Chapter Twenty-One

August

Nova squeezed my arm against her chest. Her racing heart slowed until I could barely feel it thumping against my skin. As her breath evened out, mine became choppy. My limbs shook and my lungs burned as if I’d been yelling for hours.

Nova deserved better than crying alone in a tub of water. Nothing in any world would be enough to make up for her suffering. I wished Harvest could die a million times.

I wanted to pull my mate out of the water and hug her close. Yet, I feared doing so. We spent a long time at odds with each other.

Her finally being by my side was the only thing right. Everything else was a mess. I worried she’d always feel uncomfortable around me. Rewriting our past wasn’t possible, no matter how hard I wished I could. I’d only ever wanted to give the powerful creature before me comfort and luxuries, as she deserved. I wanted to give her a hundred thousand smiles to replace all the misery she must have experienced.

I was happy she was with me, but afraid of hurting her more. She consumed me. I didn’t know how to love her slowly. A lifetime was how long I’d spent loving, yet despising, a dead girl because she wouldn’t allow me to save her.

I kept my gaze on her curls, not wanting to take advantage of the moment. She was distraught. When she regained her fire within, I’d seduce my mate out of her clothes and show her my lust. While I didn’t stare at her naked body, I could feel how tiny she was. She wouldn’t be for long. I’d learn to cook or bake whatever she wanted. I’d empty myself if it meant replenishing her.

I might not know how to love her the way she deserved, but I’d spend my life trying.

Gently, I coaxed her body forward. Some of her curls were wet as she leaned forward enough to see her back. I cupped my hand in the water, then poured it over her hair and shoulders. She allowed me to wash her hair. The silence wasn’t ominous. It felt peaceful, and my mate leaned into my touch, tilting her head whichever way my fingers dug into her scalp. Goose bumps pebbled her skin, and I could see every bone pressing against her flesh.

Suddenly, I realized she’d given me a gift—trust with her body.

“Thank you,” I said. “I surrender to you… your beauty.”

Nova’s body tensed as she looked over her shoulder.

“All you have to do is ask me. I’d do anything for you.”

Her dark eyes flickered over me, but she said nothing.

I lowered my head. “I’m sorry.”

When I sensed her attention leave me, I lifted my head and materialized a brush. With conditioner in her hair, I brushed through the knots, starting from the bottom.

Nova didn’t speak until I finished. “How did those stories go?”

I frowned.

Nova murmured. “The stories Sofia liked always started the same.”

When Nova laughed softly, an enormous lump formed in my throat.

“Ah… Once upon a time, there was a girl shackled to a mean man. The girl had a family to protect from the warlock. But with her magic locked away, any chance of freedom seemed lost until a boy came to the woods.”

She turned and gazed at me before continuing, “The boy made her feel hope for the first time. He promised to free the girl, but things didn’t go as planned. The boy and girl couldn’t save their family. Then the boy thought the girl had died. She believed he betrayed her. They were unaware that someone had tricked them. When they learned of another wicked man’s deceit, they were angry and hurt.”

Without warning, Nova stood, and water dripped off her body. I told myself I wouldn’t peek, but my focus locked on every part of her back and ass. Suddenly, my body came to life as desire stirred thanks to her absolute power over me.

Looking over her shoulder, she flashed a wide and menacing, sharklike grin at me as I squatted beside the tub. “The boy and girl can’t save the ones they lost, but they can get revenge.”

Standing, I materialized a towel and handed it to her. She took it, lifting a single brow.

I glanced at her ass again, and a hot rush of need shot through my cock. Her being naked and declaring vengeance was too much for a century year old virgin in love with her.

“Cover yourself, my little star. I cannot handle your vengeance and your nudity at once. Have some mercy on me.”

Whatever just happened between us made her comfortable enough for nudity, but I didn’t want to push my luck. Besides, if I wanted to hunt down Derrick and Harvest, she needed clothes, or I wouldn’t be able to function.

After Nova wrapped herself in the towel, she waved her hand in the air. “Can you do your thing and bring me something to wear?”

“My thing?”

“When you materialize something out of thin air.”

“You can do that thing too.”

Her eyes narrowed when she asked, “Why did you say it like that?”

“That’s what you called it.”

“No, not the word. It’s the way you practically sang it from your lips in a mischievous way.”

“You can use my power, too. Go ahead. Think about what you want to wear, and it will appear.”

Nova exited the tub and materialized a dress on herself within seconds. Sadly, it was the same style as the depressing beige dresses she wore before being freed.

“No,” I said.

“What?”

“You’re a Reaper now. You need some black. I never want to see you in that type of dress again.” I materialized a pair of black jeans and a shirt on her. “How do those feel?”

