Page 112 of To Bleed A Kingdom

“No gifts for Faith,” she says, her lips turning down into a frown as she stops before the Goddess of Fate. Not a single offering lays at her feet.

“They say she's the cruelest of them all, spinning our fate as she sees fit.” Moving to her side, I brush my finger along hers. My skin hums with the contact as I look up at the face of the Goddess. Her alternating onyx and gold jewels glare against the otherwise opaque crystal.

Lena rolls her eyes. “She decides nothing. She can see and act, but more often than not, she remains neutral. At least she feels, unlike most of the other gods.”

I've heard this before. Some believe the gods to be cold and unfeeling, void of a soul. But they’re usually only spoken of by humans and some fae, followers of the True God.

“What about Uriella?” Flicking my wrist, I gesture towards the statue with the most presents. Piling one atop the other, her offerings burst over the path, spilling onto the grass to circle around her.

“Oh, she's the worst of them all,” Lena says, strolling towards her.“Whereas most of the gods are incapable of truly feeling, she chooses not to.” Lines bracketing her lips, Lena glares up at the statue. “Goddess of Light, Mother of All. She is a mother of nothing.”

“They say she birthed a son from her very loins, the True God.”

Lena snaps her gaze to mine and says in a tone so surprisingly bitter, a knot forms between my brows. “Yet she abandoned him. Spurned him from her body as if an unwanted seed. That doesn't make her a mother. It makes her a broodmare.”

“You really shouldn't say things like that.” Grimacing, I peer up at the cloudless sky, waiting for the goddess to smite me. Or her lover Azazel, the God of Darkness, the Father of Creation. “I imagine Uriella would take offense.”

“I've called her much worse things than that and nothing has ever happened to me. I doubt that’ll change now.” Cocking her head to the side, Lena bites her lips on a laugh. “Are you afraid she'll portal her golden ass down here and strike you down?”

“I'm sure she can do that just fine from her throne in the Gods Realm,” I reply dryly.

Lena tosses her head back and laughs, uninhibited and throaty, her eyes sparkling in glee. “Don't worry. You have nothing to fear from her while I'm near. I’ll protect you.” Eyes crinkling, she shows all her teeth in a blinding smile as a spark of joy hurtles through the bond.

Gods, she really is beautiful. So much so, it physically hurts to look at her. Her smooth skin, her curvaceous body, her blood red, heart-shaped lips. And those eyes. Those brilliant amethyst eyes that seem so ancient, yet so young at the same time. They're like a drug, ensnaring me with just a look,dragging me down into their depths with whispered promises of pleasure and warmth. I've tried to fight their beguilement. To resist her allure, but I don't think I have the strength to do it anymore. Truth be told, I’m not sure I even want to.

I shouldn't be watching her like this. What I should be doing is questioning her about the guard. What the traitor said about her and this so-called Gods Cursed King is concerning, and I have no doubt in my mind that she has information that could prove useful to me. She may even know what that strange diamond power was. But Griffin is right. She doesn't trust me. Not yet, at least, and she won't give up that information easily.

Before I met her, I would've considered her secrecy a betrayal, but after meeting her and learning of her Gifts, as well as the snippets about her abuse, I can no longer fault her over such a thing. I'd do the same if our roles were reversed.

Yet, even though she wants to keep her secrets and has good reason to, I can't leave it at that. I have to press her on it, even if she resists. I came to the market today intending to do exactly that. I even alluded to the others that I planned on forcing her or manipulating her into doing so. But I could never do that to her. She's already had others force her to their will. I'll not become another one. I doubt the others thought I would anyway. If they did, I suspect they would've tried to stop me somehow. I'm not the only one who has become attached to her. Not to mention the attachments they've begun to form with the others.

Griffin and Amara’s weird hate-friendship. Kace and Tristan could be twins, for how similar they are. Even Aurora is in a romantic relationship with Tristan.

Nevertheless, regardless of what friendships or relationships we've begun to build with one another, I still need to discover what Lena knows. Her life, my family's life, this whole kingdom may depend on what secrets she holds, and that I cannot allow.

With a rope wrapped around his hand, a human man, along with his wife and son tow a goat to the foot of Uriella’s statue. Lena steps back to give them more space and bumps into me, aligning her body with mine. I instinctively wrap my arm around her waist and splay my hand on her stomach. At the feel of her bare skin, my heart instantly speeds up. A crackling sensation speeds through me as I drag my thumb in a slow circle, tracing more of those circular scars. So soft, yet firm. Warm. I bury my nose into her silky hair, and the moment I inhale her cinnamon, vanilla, and cherry scent, the warmth within me hurtles into a blistering heat. Cock hardening in an instant, I wrap my other arm around her waist and tug her tighter to my chest.

I’m so lost in the feel of her that it takes a moment to realize that not only is she unresponsive, but her whole body has stiffened and she's staring straight ahead as if trying to ignore my presence. Ice douses the lust within my veins and my cock deflates as I step to her side, searching her face along with the bond. Lena cut it off earlier, but a sliver of her still seeps through. I blow out a relieved breath when I only feel her confusion and concern, and nothing to signify my touch was unwelcome.

“What are they doing?” she asks, her brows bunched in confusion as she watches the father usher the goat forward and crouch before it.

Seeing the humans’ sunken cheeks and rail-thin bodies garbed in tattered linens, I reply, “They’re making a sacrifice to the goddess.”

“The goat?” she asks, her eyes rounded. “They look like they haven't eaten in weeks!”

I purse my lips and breathe in a long breath through my nostrils, wishing we had come at a later time so she didn't have to witness such suffering. “Which is probably why they're sacrificing it. By offering their most prized possession, they’re hoping Uriella will be more likely to grant them her favor.”

“That’s insane!” Lena hisses, her features twisted in outrage.

The goat struggles, kicking andbleating as the human clutches it to his chest. The man then lifts its chin and bares its throat as he retrieves a dagger from his waistband. Watching this, Lena is all but shaking in aggravation, pacing back and forth as she chews a hole through her bottom lip. Until the man raises the dagger above his head and Lena suddenly lunges forward, grabbinghis wrist and halting the blade's descent.

“Please don't,” Lena pleads.

He sneers at her. “This is no business of yours.” He weakly shoves her back and I reach for her, preparing to drag her away. Until she snaps her hard gaze to mine, warning me not to intervene.

“No, it's not, but…”Lena snatches the knife from his hand and crouches before him, shoving the goat closer into his chest “The gods won’t help you. Take him home and eat.”

The man curls into himself, his features slipping into one of hopelessness. “Don’t you think I want to? I have no other choice. We have no food, no coin, I can't find work, and my family is slowly dying. Uriella is our only hope.”

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