Page 41 of Crown of Olympus
It washim. I knew it, just as surely as I could feelhis body still pressed against mine. My pulse was a wild drumbeat in my ears, drowning everything out — everything except him.
“Nyssa, look at me!” His voice pierced the storm, low and steady. Then, slowly, I saw them, his glowing eyes. Caelus was using his lightning to cut through my darkness like no one else could.
He released his hold on my wrists, bracing himself on the earth as his face hovered above mine. His power thrummed through the air, sharp and crackling, and I could taste static on my tongue.
I swallowed roughly, unable to look away.
“That’s it. Keep those pretty green eyes locked on me, okay?” he murmured.
I couldn’t look away if I tried.
“That’s it. Now breathe. That’s all you have to do, Nyssa.”
My throat was closing, saliva catching in the back.
I couldn’t.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t swallow.
“I can’t control it,” I pleaded, shaking my head roughly. Panic still had me tight within its grasp, my heartbeat galloping in my chest, lungs clawing for air.
“You can, Nightshade,” he said softly. “You’re safe. You’re safe with me.”
His words were a tether — a lifeline. Something to cling to while my panic ebbed and flowed. Slowly, it began to wane. Slower still, air returned to my lungs.
I sucked in short, stuttering breaths as the shadows steadily recede.
“Caramel,” I whispered.
Caelus shifted back, confusion etched across his features. Features that were once again youthful and vibrant.
“What?”
“You smell like caramel,” I explained, cheeks heating. The sticky, golden deliciousness had always been one of my weaknesses — now, I feared, in more ways than one.
Caelus grinned and time seemed to pause. His grin, like the caramel, was too enticing. Too rich.
I needed space. Distance. I donned my cold mask like armour and sat up. I was lucid enough to recognise how dangerous the game had just become. I had never bared my vulnerabilities so nakedly before, much less in front of a sweet-smelling rival.
Caelus reached out tentatively to brush an errant tear from my icy cheek. I flinched back, out of reach. He paused, hand suspended mid-air, a sad look ghosting across his face.
I truly wasn’t sure how I’d managed to hold my power back during the height of my panic, but I was grateful all the same. The entirety of Olympus would come crashing down on my head if I’d murdered their golden prince — accidentally or otherwise.
Caelus’ metallic eyes bore into mine, infuriatingly free of judgement. His face softened, white brows drawing together in concern.
He pities me.
So, I did what any exposed, embarrassed woman would have done in my place — I lashed out.
“Don’t fucking touch me, you overgrown taser,” I seethed, launching to my feet and storming away into the forest — directionless but uncaring. I just needed to escape the stupidly brave man and the maddening, conflicting way he made me feel.
“Really?” Caelus laughed. “That was the best you couldcome up with? A mortal’s pitiful attempt at replicating my power?”
He lumbered along beside me, catching up in just a few paces, thanks to his overly large legs.
“Do you make a habit of pinning girls to the ground, or am I just special?” I sniped. His amusement was pissing me off.
