Page 53 of God Touched

"Okay, tell us how hard she went through you?" Bayn asked. "Out with it. I knew she was out for someone's blood after she stormed out of the hall."

"She yelled at me for not telling her that Hafgan had seduced and killed my wife." Arawan took a mouthful of the wine, wishing it was stronger. "She said that not knowing about that put her and our alliance in jeopardy because I'd act emotionally to any threats that Hafgan makes."

Bayn chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "Is she right? Because if you're going to do something dumb every time Hafgan starts shit, that will make it easy for him to bait you."

"No," Arawan said firmly. "I haven't reacted emotionally to anything concerning Brangwen for over a millennium. It is very ancient history. Yes, she was my consort. She betrayed me to Hafgan, and when he realized he couldn't use her as a bargaining chip with me to get control of Annwn, he killed her. I don't know why me having a dead wife would concern Imogen or upset her."

Freya snorted. "Men."

"Care to elaborate on that comment?"

"You men are so thick," Freya said slowly like she was talking to an idiot. "Imogen has feelings for you. It's probably the first time she's had deep emotions for someone outside of her family. Anyone paying attention today could see that she had no idea about your wife."

"Imogen has feelings for me," Arawan said, his own heart suddenly feeling too big for his chest.

"Yes, and by not telling her about your wife and Hafgan, you made her feel like she was the last person to know. She also was made to look like a fool in front of the court because you are obviously sleeping together but haven't told her vital information. You downgraded her from important liaison to your fuck buddy," Freya explained.

"I…" Arawan was speechless. "Fuck."

"Exactly." Bayn leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I know you are a god and could probably smite me easily, but seriously what the fuck are you doing with my sister? Is this a curiosity thing to know what it's like to fuck a mortal? Because I would think a god as old as you would have gotten that out of your system by now."

Arawan didn't feel like a god at that moment. He felt like an asshole, and he really didn't like it. He held out his glass to Freya, and she refilled it.

"When I first saw Imogen, she was like a slap in the face. It was a strange kind of shock that I still haven't recovered from. I brought her here to try and figure out what it was about her that rattled me so much. She is the complete opposite of any woman I've courted. Brangwen was a docile, compliant creature that Hafgan too easily manipulated." Arawan took a shaky breath, and the previous night's revelation on the battlefield rocked through him again. There was a moment when he had looked into her face and known deep in the core of his being that she belonged by his side.

"Imogen is like me," he said finally, refusing to elaborate. He would never share that moment with anyone but her, and he doubted anyone would understand.

Bayn grunted. "Makes a lot of sense that you're the one that has managed to get through to her heart. She's always been obsessed with death."

"What do you mean by that?" Arawan asked.

Bayn told him about Imogen dying when she was a child and how she admitted one night when she was very drunk that she was obsessed with death because of it. And what was worse, she had thought sheshouldhave died in the river, and every moment since had been stolen time.

Arawan thought back to the day he had strapped her to the chair in the dungeons. Imogen had tossed that glorious braid back and had said,Oh, honey, it was my time to die eighteen years ago. I've been waiting for it to stick ever since.

"Imogen has never let anyone get close to her because she knew that death would find her one day." Bayn drained his glass, his eyes dark when they fixed on Arawan. "I guess Death finally has."

"She was always meant to be mine," Arawan said to himself, more certain of that than he had been of anything in his entire life. He put his glass down and got to his feet. "Do you have any idea where she would've gone?"

"Anywhere there's loud music and heavy metal goth boys," Bayn said. He looked Arawan over and snorted. "She does have a type, after all."

"Or you two could leave her be to sort things out on her own?" Freya suggested.

"No. This is too important to wait. She will only keep coming to wrong conclusions without me talking to her," Arawan said.

"Yeah, and knowing Gen, she will be hooking up with the first guy…" Bayn trailed off quickly under the intensity of Arawan's glare.

Freya made an impatient sound and pulled out her phone. "Fine, if you are going to be an idiot about it, who am I to stop you? I have an app that tracks her phone. Let me see where she is."

"If you made a bargain with her, Arawan, I'm surprised you can't find her with that," Bayn pointed out.

"I didn't weave that into the magic. I wanted her to stay with me, but if she really wanted to leave, I wasn't going to stop her," Arawan admitted softly. "I won't be her jailer."

Bayn's eyebrows rose. "But you never told her that?"

Arawan smiled. "I'm not an idiot. If I told her I couldn't find her, she would've left out of spite and forced me to chase her just for the fun of it."

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Bayn said and chuckled.

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