Chapter Seven

Nova

August came the next day. He watched me warily as I cracked my knuckles in front of him.

“Do you enjoy killing me?” was the first thing he said to me.

“No, but I rather enjoy correcting you,” I stated.

Crossing his arms, Odin exhaled. “For an immortal, August, you’re a little dumb. I mean, not that I’m complaining when you bring us food, but you come here to get killed by Nova every day.”

August gripped Odin’s shoulder. I knew he squeezed him harder than he should with the way Odin’s eyes bulged. “Is that so?” August lifted one brow. Odin jerked away and August laughed.

When August’s dark gaze found mine, he stopped smiling and held out his hand. “I’ll take my payment now.”

I had to make me a new hair tie each night he took mine. It was a far better trade for us than for him. Once he had the tie, he added it with the others on his wrist.

“I don’t understand you, August,” I muttered.

“But you want to, right?” he asked.

“Hardly,” I responded with, but when my heart rate increased, I wondered why that was. It happened around August a lot.

As he’d done before, August laid out a clean blanket for us and filled it with food. Sofia clapped and cheered for the smug immortal. He seemed to revel in it until he caught me shaking my head and plopped down beside me. I purposely turned my body away from his. My entire body burned when I heard him chuckle. While August was busy talking to the others, I took advantage of the opportunity to grab something to eat. It appeared to be a chicken leg I snatched, but a crunchy brown texture covered it. When I pulled at the crispy wrapping, my stomach grumbled in anticipation as I took in the familiar cooked meat. Just as I went to take a bite, the entire thing disappeared from my hand and laughter rang all around me. Whipping my head around, August and the others stopped cackling. Everyone examined the food as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

Feeling angry and something else, I didn’t know what. The sensation had my skin and insides burning and my heart racing. With a huff, I stood and stomped away. I felt so many things that I wasn’t sure what I felt. I didn’t understand. As the kids called it, ‘pranks’, I didn’t get upset when they scared me or acted out to mess with me, mostly. Sometimes I even laughed, so why did I get so annoyed when August did it?

Of course it was him! August was the only one who could make things appear and disappear. Leaning against the tree, I glimpsed back to make sure the kids were still there and safe. Despite my frustration, I would never go to an unseen place unless I was risking food in the City of the Dead. When I saw August rising to his feet, my heart skipped a beat and more weird things happened to me. I fumbled with my wild curls, then jerked at my dress before looking forward so he didn’t know I saw him coming. It was like something swam in my stomach or birds fluttered there when his boots snapped the twigs as he approached. His presence heated my back until his chest actually touched me. I stiffened until August’s hand came down in front of my face, holding a chicken leg.

“You can eat the crunchy part too,” he told me as I smacked my lips together. “I think you’ll like it fried.”

Despite my stomach grumbling loudly, I didn’t want to take it after he’d just made me so, so something. The feeling was more than mad and something I never experienced before. I turned my face toward the tree. My actions were strange to me. It made me think of how difficult Sofia would be for me when she wanted to stay up late telling stories. Though I knew I was being unlike myself, I didn’t know how to make myself stop. It was impossible to prevent, like vomiting.

“I’m sorry,” August added. “I want to tease you, but I keep forgetting that you’re different from everyone else.”

Some of the anger ebbed at his words. Was that it? I wanted him to apologize. Or did his attention directed at me help some? Slowly, I took the chicken from him and thought of what he said about eating the outer layer. I bit into the crunchy texture, and my eyes widened as I turned around. “It’s good,” I admitted.

His face lit up like those human bugs with glowing butts. “Yeah, it is, and there’s plenty more.”

I covered my mouth so he couldn’t see as I gobbled down another bite. “Chickens are such strange, ugly creatures, don’t you think? But they taste great.”

Propping his head against the tree, August watched me oddly. “Yeah, they are.”

His weird stare made me fidget.

“What is it?” I finally said.

“Want me to show you what a movie is?” he asked.

My brows furrowed. “A movie?”

“Sofia says you guys tell stories of princes and princesses. There are plenty of movies like those,” he murmured. I didn’t understand what movies were, but that sounded like something the kids would love.

“Sure—” I winced as my head throbbed. Derrick. Something must have happened. He rarely forced his hold on me that way, but it still stung my chest that he had power over me, even at a distance.

“Come to me,” was what the pain felt like Derrick said to me. I couldn’t hear his voice, but the pain rushing through my bones was clear. Return to me or I’ll make it worse.

August reached out and touched the same spot on my forehead. “What’s wrong?”

“We’ve got to leave,” I blurted. “Kids!”

But I didn’t have to yell because they were already scurrying off the blanket. They must have heard my cry. “Is it Derrick?” Odin asked.

“So, his name is Derrick?” August asked with a scowl. “Lead me into the forest and I can help you.”

“It’s impossible for anyone to pass through. You’d lose us on the way,” I said truthfully, as the throbbing intensified. “The rare few that broken through his barrier haven’t lived to talk about it.”

“Nova.” August tensed.

There was something dark about August then. His body shook and his eyes did that blackout again. Could he be that upset? But why? Sofia’s words from yesterday filled my head and something in me gave in . I want to . No, I wished to trust him.

“You’ll come again tomorrow?” I asked.

August’s shoulder loosened as he blinked at me. “Yeah, of course I’ll be here.”

“Nova.” Odin panicked and took my hand. “We need to hurry before it gets worse for you.”

I let Odin lead me away while I said to August. “Don’t forget those movies, okay?”

August gripped my wrist and tried pulling me to him. “Nova.” The plea in his voice made my throat burn and my eyes water. “Just let me take the bands off.”

“Please, August.” Cloud smacked August’s grip on me. “I don’t want Nova to get in trouble. We will come again tomorrow.”

Cloud’s panic only seemed to make August worse. With a hiss, August let go of me and pulled at his hair before punching the tree beside him. I couldn’t understand his frightening behavior, but I didn’t think he was targeting us. I didn’t fear him. Given the many times I’d killed him, he’d never once— Oh, Hades. My vision blurred from tears when the realization hit me. I was the destructive one. August had hurt none of us, but I kept hurting him. Attacking others was all I knew.

Swallowing the disgust in my throat, I whispered. “Give me time.” To take the risk, and to trust you, were the things I left unsaid. “I’m scared,” I admitted as the first tear slid down my cheek.

He nodded vehemently as he followed behind us. “I know, Nova, I know you are. But I need you to be safe. Are you going to be okay? Just don’t go, Nova. I can find you guys a protected home. I’ve been dying each day to see you for a couple of minutes. What’s dying again to take off those bands and keep you safe forever?” he asked.

Wiping my face with the hand Odin wasn’t pulling, I turned away from August.

I was terrified to trust someone other than myself. But there was an equal pain in August’s gaze as he begged me not to go, and it looked an awful lot like fear . As if the thought of something bad happening to me was devastating to him. But that couldn’t be right. August didn’t know me, and I hardly understood why he kept coming there, facing my wrath.

Why did August keep returning to someone like me?

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