Page 97 of Somnium

Áine knelt beside them, her hands framing Sera’s face to focus her attention. After a moment, Sera’s panicked breaths slowed, the fog in her eyes began to recede, and Cadi let out a breath at the comforting signs of Sera’s returning clarity.

“What did you see Sera? Did it work?” Áine asked, her voice strained.

Sera pulled in a harsh breath, her grip tightening on Cadi’s hand. “I saw her,” she whispered, “I saw Ananke … I know exactly where she is.”

Night had fully descended while they were inside, and now the air that blew off the sea was even colder than when Cadi and Elias first arrived. She pressed her body against him, desperate to steal every ounce of his heat that she could as the group gathered beneath what appeared to be the only streetlight in the entire area. Its flickering cone of illumination was fighting for its life against the darkness, barely extending to the end of the building, where the street gave way to waves.

Cadi groaned and nestled deeper into Elias’s arms. Her entire body was aching, and not in the fun, rewarding way that she was used to after sex. This felt closer to what she imagined it would feel like if she were to lie down in front of a steam roller for fun. That, combined with the way her heart seemed determined to remain permanently in overdrive, left her more than a little concerned. It would be just her luck that she claimed a fake illness to get out of her shift at the temple that evening only to come down with an actual illness and a bonus heart condition in the process.

Elias’s hand rubbed against her arm in a gesture of comfort, and she didn’t have the heart to tell him it felt like his hand was covered in needles. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Sera leaning over in an exaggerated attempt to catch her gaze before she stepped away from the others. Cadi looked up as she approached, noting the concern that shadowed her friend’s perfect features.

“Hey, sweetie,” she said, her voice soft. “How are you feeling?”

Cadi groaned. “Like I got hit by a bus.”

Sera gave her a gentle smile and nodded her head as if this was something she’d expected. “Yeah, post-ritual sickness can be a real bitch when you aren’t used to them. We’ll get you some food, and you’ll start feeling better in no time.”

Cadi lifted her head, brows pinched. “But I never got sick from Somnium, at least not like this.”

Sera raised a single shoulder. “The two of you just channeled a shitload of power for that rite. At Somnium, it’s dispersed among hundreds of other people. This one just packed more of a punch.”

The lingering buzz beneath Cadi’s skin seemed to hum in quiet confirmation. That would definitely explain the dull throb that radiated through every single one of her joints as she stood there clinging to Elias.

Elias, who seemed completely and infuriatingly unfazed by the entire experience.

She leveled him with a petulant glare. “How come you aren’t sick?”

He looked down at her, a gentle concern in his eyes as he traced his knuckles against her cheek. “I guess I’m just better at rituals than you are.”

Cadi huffed in offense, moving to land a punch against his arm, but the stabbing pain that shot through her in response to the movement had her curling back into him with a pathetic whimper instead.

“So, what’s the plan?” Kai asked as he and Áine approached.

Sera gave Cadi an encouraging wink before she turned away. “We need to find a place where I can debrief everyone on what I saw. Preferably some place with food for this one.”

She tossed her thumb in Cadi’s direction, and a hint of warmth settled in her bones at the way her friend looked out for her. Even when it was something as simple as making sure she was fed.

“We have food at The Crow,” Elias suggested.

Sera scoffed. “I meant real food. That bar slop is just gonna make her feel worse.”

Elias scowled back at her. “You work there; how can you insult the food we serve?”

“Because I know what kind of food we serve. That’s exactly why I’m uniquely qualified to insult it.”

Elias gave Cadi’s arm an affectionate squeeze before he let her go to confront Sera in defense of his bar’s honor. A faint pounding began to form between her temples, and she found herself very motivated to not be so close to them as their squabbling intensified. She looked to Kai and Áine, both of whom were watching the other two with rapt fascination, as if they had never seen a mortal and a goddess get into it about nutritional needs.

After a quick scan of the surrounding area, she realized that Seth had disappeared from their group, and she spotted the faint outline of his silhouette just past the edge of the streetlight’s reach, staring out at the crashing waves.

Sparing one last look at the bickering pair, she made the very easy decision to join him, though her developing headache was only half her motivation. Something had been bothering her since the night they had met, something she hadn’t had the opportunity to bring up until now.

Her steps slowed as she approached him, not wanting to disturb the peace he had found until absolutely necessary. He didn’t move when she stepped up beside him, and gave no indication that he even noticed her presence as she rested her hands against the cool metal railing. So she didn’t say anything either. Instead, she turned her face to the sea and pulled in a deep breath of the salty air drifting off the waves.

Something about the peace of the moment seemed to help her recently acquired affliction, the twinge in her joints easing slightly. Her heart still felt different, seemingly determined to maintain its constant and amplified version of the flutter that had been appearing intermittently for the past few months. Hopefully that would be the next thing to resolve. She pressed the heel of her palm against her sternum, knowing it wouldn’t do much, but feeling a small sense of comfort from the pressure all the same.

“You should be very proud of yourself, you know.”

A wave of calm settled over her at the sound of Seth’s deep voice. She didn’t think that trick of his was something she would ever get used to, but imagined it had to come in handy when soothing the confused and anxious souls of the recently deceased.