“It’s softer than I thought.” She smoothed her fingers over the pants. “If you were going to complain, you should have just done it yourself. The dresses are all I’ve ever known.”

My heart sank. Of course I should have. I was fucking up already!

“I didn’t say it to upset you,” Nova said. “Your world is new to me. You used to want to show it to me. Well, you have the chance to show me now.”

_____

My fingers ached to touch Nova’s dried curls. They bounced and swayed as she walked. I tagged along behind her as she explored the castle.

When we stepped into the woods, she finally said, “Now that Harvest doesn’t have me, Derrick has no reason to work for him. Harvest might not let him go so easily, though.”

“We’ll end Derrick,” I promised as I stared. Her legs looked great in those pants, and the slight curve to her ass as her hips swayed had me salivating. “I could look at you every second of each day and never grow tired.”

Her stumbling was the only sign she might have heard me because she said, “I know where most of Harvest’s hideouts are. Even if we don’t find him, we can get rid of his foot soldiers and his creations.”

“Good idea.” I stepped closer and touched her hair. “I’d like to hold your hand, please?”

Nova quirked a brow, but otherwise, ignored my question and pointed to the orange-black sky. “What is this place? How is it bright and dark at the same time? And why does everything glow? It’s so different from the darkness of the Underworld.” She lowered her head. “It’s so weird that you grew up here.”

“That’s how Grim made this place. We might wear black, but he’s a big fan of color in everything else.” Lifting a curl, I twisted it around my finger. “Do you think the boys would have liked this place?”

“Yeah. They would have tried eating these strange leaves.” Nova strode over to one of the small pink bushes.

I smirked. “ You would have, too.”

She shrugged. “Probably.” As she plucked off a leaf, her nose wrinkled. “So, you can’t eat it?”

“No.” I materialized a giant lollipop in her hand in place of the leaf she held. “But try a lollipop.”

Her eyes widened. “How? It’s almost as big as my head.”

“You don’t bite it. You lick it.”

She flinched as if in shock. “How does this satisfy hunger?”

“The sucker has no nutritional value.”

“Then what’s the point?”

“Many people like sweet things for the fun of it. If you try the candy, you might understand.” Moving toward her, I bent down and licked one side of the lollipop. “Why did you tell the kids those stories back then?”

“Because they liked them.”

“Be prepared to discover the things you like,” I told her, raising the sucker to her mouth.

When Nova’s tongue darted out, my stomach heated, and I swallowed heavily. Maybe it was a bad idea to go with a sucker.

There was a sparkle in her eyes as she met my stare. “It’s—”

“Sweet,” I finished.

Nova’s face softened. “Sweet.”

It was like magic entered the air. I wished to see a thousand, no, a billion more glimpses of her joyous moments. In some mysterious way, I may have brought her happiness with a damn lollipop.

She probably hadn’t smiled in a long time. I made it my mission to give her more reasons to be happy. Falling to my knees, I grabbed her hips and laid my forehead against her stomach. It was a reminder of her small stature.

She stiffened. “August.”

“You’re the strongest creature I’ve ever met. And the bravest. And the prettiest thing in any world, even the ones we know nothing about.”

“What are you doing?” Nova pushed me off her.

“You need to get used to my words, my touch.” I extended my arm, leaving a space between us, hoping she would meet me halfway. “I’m trying not to scare you. You might need space, but I need you . To hold and fuss and fucking love you.”

My racing heart threatened to pound right out of my chest. She didn’t reach out, but I didn’t expect her to. My mate had been through hell and back.

Regardless, her silence felt like she’d plunged an icicle through my heart. It was okay because I would eventually reach Nova through her fear and pain. “One day, my love and affection will be the most natural thing in the world.” I stood there while she scrutinized me, as though I were a meal that had gone bad. “You’ll crave my friendship and the intimacy we’ll share after we’ve destroyed our enemies.”

She swallowed hard, but remained quiet.

I changed the subject for her sake.

“Earlier, you said something about Harvest’s hideouts. Is that what you want to fuck up first?”

She scrunched up her nose. “Fuck up? You say fuck often and it confuses me.”

“It’s a human curse word.”

“Humans know curses?”

“No. It’s considered a vulgar word, and some people find that language offensive.” Her brow furrowed more. “You know how people say Hades in the Underworld out of frustration or exclamation? Fuck can be the same way. I meant to ask if you wanted to destroy his hideout first. Do you want to ruin everything Harvest uses to hide from us?”

She smiled again. And it’s exactly what my tired body needed to feel rejuvenated.

“Let’s go fuck shit up,” I said.