Page 97 of A Veil of Gods and Kings

The deer never heard it coming.

An hour later, hazy light peeked through the gray mist of morning. I stood before the river, taking a deep breath as a breeze whispered over me. Valerian walked up beside me and wiped sweat off the back of his head.

“I’m not sure,” I said, “that I have the constitution for this part.” I gestured to where Temi worked alongside Dara dressing the deer.

Valerian chuckled breathily and bent down by the creek, rinsing his hands and splashing water over his face. “I agree. Perhaps I’ll join Apollo after this experience and eschew meat.”

I crouched beside him, letting my legs dangle over the moss-carpeted exposed roots of a tree. “Then you all could become best friends.”

“Oh yeah.” He dropped by me. “That’s bound to happen.”

We exchanged a smile. And even though sweat covered him, his skin red and his hair messy, my heart tripped about within my chest sitting so close to him. I pulled my boot off and dipped my toe into the cool kiss of the water. “I suppose you’ll need it,” I said, sadness weaving into my voice like storm clouds drifting over the sky. “Since my position will soon be open.”

Valerian picked a twig up, breaking it and tossing it into the swallowing currents of the river. “Well, I shall start interviews, then. Apollo is already out, I’m afraid. Temi tells me he doesn’t ride horses.”

I laughed. “I doubt he likes to hang out in haylofts either.”

“Two strikes. He’s a goner.”

We chuckled, but then silence swallowed our words again. Val bumped his shoulder against mine. “I’m still not sure if this whole plan is a terrible idea or not. But I’m glad you can have this time before everything changes.”

I kept my gaze on him for a long moment, things I wouldn’t say bubbling up on my tongue, fizzing there, wishing to leave. “I am too,” I said. “The future scares me when I think about it. But right now I’m happy. Knowing I have this summer to spend with you and Temi… that there’s another month or two before I have to worry about anything else. That makes me feel hopeful in a way.”

Val smiled, the dark stubble along his jaw glistening with highlights of auburn. And I wished I could pause the moment and freeze it in time forever. But that wasn’t how life worked.

34

Hyacinth

Apollo curled up when he slept, his chin tucked to his chest, his lashes long on the soft brown of his skin. All the glittering sarcasm and sharp expressions washed away, leaving only the graceful curve of his cheek, the gentle shape of his nose.

The curtains had remained open, and buttery light blossomed into the room. Apollo scrunched his face up and tightened further, pulling the comforter over his shoulder and burrowing down.

My heart squeezed. What the hell was I getting myself into? A flirtation with a god, sex even? That was fine. But this. Apollo’s nose wrinkled like something he dreamed of disturbed him, and my stomach fluttered. This was not good. This was a sure path to heartbreak.

Shit—that was the truth, wasn’t it? I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. I wasn’t just enjoying some flirting and a fun tumble with someone. This was—more. Damn it.

Apollo groaned and stretched out, the bed sinking with the weight of his movement. But that’s all it was to him—a moment in time. Would he even remember me in a hundred years? Probably not. Feelings swelled in me like a heavy rain cloud, contrasting against the sparkling weather of the day outside.

And this was a huge problem beyond my personal desires. Despite me wanting to pretend otherwise, Apollo was the son of the god that could shatter our kingdom with a blink of his eyes. My life—as always—couldn’t just be about my own wants.

Apollo rubbed a hand over his face and opened his eyes. They shone with a touch of gold; his veil had slipped some. He smiled with one side of his mouth, and my entire soul tilted within me. He reached out and grazed his thumb over my cheek. “Morning.”

I swallowed back the tsunami of feelings and grinned. “Sleep well?”

“Mmm.” He leaned on his elbow, his dark curls glowing golden in the sunlight, his silver shimmer whispering around the edges of his skin. He kissed my collarbone. “Best I’ve slept in a while. You?”

I wanted to share everything so desperately. To say that he filled my dreams and when I woke early, I hadn’t been able to fall back to sleep because the sight of him lying there, tucked up beside me, was the greatest sense of devastation I’d ever felt. That I wished our destinies weren’t so misaligned. But I cleared my throat and let my voice turn dry. “It was adequate.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I hope that’s a commentary on your sleep only.”

I laughed and found his fingers that trailed my arm, snagging them in my grip. “If you’re asking if last night was good for me, it was.”

He grinned like a wicked spirit and pressed in closer to me, his body molding against mine, his tongue trailing my neck.

I chuckled, from nerves as much as anything, and rolled away. “I can’t. I have meetings this morning.”

“Cyn,” he groaned. “Cancel them.”