A Curse of Shadows - Page 109

Aurora shakes her finger at him, light-purple energy swirling around her hand. “You don’t get to decide when things are finished.”

“If you hurt him…” I start to say, and her dark chuckle cuts me.

“Here I am trying to give you a gift and I’m being threatened.” The power starts to extend up her arm, growing brighter. “Maybe I should just go and the next time your world is at risk, because there will be a next time, your call for help won’t be answered.”

“Are you offering us a gift, or another deal?” I ask, knowing with the gods, there is rarely anything ever given freely.

“A little of both.” She winks at me. “You’ll accept this gift and when the time comes, I will expect your cooperation by sharing your beasts with me. You see, that nibble Asher gave me earlier did exactly what I hoped, but it was temporary. When I require it, I will get all the nibbles I want. And if you deny me, I will burn this entire world to a crisp.”

She says that last bit with a joy that tells me we have no choice here, and the rumble coming from Asher’s chest confirms he understands the same.

Aurora claps her hands together. “Great. Now that we’re all on the same page, how about that gift?”

I look around to see what she’s talking about, but the only thing I notice is that nobody is moving. It’s like time has frozen for everyone other than me, Asher, and this pain-in-the-ass goddess. Even my father’s raft has ceased moving, the flames barely flickering.

Aurora’s glow increases and the light covers her entire body, blinding me until I’m forced to close my eyes. When I can see again, I don’t know how to believe what I’m seeing.

My parents stand on each side of her, both of them in one piece and…alive. Or so I think. They’re not moving, but I can sense their warmth, even with the distance between us.

My heart soars and I want to run toward them, but my feet won’t move. Hell, I can’t move any part of my body except my head. One look at Asher and he appears to be in the same position.

“Now, listen,” Aurora announces. “You see what I’m offering, and I know I said this was a gift, but we goddesses, we really prefer things to be done cleanly. Do I have your promise that when the time comes, you will lend your pack to me?”

“No,” I answer first and while my reply kills me, I can’t allow this to happen. “I won’t sacrifice the lives of others to reverse what’s already been done.”

Her lips flatten and she speaks with disgust. “You wolves and your hearts. I don’t understand, but fine. If I promise that none of them will be at risk, will you make the deal?”

“Yes.” Asher answers first this time, then looks at me. “You deserve this, love. Take this second chance and let me worry about the pack.” His gaze returns to the goddess. “At any point in the future, while I am still King of the Polaris pack, we are indebted to you for one favor in exchange for the lives of Florence and Grayson Blackwood. In order to repay this debt, none of the wolves will be at risk while they cooperate with your one-time request.”

She looks him up and down and licks her lips. “It really is a shame you’re spoken for. Your words are almost as good as your body. We have a deal.” She blows him a kiss. “I’ll be seeing you, Asher, King of Polaris.”

As soon as the goddess disappears, Estee’s grip releases my hand and I realize she was only holding me back because she was frozen. Before I can say anything, she gasps, her sobs returning tenfold. “How?”

“I’ll explain later,” I say, pushing her forward as we rush to hug our parents.

Mom’s arms wrap around both of us. “Oh, my girls. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

There are too many tears to speak, but there is enough love flowing between the four of us that there isn’t any need for words.

I see Asher over my mother’s shoulder and his voice whispers through my mind. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“It’s going to be more than okay,” I tell him. “It’s going to be the way it was always meant to be.”

“Always and forever,” he promises, and for the first time in five hundred years, we can finally have that again.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

ASHER

It’s only been a week since everything unraveled and then somehow came back together. There have been waves of discord within the pack, as I expected. While they all gathered without hesitation for Grayson, the next day, the whispers began.

At least this time, they’re not about my mate.

I know we can handle whatever comes our way and that it will take time for the kingdom to settle, but that’s thankfully something we have plenty of now.

Though I do still wonder about Aurora. I’m grateful for Isla to have her parents back—seeing my mate’s bright smile again isn’t something that can be replaced—but I don’t like not knowing when the goddess might be back.

She’s up to something and us being part of that in any way puts Lunara as a whole at risk. Whatever god she’s plotting to piss off, I know there’s a chance we could be collateral.