Goddess of the Rose (45 page)

“You're right—you're right. I don't know . . . I've learned so much today that my mind can't seem to hold it all. I'm so glad you forgave Sevillana.” Then Mikki blinked in surprise, as more of the pieces of the puzzle fit together. “The first night I was in the realm—you said you'd made a mistake and you wanted to fix it. That mistake was about Sevillana and Asterius, wasn't it?”

“It was.” Hecate sighed, a sound that Mikki found amazingly mortal and fallible. “I should not have punished them as I did. Sevillana was young and selfish—I knew that when I chose her as my Empousa. I mistakenly hoped the power in her blood would mature her. It did not.”

“And what about Asterius?” Mikki asked, feeling like she should hold her breath.

“That was my biggest mistake. I gifted him with the heart and soul of a man and then refused to truly acknowledge that he was, indeed, more than a beast. In that respect I was even more selfish than his mother, who could not see more than her own mistakes whenever she gazed upon him. I was wrong to disallow him a mate—to believe he was a creature who needed no more than duty to exist. It was my fault his need drove him to choose unwisely when Sevillana tempted him. It was anger at myself that caused me to banish her and bespell him. Unfortunately, I understood that too late. Then all I could do was to wait for the right mortal to be born. One who could see the truth and have the courage to act upon it.”

“Then you'll let me love him, if only until Beltane?”

“No, Mikado.”

Mikki's body went cold and still. “Please, Hecate. I love him. Let me make him happy, even if it's only for a little while.”

“The roses thrive, Mikado.”

Confused at the sudden change in subject, Mikki said, “Good. I did what I felt had to be done.”

“You sacrificed yourself willingly, calling upon the oath of love and trust with which you were bound into my service.”

“Yes, Hecate.”

“That has never before happened in the Realm of the Rose. Oh, yes, for generations Empousas have given their blood to nurture the realm, but they did so because they had to, because it was the thread of life Fate and Destiny had together woven for them. But you, Mikado Empousai, a mortal woman from a land almost completely bereft of magick, willingly sacrificed yourself to save something as nebulous as the dreams of mankind. And you also saw the man within the beast and let yourself love him, breaking his spell of loneliness and isolation.”

“I—I just did what my instincts told me to do. I loved the realm. It was my home, and protecting it, and everyone in it, was worth dying for,” Mikki said quickly, feeling completely overwhelmed by the goddess's praise. “Asterius wasn't hard to love.” She smiled and moved her shoulders nervously. “Isn't there always something of a beast within every strong man? It's part of what makes them so deliciously different from us.” She took a deep breath. “Can't you please let me return to him? I give you my word that I will willingly go back to the fountain on Beltane night.”

“What you have done has changed the fabric of the realm, Empousa. Your sacrifice was pure—unsullied by the bonds of duty or force or fear. There need never be another Beltane sacrifice; your blood has insured that.”

When Mikki began to speak, Hecate raised her hand to silence her. “But simply returning is not that easy. You have also been changed by your sacrifice. As long as you stay in the mundane world, you will live a normal lifespan. But should you return to the Realm of the Rose, your blood ties you to it irrevocably. Which means you would be an immortal, reigning in the realm eternally as more than my Empousa—you would become Goddess of the Rose.”

Mikki heard Hecate's words, but they were almost drowned out by the dizziness and disbelief that hummed through her mind. Did Hecate just say that she would never die? That she could become a goddess?

“But you should know that a goddess's path is not an easy one to tread, Mikado. Eternity is a daunting companion—sometimes he is glorious—sometimes he is melancholy and petulant as a spoiled child. Think carefully, Empousa. I give you a choice, but that choice is irrevocable. You may stay here, in the mundane world, and live out your mortal life's thread—at the end of which I will not desert you and will welcome you to the Elysian Fields as I did your mother and her mother before her.”

“But Asterius—” she began.

