Page 22 of Promised to the Satyr

“What is this obsession with a quick marriage about?” I force myself to use a civil tone in hopes the other parties will follow suit.

“My reasons are my own! Marry her or leave these woods and I’ll marry her off to someone else.” His neck bulges, and he raises his fist in the air. “The troll in the cave north of here is looking for a wife. He’ll know how to keep you in line.”

It’s not lost on me that he’s implying I cannot do the job. It never occurred to the demigod that I have no wish to control his daughter.

“I’m not some toy for you to maneuver on a chessboard.” Astra sounds as if she’s close to tears.

“That is exactly what you are, daughter. Mine to do with as I please.” He raises his hand and blue lightning crackles in the palm.

I grab his wrist and hold him at bay. “Don’t.”

“How dare you?” Nocturn pulls his hand free. “Are you going to marry her tomorrow?”

There’s no opportunity to look into Astra’s eyes and see how she feels. All I can do is rely on what she has said. “She doesn’t wish it, and I will not force her hand.”

Nocturn spits on the front porch in front of me. “You shame the gods’ lineage inside you, boy. If you want her, you should take her.”

“That is an old-fashioned idea and not how I wish to gain the love of a woman.”

Astra’s sharp intake of breath makes my heart contract. Why did her father have to show up now?

“Love,” Nocturn scoffs. “That’s for humans.”

Telling him that I disagree would do no good. “Why don’t you come in and we can discuss this calmly? I’ll open some wine.”

“Very well.” He steps through and narrows his eyes on Astra. “You have made a mess of this.”

“You shouldn’t have kept the arrangement from me. Maybe if you had given me Niko’s letters when they arrived, we wouldn’t be at odds. Secrets and plots are all you know. Why do you want me to marry so urgently?” While her voice is strong and sharp, she backs away, keeping her distance from her father.

It warms my heart that the letters mean something to her.

“If you like him now, just marry him, but it must be tomorrow.” He mumbles something that I can’t quite make out.

“Pardon me, Nocturn, what was that?” I would swear I heard the word “wager”

in his mutterings.

“Nothing.” He stares at me. “Marry her tomorrow or face my wrath.” He lifts that hand again.

“I don’t answer to you.” I narrow my gaze on the magic pooling in his palm. “You would be unwise to attack me in my home, Nocturn. I will not like it.”

He looks at his daughter. “I’m not losing to Prede. Marry him!”

“No,” she cries. Her eyes widen and she braces for the impact of his strike.

I step in front of her just as the bolt of blue light shoots from Nocturn’s fingers. The magic burns through my chest and my knees hit the floor.

With another scream of denial, Astra runs out the front door.

I grab Nocturn’s wrist to keep him from chasing after her. Fury rushes through me as I absorb his spell. I don’t know what effect the magic might have had on Astra, but I feel pain, and push back with my grandfather’s power. “I warned you.”

Eyes wide, Nocturn backs up a step while surrounded by a red bubble of my weakening spell. He drops to his knees then falls to his back. “What is this?”

Rising, I stand over him. “It’s a bit of your own medicine, sir. You cannot bully me or Astra for the sake of some bet you made with another demigod. What a foolish and childish man you are.”

The bubble grows smaller until it pushes inside Nocturn. His powers diminish and he’s just a man, at least for now. I can’t help the small amount of pleasure I experience from taking him down a peg.

“You don’t understand. Prede said I had no power, not even over my own child.” He gets up slowly and winces at his ordinary aches and pains.

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