Soul Bound (Moonstone Saga #2)(22)
Author: Courtney Cole

“Details,” Apollo shrugged.  “You made the choice.  No one forced you.  But you should be happy.  You have passed this challenge.  You were able to overcome your soft emotions and act as a true goddess.  A true goddess must be calculating when need be and not focused on her heart.”

“Why do you not sound more upset?” I asked suspiciously.  “I just passed a challenge, which means that we have another point and you do not.  Shouldn’t you be upset by that?”

My foot bumped Branwyn’s lifeless body and I cringed, yanking it back.  I couldn’t help myself and glanced down.  Branwyn stared up at me, her sightless eyes fixated on my face.  Her back was twisted unnaturally.  I gulped.

“What is going on here?”

Brennan’s voice thundered from across the creek.  My head snapped back and I whirled to face him. 

“Brennan.  It’s fine.  Go back to the village. I’m okay here.”

Brennan stood on the edge of the water, his face both confused and determined.  I saw a muscle tighten in his jaw as he examined the situation.  He glanced at his father.

“Apollo, I presume?” Brennan sounded confident and secure, but I could feel his emotions.  He was unsettled, nervous.  He looked back to me.

“Empusa, this might be an obvious question, but why are you naked?”

The muscle in his jaw clenched tighter and if the situation had been less serious, I would have laughed at his expression.

“Trust me, you have nothing to worry about,” I assured him drily.  “Please, Brennan.  Just go back.  I’ve got it handled here.”

In an instant, before I could breathe or move, he stood next to me.  Quickly, he knelt and felt for a pulse at Branwyn’s neck.  Looking up at me in concern, he stood once more.

“Yes, I can see that,” he answered.  “Completely handled.”

“It’s not what you think,” I started shakily.  “This was a challenge.  I passed.”

“You look infinitely better,” Brennan observed.  “Branwyn?”

I knew what he was asking…if I had fed on Branwyn to regain my strength.  I nodded wordlessly.

“I’m glad you’re here, son,” Apollo said conversationally.

He stepped forward so that we formed our own little circle.  It was too intimate to remain naked, so I quickly imagined myself wearing clothing.  Instantly, it was so.  I was dressed in a knee-length gray shift, belted loosely at the waist with a black leather cord.  Neither man noticed. There were each too focused on each other.

“Don’t call me son,” Brennan instructed politely but firmly.  “I do not know you. And from what I’ve heard about you recently, I’m not sure that I want to know you.” 

“Oh, Brennan,” Apollo replied breezily, seemingly unfazed by his son’s statement.  “You don’t truly know what you want.  You’re still mortal.”

“Again, from what I’ve seen lately, being mortal is starting to seem like a good thing.” Brennan’s eyes flickered to Branwyn’s body as he spoke and I fought a wave of nausea.   I had killed her.  It was unavoidable.  I had taken her life.  And Brennan was right.  If I had been mortal, it never would have been necessary.

“You do not know what you speak of,” Apollo answered pleasantly.  “Eventually you will learn that all that you currently believe is flawed.  Once you are immortal, nothing will seem the same.  Trust me.”

“Trust you?” Brennan answered incredulously.  “Trust you.  That’s funny.  I don’t even know you.  But I know that somehow you forced Em into a corner here today.  She never would have taken Branwyn’s life on her own.  I know that you want to send Empusa to the Underworld or even worse, you’d like her dead.  And for what?  Just so that you can control my abilities.  Did it ever occur to you that I won’t be controlled?”

He was adamant, firm and very, very confident.  He stood proud and tall, the wind rustling through his honey-colored hair.  I had never felt so proud of him and I took his arm.  He was afraid, but fear is what makes bravery possible.  In overcoming the fear, you make yourself stronger.

“You certainly are my son,” Apollo replied smoothly.  “You think just as I do.  I would never allow anyone to control me, either, if I could possibly avoid it.  You and I are a great deal alike, Brennan.”

“I doubt that I am much like you.  If you knew me at all, you would have known that you had a greater chance of winning me to your side if you just come to me and explained your position.  Trying to strong arm me by threatening the woman that I love… all that did was turn me away from you,” Brennan spit angrily.  “Go back to Olympus.  I don’t want anything from you.  Empusa just scored a point for us.  I daresay that we will win here and this entire conversation will be moot.”

Apollo threw his head back and laughed.

“Oh, Brennan.  You still have mortal thoughts and naivety.  It is amusing, but you will not win.  And even if you do, you’ll have had to gain that victory by doing unthinkable things… as Empusa has just proven.  In the unlikely event that you do actually win, I guarantee that you will wish you had not.  You aren’t like the gods.  Your guilt will weigh you down.  You will wish you had never met Empusa at all.”

“Never,” Brennan answered angrily.  “That will never happen.  Return to Olympus, Apollo.  Tell them that we are ready for whatever they want to throw at us.”

“I do like your spirit, son,” Apollo chuckled.  “But you should learn to never poke at the gods.  You won’t enjoy it when we poke back.”

With that, Apollo disappeared, although we could still hear his laughter for a moment after he left.  I stood quietly, facing Brennan while I avoided looking at Branwyn.

“Are you okay?” Brennan asked quietly.  I tried to form an answer, but found that I couldn’t, not without breaking down.  Instead, I shook my head as tears ran down my cheeks.  I felt weak, but I couldn’t help it.  What I had just done was suddenly crashing down around me and it was all I could see.

“Come here,” he said quickly, grabbing my hand and pulling me to him.  I buried my face against his chest, trying to block out Branwyn.