“Because I regret the mistakes I made, I will grant him a boon. If you so choose, I will gift him with a mortal man's body.” The goddess smiled and her eyes glittered mischievously. “I will gift him with a mortal man's body, but for you, my favorite Empousa, I give you my oath that his new form will be more pleasing to look upon than Adonis. But it is impossible, even for my powers, to change his form in the Realm of the Rose. I will have to bring him here, to live out his mortal life by your side. You will have children and grow old together and find solace in each other's arms when your lives are finished.”

“Or I can return?” Mikki prompted, when it didn't seem like Hecate was going to continue.

“Yes. You may return as Goddess of the Rose—I will relinquish the realm of dreams to you eternally. But remember, in that realm I cannot change Asterius's form. He will remain eternally a beast, but with the heart and soul of a man. Make your choice, Mikado.”

Mikki started to consider and then realized that she actually had no choice. She knew exactly what she had to do.

“I choose the Realm of the Rose and my beast. I don't want to live anywhere else, and I would not ask Asterius to change. I love what he is, not what others would have him pretend to be.”

Hecate's smile was radiant. “Then let us return you to your realm.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

T
HE forest had certainly not changed. It was still dark and creepy—especially now that Mikki knew what lurked out there. Of course now she was a goddess, so the Dream Stealers would have a whole new ball game to play if they tried to trap her again. And they would—Hecate had already warned her about that. Just because she was an immortal now, it didn't mean she wasn't still fallible and able to be manipulated by darker emotions. Hecate herself had been proof of that. Mikki shivered and wrapped her purple palla around her shoulders more tightly. She'd be careful.

Weird that she didn't feel any different. Or at least not that much different. She'd felt the roses when she'd returned. Really
felt
them. Embarrassingly enough, they had rejoiced when she entered the realm. Although now that she knew they had real emotions and bright little spirits, she felt decidedly less ridiculous about all those years she'd talked to her bushes. Still, it was a wonderful yet odd sensation that she'd have to get used to.

The handmaidens would be really glad to see her, and Mikki was looking forward to surprising them in the morning. But not tonight. Tonight there was only one person she wanted to see—only one place she wanted to be—and that was in Asterius's arms.

Mikki could feel that he was out here somewhere, gathering the threads of reality to take to the Dream Weavers. She could have waited for him in his home. She could have called him to her bedroom in the palace. She hadn't wanted to do either. She would come to him because she loved the innocent joy he so obviously felt every time she chose him. And she wanted him to know she would keep choosing him for all of eternity.

A flicker of light drew her to the right. She followed it, and the flicker became a torch. Holding her breath, she made her way slowly and silently toward it. He was standing with his back to her, combing the limbs of the ancient tree above him. Glittering threads appeared within his hands, and he pulled and spun them into a luminous mound of magick on the forest floor.

She moved closer and then stopped when he made a low moan. He turned to the side with a sudden flinching movement, as if the thread he was weaving had caused him pain. But he didn't drop it. Instead he stared at it with an agonized expression filled with despair and longing.

Mikki looked within the thread and saw herself. She was heavy with child, which was truly a shock, but her shock shifted to joy as she watched Asterius enter the frame and pull her into his arms. He kissed her and then dropped to his knees, placing his lips gently against her swollen belly. In the dream vision, Mikki saw herself smile contentedly and reach out and stroke her finger down one of his ebony horns, just as she had done long ago.

With an anguished cry, Asterius hurled the thread away from him. “Why do you torment me?” he roared.

Mikki stepped from the shadows. “It torments you to think of me being pregnant? I think I'm the one who should be tormented. I mean, the whole horns and hooves issue in utero is a little daunting.”

Asterius didn't move. He only stared at Mikki with eyes filled with hatred. “Begone apparition! I will not fall prey to your evil lies.” Growling menacingly, he started moving stealthily toward her, holding his deadly claws before him like blades.

“Asterius! It's me! I just wanted to surprise you.”

His look darkened. “I said begone, nightmare creature!” He closed on her.

Mikki squealed and stepped back, blurting the first thing that came in her mind. “The first night we met you put a rose in my wineglass!”

