Page 130 of Courting War
A happiness that would span a thousand lifetimes—or even longer.
Except magic wrenched them apart.
The dust settled from Theo’s destruction, and she saw her mother wielding her magic against them. “You broke the Law of Realms. You brought a human back from the dead, for this you will be executed, daughter.” Nefeli’s voice shook.
It appeared Nefeli didn’t want her daughters to love, but she also didn’t want them dead. Just their partners.
“Actually, Mother.” Havyn stepped over falling debris nonchalantly. “He’s not human. Theo broke no laws. Before you stands the newest god of our world.”
“Sits,” Andromache corrected, a bright smile on her face.
“Sorry,” Havyn drawled, “sits the newest god of our world.”
A chorus of voices rang through the ballroom, but twoechoed above the rest.Cecile and Emmett.They both ran to Kellyn’s side, kneeling beside him.
“God?” Emmett’s voice was soft and coated with twisting emotions. “You’re both going to be gods, and I am just . . . human.”
He was jealous. At his core, Emmett wanted to be special, and Kellyn had stolen his chance at glory in the Sacrifice—and now, had become a god. It would be a lot for him to accept and he would probably be mad about it for a long time, but it was okay.
Because Kellyn now had an eternity to make it up to his friend.
Epilogue
THEODRA
Loved Goddess of War
BELLUM CLIFFS, THEODEN
Theo stood on the cliff’s edge, her eyes barely focusing on the crimson light far off in the distance. Ravens circled and croaked overhead, scouring the landscape. The aroma of salt permeated the air as the navy waves crashed into the jagged cliff edges—sharp like the granite edges of her heart.
Granite was hard yet beautiful. And with the proper tools, it could be smoothed and transformed into marble, just like Theo’s hard edges could be smoothed with the proper people filling up her life.
A lover, a friend, two sisters, and a War Court.
A community of people polishing her rough edges and building her into a better person—a better god.
Shifting her eyes to the seaside below, Theo pondered small miracles. Life was no longer a hollow echo, repeating through time and space, but a vivid watercolor painting full of warmth. After all, marrying the God of Peace had its advantages. It had a calming effect on her War—on all her broken pieces.
Muscular arms curled around her waist and embraced her from behind, pulling her into his strong, warm body, the light ofthe sunset casting its rays on his deep olive skin. He rested his chin on her head. “Why are we staring at a steamship, my love?”
“Flesh traffickers,” Theo said, her voice caught by the autumn wind. Overhead her ravens croaked in unison, their fury piercing the night sky.
Kellyn’s fingers increased their pressure against her waist, and he pulled her in tighter. A protective stance. “What do you want to do?” he whispered into her hair.
“What do you think we should do?” Theo twisted and tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. “I’m not always the best at doling out punishments to men.”
“Perhaps, we save the girls and let the victims and society decide what to do with them?” His amber eyes sparked, and he ran a gentle finger across her jaw and met her lips with his for a short, gentle kiss. A quick kiss that symbolized a thousand short kisses. A thousand kisses because they had forever.
Kellyn refracted them onto the creaking wood of the ship, and he deepened the kiss. Theo knew he was in no hurry because he wanted to let their presence seep into the men’s souls. He wanted them to anticipate their punishment. He wanted fear to lick at their spines. While War and Peace wouldn’t kill them today—wouldn’t burn the flesh from their bones—these men didn’t know that.
Sometimes anticipation was a beautiful tool.
Theo loved everything about her partner. His steady hand, wit and smile, and loving soul, but mostly she loved that he allowed her to be fully who she was, and the truth was that War still bathed in fear of evil men, despite no longer soaking in their blood.
Kellyn knew this and allowed her to terrify the men and helped her in this ambition.
The men screamed and ran across the deck, panicked, and some jumped into the unsteady ocean while others tried to hide in cracks of the wood. It was useless.
