“Roland—“

“Better yet, show me.” Without waiting for a response, his head dipped down and deftly captured Ree’s mouth. She gasped in shock and he took advantage of the moment to plunder her mouth. When one of his hands slid under her hair to cup her neck, she closed her eyes and melted into the kiss.

A surge of memories pounded through her head, transporting her to another time: Tria as a tiny girl with a dark-haired boy in a field of tall wheat, laughing and giggling. It was replaced with a girl of twelve or thirteen standing in the corner at a party, watching a devilishly good-looking boy dancing with her friend. There was the image of Roland bringing her a flower, his face wreathed in a happy smile, while Tria’s heart beat rapidly in her chest.

Then, as if her memories were running parallel to the present, she saw their first kiss. His hands shook when they cupped her face and Tria laughed at his nerves. So many moments ran through her mind, filling her with a sadness that made tears run down her cheeks.

Something in her soul felt as if it was shriveling. One of the threads that held her tied to this body seemed to snap, dying from the pain of the moment. She was sharing her first kiss with Roland as Ree, but Tria was kissing him goodbye. Part of her would always love Roland, there was no denying it. But he needed to start over, to find the one that really held the other half of his soul.

As if sensing where her thoughts were going, his kiss intensified, demanding her attention. Running her hands over his chest, she laid one against his neck before slowly pulling away. He pressed his forehead against hers, his breathing heavy, his eyes closed as if he was in pain.

A growl ripped through the room and Roland spun so Ree was behind him. Paden slammed into Roland with the force of a freight train, knocking Roland back into Ree. She stumbled, but it only took Roland a split second to regain his footing. Grabbing Paden by the shoulders, he flung him away from them both. Stepping away from Ree, Roland intercepted Paden’s next strike and blocked the punch aimed for his face.

“Paden!” Ree’s heart slammed into her chest and she moved to try to intervene. She was too slow though, and Paden managed to connect his fist with Roland’s jaw. The Dark One was knocked backward to slide along the floor. Paden stayed on him as if they were tied together. Jumping onto Roland’s chest, Paden raised his fist to hit him again. Instead of fighting back, Roland deflected the blow. Paden’s knuckles crashed through the hardwood floor with a loud crack and sent splinters flying. His first punch was followed by the second and third, leaving the floor around Roland’s head obliterated.

Bryce and Weylin flew into the room and tried to pull Paden off of Roland, but he shrugged them both off like flies. Ree stepped forward and grabbed his shoulders. Paden tensed, but didn’t stop his assault on Roland.

“Paden, stop!” Ree pulled at his shoulder, but he didn’t budge.

“No.” Paden’s voice growled the word and his attack grew in ferocity. His pain filled every crevice in Ree’s mind and she would do anything to make it better, but she couldn’t let him beat Roland. She had let Roland kiss her and she deserved Paden’s wrath more than anyone else. Grabbing the power, Ree threw it around Paden and Roland, using it to pull them apart. She lifted them both into the air a foot from the ground.

“Put me down, Ree. I’m not done.” Paden snarled in her direction and Roland brushed some of the blood away from his eyes.

“We had a deal, Paden.” Roland’s voice was tired, his movements weary. Ree couldn’t help but notice he didn’t refer to Paden as godling, and that made her nervous and sad.

“I don’t care. I’m going to rip you apart.”

“Don’t be a sore loser, godling.” Roland sneered at Paden with more of his normal attitude. “You took the bet, and I won.”

Paden growled again, but didn’t say anything else. Ree was surprised there was a trace of guilt sliding through his anger and hurt. What did he have to feel guilty about?

“I don’t know what you two are talking about, but if I put you down can you behave?” Ree looked at Paden, letting him know she was mainly concerned about his behavior.

“I don’t know. Can you keep your hands off of him?” Paden’s angry voice sliced at Ree’s heart, but it was no less than she deserved.

“Yes, I can.” Ree looked at Paden, knowing he could feel her guilt and shame. Yes, she let Roland kiss her, but she would never love someone the way she loved Paden. After a moment Paden jerked his head in agreement and Ree lowered the shield separating them. Ree looked around the room and realized the others had left them alone, obviously not wanting to be there for whatever was about to happen.

“We had a deal, Paden.” Roland wiped at his nose and grimaced. Paden merely growled and looked anywhere but at Ree.

