Page 83 of Salt & Blood

“Go,” Sol panted, squeezing her hand. “Do what you must. I’m here for you.”

Pandora nodded, then closed her eyes. The turmoil of her thoughts was difficult to sift through as they raged inside her, awakened by the presence of the box’s magic.

My emotions,she thought.I must access my emotions. Where are they?

She thought of the intense pleasure and passion she’d experienced with Sol the night before. He washers.Not the other goddess’s. But hers alone.

She thought of the pride on Gaia’s face, and the softness of that look they had shared. Pandora no longer felt hatred for her mother. A wary sort of acceptance had drifted between the two of them, and more than anything, Pandora wanted to explore that, to see if it could strengthen into something akin to love. She had never before known the love of a parent, and it wasn’t until this very moment that she realized just how much she wanted it. How much she would sacrifice for it.

“Sol!” Pandora cried over the rushing wind. “If we don’t make it through this?—”

“Trivia, don’t!” Sol moaned, his voice anguished.

“If we don’t make it through this,” she shouted over him, “please know that I love you with every facet of my being. And if we survive, I will spend every day of my existence atoning for what I’ve done to you. I swear it.”

“Well, I will accept your atonement in the form of long, sweaty nights with you naked in my bed.”

She chuckled, her chest tightening as she tried not to let the laughter pull her out of the magic she was trying to conjure. Sol’s echoing laugh resonated in her mind, and she clung to that, to the way it made her heart soar and her skin tingle. The warmth of him, the feel of his hand in hers…

Pandora gasped as earth magic rocketed through her with violent fervor. Were it not for Sol’s grip on her, she would have fallen from the force of it. Even though her eyes were closed, she couldsensethe flora spilling over the dais at her feet. Grass sprang upward, tickling her legs. Branches crowded her, forming a cocoon around her and Sol.

“My turn?” Sol asked.

She could only nod, trying to hold on to the burgeoning magic flooding from her. It felt like a dam had burst, and she couldn’t contain the power. Alarm flared inside her, and she feared the darkness would take hold of her because she was losing control. It was too much. Too fast.

But then Sol’s light bled through her eyelids, glowing and brilliant. Her hand warmed in his as he summoned his power. The dome of branches encased the light, as if the two of them stood alone in the center of a lantern.

The air vibrated through her bones. Sol clasped her other hand, and their magic united. It all came together in a brutal clash of earth and sun, light and flora, green and gold. The collision shook the ground, making Pandora’s blood sing. It was so similar to the way their bodies collided last night when they finally came together after so much hatred and animosity. And now, their magic was doing the same.

Power roared in Pandora’s ears. A smile spread across her face. It was working. The fail-safe was activating. Soon, the wards would return, strengthening Elysium’s defenses once more.

In the distance, Gaia was shouting something. Pandora’s eyes flew open, and she met Sol’s confused look with one of her own.

Then, she felt it. Darkness surged, drawing closer. Through the gaps in her branches, the darkening sky now looked charcoal black.

The magic of her box was here.

How?she thought in a panic. She and Sol had done everything they were supposed to. The wards were supposed to be reinforced, not torn down to make way for the very darkness they were trying to stop.

But all around her, she felt the magic flickering. Whatever power flowed between her earth magic and Sol’s sun magic was fading, like the dying embers of a fire.

Abruptly, Pandora released Sol’s hands, trying to tear through her dome of branches in search of Gaia. Something had gone wrong. She must have made a mistake, because the magic washere,and they were too late…

“It’s a trap!” Gaia screamed.

Pandora froze, her blood chilling. What had gone wrong? Had the darkness of her box somehow tricked her?

She grabbed Sol’s arm, intent on fleeing the dais and taking shelter… where? Where could they run? The darkness had them cornered now.

A burst of gold light filled the center of the dais—sun magic. Pandora shot a bewildered look at Sol.

“It—It’s not me!” he cried, shaking his head.

Pandora tugged him backward, away from the light as it grew in size. A shape appeared, spreading until it formed the figure of a tall male.

When the light faded, Pandora staggered backward in shock.

The man who stood before them was Midas. His head was tilted back, a look of relief on his face. He grinned broadly, his gloved hands spread wide.

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