Page 146 of The Curse of the Goddess

“Why didn’t you tell me then?” Valda asked, and she looked so defeated and hurt that Maris didn’t know what to say or do to make her whole again. “Why didn’t you want to tell me? Did I ever make you feel unsafe?”

Maris inhaled through her nose; her shaking hands held onto the fabric of her tunic as she sorted through her thoughts. Valda never made her feel unwanted or unsafe. Well, maybe that one time she walked in her chamber drunk, but it did not count. Valda was not in her right mind. Valda always did her best to protect her, to make her feel wanted, needed…

Maris exhaled, and the words slipped out in a whisper. “I was scared.” She shook her head. “I am scared. I am so, so scared, Valda.”

Valda stood from the sofa. Dark, tall, and intimidating, all the ever-powerful queen. Maris raised her chin, and for the first time, she wasn’t afraid of Valda’s anger, but rather her sudden rejection.

Her hands trembled again. All she wanted was run her fingers through her short hair, run her palms over her broad shoulders, arms, and abdomen. She wanted to press her body against her. For some reason, she felt that she wasn’t going to do any of that again, that she was losing Valda right before her eyes, and there was nothing she could do to stop her from just leaving as she had done when the symbol of Poseidon beamed proudly on her forehead.

But Valda was full of surprises and secrets of her own, and as much as Maris wanted to believe she knew her from the inside out, she didn’t.

“I am the one that is afraid,” Valda said.

Maris’s breath faltered. “Why?”

Valda’s eyes seemed to search for a beacon. As she found none, she decided to close her eyes before her shoulders slumped and she spoke. “The Fates spoke to my father in a dream many years before our birth. They told him how the sea and the heavens would unite, bringing forth a new world order.” Valda paused to wet her lips. “Many thought that it would never happen. My father fell for my mother; they were mates. There was no one for my mother but my father. The same was with your real parents…”

Her real parents.

“Amphitrite loved Aegaon deeply. Then I was born, and everyone believed that I was one of the links of the prophecy, of course—” Valda chuckled and tilted her head. “Amphitrite went ahead and had a daughter. They didn’t know if you were the other missing link to that prophecy, and I could never find out because your kingdom was destroyed, along with the king and queen… and after all these years, I thought the heiress was dead. Until I spoke to the Oracle.”

Valda swallowed hard. “The Oracle said I would meet my mate on my twenty-fifth birthday. But then.” She waved her hand in front of her eyes, her hand curling into an angry fist.

“I know I asked you to be my heart mate and you said no. But now, I cannot tell if my feelings for you are because of a stupid prophecy, if you are my soulmate, or is it because I truly…”

Slowly and unsure, Valda took a couple of steps towards Maris. She met her halfway and grasped the Queen’s hand as the other woman reached for her. As soon as she had Maris’s position set, Valda caught her jaw. Maris closed her eyes, savoring the feel of Valda’s rough grasp on her face.

Valda leaned closer. Her forehead pressed to Maris as her warm breath washed over her lips. “My beautiful seashell…” The longing in Valda’s voice settled deep within Maris’s core. Her heart beat wildly inside her chest, her head, and between her thighs. “When I am with you the rage consuming me burns out like a candle until all that remains is you. I don’t care if the gods didn’t choose you as my soulmate. I will burn everything to ashes if I ever find myself without you.”

Maris’s hands played with the button of Valda’s pants. Her eyes glued to the unsettling white gaze that seemed to stare down at her.

“I cried in anger and jealousy because others get to see you when I cannot, but that doesn’t matter because I get to feel you next to me. I can feel your breath on my neck when I am inside of you, and I am engulfed with your scent, with the scent of the sea that you love— that I love so much, and I know that the only thing I need to feel like a real human is your touch, your lips—“ Valda captured Maris’s mouth in a heated yet short kiss. “Your taste… That’s all I need.”

“Valda—” Maris whimpered, her own need pooling at her lower stomach. Her breath hitched as Valda got closer. She smelled so good, like the clean Skylian air, like warm sand.

“I do not care if this desire that burns me is due to some prophecy, or it is because of all the things we have shared. All I know is that I want you here, with me, next to me, every moment. If you are not the one the Fates called out for me…” Valda shuddered, her thick arms now wrapping around Maris’s waist, as she squeezed their bodies together, slotting in perfect harmony.“I love you so much, Maris. Heart mate or soulmate. I love you.”

Maris’s heart had come to an abrupt stop. She clung to Valda as if her entire life depended on it, as if she let go, everything around her would dissolve into a dream.

But it wasn’t a dream...

Valda loved her…

Maris’s breath came out in a soft sob she tried to hide by pressing her face to Valda’s shoulders. Valda snuggled her nose to the side of Maris’s head, inhaling deeply while Maris gathered strength from her very soul, trying miserably not to cry.

Valda loved her, and Maris could only cry in both happiness and relief.

Her hands slipped from Valda’s slick body, and she pulled away enough to cup Valda’s jaw. She needed to see her face. She needed to see the truth shining through her features. She needed this to be real.

Valda’s fresh tears were the answer she was waiting for, and on instinct, Maris wiped them away, along with the yellow dots adorning her gorgeous face. Suddenly, the weight of those words fell into her mouth. As much as she could show Valda how deeply she loved her, she decided it would be wise if Valda heard it too.

“I love you,” Maris whispered. Liberating warmth spread through her chest, down to the tip of her fingers and her toes. “I love you, and I wanted to tell you two nights ago, but I always thought that it wasn’t my place to say it.”

She still felt like it wasn’t her place to say it. She was the Skylian queen’s secret! No one knew of their relationship behind closed doors except for Melvian, and now Eyphah.

Valda’s face lit up in such wonder that it seemed to take years off her features. She looked like a young, innocent girl, hearing the one thing she had wanted to hear all her life. “You love me?”

Maris nodded, taking Valda’s hand, and pressing it to her chest, over her heart. She wanted Valda to be her mate. She knew there was no way of knowing if they were soulmates, but for now knowing that their hearts belong to each other was enough.

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