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I looked back at him resting against a tree. “Is that your contribution, just reading out the list?” I mocked.
“Well, I’m not going to divulge the answers. What fun would that be?”
‘Athena’s Symbol.’ This one made me pause. I knew Athena, the goddess of wisdom, was closely associated with a lot of things. Glancing at Mason, I half expected him to give me a clue. When his expression remained neutral, I decided to go with my gut.
“Okay, so her symbol is the owl, but we already have a feather, so I’m not sure it’s that.”
Father Logan grinned, studying me in a way that distracted my thoughts.
“But she had other symbols, too… God, what are they?” I mused. “Snake is one, I think, and no way in hell am I handling one of those.” Plus, it had to fit into the envelope.
“Okay, we’re coming back to that one,” I stated. “Next is ‘Echo of Pan’s Melody.’” I rolled my eyes at Father Mason. “Could you have made these any harder?”
“What fun is a challenge if you don’t have to think?” His stared deeper into the woods, which I immediately took as a clue.
Walking in the opposite direction the other girls had gone, I ventured down a path amid a spacious woodland on a sloped landscape.
In truth, it was becoming difficult to concentrate with him so close behind me, and the memory of our shared kiss was so fresh in my mind.
“Do you walk through these woods often?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual.
“Sometimes. Logan runs up here for exercise, and some days, I join him. It’s all part of the institute’s land.”
“I’m more of a gym person myself,” I confessed, my mouth going dry when I noticed his gaze drifting to my lips.
“Why did you kiss me?” I blurted out, pausing when I realized my words had gushed out before I could stop them.
He didn’t appear surprised. In fact, he seemed almost relieved by the question.
“You kissed me first,” he pointed out, the barest hint of a smirk teasing his features.
“Yes, but you enjoyed it,” I shot back, my voice more confident than I felt.
“Yep, I did.”
“Why?”
He fell silent for a moment.
“Because I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone as much as I did you.”
“Even as a Father?” I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest.
“I’m still human, Katerina. I have emotions, I have urges.”
His words sent a jolt of heat through me. Questions tumbled around my mind, the most pressing one spilling out next.
“So, if you’re still human... can you... I mean, do you... get married? Can you have... sex?” The word was a mere breath, but I knew he’d heard it. I watched him closely, bracing for his response.
Mason chuckled, a rich, deep sound that had my stomach doing somersaults. He stepped toward me, the distance between us shrinking. A swarm of butterflies took flight in my gut.
“Last night at the fire, you seemed very close to Father Logan.”
His comment and change of topic caught me off guard, and I blinked at him, momentarily flustered.
“We were just talking,” I defended myself.
“As every girl in the institute wanted to as well.”
