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We were basking in a spot not far from the lake—inhaling the scent of lotuses, and listening to lapping waves and giggling dryads. Despite the heavy turn of our conversation, nothing made this less perfect.
“I have to give you credit for knowing your best friend,” I spoke up. “You said she wasn’t in love with you, and that wasn’t regular guy cluelessness. Forgive me for thinking no one could be that crazily possessive without love.”
He chuckled. “That was never about me. I’ve no doubt Lia made it clear Sirena must marry me and no one else. She fears her mother. She doesn’t question her orders.”
“Oh no. Was her mother...? Is she abusive?”
“Depends,” Alex said, tone measured. “Would you call murdering her father in front of her abusive?”
My jaw cracked. I couldn’t speak a word if I tried.
“Lia has the ability to reduce her enemies to sea-foam. It’s how she became the Aphrodite councilwoman. It’s rare for children of Aphrodite to get Titan-level powers, but even so, hers is more fearsome than most. With a single thought, she can reduce you to nothing but popping bubbles on the lawn.
“Which is exactly what she did when she discovered her husband and Sirena’s father was sleeping with another woman.Threeother women. Telling her he wasn’t going to stop and there wasn’t a fucking thing she could do about it, was the last thing he ever said.”
“My gods,” I breathed. “But Sirena can’t think her mom would do that to her too. Not an excuse, but it sounds like the old man provoked her in the extreme. This is her daughter. She wouldn’t kill her for marrying who she truly loves.”
His expression didn’t change. “I honestly don’t know what Lia would do, but I do know I haven’t seen what Sirena has, or experienced what she experienced. If she’s afraid, it’s because Lia has given her reason.”
My hand flew to my mouth, then I groaned. “Dammit, Alex. You’ve got me concerned for Sirena—Sirena—of all people.”
“You don’t have to be concerned for her, me, or yourself. I’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like to live on my own fucking terms. I’m not giving that up. I’m not giving you up.” His nose bumped mine. “We’ll figure it all out, Vanda. I told you, that’s what people in love do. Take the tough stuff as it comes.”
“Hmm. How did you figure this one out?” I heard myself ask. “You told me the case was magicked to be unbreakable, then you smashed it to smithereens. How?”
“Ahh.” He rolled to face me, eyes shining. “Do you promise you’ll never tell?”
“Yes.”
He waved his hand over his arm. I blinked and something appeared on his— No, embedded in his skin.
I squinted, leaning in. “What is that? A charm?”
“A curse.”
My brows blew. “Did you just say curse?”
“Yes. When I was five, my mother brought me to a son of Arae, and had him brand this into my skin. At the time, someone was kidnapping noble children, holding them for ransom, and killing them if the parents didn’t pay in full.”
“Fucking hell,” I cried, stomach churning.
He nodded. “It was awful. Whoever it was must’ve had a power to walk through walls or be invisible, because they were getting in and out without being seen. Over one hundred children were taken. My parents were terrified for me. My father’s reaction was to increase the number of guards following me tenfold. Mother took me to Arae’s son.”
“What does the curse do?”
“It’s hard to explain, but it’s like an infection. One touch and it weakens, corrodes, dismantles whatever is in its path.” He saw my face. “Oh, don’t worry. It doesn’t work on people. Mom just needed to know if I was ever taken and locked up, I always had the means to get out.” He brushed the silver lion’s-head charm. “Now it’s the only thing I have left of her. Even though there’s no one alive who can kidnap or cage me, I keep it because... because it came from her.”
“That’s so sweet, baby.” I kissed the charm, knowing it was safe. “But why don’t you want anyone to know about it?”
“Because it’s incredibly illegal.” Another wave and it was gone. “This thing could bring down the barrier between our worlds. It would take years to dismantle magic that complex, but eventually, it’ll succeed.” He shook his head. “Being in possession of something like this is a mandatory life sentence. Anything else I wouldn’t risk it, but it’s the last gift my mother gave me.”
I whistled. “And it can do that because it’s a curse? But, then, why isn’t everyone using curses, illegal or not? How do we know the monsters who took my mom didn’t use one too? Maybe that’s how they got through the barrier in the first place.”
He was shaking his head before I finished. “Curses aren’t like magic. They can’t be stopped, reversed, or controlled. If the barrier was cursed, there would be no hiding it. Plus, Arae was the goddess of curses. Her children are rare, because she rarely inhabits humans. She prefers animals, plants, even dead things. One day you prick your finger on a rose, and fall into a deep sleep that lasts fifty years—stuff like that.
“Seeing as not even a monster can barter with a crow to get their hands on a curse, curses aren’t something the average demigod has to fear,” he said. “No one has to fear that son ofArae either, because he was murdered shortly after working with my mother.”
“Wow,” I said, blowing out a breath. “This world is so unpredictable. You never know what you could face next.” I dropped my chin on his chest, smiling. “But how off-the-walls amazing and brave was your mom. She knew, Alex. She knew one day you would be trapped and forced into something you didn’t want, and she made sure you’d have a choice. A way out.”
