Chapter Nine
Ares
“We gotta go before they catch us.”
A woman extends her hand. I stare at the long, slender fingers, the paleness of her translucent skin. Her unbound golden hair billows in the chilly breeze, obstructing my view of her grownup face. She’s in a white dress like before. The petals of a little pink flower tucked behind her ear flutter.
“Queen?” I murmur. It doesn’t matter that I can’t see her face or that we’re grown up now. From the way my heart picks up speed and every cell in my body calls out, I know it’s her.
The Fogeys are wrong, I think triumphantly. She’s real, and she’s here now.
“Come on. We can’t just lie around here all day. We have to go.”
Go where?The smell of dirt and vegetation surrounds me, just like twenty-two years ago. I have no idea what’s going on, but I trust her.
I shrug out of my jacket to put it over Queen to keep her warm against the wind. But just as I get close enough, flames engulf us.
The old scars on my arm and thigh throb as though they’re being seared into my skin again. I clutch my arm and hiss.
She turns around, hair still blowing and obscuring most of her features. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I can’t whine about the old injury, not when she was hurt worse back then. I have to be strong.
She nods, then takes my hand. Her palm is surprisingly cool against my skin, and prickly sensations spread through me. I try to squeeze my fingers, but somehow they won’t obey. The right half of my body stays still, refusing my commands.
Queen tugs at me, but no matter how willing I am to go with her, I can’t. The fire around us expands, widening until I can’t see its limits, towering over us like a flaming deathtrap.
Shit.
“Go without me,” I say.
“No. I’m not leaving my knight behind.”
My chest tightens. It’s my job to keep her safe. “Queen—”
Her fingers rest over my lips, cutting off the rest. The scent of lemon tickles my nose.
“You’ll be okay,” she whispers, then crumbles and disappears before my eyes like a pillar of ashes.
“No!”
A slender rope wraps around my shoulders. Need to push it away, but I can’t. I’m bound tight, like before in the shed, when Mom tied me to the chair.
Somewhere in the fire, Mom’s manic chortle rings. Helplessness pummels me, and I grit my teeth. I haven’t spent all these years in vain. No way is she going to win. Adrenaline surges, drying my mouth and at the same time sending my heart rate through the roof. My skin grows taut, as though it’ll split in half at any moment.
“You lost,” Mom says, standing like a dark monster, backlit by the sky-high flames behind her. “Give in, Ares. Accept my love, and we’ll be family again.”
“Fuck you,” I grind out, only to have her throw her head back and laugh in triumph. “I’d rather die first.”
“My poor little prince.” She runs her index finger along my cheek. The touch is like a snake crawling over my face. She leans closer and closer until I can see the blood-chilling madness in her blue eyes. “You won’t be able to get anything you want without a wife by your side. So take my girl. Have her bear your children. The family line must continue.” She shoves a disheveled blonde at me.
“Never!” Shuddering, I flinch away and suck in air, frowning at how cool it feels in my lungs.
An ivory ceiling. Soft cotton sheets underneath. I’m naked, except for my boxer shorts. A hotel room, but not mine.How the hell did I end up here?
The last thing I remember is Harvey trying to force me to sign the retainer. I’m pretty sure I escaped successfully. His goon wasn’t outside the window, but after that…
No idea.
