Page 68 of The Curse of Gods (The Curse of Saints #3)

Aya was disappearing into herself. It happened in increments, Will noticed, small bits of her tucking away someplace he couldn’t reach.

He understood. He knew the weight of what had happened to her was crushing. And yet this seemed to be something… more . Something specific to him that he could not put his finger on.

But the further they traveled, the farther away she seemed to get from him, despite her back resting against his chest as they rode through the Midlands, her thighs warm where his cupped hers as he spurred their horse on.

They’d been riding for days, their route long and winding to avoid any major towns or risks of crossing paths with Kakos garrisons.

Kakos would be delayed after Sitya, especially with the death of their king and general and the destruction of their ships.

But that didn’t mean Aya and Will had time to spare.

Even still, he couldn’t quite bring himself to keep the ragged pace he’d run when he was trying to find her.

Not when exhaustion was slumping her shoulders forward, not when she continued to disappear into herself, her attention tucked so deeply inward that he feared he soon would not be able to reach her at all.

They found refuge under the stars at night, their wolves keeping guard on either side of them, but even then, Aya kept her distance. Not physically—she curled into him, her back to his chest, her legs tangled with his. But there was a wall between them, a gap that Will could not cross.

She was there, but not.

With him, but not.

It reminded him of when she’d shielded against him after the Athatis attacked during the Dawning celebration, when his affinity could not sense the essence of her.

He didn’t dare try, not with the way she had flinched the last time his power had reached for her to soothe her panic.

Her broken please haunted not just his dreams, but his waking hours, too.

When she fell silent, her body relaxed into his as they rode but her mind somewhere else entirely, he heard that one word like a haunted echo in his mind:

Please.

Please.

Please.

Fucking hells, he would kill them all for what they’d put her through. Evie and every single Kakos soldier.

He would kill them all.

***

“Wow,” Aya murmured, her gaze fixed on the lake before them. Will smiled as he dismounted their horse, his hands finding her waist to help her down.

He knew she didn’t need assistance, but…he needed to feel her.

It had been another day of growing distance, Aya’s eyes vacant as they rode through the Elsoria desert.

He’d considered pressing her, begging, even, for her to tell him where she was going when she disappeared inside herself like this.

But he was too afraid to push her. Aya wasn’t fragile, but there was a heaviness bearing down on her that he refused to add to.

Yet he couldn’t stop the ache in his chest at finally having her back only to feel like he was still losing her. He hated himself for even thinking it. It was selfish, after all she’d been through.

“Lake Arniax,” Will explained as they turned toward the shoreline, his arm sliding around her waist. Aya went easily, her body pressing against his as she leaned into him. “The smallest of the three wet lakes in Elsoria.”

“It certainly doesn’t look small,” Aya remarked, her gaze scanning the still waters. The lake was nestled between brush-covered hills, giving a sense of privacy Will hadn’t felt in the two weeks they’d been traveling.

They’d stopped once in a small village so Will could gather supplies, but aside from that, it had been them and their bondeds and the endless stretch of sky above the dirt and sands of the Elsoria.

Even still, he’d felt too exposed, that hair-raising feeling crawling up the back of his neck.

It took him days to stop glancing over his shoulder, to stop expecting to find the demigod at their back, ready to exact her vengeance on Aya.

Akeeta nudged his leg, her stare soft and pleading.

“Go hunt,” he said quietly. “We’ll be fine here.”

Lake Arniax was out of the way even for them, and they hadn’t seen another living soul in over a week.

Tyr lingered at Aya’s side, his head cocked uncertainly.

“Go,” Aya urged, her fingers dragging through the fur on the top of his head. “I’m okay.”

Tyr took a reluctant step away from her, his muscles tense, but they eased as Akeeta came up alongside him, her head nuzzling against his body. It was the reassurance Tyr needed to follow, and soon, it was just the two of them and the soft tinkle of the water as it brushed against the shoreline.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” A ghost of a grin twisted her lips as she met his gaze. Will shrugged before he scrunched his nose.

“I figured you could use a bath,” he teased. It was enough to draw a laugh from Aya, the sound light and unfettered as it bounced between the hills. Will’s stomach swooped with relief.

