Things That Should Stay Buried - Casey L. Bond Page 0,31

lot. I was in shape, but almost groaned when he pointed out a narrower set of steps that led to a wooden door. He pushed it open and the stars appeared beyond him.

Finding a second wind, I jogged up to see them.

We stood on a balcony. From up there, you could see all the houses Aries had built. Candlelight flickered in some of the windows, candles he must have provided so they could have light. Other houses were dark, with the residents probably sleeping or trying to.

Civilization stretched as far as I could see.

We were all on the same playing field now, no one more or less important than the human beside him. On this sliver of earth, there was only Aries; across the planet, there was only the Zodia.

Seeing the stars twinkle without lights stifling their brilliance resonated from some place deep within.

“Thank you,” I said, spinning in a slow circle, “for showing me this place.” If he hadn’t already replicated my room, I might never have left this balcony.

“Would you trust me to show you something else?” Aries posed cryptically.

“What?” I slid my eyes to his to see the pink hue had softened. Or maybe his expression had.

“I would need to place my forehead against yours.”

My pulse quickened. The thought of being so close, of him sharing something so intimately, both thrilled and scared me. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was trusting me with, and why. “Like you did with Kes?”

Aries nodded. “I want to show you how it was before the slumber.”

“But you won’t suck my memories away?” I asked, just to be sure.

“I would never take something you did not willingly offer, Larken,” he breathed. “I’m not a monster.”

I was starting to think maybe he wasn’t. My eyes raked down the length of his coiled horns. “Will you show me what happened today, too? With the man whose head you tore off?” I needed to know why he did it. What had rattled him or angered him so badly.

He gave a gruff nod.

“Okay, then.”

My skin prickled as Aries stepped forward. Some of his dark hair brushed mine as he leaned in, but the emotion roiling in his eyes made it hard to breathe. His skin pressed against mine and he cupped my face.

A scene built in my mind. An incredible, indescribable scene—

He stood on this very balcony, looking out over his domain. In the distance, children laughed, chasing one another between homes, their bare feet slapping against the tightly packed dirt paths. The sun began to set in the west, casting a warm, orange light over the land. The glow caught on the features of elaborate wells and fountains, sculptures and statues painstakingly carved from the dark rock.

Men and women worked together to draw water, and then helped one another haul their pots home. I couldn’t understand their words, but I understood their smiles and laughter. I could read their body language.

Aries leaned his forearms against the balustrade, and I could almost feel him smile. Contentment radiated from him. Things really were good back then. His people were happy, and Aries felt calm and serene. There was joy in his life and heart.

The scene changed.

Aries stood in front of a golden throne where Taurus slouched lazily as he ordered humans around like they were worthless. Urns of more wine than his entire slice of earth could drink were scattered about, as well as heaping platters of decadent desserts. Aries walked to a nearby window and stared out at the stars, just as I often did. He found comfort in the knowledge of light defying the darkness.

Then he looked down to the hovels below. The stench of Taurus’s people and their living conditions wafted upward, stinging Aries’s nose.

He isn’t even the worst among us, Aries thought. He gripped the cool, gilded window ledge as a delicate hand slithered across his shoulders.

He turned to face the one touching him.

I sucked in a breath, blinking, but Aries held my head tightly.

The woman wasn’t human. Her skin was the color of freshly fallen snow. Her irises, hair, and brows were so starkly white, it was hard to distinguish one feature from the next. It was like she had walked into a blizzard and the snow had overtaken her. She wore no clothing, and the closer I looked, the more I could see that she didn’t have skin at all. Tiny, opaque scales covered her from head to… tail. The woman was part serpent. The bottom half was thick