The Light Within Her - Book Nine

Ch. 24- Gods Envy Her

"Watch me. I will go to my own Sun. And if I am burned by its fire, I will fly on scorched wings."

***

My vision was blurry as I heard faint voices from a few feet away. Where was I? Moments before, I was on camera with Erebus until I collapsed to the ground. Pain seeped through my chest now as my back managed to sit up straight. I could barely see anything but my mind demanded to get up–to walk across the bedroom I occupied and pour myself a glass of blood. My legs thought differently though, for as soon as I took a step toward the mini-bar, they collapsed like they were made out of jello. A strong body held me up–keeping me from falling entirely. My arms wrapped around it like it was my only crutch.

I gritted my teeth as I was planted gently on the edge of the bed now, my vision clearing a little as gray eyes locked into mine. Erebus wore a plain white button up and black dress pants, his muscles seeping through his shirt in a beautiful yet dangerous way. His black hair, however, was a mess on top of his head while his stubble was clear as day. Without thinking, my fingers got intertwined into his silky hair–unable to stop myself. Maybe I was still in the state between sleep and reality, but every bone in my body screamed to continue. So I listened.

Erebus was kneeling in front of me again, his right arm grazing my knee while the other clutched the bed tightly. His long eyelashes drooped down from the impact of this simple touch–even my own heart beating frantically against my ribs. "I like you like this," I whispered, my voice hoarse from lack of blood. Okay, Soari, time to think straight now.

He opened his eyes now, frowning. "Like what?"

Again, I was not thinking when my hand cupped his jaw, feeling heat all over my skin as it burned and burned. "So disheveled. It makes you less...terrifying."

A smile grew on him, which made me do the same without thinking how much it would affect me. "It is part of the package, dear Lianna." All the times he said my name that was not exactly my name, it was out of mockery. As though he refused to speak the real one in order to create a barrier between his plans and emotions. This time, it was genuine. A way for him to show me his heart. His fingers still grazed my knee and a bolt of electricity went through me, but I simmered it down into the abyss of my own heartstrings. Forbidden, I said over and over in my mind. Then why did I like it so much? I watched him trail down to my ribs, where there was a bandage in place–fully registering what happened to me. Someone tried to assassinate me with a wooden arrow. A weapon that could kill me within seconds. "She will pay for what she did to you. I promise."

"Who?"

His gaze locked into mine now, a deep fury growing at our common enemy now. The one who shot me with a fucking arrow that still hurt. Why didn't I heal already? "Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt. Also known as–"

"Fucking Artemis?" I questioned, my eyes widening. "Let me guess, all the other Gods I learned about in school are after me now that we announced our engagement?" A hint of amusement spread across his face and my eyes narrowed. "What?"

Erebus shook his head, still smiling. Okay, what was happening? "You might have angered all the Gods, Lianna. Which is why Diana went after you...why she shot you with her arrow. As long as you breathe, she will try to kill you. When she hunts, nothing will stop her. It's why your wound is not healing. When you were shot...it undid me."

My attention turned toward the bandaged wound again, ripping it off immediately so I could get a glimpse of it. As long as I have this scar, Artemis will find a way to kill me. She thinks I willingly joined Erebus and not one of his puppets in his game? How stupid are these Gods? My wound was tiny but still red–still painful. As I went to touch it, the pain sharpened even more that my vision blurred again. I let out a growl, wanting so desperately to cure the thrashing in my bones. It felt like I was burning from the inside out, as though I was in Hell.