Kalona struggled to control his inner turmoil. He wanted to cry out, to tell her that he couldn’t bear to share her, couldn’t bear to think of her covering Erebus’s face with joyous kisses, or exploring the taste of his lips.
“I vow that I have love enough within me for the both of you,” she said, moving forward so that she could press the palm of her hand over his heart. “Trust me, Kalona. I will never break a vow.” Then she kissed him and Kalona could think of nothing but the scent of her skin and the wonder of her touch.
The waters around them exploded with trilling Fey. They leaped over and around the boat in agitation, calling frantically to Nyx.
“Yes, yes, I understand you. I know the place. I will come. I will come.” The Goddess told the creatures, and with satisfied chirps, they disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Nyx sighed and wiped water from her face and his, smiling apologetically at him.
“Let me guess,” Kalona said. “Erebus is ready for his test.”
“You are correct,” she said. “May we continue what we began later?”
“Yes, of course,” he said, turning the boat toward shore, hiding his hurt and frustration from her.
He helped her from the boat, pulling it well up onto the rocky shore. He was silent, already anticipating the joy Nyx would feel at whatever magnificent show Erebus had concocted for her this time, when the Goddess circled him with her arms from behind, pressing her cheek against his bare back and nuzzling his silver wings.
“I wish you would choose happiness. There is such wondrous happiness between us—enough to last an eternity,” she said.
He pressed his arms over hers, loving the feel of her warmth against the moonlit coolness of his skin. He drew a deep breath, and with it made a conscious effort to release his frustration.
Kalona could feel her smile. “There! That’s better,” she said, and kissed first the middle of his back, and then each of his wings. He thought she would release him then, though he remained very still, hoping to gain even one more small moment with her. She took her arms from around him, but she remained close. He sensed her hesitation, and then she stroked each of his wings gently. “They are so beautiful. I could look at them forever and still find different colors within them. Did you know that they’re not really white?”
“They are behind me, thus difficult for me to see.” His smile was reflected in his voice.
“They are like moonlight, of course, but this close their color reminds me of pearls. So beautiful…” she repeated, stroking them.
Kalona turned and caught her in his arms. “That you can find such beauty in me is a special kind of magick.”
“All is well between us,” she said, staring into his eyes searchingly. “Please know that. Your place in my heart cannot be filled by any other being in this realm or the Otherworld.”
Kalona kissed her gently. “Tell me, Goddess, where shall I take you?”
“To the east, and then a little north. If I understood the naiads correctly, which sometimes takes some doing, Erebus has chosen a fragrant spot for the site of his next test.”
Kalona couldn’t help grumbling. “What is he going to do? Water a field of flowers for you?”
Nyx laughed and twined her arms around his neck. “That isn’t exactly the fragrance I recall from this place, so creating flowers there would, truly, be an exceptional thing.”
Kalona took to the air with his Goddess in his embrace, dreading what was to come.
7.
YOUR BROTHERHOOD PLEASES ME MORE THAN ANY TEST EVER COULD …
“Argh! It is putrid!” Kalona’s nose was wrinkled in disgust. “I will not take you closer to that mud and mess.”
“Nyx, there you are! It is lovely to see you.” Mother Earth embraced her.
“It is a pleasure to see you, as well.” Nyx returned her embrace, and then smiled at the dancing dryads that had taken to following the Great Mother everywhere. “If ever I wonder where they have gotten off to, I know all I need do is find you, and there the Fey will be.”
Mother Earth’s gaze went to Kalona. “And if ever I wonder where you have gotten off to, I know all I need do is find Kalona, and there Nyx will be.”
Kalona bowed his head slightly but respectfully to her. “I greet you, Earth Mother.”
“I greet you as well,” she said. “Whenever you are ready, you may begin your test. I do hope it turns out better than your last one.”
“I am ready, but—”
“But it is me who has summoned you here! There is no need for you to move from this spot. From here you will have a perfect view.” Erebus dropped down from the sky above them, glistening as golden as the midday sun. “Mother Earth, your beauty outshines the majesty of the pine trees,” he said with a flourish and a bow.