Page 147

“Don’t mind me,” Helion said with a grin, patting Solas on the shoulder a few times as he squeezed past. “A husband should sit next to his wife.”

A growl rumbled through Solas’s chest, and he shot up to his feet and bared his canines.

“Solas,” Rythos said in warning, making Solas raise his eyebrows in surprise and grumble under his breath as he sat back down.

Helion’s shoulder pressed against mine, the soothing warmth of him oozing into me like honey over warm bread.

“The curse is worsening because the Commander couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.” He shot me a wink that made me narrow my eyes. “Not that I blame him.”

Aldric shifted in his seat, the only tell that he was annoyed at the comment. “You are truly a god, yes?”

“Not just a god, Mortal boy.” Helion leant forwards with his hands on his knees, the smirk disappearing from his face. “I am the god.”

I refrained from rolling my eyes.

“Do gods lack basic manners in conversation?” Aldric’s face had hardened into something that resembled father. “That is my fucking sister, and you will watch your mouth.”

I held my breath, waiting for Helion to lash out. But he merely chuckled, the vibration of it trickling through me followed by his delight as he gestured for my brother to continue.

“What if this is the beginning of the end?”

Gooseflesh tore across my skin and the hairs on the nape of my neck rose as if the breath of fear itself had ghosted over my skin.

“What if nothing survives this?” Aldric finished in an almost hollow voice that tore out a chunk of my heart. He was right.

I swallowed hard, sitting up a little straighter as if I had the courage to tell them I was the reason they were all going to die.

“The Throne of Gods is broken because⁠—”

“Because of me,” Helion cut in, and my head snapped towards him. “They already know, Sunshine. The jealous god destroyed the world, turned your precious Mortal lover into the weapon that killed you...” His mouth twisted around the words. “We've covered the tragic fucking history.”

Why was he lying to them? I reached instinctively for the bond between us, probing at that thread of sunshine beneath my ribs, but was met with a solid wall.

Helion had taken the weight of a dying world from my shoulders and placed it upon his own as casually as if it belonged there. I watched him curiously, but there was not a single crack in his smug mask.

“But I'm going to fix it,” he finished, reaching his hand for mine as if he had felt me prodding the bond. His fingers threaded through my own with such casual familiarity that I stared down at them.

Rythos went rigid beside me, every muscle beneath me tightened to a lethal weapon preparing to spill blood.

Before I could pull away from Helion’s touch, Rythos drew in a slow breath through his nose and relaxed, one muscle at a time, as though talking himself down from the edge of something violent. His arm remained around my shoulders and Helion's hand remained tangled with mine.

Neither male said a word or moved, and it made a traitorous warmth unfurl low in my stomach.

Helion's thumb brushed lazily across my knuckles, a matching rhythm to Rythos’ touch on my arm.

It should have felt like being caught in the middle of a dangerous game of tug-of-war.

Except neither of them pulled and neither demanded I release the other.

A hot, confusing thrill curled low in my stomach, and I pressed my thighs together.

It shouldn’t surprise me that I was depraved enough to not just like it, but want more of it.

“Right…” Solas said slowly looking between the three of us with frown lines between his strong brows. “And how will someone who only seems to break things fix the throne?”

“You aren’t wrong.” Helion’s grip tightened on my hand, squeezing gently as if needing reassurance my fingers were still laced with his. “But grief cuts lessons even a god learns from. I know I can fix it. All the Commander has to do is sail me there.”

There was something raw in his voice that made my chest constrict. Whatever he was planning, he wouldn’t get the chance.