Taken by the Blood God (Devil Springs #4)

Chapter 33

Chapter

Thirty-Three

Talant

Three days.

It had been three days since I’d talked to Minerva. Four since I’d touched her. Held her. Slept beside her. It was strange. I’d been alive for so long that days and weeks seemed to pass in a blink most of the time. But the past three days…they felt like years.

When Davian came out of Minerva’s house after she locked me out with her magic, he carried a bag of the clothes Ally’s mate brought and a rolled-up blanket. The only thing he said to me was, “Give her time.”

I resolved myself to wait as long as it took. I was over a thousand years old. I could be patient. I had all the time in the world.

Three days later, I was ready to break down her door and beg her to talk to me. Or just to let me be near her. This was torture.

I’d taken the time to go to my hoard and exchange a few jewels and gold pieces for money. I used that money to buy a tent and a sleeping pallet that I set up in her back yard. It wasn’t as comfortable as Minerva’s bed, but I preferred to stay close to her.

I was sprawled in one her chairs by the firepit when she came outside. I froze, so focused on watching her that I didn’t think to stand up and move away. To give her the space she probably wanted.

She stopped a few feet from me, her hands clasped in front of her. We stared at each other in silence for a long moment.

“If you’re ready, I think we should talk,” she finally said.

“I’m ready.”

She nodded. “Come up on the porch. I’ll make us some tea.”

I nodded and got to my feet. I stayed quiet as I followed her up the steps.

She gestured to the table with two chairs on one side of the porch. “Sit down. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

I did as she commanded, rubbing my hands over the front of my thighs. My heart raced from equal parts anxiety and hope. I would tell her whatever she needed to know. Whatever she asked, I would tell her the truth.

Minerva returned in a few minutes with a tray holding a teapot and two cups. She poured the tea and set a cup in front of me. I thanked her, but she didn’t say anything. We sat in silence, drinking tea, as the day grew brighter around us. I wanted to say something, anything, to convince her to forgive me. I forced myself to remain silent. She wanted to talk to me. I would listen.

Finally, Minerva spoke.

“Why did you lie to me?”

I knew she would ask that. I had thought about what I would say, but it all sounded like empty excuses.

I took a deep breath and decided to tell her everything, to bare my soul.

“You were doing everything you could to keep distance between us, and I knew this would be another reason you would use. I wanted time with you before you found out the truth. I wanted you to see for yourself that I wasn’t the same person and that I wouldn’t treat you the way I treated Cassia.”

I glanced up at Minerva to find her watching me, her expression closed off. I had no idea what she might be feeling. I could use our bond to discover it, but that felt like another violation of her trust. I would have to navigate this without knowing what she was thinking. I kept talking, hoping that she would understand.

“I’m different now, and you have never been like Cassia. You are Minerva. I can see that, and I love who you are, not the aspects of you that once belonged to Cassia. I love you for who you are now, not for who Cassia was to me. You are not her magic. You are you, no matter how much of her power you have.”

I could see that she was listening to my words. She didn’t look happy, but she no longer looked angry either. I kept talking.

“I’m sorry I lied to you. I hope you’ll be able to forgive me. I did intend to tell you more about Cassia, her powers, and what that means for you as her Conduit, but I wasn’t sure how to do that without losing you. Your trust in me was so fragile. I knew if I told you immediately that there would never be trust between us. Ever.”

She sighed and put down her cup. “You’re not wrong,” she admitted. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days, and I’ve come to realize that I can be harsh and unwilling to compromise.” She shook her head. “You’re right. I never would have trusted you if you were honest with me up front. I wouldn’t have believed that your motives or actions were sincere. I always would have wondered if you had another agenda.”

Hope rose within me. “What about now?”

“Are there any more lies between us?” she asked instead of answering my question.

I shook my head. “No. No more lies. Even if you might wish that I would lie to you, I never will again.”

“Why would I wish that?”

“Because I love you. And I’m not going to hide that any longer. I’m going to be by your side, even if I must sleep in your backyard to do it. I’m not leaving you alone. Or abandoning you. I am yours, and I want you to choose to be mine. You have made it clear that you think gods and mortals cannot be mates, but that is what I want. I won’t hide that any longer.”

I leaned forward, wanting so badly to touch her that it was a physical ache. But I kept my hands clenched in my lap.

“I am sorry I lied to you, Minerva. I’m even more sorry that I hurt you with my lies. I will spend the rest of my days, and there will be too many to count, making it up to you. Everything I am. Everything I have. It all belongs to you.”

She swallowed hard and leaned back in her chair. “I want to believe you, Tal, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

I nodded. I understood. Minerva had spent so many years protecting herself, and the first time she’d let herself be vulnerable, I had hurt her.

“I understand,” I said. “You need time. And you need me to prove my words to you. I’ll be here every day. I’ll do everything I can to prove it to you. I’ll be here, waiting for you to let me back in or to tell me to leave you alone forever.”

She nodded. “And if it takes me a long time?”

“Then, I hope you don’t mind if I build myself a little cottage back here.”

The corners of her mouth quirked as though she wanted to smile, but the expression vanished quickly.

“Okay.”

I had to grip the sides of the chair when Minerva got to her feet and carried the tray back inside. Every instinct I possessed told me to follow her, but I knew it was the wrong thing to do. When she disappeared from my sight, I realized that I needed to do more than wait for her. I needed a plan on how to win her back.