Page 238 of A Sanctuary from Shadow
Was the air flickering? Several conduits screamed—wailed—to answer this question. I was about to beg the redheaded goddess to stop the madness when Pete wrapped me in a stranglehold hug, pressing not just our foreheads together, but our bodies as well. He growled through his own torment, determination in the grit of his teeth, as he murmured against my burning skin, “There’s something else I must show you.” Then he wrenched my psyche into his, refusing me the distance for failure.
Now, I wasn’t just inside Pete. IwasPete. And I was staring, entranced, at a girl with resplendent eyes and an arresting smile, wondering how in Christ I’d complete my ordination now.
Of course, she wasn’t a girl. She was fae—a Danann, no less. At least, I tried rationalizing that. But, God’s tooth, she acted nothing like a Danann, everything about her—the way she talked, the way she moved, the way she cared—screamed human. She was so different, so peculiar and audacious—a challenge, a fascination at every turn. And boyo, could she make me angry—and laugh.
Christ, after some time, she wasn’t even scared of me. From naiveté or bravery, I couldn’t sort out. Perchance an exasperating blend of both. And how could she be so endearingly unsure of herself whilst also being so bloody certain about everything else? She was the height of natural femininity with the forthrightness of a male, and a menagerie of riddles I’d never ever solve. Danu save my jaded, foolhardy, blemished heart, but I was so beguiled by that.
She was a vixen unawares, a constant temptation for hungry eyes, and I wanted to ravish her slender lines and watch her eyes flood with impassioned rainbows. I fought the draw for longer than I thought possible, and then I fought some more. But in the end—well, I was the scoundrel I’d always been. And she did beg his appearance.
We never did come to the ravishing part, and for that I was in turns grateful and discontent. But to hold her, to kiss her—that was to glimpse heaven, her lips, her breasts, her thighs the holy grail. For I would forever be suspended in those moments when all that I was, was hers.
She was right, of course, though I’d been furious with her at first—for she was everything in this world that I was not. Yet, in the end, her royalty mattered naught. Her destiny mattered naught. Whether she was a queen or a triple goddess with awe-inspiring magic was irrelevant. To me, it was the sweet, lost girl I’d met in the Thorny Rose Tavern who mattered. The girl with the bleeding heart and hopeless romantic’s soul was who’d give all of herself to save this wounded world. Now,shewas a worthy reason for damnation.
So, I’d gone without a farewell, knowing that if I could save her, all would be righted. Instead, she’d saved me, with boggling ferocity and doggedness. I was no better than the mud beneath her revolting boots, a man who’d killed thousands in the defense of his own trivial life. What in hell did she see in me that was worth such a furor? I still didn’t know, but she was so bloody certain (as always) that she did.
And now it was my turn. Again. To save her as she’d saved me. To show her the truth of herself—her strength, her significance, her worth. To keep her from destroying herself and the entirety of Eden. Even if her fire engulfed me, burnt me to a pillar of ash as I knelt, clenching her tight, I knew with utter ferocity and doggedness that I’d never let her go.
If we were going down, then we were going down together.
Thirty-Nine
Whenthesmokecleared,my sweaty face was squished to Pete’s equally sweaty shoulder. I trembled, no longer from pain but wonderment, ineffable and infinite.
How naïve was I? I’d believed communing with Briar, the eroticism of it, had been the peak of personal connection. But with Pete—oh, there was no peak. Only transcendence and an intimacy as astral as the stars. Our passion had pierced my fiery heart, and now I not only felt desire thrumming between us, but also a mutual understanding—we meant something vital to one another.
Pact or no pact, we werewaybeyond friends.
My fingers shaking, I grazed Pete’s inflamed cheek. He looked like someone who’d fallen asleep for hours in a tanning bed, his beard crispy, his clavicle blistered. But he was alive, peering down on me in a way that tightened my belly.
“Eh hem.”
We bleared at Cissus, having forgotten where we were—that anyone else existed.
“Thought I’d mend you two first,” Cissus said as Pete helped me to my unsteady feet. “So you can carry on.”
I peered over the stem healer’s shoulder. There, the redheaded goddess still stood, waiting. “There’smore?” I whined.
“Argh!” someone in the circle griped, clearly regretting volunteering.
“Yes, daughter,” the goddess replied. “But there are only several more gifts to bestow, and they are of gentler dispositions, I assure you.”
I sighed, my burns tingling under Cissus’ glowing white hands. There were so many questions I wanted to ask the goddess at that moment. Why did the fire hurt me when it never had before? And why the hell would she give me a power likethat?
Instead, I blurted, “Why do you keep calling me daughter?” I might’ve expected that of Danu, not the others.
The redhead chuckled again, a pleasant sound reminding me of someone I couldn’t place. “Why don’t I answer your unspoken questions first?”
Of course, she can read my mind! Why wouldn’t that be a thing?
“We gave you my fire, Amy, because we knew you could withstand it, as you were honed in The Beforeto wield it in the battles to come.”
Pete’s healing wounds glowed as we shared a grim glance. Yeah, we both knew there would be battles.
“And while you’ll always be immune to the effects of your fire, we decided you should experience how it feels to burn this once, so that you realize the magnitude of the destruction and pain you can wreak if you use the fire too liberally. We pray you’ll exercise discretion.”
“I will,” I promised. “We’re working on my control, so I won’t firebomb people when I’m mad. Which, I’ve only done once, but—”
Pete squeezed my arm, his gaze saying,Shorty, shut your gob.Taking his advice, I clamped my lips.
