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Amaryn sighs, dropping her arms to her side. "I never meant to bring you harm. I am so, so sorry."
Her words speak of sincerity, but a part of me does not believe it. Her posture, her eyes, and her tone all beg forgiveness; all point towards this being an accident. The look of horror on Solarius and Avidor's faces supports the theory that this was an accident.
But the magic that lives within me does not believe her.
Shadow comes crawling out from under a table and wraps himself around my chest, covering my breasts like a chest wrap. He's definitely bigger than the last time I saw him, and I am appreciative of the covering even if having a snake for a shirt feels quite odd.
Zeph squeezes my elbow, and I look at him. He shakes his head imperceptibly, letting me know he doesn't believe thiseither. Mace, Cirrha, Taegan, and Morrow have plastered themselves to the wall, keeping their distance from the Gods in hopes of preserving their magic.
Jaz escorts Plume from the room, her sobs echoing through the space as she leaves. Amaryn looks at me, her face contrite and full of sadness that smells artificial. "I am so sorry this happened, Shadowweaver. It was never my intention."
"We'll need to figure out why it happened," I say tightly, ignoring the way Zeph's fingernails dig into my flesh. "This is not something that can continue to happen. When we get to Ytopie, there are only fae, and if they believe they could lose their magic to you, they will not come anywhere near you, much less pledge devotion to you."
The Bloomtide ducks her head, clasping her hands in front of herself, a picture of submission that is so at odds with the fuming woman who was here just moments ago. "I will work to figure out why."
"For now, get some rest," I say as a way to dismiss her. "Your body is getting used to being back in the realm. We can reconvene in the morning to finish planning." Slowly, everyone leaves the hall except Mace and Zeph. The brothers look at me expectantly.
"There's no way that was an accident," Mace says, snarling. "I do not buy that for a second."
"Me neither," Zeph agrees, finally dropping my elbow.
"We need to find out how and why this happened," I say, keeping my voice low. "We're now down a fae. We need all the magic we can getin the coming days."
"Zeph is incredibly stealthy." Mace turns to his brother, crossing his arms on his chest. "I cannot tell you the number of times I caught him spying as a child. And there is that very memorable time we learned he was spying as an adult."
The tips of Zeph's ears turn red as he rubs the back of his neck. His tattoo, the black geometric designenhanced with red and bright blue, stands out more as the flush spreads to his neck. "I did apologize for that, right?"
"Let's not talk about it," I laugh. "None of us need to relive that."
Zeph clears his throat. "I will spy on them. I'll find out just how purposeful that was and what the plan is." He looks at the door where everyone left, his eyes glistening. "Fuck, Plume must be devastated. I need to go to her and see if she's okay."
"She's with Jaz," I tell him, placing a hand on his forearm. "I believe they may have the beginnings of a romantic relationship blooming."
"Plume? In a relationship? I thought she…"
"I thought that too. But just because she doesn't desire sex doesn't mean she doesn't desire love. There seems to be something between the two of them. Let Jaz support Plume in this moment. Seeing you, with your magic, may be too hard for her."
Zeph must know I'm right because he nods, running his hand through his auburn hair. "Fuck!" he shouts. "Fuck! This is a nightmare!"
"I agree," Mace drawls. "This is not good at all."
Chapter 40
Zeph
It is a relief that Viola agrees with me that Bloomtide taking Plume's magic was not accidental. I was going to set out to find out the truth regardless, but it feels better that I have the support of my God as I embark on my recognizance.
What most people do not know about eavesdropping and spying on someone is that it is surprisingly easy if the person you are spying on believes themself invincible. And there is no one more invincible than a God.
Amaryn is sloppy. It's like she wants to be overheard. I find her with Solarius and Avidor in the home we set up for Avidor, and they've even left the door cracked.
For Gods, they're absolute fucking morons.
All I have to do is sit down outside the door, pressing myself against the side of the house, and listen through the crack between the door and the wall. The grass, moist with midnight dew beneath my feet, soaks through my pants as I settle in to find out the truth about what these Gods have in store for us.
"Leave the Shadowweaver out of it," Avidor says, his voice strained as if speaking through gritted teeth. "She's mine."
"What is your obsession with her?" Solarius asks, his frustrated tone so at odds with his normal aloofness.
