Page 70 of Beasts of Briar
I nodded.“My stepmother got hold of one of those magical items and used it against my brothers to turn them into swans. She hated us, hated that we took my father’s attention away from her. My brothers protected me from the curse, but they couldn’t save themselves.”
His eyes flashed red again. It was hard to stop staring at him. When the shadows covered his body, there wasn’t much of it to see. It was clear he was large, but now I could see the muscle under his black shirt, the way dark hair peppered his chest in thick curls. The way stubble covered his carved jaw.
I focused my attention on something safer: the fire.“There’s a lake in my home that tells of your future. The lake showed me that there was a way to break the curse. I needed to knit seven sweaters. Seven sweaters for my seven brothers. The sweaters must be made from nettle weed.”I paused.“Briars.”
He stopped. “Magic always has a price, and to break dark magic, the price is steep. You have to sacrifice, poison yourself, disfigure yourself.” He swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing.
“I needed more of the briars. That’s why I came here.”
He gave no indication of what he was thinking, his heavy gaze weighing on me as I stayed still, determined not to look at him. I wasn’t sure why I’d opened up like that. Maybe it was the poison in my hands, finally traveling to my brain and infecting me.Maybe I was losing it. Or maybe Kairoth had somehow become someone I trusted. I shouldn’t have trusted him, but I did.
A finger hooked under my chin and lifted my head so I was face-to-face with the god, who now crouched down before me. “I’m sorry about your brothers. I’m so sorry about all of it. But Bellamy, why did you try to leave the jungle?”
“The briars. I saw them.”
A creased formed between his eyebrows. “There aren’t any briars in this area of the island.”
My heart sank at his words. Then what had I seen? Had I imagined it somehow? Been so desperate to see them that I willed them into existence? Or maybe I was delirious after my fall.
I swallowed thickly.
He was so close, face inches from mine. He didn’t break my gaze as his thumb brushed away something on my cheek, and I realized I was crying. Tears silently rolled down my cheek, some dam breaking.
His strong arms crushed me to him, and I winced.
He stiffened, pulling back. “What? Are you okay?” I pointed to my ribs, and he swore. “It’s a good thing I found you when I did.”
He still held me, arms hanging around my waist as I sat curled up in his lap. Our faces were inches apart. I tapped his chest, and he looked down at my hands.“Why did you come for me?”
His gaze trailed back up to meet mine. “How could I not?” His thumb grazed my cheek. “You’ve put some kind of spell on me, Bellamy. It’s the only way I can explain why I felt the need to tear down this entire mountain when I thought you were in danger. Capsize the whole island and fly away with you safe in my arms.”
My throat grew thick, my chest tightening. His eyes flicked to my lips, and for a moment, I thought he might kiss me. I thought I might want him to, but he just cleared his throat and looked away. The moment between us was gone, and I had let it pass. I wished I knew why, but my mind was still fuzzy, filled with fog and cobwebs, too hard to navigate in this moment.
I tapped his chest again, and his gaze slowly dipped down to my hands.“Why didn’t you bring me back to the castle?”
“Because I didn’t know where or how you were injured. I didn’t know if flying you would make things worse. And I can’t take you with me when I transport myself.”
My brows furrowed.
“When I disappear in a cloud of smoke and reappear somewhere else. I can transport myself anywhere, but I cannot take others with me.”
I swallowed.“Thank you.”
He hesitated. “You have two more questions.”
My brows shot up, and the corner of his lips tipped upward.
“When we were stuck in that tree. You had two questions you didn’t ask. So ask them now. Anything.”
His face was open, nothing guarded about his expression or his body. He stretched out a leg while keeping the other bent, hooking an arm around it. His shadows continued to lurk around the edges of the cave, but he was truly vulnerable in this moment.
“Why are you collecting the other gods’ weapons?”
He didn’t recoil from the question or break my gaze. “Because I’m afraid if I don’t, the weapons will get into the wrong hands, that the gods will be freed, and if they are...”
He didn’t have to finish that sentence.
If they were freed, it would be bad.“So you’re not trying to set them free?”
