Chapter 101

I just stare at Tony, baffled. “You’re real,” I whisper.

“I mean, only kind of,” he says back, lifting his face up to the water, apparently relishing the feel of it against his skin. “I think only conceptually, if that makes sense.”

“It doesn’t,” I growl, closing my eyes and rubbing my hand over my nose, which still aches. God, is it seriously broken?

I hear movement and open my eyes to see Anton moving to sit next to me on the floor, his back too against the glass wall of the shower. “Can’t you heal that up?” he asks.

I just look at him like he’s crazy.

“June,” Anton says, smiling and laughing at me a little, reaching out probably to wipe the blood off of my face. I flinch away, scowling. “I think you have been practicing using your powers for a while now – but what you’ve been doing is just…mimicking the magic you’ve seen other people use.”

“Get to the point, Anton,” I mutter, closing my eyes again against the pain.

“You mimicked Cora’s weather magic, and Ariel’s flame, and even some of Death’s fancy tricks. Like stealing voices. So, why don’t you try to use your mom’s healing magic and patch yourself up?”

I sit up a bit in shock at this suggestion, realizing that of course…he’s right. “Why do you know all these things?” I snap, turning to glare at him a bit, jealous that he’s putting it all together before me. Even as I speak I follow his advice though, calling on my power in the form of how I remember my mom’s healing magic, all lavender and calm and lovely.

“Because,” Anton says with a happy sigh, watching me work. “It’s my job to observe you, June. Help you put things together.”

“No, it’s not,” I grumble. “You’re just a creepy voyeur who is obsessed with me.”

Anton bursts into laughter as I lift my hands – which glow with a pretty, soft purple light – and press them to my face, letting the magic spread there. I moan in relief as it immediately takes effect, skin and tissue and muscle knitting back together, bones – if they were truly broken in the first place – snapping back into place.

“Better?” Tony murmurs, reaching out and stroking a hand over my hair, sweet and attentive as he aways is.

I turn my eyes to him. “So, is that how I could breathe?” I whisper.

He cocks his head to the side, confused.

“Under the water,” I say quietly, sitting quite still as he moves his hand to my face, wiping away what’s left of the blood from around my nose. “I…mimicked your magic? Did the whole…breathing under water thing?”

“I guess so,” he murmurs. “Though the way you did it was different. When I’m underwater I simply don’t need air – I just tell people I can breathe underwater because it’s the easiest way to explain it. But you, Princess June – you were breathing.”

I wrinkle my nose, wrapping my arms around my knees and resting my head against them, confused. “I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I,” Anton murmurs, leaning a little closer to me, smiling softly. “But…you’re very powerful, June. You vanished away a God today – just sent him skittering elsewhere. And he tried to kill you and nothing happened.”

“He almost go you though,” I whisper, remembering it, horror coiling in the pit of my stomach. Anton – if he were gone – if I truly lost him –

“Oh, nah,” Anton says, far too casual, giving me a big cocky grin. “I already died once this year, I’m not doing it again –“

“Anton!” I gasp, appalled at the joke, lifting my head.

But he just laughs and shakes his head at me. “I’m sticking with you, June. You keep things interesting.”

I lean a little closer to him in turn, my wolf whining with want. “You like me for more reasons than just being interesting.”

“Yes,” he murmurs, his voice dropping low, his hand moving over my hair and dipping behind my neck. “Yes, I do.”

My eyes flutter shut and I go a bit still when I feel his lips press…

Against my forehead. Not my mouth, as I wanted.

My eyes fly open as Anton leans away. “Why don’t we get you out of this shower, June?” he says softly, his eyes fixed on mine. “You can’t be damp all day. You’re not a seal, like Laila.”

I can’t hide my scowl and he grins when he sees it.

“Oh, go away,” I growl, blushing, embarrassed. Does he…does he not want to kiss me anymore? Was that – was everything that happened under the water just about keeping me alive?

Oh my god. Was he just trying to give me air…and then I kissed him!? And he just…went with it because if he told me he didn’t want to kiss me then I’d like…die!?

Anton laughs, standing up. “I’ll be out in the living room with the others, okay?” he says. “Come out soon. If you don’t I’m coming back in here to haul you out.”

I just grumble something and flip my hand at him, embarrassed and confused. He leaves quietly, shaking the water from his hair in a very charming wolfish way when he steps out of the shower. I watch as he leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

And then I slump back against the glass wall of the shower, genuinely starting to worry for my sanity.

Because I just cheated death, and defied a god, and discovered an incredible well of power that apparently does…whatever the hell I want it to.

And seriously?

Seriously!? The thing that I’m most worried about right now is…whether or not my crush likes me back!?

I groan, feeling very pathetic, slumping back against the wall of the shower with a sigh.

He likes us, my wolf says, curling up cozy in my soul and giving me a little nudge with her long, pointy snout. Don’t worry.

“He’d better,” I snarl aloud. “Or else I’m going to zap him.”

A little lightening flickers in my palm as I lift it, making me smile.

When I step out of the bathroom a short while later I’m much more composed and put together. My hair is magically blown out, my makeup subtle but pretty, and my clothes…

Well, even if my dark grey leggings and chunky black sweater aren’t precisely the wardrobe of someone who has just declared her intent to claim the Underworld for herself…I don’t know. I feel cozy and cute, which feels more important at this moment.

“Junie!” Laila says, giving me a pretty smile over the edge of the couch. “Come, we have chicken soup!”

“Really?” I ask, my eyes going wide as my stomach growls. Honestly, I didn’t even think about whether or not I was hungry, but now that it’s been offered…

I hastily cross, waving a little hello to Tony, who sits on the couch with Laila, and Orion who lounges casually in an armchair across from the one that I take. I gratefully accepting the little bowl of soup that Laila stands up to hand to me, sniffing deeply, salivating at the scent. I ignore the spoon, bringing the bowl directly to my lips and taking a long sip of the broth.

As the smell suggested, it’s very tasty and warming.

“Damn, dig right in, June,” Anton teases. I glare at him over the edge of my bowl and let out a little snarl between sips.

“It’s hungry work, saving lives,” Orion chimes in, going hard for a joke but failing a bit in the delivery. My eyes move to him next and my wolf whines a bit with worry.

“How are you handling all of this?” I ask, lowering my soup to my lap and frowning at my friend.

“I don’t know, June,” Orion says, awkward, looking down into his own lap. “I mean, the further we got into the Game the more I saw how terrible it was. And the more ashamed I felt for going along with it in the first place. I don’t blame you for going after dad – not at all – not after that bullshit he pulled today…”

His words fade off awkwardly, and I can tell that he’s not finished – he just doesn’t want to say what’s truly on his mind.

“Say it,” I blurt out, my words steelier than I thought they’d be.

Slowly, Orion lifts his head, shame mingling with confusion on his face. “Well, you kind of…claimed my birthright today, Juniper.”

“What?” I whisper, my eyes going a bit wide.

“When you told my father that you were taking his land? And his throne, his crown? You’re…taking them from me too.”

I sit back against my chair, realizing – again, stupidly too late – that Orion’s right. That in taking them from his father…I am changing the lineage. But as I study my friend, who I care about deeply, a strange little bit of anger begins to coil in me as well.

“So?” I ask, cold and bitter, a frown turning down my lips. “Honestly, Orion, this is the first time – in words or in action – that I’ve actually seen you give any indication that you want the land and the crown.”

Slowly Orion’s mouth drops open in shock. Laila and Tony likewise stare at me with wide eyes.