Page 34 of Worship Me

I wondered if she’d remember her “home” for much longer. I shoved the thought away, offered her breakfast, and started the final leg of our journey.

“You said you’re taking me to Atlantis, right?” she asked after we’d walked in silence for a time. She kept her voice low in fear of attracting more feral Arcadians, and I appreciated it more than she could imagine.

I nodded. “It won’t be long.”

“Are all peacocks from there?”

“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “Peacocks came from all over Arcadia. They thrived. Their colors brightened this world. They were peaceful.”

“You’re talking about them in the past tense,” she said slowly.

“The peacocks felt in danger here, and they all fled for safety. I couldn’t protect them.” An admission that haunted me, like so many other failures.

“The goddess?” she guessed, and I nodded in confirmation. “How many are left?”

“These three are the last that I know of, besides you.”

“Are they all black like me?”

“No, you are the only black peacock to have ever lived.” And the only one that ever would.

“Wow ... really?” The realization filled her voice with awe and wonder. “And they live in Atlantis? Like, the Atlantis that sank into the sea? At least, that’s how the story goes on Earth ...” When she trailed off, she looked at me to fill in the gaps.

I worried I might tell her too much, but I knew she couldn’t piece it all together. She was missing crucial pieces of the puzzle that only I could give her.

“Atlantis didn’t sink,” I started, tilting my head to watch her reaction. “Not in the way you’re likely thinking. It was razed by the goddess. It once held her worshippers, but like all evolving creatures, they had the ability to think. Analyze. Form opinions. When some dissented in their beliefs, she sent a tidal wave. I tried to stop her, like I always do. But I couldn’t.”

Adora snorted in derision. “That bitch really has an ego the size of Texas, doesn’t she?”

“Texas?”

“An old territory on Earth. Big. Filled with mosquitoes and other things that want to kill you for no good reason.” She waved her hand around as she spoke. “Kinda like here, the more I think about it.”

I chuckled. Wonder consumed me. Would she be the same after she was taken by the priestesses? Would some of these qualities pass on to her? So much of her was different. I liked it. I wanted to keep her like this.

I wanted to keep her, period.

We walked in silence, but I found when she was quiet, I desired to know what was going on in her mind. Her thoughts were never what I expected.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked lightly.

“Meeting the other peacocks. I’m a little nervous and excited at the same time,” she admitted.

Again. Never what I expected. “Nervous?”

She nodded, looking up at me with soulful brown eyes. “Wouldn’t you be? I’ve never met any others like me. I have so many questions. But also, what if I don’t fit in? What if they don’t like my family?”

I almost stumbled. “Your family?”

“Well, yeah. I know the portal is wacky right now and I don’t know much about how to fix that yet, but I figured maybe once you have Flora and Fauna back, the portal will be fixed, and I can bring them through to meet the peacocks.” I slowed my pace, and it made her reduce her speed to match. “I ... I wasn’t planning on staying here permanently if there’s a way back to them. I figured I’d live in both places. Maybe we could see each other more.” Her fingers brushed against my arm lightly—her intention unmistakable. “You know, I mean, when you’re not dragging me through the jungle on a blackmail-fueled quest.”

Atlantis was just beyond the clearing. I didn’t want to go further. If I did, this moment was over, and my insides clenched and coiled in turmoil.

When I didn’t answer, she mistook my silence for rejection, and took hasty steps to put distance between us. “Or not, which is totally okay too—”

I grabbed her wrist, twirling her around and tugging her to me. She pulled her blade from her hip in an instant, reflexes kicking in over being grabbed.

Throwing out my other hand to catch her weapon-wielding arm, I held firm, pulling her in and crushing my lips to hers. Her tense body relaxed, melting into mine as I pushed my tongue into her mouth, savoring her taste, hoping I could burn it into my mind just like this.