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“Goddess, it’s like pulling teeth with you!” They threw their palms in the air. “Just… don’t let your ego get in the way, okay? The moment Olympia returns to her fortress, Angelwaithe will have her claws back into her. You don’t want that.”
“I’ll figure it out, Pyke. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.”
I reached out to pat their hair, and they ducked away quickly in a whirl of blue skirts.
“Watch the curls!” they complained, patting down hair that was entirely un-mussed.
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head in exasperation.
“Have you been watching us this whole time?” Olympia stood directly below us, her head tilted all the way back to meet my gaze.
Even with her nose scrunched up and eyes narrowed, she presented the most bewitching picture. The evening sun shadowed her face, casting her in a golden light I envied from the very bottom of my heart. Never in my life had I been jealous of the rays of the sun as they touched someone’s cheek. I wished fervently for my fingers to take their place—to caress, to cherish, to love.
I cleared my throat, adjusting my grip on the walking cane.
“Perhaps,” I called down.
“Maybe your moniker should be Zoei the Creep.”
Even three stories down, I knew her eyes held a twinkle of mischief.
“You could petition the council, but I doubt they’d agree to such a ridiculous name. Zoei the Handsome would have a higher likelihood of being accepted.”
“Modest, aren’t you?” she quipped.
“Always.”
She shook her head, and I thought I heard a gusty sigh.
I watched as she moved to the spiral staircase that led up to the balcony parapet, her boots thudding on the stone as she moved. She’d borrowed a tunic of mine today—black with a gold trim, and a matching gold belt. Although the shoulders fit loosely on her, she still made the garment look exceptional.
Pyke greeted her with a smile, and they exchanged frippery pleasantries before bidding us goodbye. Behind Olympia’s back, they speared me with their gaze, pointing at Olympia meaningfully and mouthing words only the Goddess could interpret.
“The cane makes you look dashing,” Olympia said, pausing to press a kiss to my cheek. The contact was all too fleeting, and I yearned for more instantaneously.
“Although I probably shouldn’t say anything to inflate your already enlarged ego,” she quipped, a small smirk playing at the corners of her lips.
I gave in to instinct, leaning forward to capture her smirk. A short breath punched out of her, sweet and warm against my skin.
Her fingers curled over my biceps, holding me in place as she tilted her head to savor the kiss. For long moments, we remained fused on the balcony. Perhaps it was the last rays of sunlight or the beautiful Alpha in my arms, but I couldn’t rid myself of the warmth that tugged at my cheeks.
When she pulled away, our breaths were none too steady. She ducked, placing her forehead in the crook of my neck.
“I have to return to Vetri in the morning,” she said, feathering kisses along my neck. “I’ve neglected my duties long enough.”
“I know.”
The words sounded like a mourning hymn, and I knew Olly detected the dip in my tone.
“I have scheduled another meeting with Cryssa,” she said. “Hopefully it’ll go better than the last.”
“I can take care of her if she becomes a problem.”
Olly punched me in the shoulder.
“You’re not to harm a hair on Cryssa’s head.”
I grunted. “If you insist.”
