Page 17 of Rise of the Gods: Vardor’s Destiny (Time for Monsters)

D eeply regretting not having killed her husband-to-be, I watched Roweena sleep, wondering if Vaelora was awake inside her or if she too were slumbering. Had taking a mortal form cost her to surrender her consciousness? Was she in there, aware of the woman's ignorance? Was she beating her fists like she had against the crate I put her in?

The intensity with which I missed her frightened me. Nobody should have such power over another being. And yet. If she had willingly done this to herself, didn't that mean that she loved me too?

Besides Roweena being a mirror image of my lover, there were times when I saw Vaelora breaking through the surface. For a moment yesterday, her vengefulness had shown through, but the woman had declined my offer to avenge her. It was those moments that gave me the hope to carry on and fulfill Vaelora's request to wake her up.

It had been a long time since I pondered the difficulties of mortals. I was stunned and angered by Roweena’s tale of being forced into a marriage and of her fear of being put into an insane asylum. The very notion of it made me want to break Thomas' neck. Coward! Painted whelp.

Roweena stirred, and I leaned forward. Gods didn't sleep, so it was a new pleasure to watch her wake. Watching the sleepiness in her eyes slowly dissolve, I loved how her long, dark eyelashes fluttered. Her lips curled into the most beatific smile I had ever seen when her eyes landed on me, stealing my breath. That smile. That sultry smile of hers that always went straight to my cock.

Unfortunately, it only lasted for a moment, then she remembered who I was—or forgot who I was, depending on how you wanted to look at it—and a frown creased her features.

We ate breakfast in silence, and I didn't bother repeating my threats when we went to the tailor. In addition to clothing, we also purchased several pieces of luggage, books to while away the time, and games. My interest was piqued when she bought cards and board games she called backgammon and chess.

Our next stop was to secure a carriage for the following day that would take us to Portsmouth. There, we would buy passage on a boat to Gibraltar, from which another ship would take us to Cairo.

"Can I please stop at my friend's house? I know she'll be worried sick about me, and even though you said we don't need my funds, I would feel much better if I had them," Roweena begged. Vaelora had never begged me for anything. She was a goddess, used to taking. Except that one time when I made her beg... The memory of it stiffened my cock, and the desire to repeat that one night of pleasure hit me so hard, all blood left my head. I took a deep breath and nodded my agreement, unable to form a simple word.

She took the lead through the streets, keeping her head down and covered with her newly purchased cloak's hood. I was beginning to believe that maybe she really didn't want to be found. We reached a red brick building with several doors, and when Roweena turned to climb a set of stairs, I held her up by the elbow. I didn't say anything, but my eyes bored into hers in silent warning. She swallowed and nodded.

She knocked, and a serving maid opened the door. The woman's eyes widened. "Mistress Roweena," she cried out. She looked like she was about to fling herself at Roweena but stopped herself in time.

"Mistress Abigail, Mistress Abigail," she shouted into the house, before she looked at Roweena again. "Come in, come in. Oh, Mistress Abigail will be so happy to see you. She has been crying for days."

At that, Roweena turned to me with a scathing glare in her eyes. That's when the serving maid noticed me. "Oh my goodness, sir. I apologize."

The moment I put on these fancy peacock clothes, people started looking at me with respect and calling me sir . The fear in their eyes had mostly left, replaced by wariness.

The bothersome lace on the cravat irritated my chin again, even more so than the lacy shirt. What kind of man wore lacey shirts and things called a cravat ? I had nearly killed the tailor when he tied the thing around my neck, had even moved for one of the daggers, but Roweena's hand stilled me as much as her shaking head.

"When in Rome," she had mumbled, which didn't mean anything to me, but I understood that I needed to fit into this world. For now. I practiced mercy and left the Tailor alive, but now it was itching again, threatening to choke me—which was more my imagination than anything, because nothing mortal could harm me or cause me pain.

"Oh my God, Ro!" a female screeched. Her voice called me a liar because, damn, the sounds she made hurt my ears.

Roweena and a woman whom I assumed to be Abigail embraced like long-lost lovers, touching something in my heart that hadn't been touched in a long time.

"I was so frightened for you," Abigail sobbed.

"I'm alright. Really, I am," Roweena assured her.

I cleared my throat, and Abigail turned to me, paling. "Oh God, Ro, is this... is this..."

"The man who saved me," Roweena interjected. "I'm sorry, Abbie, but we don't have much time. I promise I will write to you and explain everything. But for now, we need what you're keeping safe for me."

Abigail's gaze narrowed on me. She pulled Roweena further down into the house. Urgently, she whispered to Roweena, "Tell me now if you're in distress, please."

I stopped. If Abigail distrusted me, her distrust would only grow if I forced my presence on them. I didn't like leaving Roweena and her alone, but I didn't have much of a choice unless I wanted the other woman to call out for the Watch.

Minutes passed, minutes during which I alternated between wanting to rip the cravat off my neck and storming to wherever Abigail had taken Roweena. Two more minutes , I allowed, two more minutes, and then I will raze this house until ?—

"Right here, please meet Sir Vardor of Lancelot. Vardor, this is my good friend, Abigail St. Clair."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Vardor." Abigail's smile was sweet and admiring. What had Roweena told her? "I'm so glad Ro found you. God knows she needed a Sir Lancelot." Here Abigail giggled, confusing me.

"It's been my honor," I replied.

"I'm so sorry we have to cut this short," Roweena told her friend, embracing her one more time before placing something into her hand. Abigail opened it, and I stared at a beautiful emerald bracelet.

"Oh Ro, no. This is yours?—"

Roweena folded Abigail's fingers over the bracelet. "Please keep it. Sell it, whatever you need to do, but I want you to have it."

Tears shimmered in Abigail’s eyes as she pulled Roweena back into her embrace. I stepped from one foot to the other. How many more times were the two women going to do this?

When they finally parted, Abigail took my hand in hers. "Please keep an eye on Ro for me," she pleaded.

"I will protect her with my life," I promised, meaning it. I always had, and I always would.

The rest of the day was spent packing all our new clothes and belongings into the new luggage, eating, and not speaking to one another, despite the curiosity boring a deep hole in my stomach about what Roweena had told Abigail about me.