Whole. Cherished. Free.
Draevyn’s face came into her mind, and then the tightness in her chest started to twist.
Because if this was meant to be their fate, why had Irah let her go? Why hadn’t he fought for her when she was bound in chains, when her magic was stripped, or when they all turned against her and her sister?
Why is the veil showing me this?She had asked to see the truth of her father and the cause of Maerinys’s fall.
Esmyra reached for Kaelypso within, but she went unanswered. She could feel her, but it more-so felt like how it had all her life. Like the goddess was buried within her, trapped. Esmyra wondered if it was because her soul was already here in the past.
The Kaelypso lying on the bed stirred then, her lashes fluttering like petals caught in a breeze. Her fingers flexed across Irah’s bare chest as she smiled up at him. She leaned in and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to his lips. He didn’t wake, but his breath deepened beneath her touch.
Esmyra suddenly felt like she was intruding on an intimate memory.
“Why would he betray you if you loved each other?” she whispered.
A deep sadness erupted through her chest the second she asked the question, but she knew the emotion wasn’t her own. Guilt crept into her as her goddess was forced to relive the heartache of betrayal caused at Irah’s hands.
The version of her in the memory studied his face for a heartbeat longer, brushing a knuckle along the edge of his jaw. Then, silently, she slipped from the bed. She was entirely nude as she strutted to the door before grabbing a robe of sheer blue silk and throwing it on. The fabric trailed behind her like mist as she glided toward the arched doorway and out of the room.
But as soon as the door closed softly behind her, the air in the room changed.
An aching chill ran along Esmyra’s spine as confusion settled in. Irah was now alone, still sleeping, but she couldn’t help but feel like danger was suddenly lurking in the corner.
From the far wall, a shimmer of magic caught her eye. The urge to hide behind the curtain was overwhelming, but she knew that she was essentially a phantom in a memory.
Esmyra blinked as the shimmer peeled back like a veil, and when her eyes adjusted in the dim light, Naerysa stepped into view. Her lipscurved into a dark grin as her amber eyes locked on Irah, sleeping soundly in his bed.
Had… had she just beencamouflagingherself against the stone? Truthfully Esmyra couldn’t judge, she had done that more times than she could count over the centuries when spying on others.
But never in intimate moments and certainly never on someone she supposedly loved.
Naerysa looked like a serpent waiting in stillness. A predator cloaked in a goddess form.
Esmyra’s heart slammed against her ribs as she watched.
Naerysa moved silently across the floor, her rose and gold hair billowing behind her as her eyes fixed on the man tangled in the sheets. Her hips swayed with the grace of a siren who knew the power of desire.
Esmyra knew that walk. Had mastered it herself. And because of that, she knew nothing good would come of it.
Naerysa slowly approached the bed and crouched beside it, studying his face as she tilted her head. “Hello lover,” she whispered.
Then she let her robe slip down her shoulders, revealing the tops of her bare breasts. She climbed onto the bed with feline grace, placing a knee on either side of him, hovering just above him like a wraith ready to consume his soul.
“Irah, wake up,” Esmyra whispered in shock, but it was useless. Her gut sank. There was nothing she could do to warn him or change the past.
What the fuck is she doing?
Naerysa’s hand reached out to stroke his cheek, and her voice spilled from her lips in a seductive purr. “She doesn’t deserve you, you know. Not like I do.”
A sudden, vicious growl erupted from Esmyra on behalf of her goddess.
Naerysa’s talons trailed along the plane of Irah’s chest. At first it was featherlight, but then, without warning, she dragged them down, shredding his flesh. Four sharp lines split open across his skin, and crimson welled up instantly.
Esmyra let out a gasp.
It all happened so fast.
Irah instantly bolted upright. His hand shot out to catch her, but she caught both of his wrists as she remained straddling him, her thighs clamping tightly around his hips.
