Page 220 of A Dawn of Gods & Fury

She would never forgive me.

“Romeria will survive this. She always does. Listen to the old witch now.” Abarrane steps between us, and I see the silent plea for me to stand down.

I aim my anger at Agatha. “You should have told us before!”

But Jarek will have none of that either. “She would have gone, anyway. There is no stopping Romeria when she gets an idea in her thick skull.”

Agatha wrings her wrinkled hands. “The fates have been known to simply give. It has happened, sometimes.”

“And other times?”

Her brow furrows with worry as she regards the black stone. “They take everything.”

65

Romeria

I release Vin’nyla’s thread, letting it slip away.

“Now what?” I say more to myself. Do I sit here until she shows up? “How long should I wait before I try …” My words drift when I look back to find Zander and Jarek gone. So are Agatha and Abarrane. “Hey, guys?”

“You cannot see them, but they are there, child,” a breathy female voice says.

I spin around.

And try not to gape at the beautiful, shapely naked female standing at the end of the altar, her silver wings fanned out behind her. She regards me through large eyes with irises that remind me of my mother’s old tea set when it needed polishing. Her silver-white hair is pulled back in a tidy bun. She is ageless, neither young nor old.

“Hi,” I stammer. This shouldn’t be more nerve-racking than meeting all four nymph elders, and yet I struggle to regain my calm. Probably because I have no idea what kind of damage the nymphs can inflict on our world, but I’ve seen what the fates will do firsthand. “Thank you for coming.”

The corner of her mouth twitches. “You summoned me.”

“I know, but you didn’t have to answer.”

“Would you rather I did not?”

“No! That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying?” a deep male voice asks.

I spin around to find a tall, broad-chested male standing behind me, bull’s horns protruding from his forehead. They look identical to the one the golle gave me, in size and shape and color.

“You’re … Aminadav.” I lock my gaze on his face. It’s as handsome as the grand statue in Cirilea portrays, with a masculine jaw and a strong Roman nose. The rest of him is like the statue as well, and I’m doing everything I can to not gawk.

Eyes the color of copper pennies bore into me. “Is there anyone else I could be?”

“No. But I didn’t … I thought I had to summon you?”

“You chose her instead.” His eyes drag over Vin’nyla’s form.

“No, I didn’t.” Oh God, I remember Wendeline telling me they were touchy about one being picked over the others.

“You didn’t?” There’s an edge in Vin’nyla’s voice.

I spin back again. “No, I mean, I did summon you. But if you didn’t answer me, I would have summoned him.”

“So, I was your second choice,” Aminadav purrs directly in my ear, his breath caressing my skin a moment before his hand settles on my shoulder.

I stiffen. Is this real? Are they standing in front of me, in flesh and blood? “I don’t know what you want me to say,” I admit.

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