Page 48 of Rotanev
A siren.
Forever trapped in a weaker form.
But maybe I could strengthen myself in other ways. Humans could be strong, too, right?
“Yes,” a voice whispered against my ear.
Had I spoken the question out loud? I didn’t know. Everything felt so fuzzy, overwhelming, a cloud of insanity hanging over my head. As if I were trying to navigate mist without a proper light.
That explained the dampness on my cheeks.
Or were those tears?
I sighed, relaxing into the pillow that was my Nero. I wanted to go home. To his home. Not in Mythios, but here, in New York. But maybe his real home, too. Wherever I would be safer.
No, I wanted my reality back. To not be lost in this muddled mess of thought. Toseeagain.
The conviction gave me pause. If I desired to be a more powerful person, then I had to fight, not give up. Allowing myself to fall into this cocooned bliss of safety where I relied on Nero for everything was not the right solution, only the simpler one.
Choosing the easy path meant Corban—Dolos—won.
I refused to accept that.
He couldn’twin.
My eyes flew open to find the familiar surroundings of Nero’s bedroom. He sat in the chair beside the bed, his head in his hands.
For a brief second, I hoped this had all been a dream—again. But I knew better now.
And I knew what I had to do.
I sat up, my heart pounding in my chest. “Take me to Mythios.”
13
Nero
Time had always beena moot point. But these last two days had been pure hell while I waited for Kailiani to react in one way or another.
Aside from telling me to take her to Mythios, she’d remained nearly silent. Hadn’t even spoken a word when the Realm Dweller showed up to escort us to the portal back to my realm.
She stood on the balcony of my home now, her gaze on the crystal-clear waters below. I found her here often, her arms folded across her chest, her silky navy dress blowing in the calming breeze.
The two moons of this world cast a luminescent glow over the waves and bathed her in a sea of gorgeous light.
I longed to run my fingers through her dark hair, to press my lips to her creamy skin, to hold her slender body against mine. Alas, I refused to push her. She needed space to make her decisions. And I would not allow my needs to drive her.
But I would remain a protective shadow at her back.
My kingdom wasn’t dangerous, just different. And the people of my world were not used to human visitors.
Her safety meant everything to me. So much so that I’d already begun taking measures to protect her in this fragile state, should she choose to remain this way.
Dolos was confined to the deepest depths of my seas, drowning over and over again while awaiting his eventual fate. I intended to let him rot there for a few centuries first. Seemed fitting after what he’d done to my Kailiani. When she reached a stronger mental state—and a decision regarding her fate—I’d grant her the opportunity to torture him in whatever way she desired, for as long as she wanted.
She’d been a victim in all of this, a pawn used in Dolos’s need for petty revenge. Demigods were not allowed to own property in any of the realms maintained by the gods. When he’d petitioned for a territory in Mythios two millennia ago, it’d been an easy request to vote against. The trickster had pretended not to care. His actions of late proved otherwise. And apparently, I’d been the unlucky target of his wrath, making Kailiani the victim of his cruel joke.
He would pay for what he’d done.
