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“Now your turn.”
My fingers flew to his collar, tugging at the fabric to expose his neck. I wanted him to wear my mark even more now that I’d felt his claiming bite. Felt how connected it made us. How complete.
“Well, isn’t this cozy?” a smooth voice cut in.
Chapter XVII
“Sorry, got twisted aroundon my way to the party.” Phaidros had suddenly appeared, leaning against the wall opposite us as if he didn’t have a care in the world. The scent of cloves pierced the air with his arrival. He was dressed as finely as any of our guests, a finely stitched, white silk shirt stretched over his star-covered skin. “Seems my invitation was lost in the mail.”
I lunged forward, even as Cole moved an arm out to block me. “I’ll kill you for what you did to Hector.”
The demon’s eyes narrowed. “We’re at war, darling, in case you only just noticed. He was a soldier and he died. That’s how this works.”
“He had donenothingto you!”
He shoved himself off the wall. “He wasyour soldier. That was enough. Now, I’ve come to discuss something you’ll want to hear. Are you going to keep whining about some soldier you barely knew or listen to reason?”
“Take another step towards my wife and I’ll rip your spine out through your mouth.” Cole didn’t growl when he made the threat, didn’t so much as raise his voice. The violent promise was enough to carry the message.
Phaidros lifted his hands up in surrender, ever dramatic. “So insecure, and just moments into the honeymoon too. If I was freshlymarried, I wouldn’t feel so worried about some other fellow stealing her, but then again, I do look like this.” He gestured to himself.
“You get one chance to say why you’re here. Otherwise, we’ll both rip you to shreds,” I said, while summoning my magic through the walls. I kept it moving slowly, undetected.
“Very well. The Moon Goddess wants to meet.”
I startled. I hadn’t expected that. Even across all the memories that had scattered through my mind, I had no recollection of ever meeting the creature that had wreaked such havoc on our lives.
“Have you ever met her?” I asked Cole softly.
“No.” His body was tense. He didn’t take his attention off Phaidros. “The heavens are impenetrable to our magic, much like Tartarus. The only way to go there would be through the goddess herself.”
“Where does she want to meet?”
Phaidros flashed his white teeth into a grin. “Why, in her domain, of course.”
“And how exactly will we get there?” I asked.
“I’ll be your escort. You’re familiar with my portals, remember?”
“It’s a trick,” Cole snapped. “No simple demon can go to the heavens.”
Phaidros’s cocky smile never faltered. “Oh, but I’m not just some demon.” He paused, enjoying keeping us in suspense. “I’m her son.”
I stared at the demon, trying to piece together this new bit of information. He didn’t just serve the Moon Goddess; he was her kin. Which begged the question: how had the Moon Goddess’s son wound up in Hell?
“Impossible,” Cole said with finality.
“Like how bringing a soul back from Tartarus is impossible?”Phaidros quirked a brow. “Oh, and there’s no ‘we.’ This offer goes to the freshly crowned queen alone.”
“Absolutely not.”
I moved aside, finally getting out from behind Cole. “You don’t make decisions for me, Cole.”
“It’s not safe.”
“I’m more powerful than I’ve ever been,” I argued. “I’ll be careful.” We needed to know more about her. Why she was doing this. How to stop her. In all the time we’d been in conflict, we had precious little information. If I was going to be queen of this realm, I couldn’t ignore an opportunity to avoid needless conflict.
“And I’ll add,” Phaidros interjected, obviously delighting in our argument, “this is a one-time offer.”