As if he'd run against a wall, Asterius halted.

“Mikado?” he said tentatively.

“That's what I've been trying to tell you.” She sighed when he still didn't seem to thaw. “You know, as often as you've rejected me, it's a wonder we've ever gotten together at all.”

“Mikado!” He lunged forward, pulling her into his arms.

His powerful body was trembling so hard he didn't seem to be able to do more than just hold her and repeat her name over and over again. She held him in return, touching him and murmuring wordless endearments, until his shaking stopped and he was able to loosen his grip on her.

She looked up into his beautiful, terrible face, which was wet with tears.

“How did this happen? How can you be here?” he asked.

“Hecate gave me a choice.”

“But the realm—your blood—it is safe, eternally. The goddess said that after your sacrifice, no other Empousa's blood would be needed to make the realm thrive, not for an eternity.”

“I know. I chose the eternity, and I chose to spend it with you.”

At first his eyes were blank and then understanding flashed joyously across his face. “We will never be parted?”

“Never,” she said.

“Then the threads—they were not tormenting me. They were showing . . .” He broke off, unable to speak through the swell of emotions.

“They were showing you our happily ever after. And, yes, my love. That particular dream has finally come true.”

Slowly, he bent and kissed her, cupping her face between his massive hands. Mikki wrapped her arms around him and held on to their future—their eternity.

In the shadows, Hecate smiled and patted one of her great beasts on his dark head.

TURN THE PAGE TO READ An EXCERPT
FROM THE NEXT BOOK in
P. C. CAST'S GODDESS SUMMONING SERIES

 

 

 

 

 

Goddess of Love

NOW AVAILABLE FROM BERKLEY SENSATION!

P
EA felt a wash of relief, which was quickly followed by embarrassment when she heard the fire siren getting closer. Crap crap crap! What a way to start Saturday morning.

“They're almost here, Chlo-chlo-ba-bo!” she yelled up at the tree.

The pitiful whine that replied from the middle of the winter-bare branches squeezed at her heart, but Pea shook her head sternly at the dog, refusing to give in to Chloe's manipulation.

“Okay, look! How many times do I have to tell you? You. Are. Not. A. Cat.”

A black nose appeared from a top branch of the tree. Behind it Pea could see the glint of bright, intelligent eyes staring down at her.

“Hrumph!” Chloe barked the strange, deep growl sound she made when she was highly annoyed.

“Whatever! You can love cats. You cannot be one.”

Chloe had just
hrumphed
indignantly at her again when the fire engine glided to a smooth stop at the curb. Pea sighed and gave Chloe one more glare. Then she started to walk toward the men who were climbing out of the traditional shiny red fire truck. Instantly Chloe erupted in a pathetic chorus of whines and yaps. Forgetting all about embarrassment and doggie manipulations, Pea rushed back to the tree.

“Chlo-chlo! It's okay, baby girl. I'm right here.”

“Bring the ladder over here, Steve.” A deep male voice called from close behind her. “This is the tree.”

“Hurry!” Pea yelled without taking her eyes from the frightened dog. “She's really scared, and if she falls she's definitely going to break something.”

“Ma'am, cats rarely hurt themselves when they jump from trees. The whole land-on-their-feet myth actually has quite a bit of truth to it,” the voice over her shoulder said.

Chloe whined again.

“Hey, that's not a cat.”

Pea turned to the fireman, an annoyed frown on her face. “I clearly told the dispatcher that my
dog
—” she began, putting her fists on her waist and letting the worry she felt for Chloe shift over to irritation, but one look at the man had her anger fizzling and her tongue stammering. She felt her cheeks flame with heat. Quadruple crap! It was
him.
Griffin DeAngelo. The most gorgeous man she had ever seen. Ever. Even on TV. He was also the guy she'd been crushing on for the entire past year—ever since she'd walked Chloe by his house (which was just down the street from hers) and seen him mowing his yard. Without a shirt on. And here he was. Standing in her front yard like he'd walked right out of one of her very graphic dreams.