RedFire
Epilogue
“You’ve never been back? Not one single time?” Shay pressed him as they hiked up the rocky hill side. Down below, the Eurotas River wound its way through the valley, marking and feeding the land—and not looking so different from Jax’s last time on this same hillside years before.
“I mean,” she continued, “I know you told me that, but it’s just so hard to believe. You love this place. I can feel your love for Sparta and Greece vibrating in my own veins.”
He dropped down on the hillside, pulling her with him, and they practically tumbled together onto their backs. “It hurt too much,” he said softly after a moment. “I’d lost everything here. But now . . . I can see it with new eyes because you’re with me. It’s alive to me again, and I want to share it with you.”
“Now that we’re here, any big plans for us?” she asked, rolling to face him.
“I think so.” He grinned at her, thinking how this place that had once represented such heartbreak to him now spelled new life. Slipping fingers into his hip pocket, he retrieved the silver band that he’d wanted to give Shay here in Sparta.
With an irrepressible smile, he took hold of her hand. “If you’d call this ‘big plans.’ ” Carefully he pressed the engraved band into the center of her palm. She stared down at it, mysterious blue eyes wide and wondrous. “It says only one simple thing in Greek,” he explained, staring down at it along with her. “ ‘Eternity.’ ”
Still holding the ring tight, she flung both arms about his neck, squealing and starting to cry. “You know I’m yours for that long,” she promised.
“Not until we seal our wedding vows—you remember what the Oracle told us.”
The amazing prophetess had come to them during Shay’s brief recovery, explaining more about Shay’s des tiny. How the mixed bloodline of her heritage gave her an even more heightened ability with prophetic words and images—particularly the visual manifestations. She had also offered to train Shayanna and help her learn the ways of her unique gift.
The Highest One has his hand on you, Shay, she’d said, joining her hand with Jax’s. His hand is on both of you.
“We’re going to walk through eternity together,” Shay said, repeating the words from that day. “As soon as we seal our marriage with a binding kiss.”
“You’re sure?” he asked, a wave of uncertainty crash ing over him. The doubts still came sometimes—that feeling that he wasn’t worthy of such love, such pure acceptance. “It’s a lot for me to ask, to expect you to endure . . . living an immortal life with me.”
“I’ll be sad about some things,” she told him, becoming serious. “I can’t imagine seeing my brothers grow old . . . knowing I’ll be left without them.”
“We think,” he added. “Of course, with the way things are going . . .”
“I know. I know; anything can happen,” she agreed with a sigh. Leaning onto her back, she stared up at the sky, sliding his ring onto her finger. “And I’m not going to doubt, not about you . . . or about my decision.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” he admitted, curling beside her on the grass. Shoulder-to-shoulder they lay, staring at the clouds gliding past in the sky overhead. “I’m humbled.”
“Wow, I really do have a rare and special ability if I can bring you to your knees.”
He stared into her oracle’s eyes. “I’m powerless when it comes to you.”
She smiled, but then the expression faded. “My heart still breaks about River. I can’t help but totally blame myself.”
Jax glanced away, the instant pain he felt almost more than he could bear. “I know. I’m heartbroken, too, but I don’t blame you. . . . River wanted in on our fight.”
“Is there some way he could’ve survived? I mean, being tossed in the water like that, untransformed back to his human body?”
Jax shook his head; truly, he had no idea what fate his dear friend was currently suffering—or had suffered, perhaps. “I pray for his soul,” he said softly. “I pray for my own, that I might be truly worthy of you.”
Suddenly all the warmth between them seemed to slip away as one thought entered Shay’s mind: Sable. Knowing her thoughts in the way he had already come to do, Ajax drew her even closer against him, protecting her.
“We have the looking glass now. It’s safe with our Oracle, and that’s at least one trick Sable can’t try again.”
“But he’s not dead . . . and he’s still carrying a serious vendetta against you. And me now, too, I guess, huh?”
A deep frown creased Ajax’s brow. “I won’t ever let him harm you again, sweetest love. Of that, you can be sure.”
“But we’ve only won this battle.”
“I have a fear,” he said softly, looking past her at some unseen thought, “that our war with Ares has only just begun. But the time has come for it. He called the battle down and now the fire of it must rain. He may be a god, but there’s just one of him and seven of us . . . and now you and your brothers and the Oracle, too, bless her divine soul.”
“I’m praying for you, too, Ajax,” she said softly, feel ing her heart warm again. The thought that such great evil and forces of such magnitude still waited on the ho rizon should have frightened her, but in some odd way it only made her feel closer to the immortal warrior who held her in his arms.
“Like I said”—he grinned at her, that disarmingly handsome smile with the dimple—“I pray that I will one day be worthy of your pure love.”
