Eros’s gaze drops to our entwined hands, lingering there with growing confusion, the issue of the wards apparently forgotten.
“I hit you with the lead arrow.” He looks at me, bewilderment clear in his voice. “You should hate him, not...” He gestures between us, at the obvious connection binding us together. “This isn’t possible.”
Riven’s arms tighten around my waist. “With Sapphire, anything’s possible,” he says, and then he’s kissing me, his love pulsing through me, dangerously overwhelming and insanely intoxicating at the same time.
With tremendous effort, I pull back, breaking the kiss.
He chases my lips for a heartbeat before stopping, his silver eyes hazy with desire and confusion.
“Riven,” I murmur, framing his face again, brushing a thumb over his lower lip. “Stay with me. Focus.”
Slowly, he blinks, awareness returning to his gaze. “Sapphire,” he whispers my name like a plea. “I’m sorry. I didn’t…” he trails off, a flicker of shame crossing his features. “The magic is stronger here. It’severywhere.”
A chuckle breaks through our moment, and we turn to face Eros.
The god of love is watching us with a smug, amused smirk, golden eyes glittering with a fascination I don’t trust.
“Remarkable,” he drawls, shaking his head. “Truly remarkable.”
“What’s remarkable?” I narrow my eyes, shifting protectively toward Riven.
“The energy I feel between you two.” Eros tilts his head, studying us. “It’s the sort of love caused by the gold arrow. Undying love. Consuming love. The kind of love that devours everything in its path.”
I raise an eyebrow, deliberately casual despite the unease prickling along my spine. “Maybe your bow’s broken,” I suggest, watching carefully for his reaction.
“Broken?” He scoffs. “My bow is divine. It’s crafted from the threads of fate itself. It can’tbreak.”
“Interesting.” I shrug again. “Maybe you should check?”
“There’s nothing to check, Star Touched.” Eros laughs, the sound like golden bells ringing through the garden. “My bow has been perfect since the beginning of time.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” He reaches behind him, and his bow materializes in his hands, a stunning weapon of gleaming gold and silver.
Even from here, I can feel the power radiating from it, ancient and potent.
“Divine perfection.” He holds it up with pride. “Crafted by Hephaestus himself.”
In a flash, my fingers close around the Star Disc, and I hurl it toward Eros. Not at his body, but at the bow in his hands. The Disc slices through the air, a streak of starlight against the garden’s vibrant colors, connecting with Eros’s divine weapon with a sound like a thousand heartstrings snapping at once.
The bow splits cleanly in half, and then into quarters, falling from Eros’s grip as the Star Disc returns to my hand.
The god staggers back and drops to his knees, scooping the pieces into trembling hands. Desperately, he tries to fit them back together, fingers fumbling, his breath catching in panic. As he keeps trying, his wings droop, their glow dimming, as if the light within him is fading out.
The bow refuses to mend. Its power is gone. Extinguished. Broken, like the twisted love he forced upon us.
For the first time, he doesn’t look like a god. He looks… small. Vulnerable. Lost.
Slowly, he raises his head, confusion and fear glittering in his golden eyes. “What did you do?” he says softly, his gaze darting between us and the pieces of the bow in his hands.
“Balanced the scales,” I reply, my voice steadier than I feel. “You shot a lead arrow into my heart. You tried to make me hate the man I love. Consider this repayment for the trouble you caused.”
Riven steps forward, his hand firmly in mine. “It’s also a reminder that some things, once broken, can’t simply be forced back together,” he says, and there’s something in his tone that tells me he’s not just talking about the bow. “They need to be reforged. Remade. Changed into something new.”
Eros’s fingers curl around the pieces of his bow. “What do you want?” he demands, his voice tight with barely controlled rage. “You broke into my sanctuary, destroyed my divine weapon, and now you’re standing here looking...” He gestures atus with one hand. “Expectant. So, tell me, Princess of Summer and Winter, what exactly do you want from me?”
“We need your help,” I say simply. “We want you to fix what’s broken between us.”
