goddess had begun speaking.

  Nazrin lifted his head as Persephone’s fingertips brushed his arm. “You will be with your mate soon. Go and await the sign.” He rose and exchanged a quick nod with Arsenius before departing the chamber.

  Persephone wasted no time in dismissing the others. Whereas Nazrin seemed aware of whatever connection he had to the goddess, it was not so for Gaven. Kneeling, his blue eyes widened as the goddess whispered in his ear. Rushing after Nazrin, Gaven called out, “Wait, we must talk, my brother.”

  Even Thereus was oddly empty of his magnetism as he faced the goddess. He knelt with his forelegs tucked elegantly before the goddess. “Your time will come soon, Lord Thereus, son of Cheiron. Steel yourself.” Was that a hint of mischief in her tone?

  The centaur blanched, the first time Kyme had witnessed him at a loss for words, unable to charm his way out of the goddess’s penetrating violet gaze.

  A smile beamed from her lips like the sun drifting out from behind the clouds as she waved him to depart. With a slight quiver to his bow, Thereus also departed.

  Lastly, Persephone approached Arsenius and Kyme. He positioned his body half in front of hers, ready to defend her.

  Kyme’s chains fell open, crashing to the floor without making a sound.

  “She is not your captive.” A sly smile played across the goddess’s lips. “Let me tell you a story.” She stepped to a nearby vase and plucked one of the flowers—a daffodil. “Millennia ago,” she twirled the blossom in her fingers, “there was a young girl. Sheltered by her mother, she had never known men. One day, a handsome yet fearsome god took her from everything. He claimed his love was strong enough for both of them.

  “The girl was selfish. The god tricked her into remaining in his realm, but she missed her mother, her world. Her cries reached the ears of her protective mother, who petitioned Zeus.” Her melodious voice floated around the airy chamber, laced with sorrow. “Even as her request was granted, her heart had softened. The male whom others loathed was kind and loving to her.” Persephone’s eyes misted and she crushed the daffodil in her hand, the petals floating to the floor. “Because of her hasty pleas, they would forever live with the curse placed upon them.”

  Kyme nodded, this was the tale of Hades and Persephone, whom Zeus cursed to spend two-thirds of each year apart.

  Persephone continued, “One day, he discovered a way to set them free. The goddess Aphrodite had agreed to petition Zeus. But first, she required proof.”

  “Proof?” Arsenius cocked his head.

  “Yes. That Hades and I fathom the true nature of love. Even when it is found in the most unlikely of places.” She cast a wistful smile upon them. “She offered us a list of names and declared if we united those couples, she would intervene for us.”

  A wager? This whole ruse with Arsenius capturing her had been based upon a game between the gods?

  A grim laugh escaped Arsenius. “Let me guess. Our names were on that list.”

  “Yes.”

  He jerked his chin at the fallen petals. “You sent the Lamiae ship. Why?”

  The goddess lifted one mischievous brow and tilted her head toward Kyme. “She is beautiful when she fights, is she not?”

  Kyme’s cheeks flamed. Arsenius coughed into his fist.

  Persephone twisted a ring upon her finger. “I fear other gods have learned about this list, and would go to great lengths to counter our efforts… My mother included. What began as an innocent quest for the proof of love has turned dark.” She lowered her lashes. “Dark indeed.”

  The pieces clicked into place in Kyme’s mind. “Apollo. The minotaur mentioned him, but I did not comprehend his ramblings.”

  The goddess lifted her lashes. “My mother has recruited the sun god. They have been following my every move, in hopes of thwarting my attempts to unite the pairs of lovers.”

  “Wait. Apollo arranged for the minotaur to fight me?” Arsenius’s fists clenched at his sides while he grumbled, “I will kill Dolios for this.”

  “Yes.” Persephone paced across the chamber. “Once they discovered your name was on the list, they attempted to eliminate you.”

  “Like a bloody chess piece.
Why? It seems an innocent enough wager.”

  “Not to the Olympians.” Kyme shook her head. “The gods are very possessive of their descendants.”

  “Indeed.” Persephone clasped her hands in front of her and studied a painting on the wall. Kyme squinted at the canvas. A battle? “The last time the gods engaged in such games, the greatest battle for love was spawned.”

  “The Trojan War,” Arsenius cut in. “You wish to cause a war?”

  “No, Arsenius.” The goddess whirled. “What I wish is to live with my husband, and not in the darkness of the Underworld. I’m afraid, since the Trojan War, the rift on Mount Olympus has never mended. Many would seek to orchestrate another upheaval of power. My husband’s arrangement with Aphrodite has placed countless lives in the path of peril. War may be the result.”

  Her violet eyes misted as she extended her hands in entreaty. “If it is, I would ask that you fight for me. For my future. My fate.”

  Kyme choked back a gasp as Arsenius sank to one knee in front of the goddess. “My Lady Persephone, you have my allegiance. If there is to be a war, I would fight for love. No purpose is greater, no cause higher. I would be honored to serve you.”

  Her mind spun at the ease with which Arsenius, who had no love for any of the gods, devoted himself to Persephone. Was it the knowledge that Nazrin, and perhaps Gaven also had? Or did this fierce male believe that strongly in love?

  The depths of her soul shifted, like a key clicking into a lock.

  When the time comes, you must embrace your true path.

  This was what Artemis had meant. But why?

  Persephone placed her hands upon his shoulders. “No, warrior. It is I who am honored.”

  Arsenius rose beside Kyme, though he cast his gaze at the floor.

  Kyme clenched her fists to hide her trembling. Arsenius might blindly pledge himself, but she had too many questions. “Forgive me, goddess, but why have you brought me here like this? Why did you hire Arsenius to enslave me?”

  ***

  Though Kyme asked the question, Arsenius knew the answer. Persephone had already told them. Just as Persephone and Hades had fallen in love, so was her objective in placing them together.