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A giggle escaped my lips. “Only when I have to.”
“Stop courting and continue your search!”
My teeth clenched. What I wouldn’t give to fling the bracelet in the trash.
“I’m glad I caught you,” he said, taking my hands. My pulse quickened against his caressing fingers. “I wanted to finish our conversation today. I asked if her vision gave you any more clues, and you started to say something.”
I hesitated.What’s it going to be, Aella? Are you going to believe the smooth-talking blackmailer who’s selling people’s private business and responsible for Marinos being tortured in the middle of class?
Or the guy who’s been by your side from the very beginning?
I made my decision. “She said a lot of things. I can’t be sure which phrases are important, but I’m pretty certain this one is: The weaver, the deceiver, and the believer stand guard. Within the eyes holds the gods’ lies,” I said. “At first I thought it was talking about three people, but Instructor Kazran pointed out it could be one being who embodies all three.” I motioned to the statue. “Like Dolos. The god of lies.”
“No, it’s three,” he said without skipping a beat. “Definitely.”
“What? How do you know?”
“Grammar. If it was one being, it would bestands guard.But because it’s three, it says they stand guard.”
I stood there, blinking at him.
“Why didn’t you notice that, stupid girl? You wasted precious time traipsing around the castle for no reason.”
“You didn’t notice either,” I hissed.
“What?” Alex asked.
“I—I said I can’t believe I didn’t notice that.” I laughed. “You must think I’m such an idiot.”
“I think you’re perfect, beautiful, strong, and smell like cherries.”
I ducked my head, thanking all the demigod lighting technicians that the hall was dimly lit. “Those are... much better adjectives.”
“I’ve got your back on this, Aella. We’ll find her. Together.” Alex set off, tugging me along after him. “Let’s go. We’ll talk while I practice. Come up with ideas for who the weaver, deceiver, and the believer could be.”
“Sounds good.”
Soon, I was seated on the cushioned, matted floor, watching Alex practice.
His breaths came in pantedhphoo hphoo hphoosas he pummeled the training dummy. I was near licking my lips at his bare, muscled back and the rock-hard ass straining his pants.
“Amazing it takes them a whole hour to track you down when your shirt’s off. I’d have you on a GPS alert.”
Chuckles filtered between his pants. “I have no idea what that means.”
“Then we’re equally clueless because I have no idea where to start with thisweaver, deceiver, and believernonsense.” I flopped on my back. “Do you have any ideas?”
“A few.” He spun, foot cutting through the air and knocking the fake echidna’s head clean off. “Clotho is a weaver goddess. She spins the thread of life.”
I started to hear her name said so soon after reading Loukia’s story.
“Apate was the goddess of deception, and Pistis was the goddess of trust and good faith.”
“A believer,” I said, sitting up.
“Exactly.” Alex crossed the room and took a two-sided axe off the wall. The thing was the length of my body. It was too heavy for me to even look at, and he wielded it one-handed like it barely weighed more than a stick.
I swear I came a little when he cleaved the echidna in two. Alex was so powerful. So strong.
