Page 61 of Tender Thorns
“You’ve been here that long?” It’s getting a little easier to walk through the sand, but I’m not at all graceful.
Kage sighs. “As soon as I was old enough.”
“How long do we have to stay?” I ask as he reaches for the door.
“Through one Undertaking. It can be different for everyone.”
“Ziv said they were every five years.” I don’t hide the revulsion in my tone. It disgusts me that we’re pawns for the gods’ games, and they can steal years of our lives for their entertainment.
Kage pushes the door open to the smaller field, revealing what I already suspected. Ziv isn’t here. The tingles of awareness that I’ve come to expect when he’s near are absent. “Where could he be?” I muse as dread begins to fester. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Ziv is absent on the same day that Syrinx announced aguestis coming.
I wonder if he’s with the mysterious visitor. Just as my mind starts to feed me worse-case scenarios, I spin and face the other side of the large arena and spy my massive male stalking into the room. His eyes are locked on mine, but his expression causes concern.
“He’s here,” I tell Kage, then head straight for a very pissed off Ziv to get some answers.
I make it three steps before I realize something is wrong, and yet another before my brain figures out what it is. Ziv is frozen, as is everyone else in the room. It’s as if time has stopped.
My heart thunders against my chest, and I feel like a scared rabbit.
A sweet voice breaks through the silence. “Hello.”
I hold my breath, hoping she’s not speaking to me, but when a female with emerald hair that falls in soft waves halfway down her back steps in front of me, I know it’s pointless. Her eyes are a milky jade color that swirls just like Ziv’s—a god then, but what does she want with me?
“It’s not wise to make me repeat myself.” Her tone, while still honeyed, has hardened considerably.
“Hello,” I reply, unsure if there was something more I missed besides the greeting.
She smiles, and her entire face lights up. She’s painfully beautiful. I find it hard to even look at her features for too long, so I focus my gaze over her shoulder, where I can still make out Ziv. I don’t know if it’s wishful thinking, but I swear I see him move the tiniest bit, as if he’s fighting whatever hold she has on him.
“You don’t seem like his type.” She cocks out her hip, and I’m forced to give her my attention again.
“Whose type?” It’s a foolish question, one I know the answer to, but I ask anyway.
“Ziveet’s.” She purses her pouty lips.
“That’s not surprising,” I remark.
“It doesn’t bother you that the only reason he gave you a second glance is because of the Fates’ twisted sense of humor?”
“Nope. In my world, you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“A gift horse? I don’t understand.”
“It’s just a saying. It means to be grateful for what you’re given.”
The goddess sniffs haughtily. “I take what I want.” Those words sound like a warning, so I keep my mouth shut.
“He was my lover.” She tilts her head, and I feel her eyes scouring my face and body. We couldn’t be more opposite. The only trait I would say we share is long hair, but hers is a silky curtain, and mine is not. “I can smell him on you.” The planes of her face shift, turning her beauty into something dark.
In my peripheral vision, I see someone move in the farthest corner of the room. It’s just an arm swinging through an exercise, but it’s a start. With any luck, she won’t be able to hold this for much longer.
“Do you think he thinks of me while he’s rutting you?” I dart my eyes to hers. That’s a fucked-up question, but I don’t dare say that. I don’t answer her at all, but I’m certain she wasn’t expecting me to, especially when she continues. “Of course he does. Look at you. He was foolish to ever leave.” She shakes her head ruefully, like Ziv being with me is the worst possible outcome since he fell.
It feels like a knife to my chest, like she’s confirming my fears of not being good enough.
I look past the goddess to Ziv. His mouth is now open in what looks like a silent scream, but I can’t erase the image of them together from my mind. I doubt he would need to train her in anything.
Our eyes connect, and I realize he’s not completely frozen in time, like most of the others around him. His eyes have been swirling this whole time, but he’s still unable to move.
