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He tried not to laugh as he plunged his hand inside her silk gown, swiping for the nuisance critter. If it were Val or Piper, he wouldn’t think twice, but this was the goddess of day. A legend. “I can’t find it.” But he certainly found soft luscious skin.

“It is on the left side! I feel the legs!”

The hem of her silky underwear brushed his fingers, but still no spider. With a jerk on the string that held the back of her dress together, the fabric fell open. She wrapped her arms around herself to hold the front up, and the white spider about the size of the pad of his thumb crawled on the top of her—ass. With a quick swipe he knocked it into the grass and the heel of his boot drove it into its grave.

“Got it,” he said triumphantly.

She turned and searched the ground to be certain. Then her eyes lifted to his and she started laughing. “Imagine, a primordial goddess terrified of spiders. Thank you. I feel more vulnerable than before. I do not think I am what I once was.”

“Lay—Valeen and I know the feeling. Hel is a little different. His magic is as strong as it ever was.” As an elf, even with a god’shealing abilities, speed, strength and magic, Thane wasn’t a full god without his immortality. There were vulnerabilities to his body and even magic that weren’t there before.

“Hel? And did you say ‘Lay’?”

“Oh, right, you don’t know him. Zaurahel is Valeen’s husband and mate.” He shifted anxiously thinking of all that had transpired the past eight months. “Recently reconciled.”

“It never ends well when two males love the same goddess. It often results in war. Territorial things, you are.”

“We’ve already been there and done that,” Thane said with a chuckle. “In another life. We’ve moved past it. And Valeen was reborn as Layala, but she doesn’t want to be called that anymore.”

“But you still want to be known as your elf name,” she said with an air of curiosity to her voice.

“Right.” His gaze dropped and heat inched up his neck. Breasts. Round, full breasts. The silk dress she held pressed against her chest, barely covered her nipples and he felt like scum for noticing, but they were hard to miss. He was sure she had no idea how much she had exposed and quickly turned his head away. “Your dress is, um, falling.”

“Oh, dear, I am sorry. I did not mean to give you a free peek.” She grinned like it bothered him more than her and tugged the straps over her shoulders. “Well, now that you have practically gotten me out of my dress, you will have to tie it back up.”

His heart skipped a beat, and he pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. Already she was different than he might have guessed. Clearly she wasn’t shy. “Of course.” He stepped behind her and his fingers trembled as if he were a young lad touching a lady for the first time and pulled the two pieces together and threaded the string through the loop. “We need to get back to the others and I think I’ll insist you come with me. It could be dangerous out here.”

With the turn of her head, he caught the smile tugging at the corners of her lovely mouth. “You are a protector by nature.”

“As a king, it’s my duty.”

“And as a god. Protector of the realms,” she added.

“Yes, that too.” He finished tying the bow and stepped back, even tucking his hands behind himself like if he didn’t, they’d touch her again of their own volition.

He still felt like both sides of him fought for dominance. He couldn’t ignore his past, but he preferred his life as Thane, as High King. Maybe because it was most recent, but he wasn’t adapting to this new reality as quickly as Valeen seemed to be. He remembered and accepted it before her, but he longed to be in Palenor. He longed to be at Castle Dredwich. Maybe because he hadn’t yet seen his family here, but Runevale, home of the gods, and Ryvengaard, home of the dragons, were distant memories. Bad memories. This place felt like tragedy.

Whooshing wings caught his attention. He turned, pushing her behind him and nudged her up against the tree with his backside, protectively standing in front of her. Metal slid against metal as he tugged a sword free and his magic hummed in his veins.

“What is it?” she whispered.

A great dragon was in the sky above them, from here it looked like a shadow. It was massive, with lighter scales, so it wasn’t Varlett—her dragon form was jet-black.Please don’t be an enemy.The last thing he wanted to fight right now was a dragon. The beast began to lower until pearl scales glimmered in the moons’ light. Thane sighed and peeked over his shoulder. “It’s Presco.”

“You know this dragon?”

“Yes, he’s a shifter and Valeen’s right-hand man.”

She nodded and released the hold around his bicep. He hadn’t even realized she’d grabbed him until she let go.

“Come on. It’s safe.” He led the way out with Katana close behind.

Valeen dropped from Presco’s back, boots hitting with a soft thud. She brushed the white streak in her black hair out of her face and sauntered forward. Her steps started slow, until Katana came out from behind Thane. Valeen’s broke into a smile, and she ran, throwing her arms around Katana.

Katana embraced her back, and both of them choked on sobs, trying to talk but unable to get words out. Even Thane felt his throat tightening up at their reunion. It was the reunion he wished he could have gotten with Hel, if only things had gone different in the past.

“I can’t believe it’s you!” Valeen’s voice wavered with emotion. She finally pulled back and looked her in the face. “It’s really you.” She wiped the tears off her cheeks but more flowed.

“It is me, and I hardly believe it myself. How are you?”