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She goes on, telling us of the ferryman and the entrance to the pyramid. “Confessing to Anubis and the judges was terrifying.” She stops, squirming in her chair while she considers her words. My throat clogs up. I wish I could have taken it all from her, spared her having to go through such a thing. No one should have to do it twice and I can only hope when it’s truly her time to pass into the afterlife, that she is spared doing it again.
“I was offered two choices . . .” I am sure she is leaving some things out, but I won’t press her about it. If she wants to share it with me privately later, I’m sure she will. “I could travel on to Aaru and reunite with loved ones, or return to Valderán. But if I chose to return, I wouldn’t be the same as I left.”
The room, already silent, takes on an even deeper hush. Hilda leans back in her chair, a smile growing on her face. “I was right,” she muses, watching Snow.
“Right about what?” I ask in confusion.
“Osiris is my grandfather. I’m a demigod.” I blink at her, my jaw hitting the floor. Snow chuckles and places a finger under my chin, closing my mouth. “He and Anubis awakened my powers. And along with them has come . . . I’m unsure how to explain it exactly. But I know things now. I can envision moves and possible outcomes, use them to work out the best course of action.” She swivels her head, meeting each person’s eyes for a moment before moving on to the next. “We’re going to defeat Morana, and I know how.”
Just as she finishes speaking, the room lights up with a tremendous glow and thunder booms so loudly the inn trembles beneath its might. Linne jumps up, clapping her hands. “Father’s here!”
Leaning back in my chair, I peer out into the hall when the entrance door crashes into the wall. My brow raises when the God of Thunder appears in the doorway. At nearly seven feet tall, he has to duck as he comes into the room. I have heard much of the legendary god’s temper but he is also known to protect humanity from evil. Just what we need in a fight against Morana.
While he greets his daughters, I wonder at what my life has become. I spent most of my life as a huntsman and the princess’s protector. Now I sit with a god and a wizard, the famed Valkyries, and the woman I love. Who is not only a princess but a demigod. It’s enough to boggle the mind.
“I have not just brought myself,” Thor tells us over a pint of ale. “You will find that the Princes Charming have sent an army, along with one from Granton. Beast was able to convince the king to aid us.”
Snow goes very still. My heart skips a beat when she comes back to herself. A shiver runs over her, and her hands clench. “Morana’s poison is moving faster. It has destroyed Monarch Glen and will reach Granton’s and Alba’s borders in three days. We must move out tomorrow.”
We spend hours hashing over plans. Morana isn’t just going to let us walk into the palace, lay down, and surrender. We have both Snow’s and Merlin’s magic, along with Thor. We have the Valkyries to help in the battle and the dwarfs, who are already fierce warriors. We have Robin and his men, who are extraordinary archers, and the two armies, which the farmers and villagers will incorporate into. And then there’s me with the unmissable axes provided by the Valkyries and my ability to shift into a beast that magic can’t touch.
“Can’t Merlin just use his magic and kill her?” I ask in exasperation when we argue over some of the finer details. “Why do we have to go through all this?” I know it’s selfish, but I don’t want Snow to risk her life. I can’t lose her again.
Merlin leans on his staff and side-eyes me. “All magic comes with a price, Cassian. Death magic is an insidious evil that permeates your soul, destroying it slowly over time. I will help however I can, but I will not use magic to call upon the Grim Reaper.” I run a hand over my face and blow out a breath, nodding. I understand, but frustration rides me, urging me to look for the easiest solutions.
We continue talking, and as the sun arcs across the sky and begins its descent, we all sit back with a sigh. The plans have been finalized as much as they can be, and now it’s up to each leader to prepare their men and women for tomorrow’s battle. I’ve had enough of sharing Snow for one day. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but until then, I’m going to spend every minute with her in my arms.
Everyone turns to me when I bring myself to my feet, the chair scraping loudly against the stone floor. “Excuse us.” My face breaks into a grin, and I scoop Snow out of her chair. She shrieks in mock indignation, pounding on my back when I throw her over my shoulder. “Have a good night!” I call back, and their laughter follows us out.
“Cassian!” she hisses at me. I’m betting her cheeks are bright red right about now.
I smack her bottom. “Shush. I need you under me. Or over me. Whichever you prefer. But I’m not wasting another second without being inside you.”
That shuts her up.
Chapter 36
Snow White
Cassianwakesmewithhis hands on my breasts and his tongue inside me. I’ve lost count of how many times he’s loved me since I returned from the underworld. I need it as much as he does—the desperation, the need to verify by touch that we are alive, that we have another day to love each other.
Desire races through my veins, heady and intoxicating. My head presses firmly into the pillows, my eyes closing against the raw pleasure that is almost painful in its intensity. “Come for me, Princess,” he demands. My body recognizes its master, obeying him as easily as it breathes. I splinter apart with a harsh cry, then arch my back when he enters me forcefully.
“Look at me.” I obey, hazel clashing with green. He thrusts into me, hard and fast, his brow dripping with sweat. My hand reaches for him, but before it can touch him, his tail whips out, forcing my hands above my head. “You will not die on me today. Swear it. Promise me you will walk off the battlefield in one piece.”
My eyes fill with tears, a tearing pain scorching through my chest. “You know I cannot promise that.” His hand wraps around my throat, and his face hardens.
“I vow, if you do not, I will follow you. You will not leave me behind again. Do you understand?” I nod against his hand, and a little of the desperation leaks from his hardened expression. His mouth crashes against mine, hungry and pleading.
His tail releases me, and he hauls me up so we’re facing each other. His gaze doesn’t leave mine and in it, I see both his love and his fear. Threading my fingers into his thick hair, I lean into him, watching as the fear melts into pleasure. “I am yours, and you are mine, Cass. Always. Nothing that happens today will change that.”
He lowers his lips to mine while his hands run up and down my back. I arch against him, taking him deeper, and he shudders against me, his cock throbbing as it empties itself deep inside.
Cass holds me for a few minutes, breathing harshly into my shoulder. “I don’t want to let you go,” he admits, and I tighten my arms around his neck.
“I know. Come, let’s clean up, and I’ll plait your hair for you.”
After washing, we dress in the garments Merlin has provided for us. I can’t help but watch Cassian with admiration as his muscular body flexes as he dresses. He is a work of art, and if we both survive today, I know I’ll remember how my breath catches at the sight of him well into old age.
