He knew it hurt Anubis to say those words. His logic was cold and made sense, but he knew he couldn’t abide by it.
Thanatos forced himself to respond. “When the curse is broken, Iliana will decide. Even without her memories, she has the right to choose her future.” He looked at each of them. “No one should force her hand.”
The words weren’t just for Anubis. They were also for himself, Hermes’ possessiveness, and Hypnos, whose hand tensed in her hair at the thought of letting her go.
She deserved the choice, even if that choice was to leave him. Them.
I’ll never be far, Iliana. Even if you do not remember. Even if you do not choose me.
She might never remember him. Might never love him, or look at him the same way.
He would love her.
Always.
EPILOGUE
ILIANA
Darkness—warm, soft, and endless—wrapped her in peace. She didn’t dream, but floated, suspended. Then, there was a voice. Distant at first, as if someone were calling from the other side of a thick wall.
“It is time to wake, epizón.”The voice slipped into her sleep gently. Insistently. It urged her to consciousness, toward awareness.
But she didn’t want to abandon the safety and comfort here. She tried to sink back into the dark, into nothingness. But the voice didn’t seem to have the same desires.
“You are strong, epizón, and you need to wake up.”
The voice tried to pull her from the dark. She resisted.
“Trust the ones around you. They want to keep you safe, even if the world seems against you.”
She groaned, wanting to swat away the voice but not wanting to move. “Go away, creepy voice.”
A quiet chuckle came from behind her, and the warm breath over her skin caused her to shiver. She stretched, feeling her weight sink into something soft. A bed.
“Iliana?” They were close enough to feel the vibration against her back. Someone was—
A pair of arms was around her waist, holding her against a firm chest. “Beautiful girl, look at me.”
She fought the fog in her mind, trying to identify who held her, but her body wouldn’t obey. She liked it here, the way the arms made her feel protected.
Another voice followed, rougher and cracked with emotion. “Iliana, please. We need you.”
Her heart sped up slowly at first, then faster. She felt a rough hand on her ankle, fingers in her hair, a caress on her cheek, breath on her neck. The sensations delighted and alarmed her.
Four strangers were here with her; touching her.
Her body knew something her mind didn’t. The arms around her made her feel safe. The voices had no faces or names. She couldn’t match the scents—citrus, lavender, spice, or earth—to any of them.
The realization should have sent her into full panic or made her want to fight them. But she remained motionless. It wasn’t just their touch, but some instinct promised she was safe. They wouldn’t hurt her.
How did she know that?
She finally opened her eyes.
Golden-brown eyes gazed into hers, warm and framed by a face too flawless to be real. She looked over the sharp lines of his cheekbones and the curve of his lips. Her hand lifted before she could stop herself and touched his jaw.
His lips tilted up slightly.
