Page 61 of Rising from the Depths

Blake flinched as though she’d slapped him. “That…thatcreature? You’re reallyfuckingthat thing?”

Eva narrowed her eyes. She could ignore his remark about herdeformity, but she wouldn’t stand here and let him insult Kronus. “He is my mate. Myhusband. We’ve joined, and I love him.”

“No!”

“Yes. You and I are done, Blake,” Eva said with finality, then softened her voice. “We’re done.”

Eva turned away from him and forced her legs into motion. They were stiff, and fire blazed through her left leg, but she kept putting one foot in front of the other without looking back. Macy remained beside her and quietly offered Eva her arm, giving her a shoulder to lean on. For that, Eva was thankful. She didn’t know if she could have continued on her own.

“Are you okay?” Macy finally asked once they’d followed the path through the jungle and the row of clifftop houses was in view.

“I’ll be fine.” Eva turned her head, meeting Macy’s concerned gaze. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” She rubbed the back of Eva’s hand. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. He…doesn’t look well. I’ll talk to Dr. Rhodes tomorrow to see if he’ll pay Blake a visit. I think whatever guilt Blake’s holding onto is festering inside him.”

Eva frowned. Had Blake remained by her side, everything would have been different. They might have pulled through the entire ordeal together…or they might not have. She’d never know. Perhaps it made her heartless, but she was glad for the way things had turned out. She’d discovered true love — it was both selfish and unselfish, unwavering, powerful. Everything that had happened had brought her to Kronus.

Macy remained with her until they reached the home Eva and Kronus shared. Before the woman could leave, Eva caught her and pulled her into her arms, holding her tightly. Macy returned the embrace without hesitation.

“Thank you so much, really,” Eva said. “For everything.”

“Anytime,” Macy replied.

Macy drew away and made a shooing motion. “Get inside and take care of that leg. You worked hard today, probably more than you should have. Rest up.”

Eva laughed, brushing the moisture from her eyes. “I will.”

Once Macy was gone, Eva went inside and moved to the window. She gazed out toward the sea, searching the beach below for any signs of Kronus. Though she knew she wasn’t likely to see him until after dark, she couldn’t help her hopeful anticipation. She touched her fingers to the glass.

Soon.

Stepping into the bathroom, she pulled off her filthy clothes and tossed them in the dirty clothes basket. Her stomach felt hollow, but the thought of food nauseated her. All she wanted to do was clean up and crawl into bed.

After removing her prosthesis, sock, and liner, she grabbed her crutches from their place against the wall nearby and stepped to the shower. She set the crutches aside and turned on the water.

Cold blasted her, making her hiss. It made her cherish those few hot showers she’d been blessed with at the clinic all the more. She washed quickly, soaping up her body, shampooing her hair, and rinsing off without pause. By the time she was done, she was shivering.

Plucking the towel off its hook, she hurriedly dried herself and wrapped it around her body before pulling her crutches closer. After brushing her hair and teeth at the sink, she made her way back into the main room.

Standing in the center of the room, Eva looked around. Everything was so still, so quiet and lonely without Kronus. Soempty. It was their home, and yet…

Thisplacewasn’t home,hewas.

Whenever he was near, everything felt right in the world. When he wasn’t, this place was nothing more than wood and stone. She wouldn’t care if it burned to the ground so long as she still had Kronus.

Eva plucked a sleep shirt out of the armoire’s drawer and pulled it over her head, letting the towel fall. She caught the towel on her stump and flung it aside. She maneuvered over to the bed, turned, and plopped down on the edge. A relieved sigh escaped her; it was lovely to finally be off her legs.

She propped her crutches against the bottom corner of the bed and glanced out the window. The sky was a deep violet, with only a sliver of sunlight on the horizon. She smiled knowing Kronus would return soon.

Scooting herself farther onto the bed, she laid down and closed her eyes. Every one of her muscles felt like it was made of rock, heavy and unresponsive, and her whole body ached from the day’s work. Before she knew it, weariness tugged at her consciousness, dragging her into the depths of slumber.

It felt as though she’d just closed her eyes when the bedding dipped behind her and a body pressed against her back. She must have turned onto her side in her sleep.

He’s home.

Eva smiled, humming sleepily as a warm hand fell upon the bare skin of her hip. It slid upward, bunching the hem of her nightshirt as strong fingers smoothed over her belly and toward her breasts. Her skin tingled with awareness. The palm cupped her breast as forefinger and thumb caught her nipple and pinched. A bolt of arousal shot through her, but something about this touch feltwrong.

She pushed past her grogginess, forcing herself to alertness. The hand touching her was rough, calloused, and not once did she feel the delicious scrape of its claws.

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