Page 54 of Salt & Blood

“I pulled on his power and struck him with sun magic.”

It took a full minute for Prue to process his words. She merely blinked at him, uncomprehending, her foggy mind struggling to keep up. “I’m sorry,what?”

In a hushed whisper, Cyrus explained in detail his altercation with Apollo. When he was finished, Prue stared at him with a furrowed brow.

“Is it Hyperion’s magic?” Cyrus asked. “Was it like this when he attacked you?”

Prue shook her head. “No, he turned my magic to ash and then ate it. And, from what you told me, it sounds like Apollo didn’t use his powersat all, so there was no way you could have inhaled it like Hyperion did.How long did the sun magic last before it disappeared?”

“An hour. I went to the cave ruins to practice, to see what I could do. It wasn’t very powerful, but it was vibrant. Like no magic I’ve ever felt before.”

Prue rubbed her hands together, worry creeping into her chest. She wanted to believe this meant Cyrus’s magic could come back. But she feared what Apollo would do. And she feared how his sun magic would affect Cyrus’s human form.

“Prue, if I can harm him with my touch, this changes everything.”

Prue looked at him, noticing the light in his eyes, the hope shining on his face.

“You can’t,” she said weakly. “Cyrus, you got lucky. If Hyperion is there next time, or, Goddess forbid, the other Titans, they willkillyou.”

“Not if I can draw from their magic and use it against them.”

“And how long do you think your body can withstand that kind of strain? Cyrus, regardless of what strange siphoning ability you have, you are still a mortal. You can’t endure as much as you could when you were a god.”

Cyrus’s jaw went rigid, and the hope in his eyes died. Cold settled into Prue’s chest at the way his entire face seemed to dim. For a brief second, she returned to that horrible moment when he first awoke as a human and spat all those awful things at her.

Was he going to do it again? Was he going to claim death was preferable to being here with her?

She held perfectly still, her breath catching, her pulse racing.I’m going to lose him again,she thought, fear sweeping over her like an icy wind.

Cyrus stepped closer to her and slid his hands around her waist, bringing her hips to his. Prue inhaled sharply, surprised at the contact. But the heat of his chest against hers was like a balm to her wounds, and she closed her eyes, reveling in his touch.

“We have an advantage here, love,” Cyrus whispered, stroking loose curls away from her face and tucking them behind her ear with soft, delicate movements, as if she were made of glass. “We need to use it. Otherwise, this realm is doomed.”

Prue shook her head, a lump rising in her throat. “We know nothing about this magic. What if it’s a trick? A trap to get you to overexert yourself so the Titans can swoop in when you’re weak and defenseless? What if?—”

Cyrus’s mouth crushed hers in a hard, fierce kiss, silencing her protests. She trembled, clinging to him, letting him claim her lips with his, letting his tongue sweep along hers. She felt herself melting into him, her fingers gripping his tunic, clenching the fabric to draw him closer.

Again and again, he kissed her, his tongue gliding along her lips and exploring the inside of her mouth. It felt as if he were kissing her for the first time, his movements hungry and desperate, curious and explorative.

When he finally pulled away, they were both gasping for breath. He brought his forehead to hers.

“I love you,” he rasped.

Prue licked her lips, struggling to calm her racing heart. “I love you, too.”

“We have no one else on our side,” Cyrus said, withdrawing to look into her eyes. “It’s only you and me against Apollo and Hyperion. And there may be more Titans coming. I don’t know how to stop them. If this strange new magic is the way to turn the battle in our favor, we have to do it.”

Prue knew he was right, but her insides quivered with terror at the prospect of losing him. She couldn’t do this without him. Even if she managed to overpower Apollo, if she lost Cyrus in the process, she wouldn’t be able to care for the realm. Not without her husband at her side.

Taking a slow, steadying breath, Prue raised a hand, revealing her palm to him. When Cyrus frowned, she said, “Take some of my power.”

Cyrus withdrew a step, eyes wide. “What?”

“Just a bit of it. Let’s see what you can do.”

Cyrus was shaking his head. “No. I can’t. Prue, it could hurt you.”

“You need to train somehow. This is the best way. I can tell you how it affects me, and we can see if it works on other gods besides Apollo.”

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