Page 57 of Vanquished Gods
Sion’s voice grew distant as he drained the last of his glass.
“He couldn’t stop himself,” I whispered. “And when did Maelor realize what he was?”
“A few days later, and he wanted to die. He kept trying to walk into the sun, but we were in it together, and I wasn’t going to let him burn himself alive. Becoming a vampire can amplify who you were before, and he’d already yearned for death, to return to his little girl. He fights his survival instincts more than any vampire I’ve met. I’ve made it my job to stop him from ending it all.”
There was a moment of silence, a heaviness settling between us like the weight of despair.
“You know, Sion, after everything you’ve been through, it’s amazing that you’re as mentally composed as you are.”
Sion’s expression softened, his eyes gleaming with something I couldn’t place, and that look sent a pulse of heat through my veins. “Was that actually a compliment?”
“I guess it was.” I stood, then cast a look at him. “Do you actually care what I think of you? Beyond me being the Underworld Queen who serves your cause?”
His eyes searched my face like he was trying to unravel a hidden meaning, and he took a step closer. “Yes, I care what you think of me, Elowen.”
His words caught me off guard, and something cracked the ice in my chest. “But why?”
His eyes danced with mischief over the rim of his wine glass. “Maybe I care about the opinion of a strong, fierce woman who fights for what she loves. Or maybe I’m just afraid you’ll drive a stake through my heart again. That really hurt, you know.”
“I thought you said I had no chance against you in a fight.”
“I’ve been known to bluff. And I know you’re always weighing dangerous ideas in that secretive mind of yours.”
Dangerous things like what Sion would do if I told him I’d been lying to him about Bran this entire time. “And what kind of dangerous things do you think I’m weighing?”
He closed the distance between us, his eyes darkening. A smile ghosted over his lips. “Like whether you want to drive a stake through my heart or kiss me again.”
My breath hitched, and the space between us felt charged. “Is a kiss so dangerous?”
“Maybe I crave you like Maelor craves blood.” His velvety voice slid over my skin, and he leaned down, his lips moving closer to mine.
“Because you belong with death, and here I am.”
He shook his head, and I thought I read a mournful expression in his eyes. “No, that’s not it at all.”
My heart slammed against my ribs, my blood ignited with heat.
His expression had turned smoldering, the air between us sparking, and the memory of our last kiss lingered on my lips,the way he’d made my body light up. I felt as if I were standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to take that plunge.
But another memory was also playing about inside my skull—the one of Rowena gloating about the prior night’s conquest.
Abruptly, I turned from him. “Well, I should go to bed. That’s not an invitation, in case you interpreted it as such.”
He dropped into my chair, refilling his wine. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of depriving you of the pleasure of depriving yourself pleasure.”
I woketo find Sion pacing silently before the window, his eyes once again locked on the sea.
The first rays of dawn stained the sky with violet and pink, and all I could think about as I watched him was how terrifying it must have been for them when they’d learned that the sun would kill them. That the very thing that gave us life and made plants grow would light them on fire.
I sighed, sitting up in bed, and Sion turned to look at me, his eyes like warm honey.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Who’s there?” Sion barked.
Through the door, a deep male voice boomed, “It’s Aelius. And we believe Maelor is gone. He took one of the cogs from the dock, and he’s left the island.”
CHAPTER 26