She leaned forward and planted a luscious, sweet kiss on his lips. “Ajax Petrakos, you’re the best gift, the pur est gift that God could ever have given me. Yeah, it’s a little scary, but I know I’ve got a huge calling, same as you. Besides, just think.” She giggled in his ear, her breath warm and tantalizing. “There are lots and lots of ways we can come up with for passing all that time.”
He rolled her beneath his heavy body, careful to sup port his weight on both elbows. With one glance over his shoulder, he ensured that they were all alone in the warm meadow.
“How about I show you an ancient sex secret, my lady? The mysteries of the Greeks?” Licking her earlobe, he suckled it gently until she began to arch in pleasure.
“Sure,” she half groaned. “I love sexual mysteries. What not so-good girl doesn’t?”
One by one he began popping open the buttons along the front of her blouse. “Why don’t you try guessing what I’m thinking of.”
“Umm . . .rubbing oil?” She glided open palms up un derneath his soft cotton shirt. “Nah, that’s not Spartan. I know—we’re doing it on a bed of porcupine quills or something.”
“You think you’re being funny.” He reached between them for the final button of her shirt and unfastened it. “I once spent most of a winter barefoot, fighting to survive, just so I could earn a ranking place in our military.”
“In honor of that, you want to give me a foot massage?”
He slid her shirt off her shoulders, then deftly un snapped her bra. Her gorgeous breasts swelled free right there in the sunshine, the nipples a rich, dark pink.
“No, sweetness,” he promised, lowering his mouth to cover hers. “I want to show you the pure pleasure of making love outdoors, in the light of day . . . your back warmed by the sun, your body prickled by wildflowers. I want to show you, Shayanna, what it’s going to be like spending eternity with me.”
“Ooh, Spartan, I like the sound of that idea.”
“Neh, neh, sweet lass of mine, so do I. So do I.”
Before either of them could say more, he took de cisive action and sealed their words with the deepest, most erotic kiss he could offer his almost-wife.
On a side street that almost no mortal frequented, an old café served drinks all afternoon. Only die hard lo cals knew of the place, and that was undoubtedly the reason why her “host” had chosen the meeting spot.
“They’re married now. Not a thing in the universe you can do to stop it.” Daphne smiled broadly at the obnoxious god who sat across from her. “And she’s immortal—again, totally out of your control.”
Ares grumbled something that she couldn’t quite make out and took another sip of his ouzo. “Nasty drink,” he said through pursed lips. “I blame Dionysus for having discovered the concoction.”
“Stop changing the subject. You overstepped this time, and you know it.”
Ares stared haughtily back at her. “If I’d known her true heritage I wouldn’t have touched her. That’s why Apollo hasn’t punished me yet.”
“You know he has a soft spot for each of us who are oracles.” She smiled slowly. “And that wouldn’t be you.”
Ares jerked forward in the chair, grabbing her hand harshly. “You may be one of his treasures, but don’t think to threaten me, little Oracle.”
She met him head-to head, suddenly furious—and she rarely ever got mad at anyone. “If you so much as touch a hair on Shay’s head ever again—or even so much as think about having anyone else harm her—I’ll make it my personal mission to torture you for the rest of eternity.” She stared at him, wanting him to see the fury in her Oracle’s eyes. “Do you understand, my lord?” she practically spat.
“You dare to talk to me—a god—in this manner?” He began to rise to his feet, but she caught his arm, squeezing it roughly. Slowly he sank back into the seat.
“You’re not within your rights in harming her at all. You have no legal ground for touching any daughter of Delphi, one of Apollo’s very own. Not Shay, not me. Not any of us. If you try it again, you can be very sure I will go to Him and explain exactly what you’ve been up to.”
“If not for our special relationship . . .” He let the words dangle with dark intent, then reached for an olive and popped it in his mouth. “Ah, to be back in Greece is such a glorious thing.”
She felt the blood run hot to her cheeks. How could he toy with her so easily, pretend to be unmoved by her show of force?
“There is no relationship between us, special or otherwise.”
Another olive in hand, he held it poised in the air between them. “Oh, now, now. How can you insult our family name that way?”
“I share no blood with you.”
“Because yours isn’t pure? Please, Oracle, talk more of that fancifulness. I have nothing else better to amuse me this afternoon.”
She scooted back from the table and rose to her feet. With her diminutive size and Ares’ massive frame, she practically stared him in the eyes, even though he re mained seated. “Not a hair on her head. Not any daughter will you touch. Never again.”
Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked down the side alley, hurrying to the church where Jax and Shay had sealed their vows only moments before. If she was in time, she could kiss them both; if not, she’d find them easily enough.
But somewhere in her mind, her Oracle’s perception heard Ares’ smooth voice. The sound of it chilled her whole body, despite the brilliant afternoon sun in the sky.
She heard him laugh, too. She pushed the words out of her spirit, tried to tell herself they meant nothing, just more idle entertainment for a bored and malicious god.
But the words followed her, trailing her like a hungry demon. But, my dear Daphne, his voice had threatened, you said nothing about not harming the Spartans.
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