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her eyelashes
fluttering low to cast long shadows over her cheeks. “The Tradition has chosen
Nelina to fill that role.”
    “And if I refuse?”
    From behind, Thor placed a hand on his shoulder. His grip
was firm but insistent, the threat all too clear. “You won’t.”

* * * * *
    “Are you sure we’re doing the right thing?”
    Vida curled into the crook of Shivar’s outstretched arm.
They were alone, the Guardians having left almost an hour earlier.
    “No.” She inhaled his scent, spicy and masculine, and closed
her eyes. “But what choice do we have?”
    “You could have told him what you’d seen. If the Tradition
demands a new king, Kirel should know it could be him.”
    She looked up, blinked away the tears that sprung to her
eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know which Guardian is meant to take your
place. The Fates kept that from me.”
    The worry lines etched on Shivar’s brow deepened. “But
you’re certain I’m meant to step down? Now? When Aris needs me the most?”
    Vida nodded wordlessly. Guilt clutched at her heart. Gods,
she was selfish. She’d been so relieved to learn Shivar wouldn’t be mated with
Nelina and so preoccupied with what this could mean for her that she’d barely
given a second thought to the turmoil he must be feeling. He’d been a good king
to Aris. If not for his inability to father an heir, he might have been
remembered as one of the best.
    “Aris needs the Tradition now more than ever,” she said
softly. “We need the protection of the Fates and their favor. They’ve chosen a
new king. For better or worse, we have to obey their wishes.”
    Shivar cupped her ass, pulling her closer. He rested his
cheek on the top of her head. “Kirel hates this, you know. He wouldn’t want to
rule. He’s longed for freedom for as long as I’ve known him.”
    “There’s more than one way to experience freedom. Perhaps
he’ll find what he’s looking for in Nelina’s arms.”
    “And if he’s not the one the Tradition has chosen? What
then?”
    Vida drew in a breath then released it on a shuddering sigh.
She’d served the Fates willingly for almost three centuries but that service
had taken its toll. The Fates had blessed her with unnatural long life, yet the
Tradition’s gifts always came with a price.
    Over the years, she’d watched family members, friends and
lovers grow old and perish. She mourned them all, aghast at the way they were
so quickly forgotten by the new generation that sprung up to take their place.
    Vida remembered each of them. Every face, every laugh, every
touch had been permanently imprinted on her memory. Each time she lost someone
close to her, she feared the space in her heart would finally be filled, like
adding one more drop of wine to an already brimming goblet, and she’d never be
able to care for anyone again.
    She knew she couldn’t endure watching Shivar wither away
into nothingness to be erased from the world as though he’d never existed at
all. Yet now for the first time, there was hope. Her duty was almost at an end.
    She’d finally be allowed to step back from the
responsibility of being the vessel that carried the Fates’ wishes to the people
of Aris. She could settle down, grow old…perhaps even at Shivar’s side.
    Tears clogged her throat.
    All she had to do was carry out this one last task. The
Fates had made it clear she wouldn’t like the consequences if she disappointed them. Until the Tradition revealed its true intention, Kirel had to be kept in
the dark, like everyone else.
    “At least he still has a chance,” she said. “If Nelina had
been meant for you, there would be nothing he could do to stop fate from taking
its course.”
    Shivar’s hand came up to rest on Vida’s hip. He swirled his
thumb over her bare skin. “Kirel will never accept another man laying claim to
his woman.”
    Vida’s teeth dug into her lower lip. And you ? she
wanted desperately to ask. Would you have let your woman go so