secrets, but I realized long ago that it’s just something I’ll never know.
The smirking blond one raises his brows. “Does the gargoyle not know? Is he unaware of what the child killer did?”
Child killer? No. That’s impossible. Blaise would never do such a thing.
But Blaise doesn’t respond, doesn’t defend himself in any way.
“Get out of here,” I growl, and fly a little closer to them.
Both men look surprised. I grit my teeth and hold my sword at the ready. If they want a fight, I’ll give them a fight, and I’m not t aware of any time two phoenixes have taken down a gargoyle.
At last, the smirking one shakes his head. “It’s not worth it. But this isn’t over, child killer. We’ll be back for you.”
They dart around us and back into the cloud. My heart hammers, and we fly in place for one long moment as I study the clouds, hoping that the phoenixes aren’t dumb enough to try a surprise attack.
When I’m sure they’re gone, I resheath my sword, and Blaise does the same, and we continue to the island. I expect him to counter what the phoenixes said. I expect him to pop up with his attitude or his positive spin, but his shoulders are hunched, and he says nothing at all.
We spot the rocky area around the outside of the island and fly down to land, just as the instructions said. Then, feeling sick to my stomach, I turn to Blaise. “I need an explanation.”
His dark eyes flash golden as they collide with mine, and the hurt in his face takes my breath away. “I’m here, with you, venturing to the Underworld to save your brother. I’ve fought at your side time and time again. Do you really need to know about my past?”
I hate myself for saying it. “This time, when it comes to children, I do.”
To my surprise, he collapses onto a rock, and runs his fingers through his hair. His movements are jerky and out of control. His whole body seems to shake. “It was all my fault. Stupid, but all my fault.”
I stare down at him, waiting.
He releases a slow breath. “Among the phoenixes, I’d had many lovers. But ultimately the women would choose someone they felt...was a better match. More responsible. More of a provider. And so, I wasn’t exactly liked in the community by all the exes of the women. But I didn’t care. I loved my life, and I particularly loved all their kids. Children...I don’t know. They’re so innocent. They laugh, even if it’s about something dumb. They don’t care what anyone thinks.” A sad smile plays across his lips. “I used to tell them stories about stupid things I’d done. A couple of their moms warned me to be careful, because the kids idolized me. Well, one day after a few too many drinks, I was flying back to my home, a little treehouse in our community. I ran into a couple of boys who told me they’d read about the tale of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun, and the wings his father built, and his plummet into the sea and death.”
Uh oh.
“I told them that as a boy, my friends and I would challenge each other to see how high we could go. All their fathers had done it. It was just a silly thing that stupid boys did. And then I went home and passed out.” He stares down at his hands. “Later on that day, no one could find the three boys. I was woken to help find them, but there was no trace of them. Finally, one child stepped forward and told everyone how I had shared the old stories and that the three boys had decided to try it near the beach.”
He rubs his face and runs his hands through his hair, looking everywhere but at me. I want to tell him it’s okay. I want to tell him that whatever happened, it wasn’t his fault, but I know he won’t believe me.
Slowly and softly he says, “They found their bodies washed up along the shore. They’d flown too high, probably gone unconscious, then plummeted into the ocean and drowned.” He releases a slow breath. “It didn’t matter that it was something kids had done forever. It didn’t matter that I’d never told them to do it. They said it was my fault. That my words had led to their deaths. And they weren’t wrong. So, I