“What are you talking about?” Ree looked between Roland and Paden.

“We made a bet at your parent’s house. I killed the most Dark Ones and he agreed to my terms.” Looking far more uncomfortable than Ree had ever seen Roland, he looked down at the floor.

Suspicion gnawed at Ree as she remembered their last bet; Paden had won and had taken her home with the intention of staying the night. Not that anything untoward would have happened, but he’d wanted to be the one to protect her.

“What were your terms, Roland?” Ree looked at him and put her hands on her hips.

“To kiss you.” Roland frowned and looked at Paden. “And I thought it was without recourse on his part, but apparently I should have been clearer.”

Ree sucked in a breath and tried to not lose her tenuous hold on calm. Turning her wide eyes to Paden, she caught his grimace. Paden had bet a kiss with Ree, like she was some type of object to trade, as if her kisses were a commodity. No wonder he was feeling guilty.

“You bet a kiss with me?” Ree felt her face fill with her hurt.

“I didn’t think you would really kiss him.” Paden looked away from her face. “I didn’t think he would win.”

“He did win! If my kisses meant something to you then you wouldn’t have taken the chance.” Shaking her head, Ree took a deep breath.

“No, Ree. That’s not it. It was stupid.” Paden took a step in her direction but stopped when she glared at him.

“Who else did you make that bet with? Weylin and Bryce? Melanie and Juliette?” Ree crossed her arms and cocked her hip. “Is there anyone else I owe a kiss?”

“It was wrong, Ree. But you did kiss him. How could you do that?” Paden looked at her with sad eyes. “I thought…” His voice trailed off, leaving her to decipher what he was thinking.

“Paden, I’m sorry.” Ree felt tears welling up in her eyes. No matter how angry she was about the bet, she had done something unforgivable.

“She was letting me say goodbye to Tria.” Roland cleared his throat, drawing both of their attention. “I needed to let go.” A staggering breath escaped him and Ree knew he had felt the same thing she had. There would always be something between them, the memory of what had been in one life, but it wasn’t what either of them deserved. And Ree had found that person in this life. The gods had sent him to protect her. She could only hope she hadn’t messed it up royally at this point.

Paden’s eyes snapped to Ree’s face and she could feel his emotions wavering between anger, hurt, guilt, and oddly enough, understanding. Not sure what to say or how to act, Ree turned on her heel and walked out of the house. She wanted to throw herself at Paden, to plead for him to forgive her. She wanted to hit him for treating her like a prize in a bet, and she wanted to comfort Roland.

Since she didn’t think any of those things would go over well, she left. For the first time in the last few weeks, she felt like a true coward. She needed to regroup and she couldn’t do that while she was around either of those guys.

Without slowing, Ree made her way down the dock and hopped onto the boat. She avoided eye contact with everyone and sat down next to Ellie. The older woman smiled and put her arm around Ree’s shoulders.

Roland and Paden were the last to embark. A tense silence blanketed the boat as Roland pulled away from the dock and headed for the island. In an odd way, Ree was grateful no one was talking. At this point, she didn’t feel like she could hold a conversation without completely losing it.

Chapter Six

Everyone disembarked quietly. The trip had been uncomfortable at best, no one speaking unless they had to. Ree was the first to scramble out of the boat, her mind in a million places and an intense desire to be alone pushing her toward the large house.

She didn’t stop until she was closing the door to her room, where she leaned her forehead against the heavy wood. Her breathing became difficult, tears slipped out from under her closed eyelids and down her cheeks. In the span of hours, her life had gone from really bad to even worse.

Her parents were running for their lives, her protector and friend had died saving her, and she had cheated on Paden. To top it all off, her friends were on the lam . Snorting, she dragged her hand across her nose and turned around so the back of her head could lean against the door. It was too much for any person to handle, too much for anyone to really process. It would be easier to just keep plowing forward, but today had shaken her to her core.

Wanting nothing more than to take a hot shower and to go to sleep, Ree headed for her bathroom. Stopping midstride, she looked around. Something was off and she couldn’t put her finger on what it was that bothered her. Slowly, she ran her eyes across the room, hesitating on the chair next to the bed.

A velvety chuckle glided through the air and where the empty chair had caught Ree’s attention, a dark haired woman sat with her legs crossed.

“So, your senses really have heightened.” Smiling, the goddess leaned further back into the chair. “I was wondering if you’d be able to tell I was here.”

