Page 97 of Lucifer's Mirror
“I thought I was safe within the wards.”
“The wards won’t protect you forever.”
A warning or a threat?
Chapter 46
Where I Learn a Few Things...
Khaostiturnshishorsewithout another word and leads us back to the stables. There’s a lamp glowing inside, and I heave a sigh of relief as I slide off Stella’s back.
It’s been a long, emotionally charged day, and I’m happy for it to be over. But not until I’ve had some dinner. I missed lunch, and my stomach is growling. We work in silence as we get hay and water for the horses before heading back to the house; again in silence. I leave Khaosti to go wash up, and when I get to the kitchen, they are all already seated.
I glance at Winter, who is looking much better, though she still keeps mostly to herself. Now her eyes are red. She was fond of Zayne as well.
“Sorry, I’m late,” I mutter to the world in general. “We took a little unscheduled detour on the way back.”
I slip into my seat. Thanouq pours me a glass of red wine and slides it across the table. His expression is sympathetic.
“He’ll be fine,” he says. “He’s strong. I’ve never seen anyone take control of their beast so quickly.”
“Once he managed to change at all,” Khaosti mutters.
“Aw, you’re just jealous because he can fly,” I say with a grin. I turn back to Thanouq. “I know he’ll be fine. I also understand why he had to go, so I’m good. But I’ll still miss him.” I take a sip of wine. It’s rich, deep, and delicious.
Hecate hands me a bowl of potatoes and vegetable stew, and I tuck in. Only when my second bowl is empty do I sit back with a sigh to find them all watching me. “What? I was hungry.”
Thanouq leans across and tops off my wine. I can feel a faint buzz in my brain, and normally I’d stop—I need to keep my wits about me—but I guess I can ease up a little for one night.
“So,” I say, “when I was lost this evening, I stumbled on this place. I think it was a temple or something, though it looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time. Can you tell me about it?” I direct the question at Hecate—she does live here after all, and I get the impression she’s lived here for a long, long time. How long, she hasn’t seen fit to tell me.
“The temple of the goddess Selene,” she replies.
“That’s who the statue is?”
“Yes,” Winter says. “My people worship her.” It’s the first time she’s mentioned her people.
“There was an engraving underneath the statue,” I say. “A flying horse with a horn like a unicorn.”
“An alicorn,” Hecate says. “Selene was an alicorn shifter.”
“Wow. You mean there are actually people who can change into flying unicorns?”
She shakes her head. “No. Just the goddess.”
“And I thought only men could shift.”
“I guess the rules change when you’re arealgoddess,” Hecate says. “And there has never been another alicorn shifter. Just as there has never been another dragon shifter since her mate, Vortex.”
More wow! Dragons?
I frown. “Are Selene and Vortex really gods? I mean, did they actually exist? Or is this just a myth, like they have on Earth?”
“Of course they’re real. They lived on the Astral Plane, which existed before the other worlds. Perhaps it’s always existed. The Astralis are direct descendants of Selene and Vortex. Khronus can trace his bloodline directly back to them. And so can the prince here.”
I’ve avoided looking at Khaosti up to now—it’s a survival mechanism. I glance at him. His nostrils are flaring—a sure sign he’s pissed off about something.
He catches my gaze, and I stare back, a question in my eyes. He ignores it and turns his attention to Hecate. “Don’t sneer,” he says. “You’re pure Astrali yourself. No better than the rest of us.”
