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The woman who looked back as Zee was so painfully beautiful, nobody would ever mistake her for human had they seen her in this form. Eyes a pure, clear blue that glowed like jewels against the delicate gold of her skin as she studied Zee.
Meridia was too lovely a creature to even be real.
She was real, strong and deadly, a force to be reckoned with and she adored Zee.
“If you don’t wish to leave, you have safe harbor here. You know that. Nobody can take you from here if you don’t want to go.”
Zee reached up to cover hands that had gone cool as Meridia’s power leeched away the mortal coil that was so much window dressing. The Regnar might not have sloughed off the skin she wore in this form, but there was nothing mortal watching Zee.
In the face of that much power, it was hard to keep eye contact, but Zee wasn’t Atargarian and Meridia had taken her in as a beloved sister. There were no plays of dominance between them.
“I wouldn’t cause problems between your people and Appalachia, Meri.”
“Don’t worry about that—”
Zee narrowed her eyes.
Meridia gave her a cool look, but it lasted only seconds before a smile broke through. “No, I have no concerns you’ll break, little wolf. You’re like a willow tree. You bend, sometimes too far, and I have no doubt you’ve thought yourself broken over the years. But your spine is made of steel.”
Blood rushed to heat Zee’s cheeks.
“You have a place here, always. Anywhere my people call home, it’s your home as well. Don’t forget that.”
* * * * *
MERIDIA LEFT SHORTLYafter, folding Zee up in a tight hug and demanding Zee to stay in touch. Zee promised she would, and she’d have to keep the promise. The reach of an Atargarian didn’t stop at the shores of the ocean.
She took far longer to dress than she normally did, the instinct to hide under layers of clothing strong. In the end, she pulled on a long-sleeve tunic and thin tights, topping that with a dress of such fine cotton, it floated around her. Although many Therians weren’t affected as easily by temperature changes as humans, her Sidhé blood left her more susceptible to it, so she added an extra layer—not for protection, for warmth—in the form of a waist-length jacket. To bolster her confidence, she topped the outfit off with the knee-high brown boots Meridia had nagged her into buying, the stacked heel giving her a few extra inches of height.
Not that it would make much difference.
The man waiting outside in the main part of her home stood several inches taller than he had the last time she’d seen him and the lean build he’d had as a teenager had filled out. He wasn’t bulky. No, Niko was all long, lean lines but his shoulders were broad, chest muscled in a way that his suit hadn’t been able to hide.
Once, she’d rested her head on that chest and he’d held her, stroked her hair and murmured words of love so sweet, they’d made her heart ache.
Clenching a hand into a fist, she stared at her reflection and willed calm into her veins.
If she’d had time, she would have meditated, although it likely wouldn’t have done much for any length of time. That knot of anger was still there, and beneath it, a well of hurt she’d kept buried for so long, its ache was a familiar companion.
I can do this.
She started for the door, but paused at the necklace tree on top of her wardrobe. A glint of gold caught her eye and she carefully untangled the chain, the pendant swinging to catch the light.
Meridia had given it to her the past Christmas. Zee had tried to tell her no—the weight and gleam of the piece made it obvious both the chain and pendant were real gold. But Meri didn’t hear words like no or too much when it came to her friends.
Now, holding the pendant up, letting it sway in front of her, she sighed. “Meri, you can be so weird.”
Pulling the chain over her neck, she settled the willow tree pendant so it hung between her breasts.
I bend. I don’t break.
She kept saying silently as she opened the door and went out to face the man who’d once owned her utterly, heart and soul.
The man who had then destroyed her utterly, heart and soul.
