Page 27 of These Godly Lies
“The gifts we receive don’t come with guidance. I know I can change my appearance, travel to the other side of the world, merely by wishing for it, but I couldn’t tell you how or why.” He shakes his head, looking tired. “The Tree gives, but it does not guide.”
She lets herself process the information, the sound of their footfall filling the silence between them. Anna hadn’t considered that the others’ gifts were learned and not taught—that Khiran must have fumbled those first few years to discover his capabilities and limitations. She remembers his confession the night they laid bare beneath her quilt with a storm pelting rain at their windows and a fire crackling in the hearth.
The First wasn’t as pleased with my capabilities as I was. He was hoping for power and was instead delivered a boy with parlor tricks.
How hard—howfar—had The First pushed him in order to pull each and every one of Khiran’s gifts to the surface? How long did he continue before he accepted there weren’t more hiding away? Anna swallows, her throat dry and her chest tight.
How long was Khiran punished simply for being different from what The First wanted?
His hand finds her elbow, stopping her. There’s a question in his gaze, threaded with concern. “You’re upset—don’t be. It’s as you said, Silas wouldn’t direct us here if it wasn’t safe. Any concerns I have are rooted more in fear than fact.”
She searches his gaze, unable to bring herself to correct him. To admit it wasn’t the present she was mourning, but his past. Instead, she nods, heart in her throat, and tells him a truth that’s easier to part with. “I believe you.”
Cassius is there to greet them in the courtyard, his clothing as decadent as his marble statues and fountains. Gold hoops adorn his ears, a metallic glint in a sea of soft golden curls. His velvet brocade shawl hangs off his shoulders, the ornate trim delicately embroidered with tiny beads and sequins that shine off the rich purple fabric.
His arms outstretch in welcome, his smile blinding. There are dimples playing at the corners of his full mouth. “Brother! What brings you to my corner of paradise?”
Anna falters, but Khiran is already shaking his head. “Not that sort of brother,” he grumbles, as if the title is one he’d rather be without. Voice rising, he addresses the blonde. “I’m sure you already know why I’m here.”
His smile grows sly at the corners, crooked in ways that tease. “I might, but please don’t stop on my account. I’m truly looking forward to hearing it.”
Khiran mutters darkly under his breath. Anna can’t be certain, but she’s fairly sure one of the words uttered wasinsufferable. “I am seeking shelter and your discretion. The First isn’t pleased with me at the moment.”
“We,”Cassius corrects, his hand flicking between them pointedly. “I assume you don’t intend to leave your lady love out in the cold? Seems wasteful, considering how far you’ve already gone for her.”
Khiran’s expression darkens, clouded with warnings. “I am asking on both our behalfs. Any debt owed will be shouldered by me alone.”
Cassius chuckles, the sound lighter than the storm darkening Khiran’s eyes. “You are ever so careful with your words. I’ve always adored that about you, you know.” His gaze flits over Khiran’s shoulder, meeting Anna’s stare. “Well, don’t be shy. Introduce me to your lovely lady.”
Khiran steps to the side, effectively shielding her from the other man’s view. “Don’t.”
His answering smile is coy. “Surely you wouldn’t come to my door asking for help but deny me the simple pleasure of at leastlookingat the woman you’re so ready to die for?”
Khiran’s hand twitches against her own, fingers flexing.
“Don’t be so cross, I won’t touch,” Cassius chastises but doesn’t wait for approval. He circles them, crystalline eyes assessing. “She is a tiny thing, isn’t she? Like a bird.” His gaze flits up, meeting Khiran’s bitter glare through impossibly long lashes. “Marcia would find great pleasure in breaking her. You know how she is with her toys.”
Khiran says nothing, but Anna can hear the grinding of his teeth—see the way the muscle in his jaw spasms.
Cassius must find it to be as telling as she does. “But you know that, don’t you?” He tsks, his stare still entirely too sharp. “That’s why you hid her. That’s why you’re here.”
“The Shepherd’s suggestion,” Khiran grinds out. “I wouldn’t have trusted you otherwise.”
The shift in Cassius is immediate. “Silas sent you?” Lips thinning, he gives a quiet scoff. Somehow it sounds more fond than irritated. “Of course he did. He knows I have a soft spot for star-crossed lovers.”
He crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall at his back. “I’m surprised you listened. I never knew you to be friendly with anyone other than—”
Khiran flinches, the tendons in his hand straining as his hands fist so tightly, Anna wonders if half-mooned bruises will line his palms once she coaxes them open. “I’m not,” he snaps, before Cassius can let Eira’s name slip past his lips.
Cassius looks skeptical, but then his gaze shifts, looking at Anna with new light. “You?”
She tips her chin proudly. “He’s my friend.”
A bark of laughter, so sharp it makes Anna jump. “Friend?” he drawls, the word steeped in a sarcasm so thick, Anna can almost feelit. “You are but a moment to him, Little Bird. Not all of us are so foolish as to hand our affections over to someone so fragile.”
Anna blinks, lips parting. Khiran must see the confusion in her expression, because he whispers her name like a warning.
She doesn’t heed it.