Gods, he would do anything to keep her laughing.

“Come on then,” Aya said as she pulled away from him. Her hand trailed down his arm, her eyes brighter than he’d seen in days as she tugged him toward the water. She caressed the scar on his palm before she pulled away entirely, her hands moving to the hem of her shirt and tugging it over her head.

They’d taken what little clothes they’d found in the abandoned house—bland cotton shirts and worn trousers. But Aya made them look like finery, even as she flung them to the ground.

Will stood stock-still, drinking her in.

His mouth was dry, his heart hammering in his chest as she untied the leather strap holding back her hair.

She’d shown no interest in anything beyond deep kisses since they’d been reunited.

And that was fine. Even if she never wanted him to touch her again, he’d be grateful just to be by her side.

Will didn’t need the physical to show her his love.

But now, Aya’s teeth were digging into her bottom lip as her hair fell around her shoulders in waves, her eyes dark as she let him scan her naked figure.

She looked nervous, almost as if she was waiting for him to see how her body had changed in captivity and react in any other way than breathless adoration.

Will stepped toward her, shedding his own shirt as he went. His hands found the dip of her waist, her skin warm against his palms.

“You are so beautiful,” he breathed. He ducked his head and pressed a long, lingering kiss to her mouth, his tongue lapping lazily at her lip until she let him in.

Aya sucked in a breath, her hands running down the panes of his chest and to the buckle of his belt.

He let her shed the rest of his clothes, chuckling against her skin as he stumbled trying to step out of his boots.

And then she was pulling away, her fingers weaving through his as she backed into the water.

Will followed her, a soft smile on his lips that she reflected back.

He almost wondered if he’d imagined it all—the distance these last two weeks, the helplessness when he tried to cross it and failed.

Aya released his hands as she sank further into the water, her head tilting back to take in the dusky sky. She let out a contented hum, her arms spreading wide as she pushed herself deeper, her body floating just below the surface.

The water was warm enough to fight against slight chill in the desert air as night began to fall.

Will ducked beneath the surface and scrubbed at his hair, his muscles relaxing as he let himself sink for a moment.

When he rose, he found Aya treading water in the deeper stretch of the lake, her hair slicked back as water dripped down her face.

She watched him carefully, but he couldn’t place the look on her face.

Will planted his feet in the sand beneath him, the water lapping at his torso.

“What?” he murmured, his voice carrying across the quiet of the lake. Aya’s lips quirked before she ducked under the water again. She resurfaced just before him, her arms winding around his neck.

“Just admiring,” she replied. Will’s arms caught her legs as she wrapped them around his waist.

“Well, there is much to admire.”

“Ass,” Aya chided as she tried to fight off her smile.

She shook her head and leaned in, her lips warm as they pressed against his.

The kiss was slow and deep, and Will’s breath hitched.

Her tongue slipped into his mouth, as if she could chase that gasp, her arms tightening around his neck as she dragged him closer until he could feel her peaked breasts dragging across his chest.

“Fuck,” Will mumbled against her lips. One of his hands slid down her back until he was cupping the swell of her ass, his fingers pressing against the firm flesh.

Aya’s hips rocked forward, a breathy moan escaping her as she rubbed against his hardness.

Her hips jerked again, but then she stilled, her inhale sharp in an entirely different way.

“Aya?” Will breathed as he pulled back. “Are you okay?”

She took a moment to catch her breath, her gaze darting across his face. A breeze blew across the water, sending the still lake rippling. Aya shivered as the air danced across her skin.

“It’s cold,” she said, her legs unwinding from around his waist. Will let her down immediately, his arm loose around her waist as he stepped back so she didn’t have to feel his arousal pressed against her. Aya’s arms slid away from his neck until it was just her hands against his shoulders.

“We should go back,” she continued, her gaze darting to the shore.

Will swallowed hard. A thousand questions rose in his throat, but Aya was closing off, looking everywhere but his face. So he forced them down, burying them beneath the hurt he refused to let her see.

But he couldn’t quite hide the rasp in his voice as he quietly agreed.

“Sure, Aya love. Whatever you want.”