Jericho stood on the top of the mountain where he'd once looked out, expecting to die. He remembered that day so clearly. The sunset was still the same shade of fire opal.
For Delphine, he'd laid down his arms and resigned himself to Zeus's punishment. Today, he could think of no better place to declare himself hers than here where it had all begun.
He turned to find her by his side, dressed in a white flowing gown with flowers in her pale hair. Even though gods and goddesses didn't have weddings the way humans did, he wanted to do something special for her.
"You have given me my life back," he said as he took her hand.
She kissed his scarred knuckles. "It seems only fair since I wouldn't have had one at all had you not found your heart and spared me."
Who would have ever thought that one single act of kindness would lead him to this path?
Lead him to her?
Unable to tell her what was inside him, he went down on one knee.
Delphine was stunned by Jericho's actions. Dressed in his black armor, he looked up at her with those dual-colored eyes. His white hair ruffled by the breeze, he was breathtakingly handsome.
"I haven't much to offer you, my lady. But I pledge myself to you. Always."
Tears clouded her eyes. "That's not true, Jericho. You have a lot to offer."
"And that is?"
"All that is good in my life is because of you. And I swear by your mother Styx, that I will never harm you. That I will never betray you."
"And I swear on my mother that every day you live you will know just how much you mean to me."
Delphine smiled. "Good, because it was hard enough to survive this courtship. I shudder at what I'd have to endure-to fall in love with someone else."
He arched a brow at that. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." She knelt down in front of him. "Now give me a kiss and show me your sincerity."
He laughed deep in his throat. "Lady, take me to your bed and I'll show you a lot more than just my sincerity."
"Well, in that case..." She flashed them back to her room where they could lie naked in her bed.
After all, vows meant nothing without consummation.
Nike paused as she entered Maadoc's office. The Oneroi was alone, staring out the windows, to the sea.
"Is there something you need?" he asked without turning toward her.
"Yes. I remembered something that I heard while I was in Azmodea."
That succeeded in making him swivel around to face her. "And that was?"
"One of our gods feeding Noir information about us."
"Your brother Zelos."
"No," she said with conviction. "I know his voice and I know the one I heard. But I couldn't place it."
"Then how do you know it's one of us?"
"Because he wanted to take Zeus's place and have Aphrodite as his bride."
Madoc frowned. "But you can't recall who it was?"
"No, and I've tried repeatedly. Noir isn't giving up on us, and I can't shake this terrible feeling that something bad is headed our way."
Madoc laughed. "Something bad is always headed our way." He offered her a kind smile. "Don't worry, Nike. We have victory on our side."
A chill went down her spine at that. Madoc was hiding something. She could feel it. "Then I'll leave you to your duties."
Madoc watched as she left him alone. They had won this round. The Skoti and Zeth were returned to their fold. He was freed and they had Jared once again in their corner and Jericho hadn't been turned.
But like Nike, he felt the rift and it chilled him. They had established a new order, but for how long?
Zeus and the others would be plotting along with Noir and Azura.
Sighing, he looked back out at the raging sea. Right now, he had no doubt it was going to get bloodier before all the wounds were healed. His only question was who, if any of them, would survive?
