bit before I forgave them—and insisted they dumped their respective partners. Eventually, I gave them roles in the new order that put them above everyone but me or Kane. A man who’d given his life for me.
Valentine’s Day was going to cost me a fortune if I hoped to compare.
I was enjoying life to the fullest, the sex still as good as the first time, although I wasn’t sure anything would beat the sex we had the first night george bestowed our magic. Which I will add, only added to the magic I already had naturally, making me uber powerful.
Me. The ass-kicking, butt-saving hero of the story. But that only sank in later. At the time, when everything happened, I was as stunned as everyone else, awash in the adrenaline and power, on a sheet of cracking ice.
I recalled how Kane, alive if in need of new clothes, grinned at me and said, “That was unexpected.”
“Just a little.” Funny how I suddenly felt shy.
“With george checking out his new digs, what do you say we get out of here?”
Good plan. He held out a hand, and I clasped it. We walked to the first chasm in the ice, where he waved a hand to create hard steps that hovered atop the cold water. We used them all the way to shore.
Given I wanted my kids to have a chance to grovel for forgiveness, I copied his magic and flung a set for them to use from the ice floe they were trapped on. I thought about tossing some magical life rings to the stragglers struggling in the water.
Kane shook his head. “This is their punishment for thinking they could imprison a god.” Look at him, a company man already. george would be happy.
But who was going to clean up the bodies when they washed up on my beach? And someone would have to explain what happened to Officer Murphy.
As we reached shore, I saw my cat, a normal size again, sitting away from the water, licking a wet spot.
“You!” I jabbed my finger in his direction. “You were one of them the entire time.”
He glanced at me, sniffed, and stalked off.
Had I lost my ability to hear him?”
Did it really matter? Hell yeah it did. Fucker betrayed me. No more wet food for him.
Kane tugged me away from the crowd on the beach, the whole town plus some extras. Odd how they didn’t spill into the woods but remained along the shoreline.
“Your house is keeping them away,” Kane said, answering my not even spoken question.
Good, because I had no intention of inviting them in for a tea or anything else. Only one person who attempted to murder me was allowed inside. And that was so I could smack Kane and give him hell for lying to me before he begged my forgiveness via the exchange of sexual pleasure.
My cozy home. From the outside it kind of resembled a large log cabin chalet—my visit to Orville having obviously impressed me—threw open its front door to welcome us.
My cat sat on the rug at the entrance and gave me the once-over and meowed. His hungry meow.
I glared. “Traitor.”
“I never betrayed you.”
Look at that. I could still hear Grisou. “Maybe not but you also never explained fuck all.” I wasn’t about to give him quarter.
“It wasn’t my place.”
“You would have let me die.”
“And yet you didn’t. Congratulations.”
I glared. “What are you?”
“Hungry. Fetch me some sustenance,” was his imperious reply.
I wanted to boot him out of my house, instead I grumbled, “I just got home. Chill.”
“I will not chill. Feed me.” He weaved around my ankles.
“You can’t order me around. I’m a priestess to a god now,” I said.
“And I am george’s confidant. Putting me above you. Open me a can of tuna, human.”
I obeyed, mostly because arguing just delayed the hands that kept touching me. Kane hadn’t stopped since we’d left the lake. I wanted to be alone with him.
But of course, by the time I gave the cat some food, Geoff came slamming in. My handsome boy who appeared to be ignoring the redhead at his back. “Go away, Helena.”
“Geoff, we need to talk about this.”
He whirled on her. “Nothing to talk about. You only ever dated me because of my family. You never cared for me.”
“Not true.”
“You held a knife to my heart. Literally.”
“So did he, and your mother forgives him,” she exclaimed, jabbing a finger at Kane.
“Kane died for me. Would you have done the same?” was my sweet reply.