“Who are you?” Ree narrowed her eyes at the woman. She was not in the mood for company, and a god was the last person she would want to talk to even if she wasn’t in the mood for quiet.

“Aphrodite.” The woman pursed her lips. “Goddess of love. Yadda, yadda, yadda.” She waved her hand flippantly, looking bored with her introduction.

“Aphrodite.” Ree stated the name calmly, but the last thing in the world she wanted to talk about was love.

“Of course, dear. There are important things happening right now and I figured you might need a motherly figure to talk to.” Smiling wickedly, Aphrodite motioned at her body. Ree couldn’t help but snort. There was nothing motherly about Aphrodite. She looked like a runway model, complete with designer outfit and awkward-looking shoes.

“Actually, I’m not really in the mood to talk to anyone. But, thanks for the offer.” Ree thought about walking out of the room, but didn’t want to turn her back on the goddess. “Maybe another time.”

Aphrodite uncrossed her legs and tsked under her breath. Standing up, she walked toward Ree and gently wrapped her fingers around her wrist. Tugging carefully, the goddess pulled Ree over to the bed and sat on the edge.

Fighting the urge to pull herself free of the goddess’s hold, Ree sat next to the lovely woman on the bed and frowned. She wasn’t sure what the goddess wanted and it made her nervous to sit so close to a deity that could kill her with one thought.

“Now, tell me what happened.” Aphrodite cocked her head to the side, her expression open and interested. Pulling up one leg up on the bed she turned to face Ree, looking like a girl at a sleep over party dishing for details.

“I’m not sure what you want to hear about.” Ree brushed a hand over her face.

“I’m the goddess of love, Alastriana.” Narrowing her eyes, Aphrodite poked Ree in the shoulder. “Tell me about the kiss.”

“I guess you mean my kiss with Roland? Why do you really care?”

“I have a soft spot for Roland. Let’s say I’m one of the few gods that actually care about how he has been treated.” For the first time, Aphrodite looked fierce. “He’s been treated poorly from the beginning and I have a habit of rooting for the underdog.”

“Then why did you send Paden to watch over me? Why did you put us in this horrible place? Both of them are going to hate me before this is all over!” Ree stood up and glared at the goddess. “Why did you let Roland think he was my soul mate? Why didn’t you keep me from kissing him and hurting Paden?”

Aphrodite stood up suddenly. She seemed much taller than Ree, and there was an angry fire flashing in her eyes. “Sit down little girl. I might be underestimated by my brethren, but I am a goddess and will be given the respect I deserve.”

“You have to earn respect and so far all I’ve seen is manipulation and pain! I’m tired of hurting. I’m tired of watching the people I love hurt!” Ree screamed at the goddess, her rage taking over her common sense.

“Sit down, Ree. And let’s talk.” Aphrodite suddenly looked tired and waved a hand at the bed. “Let’s see if we can’t clear up this mess.”

Startled by the goddess’s change in temperament, Ree’s rage left her and she was even more tired. Sitting back down on the bed, Ree turned to face the goddess and watched her with cautious eyes.

“Casualties in war are an expected consequence.” Sitting down next to Ree, Aphrodite’s eyes stared off into space. “Mothers left with children to rear by themselves, innocent people caught in the cross fire, and heroes that are willing to give their lives so others will be safe. Sometimes when you are coming up with a strategy, there are things sacrificed for the greater good.”

Ree watched the goddess’s face closely. This was the most a god had spoken to Ree, and she didn’t want to miss anything.

“When the dark gods decided to take Roland from Tria, they were hoping Tria would be too soft to kill someone that she had loved. They had hoped his face would make her weak. In some ways, they were right. She hadn’t been able to kill him, but she had proven stronger than anyone could have hoped. She gave her life to return his humanity. She was the exact reason we were fighting for our planet. Humans have an amazing capacity for love. It’s one of your greatest strengths.” Pausing, Aphrodite opened her eyes and looked at Ree shrewdly.

“It’s also a weakness.” Ree looked at the goddess with open eyes.

“A double-edged sword.” Aphrodite nodded. “But I think you are strong enough to use it in the right way.”

Running her hand over her face again, Ree grunted. “I don’t feel strong enough. I have no idea how to navigate this mess, and I feel like I need to figure it out before it explodes in our faces.”