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She freed us, Gaia says. Please don’t make me return her.
Until I came to Earth and met this human, my body worked perfectly fine. It was strong, and it allowed me to do all the things I needed to do. I had the ability to destroy my enemies. I could defend my allies. But ever since I met Liz, my ability to do what needs to be done has been eroded more and more. Even now, seeing her in front of me, I’m wavering.
She saved you? How? We’re no longer bonded, and she’s weak again. Weren’t there thousands of humans?
Only she could use the heart swords, and she betrayed her people to set us free.
“Technically it was my mother who shorted the control panel, but I did gratefully hitch a ride on the way out.” Liz sounds tired, and I want to reach for her.
She came back for you, Gaia says, knowing that Azar was dead. You clearly matter to her a great deal. Don’t be angry.
The earth blessed have been hurt for a while, thinking that she abandoned me for Azar. They were proud that one of them bonded a human, and to see her disappear with the giant red flame blessed, prince or not, hurt their pride. But I can’t keep her here, in danger, just to mollify them.
You must return to the humans, I say, just to her. It’s the only place you’ll be safe.
“I’m not safe anywhere,” she says. “If you haven’t figured that out yet, you don’t know me at all. If there’s trouble anywhere at all, I find it.”
I shake my head. “That’s not what I mean. Hyperion’s enraged now that Azar’s gone.” I glare, but now that she can’t feel our bond to even guess at my emotions, I’m not sure whether it helps. This form has always been my least terrifying.
Losing Azar, losing my ability to control flame and shift into that form, hurt a great deal. It felt like half of me was ripped away—like I’m not a whole being any longer. But losing the bond to Liz, that part of me where our bond used to be—it aches and throbs actively. I long to reach out for her again. I can sense the pulse of her power, even now, but I can’t do it. I can’t risk her life like that. I won’t survive losing her a second time.
“I still have your blades, and I’m not giving them back.” She folds her arms under her chest, her eyes flashing gloriously.
I allow myself a moment to look at her—dirt, grime, and terrible clothes notwithstanding, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I want to drag her into my arms, kiss her until she can’t speak, and then bond her all over again.
But I can’t do that.
I won’t.
“Where are Gordon and Rufus?” she asks.
Gaia, Agrippa, Phileas, and Wilhelm all turn toward me at the same time, all clearly wondering the same thing. Rufus and Gordon are well-liked. They always have been the best of the earth blessed. They’re almost always with me, too.
“They’re busy right now,” I hedge. “I’ll tell them you miss them if you’d like, but you can’t stay?—”
You aren’t my prince. If you won’t keep her, I will, Plumeria says. She refused to kill my sister, because she holds out hope for her rescue. She never betrayed us, and I like her.
“You can’t keep her.” I’m sure my eyes are flashing, but in this stupid human form, there’s no way I’m going to have a hope of scaring any blessed. I shift without thinking, barely larger in my earth prince form than the medium size water blessed in front of me. You may not keep her. I forbid it.
Plumeria straightens, her body expanding as she moves toward me. She’s brave, she’s strong, she’s powerful, and you don’t own her anymore, Prince. I’ll keep her if I want to keep her. Unlike your kind, water blessed can bond any bright.
She’s going back, I bellow. You won’t even think about bonding her, or I’ll destroy you and feed your body to my subjects.
Plumeria’s assessing whether Liz is worth the fight, her head tilting, and her eyes narrowing, when the other four earth blessed circle around to flank me, showing her that I won’t have to make good on my threat alone.
But if I bond her right now, you won’t dare harm me. She smiles.
With that epiphany, she’s won—she’s right. I won’t dare harm her once she’s bonded Liz.
“Forget all the bonding, staying, going nonsense,” Liz says. “I want to know where my siblings are. If you really don’t want me here, I’ll just collect them and be on my way.”
She looks angry enough to slice me up with those swords.
Let me bond you, and we’ll find them together, Plumeria says. I’m sure I can find plenty of strong water blessed who would be good options to bond them when they’re ready.
Liz shakes her head. “You’re stunningly beautiful, powerful, intelligent, and brave. If I were looking for a new blessed to bond, I would choose you in a heartbeat.” She smiles at Plumeria. “But if Axel won’t rebond me. . .” She shakes her head, and sniffs. I realize that she’s fighting back tears. “Then I won’t bond anyone.”
You can’t retrieve your brother or sisters, I finally say. In fact, even being this close is very, very bad.
