AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When she didn’t get a response, Tempest called on her ability to sense Faith’s soul. The crushing, broken heartbeat she found surprised her.
“Faith, did you have someone you already loved? Before you came here?”
Faith’s eyes darted away and her smirk faltered. “There was no one.”
Aiden squirmed in Tempest’s grip. “Let me go, Tempest. I command you as your emperor!”
She shot him a glare that left him cowering. Faith watched the interaction with interest.
Tempest returned her attention to Faith. “How about we agree not to lie to one another, Faith.”
“It doesn’t matter what my past is,” Faith huffed. “I am here as a contestant of Dei Electi.”
Tempest’s anger towards Faith began to ebb as she felt the woman’s soul crack a little more.
“It does matter,” she encouraged, putting a little of her godly power in her voice. “A god can’t force you to participate if you are chosen. Amias could have chosen another. Only one contestant will win, anyway. You can always go back to whoever you left behind.”
Faith looked stricken, and a tear rolled down her face.
“I can’t. Amias won’t let me. They took away his love for me.”
Aiden yelped as Tempest inadvertently squeezed his arm. She let go and shrugged a quiet apology. He shot her a dirty look as he rubbed his arm.
“The gods arenotsupposed to interfere like that. I am willing to help you if you don’t want this.”
Faith eyed her warily. “How can you help me?”
Tempest contemplated her next words. While she was sure Amias knew she was here, she didn’t want the other mortals to realize she was a god.
“I am the representative of the goddess of the broken. She thinks she can help undo whatever Amias has done.”
“Really?” Faith whispered. Tears streamed down her face freely now.
Tempest nodded. “She does. You need to help her first by telling me what you did to Aiden and the other contestants.”
Faith withdrew a small red vial from a pocket in her gown. “Amias left me this. I was told to put it in the emperor’s drink and lead him here, that I would be chosen, and Amias would bless my family for following his guidance.”
“What about the other girls?”
Faith shook her head, bewildered. “I didn’t do anything to them.”
Tempest decided to wait until later to unravel that mystery and took the vial from Faith. “I understand. Rejoin the party and consider what it is you really want. If you wish to be with the one you love, return home and give the goddess of the broken a bit of time. Be patient. She will help you; you have her word.”
Faith wiped the tears from her eyes, thanked Tempest, and left the small courtyard.
Aiden took a step to follow her before Tempest grabbed his arm once again. “Oh, no you don’t. Now, what do we do with you? Stay put for a moment while I see what she gave you.”
Tempest took the stopper off and sniffed the bottle. It was definitely a love potion, but she couldn’t quite tell which one. She wouldn’t be surprised if Amias had created some new ones while she’d been among the mortals. Without knowing which potion it was, however, she couldn’t find the antidote, leaving her with only one option—to eradicate it from his body with her power.
Tucking the vial in her pocket, she took a deep breath, pulled a pouting Aiden to her, popped herself up on her tiptoes, and connected his lips with hers. Aiden struggled to push away from her for a moment, then melted into her. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he lifted her up, pulling her flat against his chest.
Well, at least it was working. But what Tempest had intended to be a short kiss quickly became anything but that. She knew she should pull away. If he was this responsive to her still, the potion had to have been burned away with her energy. She didn’t want to end it, though. Tempest wrapped her arms around his neck and let the fingers of one hand slip into his hair.
Aiden moaned as he turned them until she was between him and the wall. The pressure only intensified her desire, and their kiss deepened.
She was panting when he pulled his face away from hers and looked her in the eye. A warm smile that reached his eyes spread across his face as he spoke. “I’ve missed this, Tempest. We've got to quit meeting like this.”
Tempest shoved him away. This wasn’t Aiden. Not anymore. The god was back. She knew who it was this time, and wasn’t sure she liked it.
