Medusa's Desire (The Fate of Eros #1) (The Fate of Eros Series) (28 page)

"I thought if I sought comfort in Andromeda's arms that the whole thing would go away, but it made everything worse. It made me realize that even though I didn't kill you, I was a cruel man. I was so upset that I had destroyed you that much more.

"I felt like my father. Zeus killed his own dad and I killed my grandfather. He sleeps around and betrays his lovers. I've hurt you and Andromeda more than anyone has. All that I've done is unforgivable and selfish.

"I wanted to destroy your curse, so I took a mallet and destroyed one of your statues. In my head, it made sense to me, as if I were symbolically destroying your pain, but the result wasn't that. I imagined you dead, lying on the ground, by my hand because I couldn't rescue you. Every day that I failed to handle this correctly, was another day that I was messing up.

"You, on the other hand, the true victim of this whole thing, continue to stand strong. You didn't make a scene. You weren't rash like I was.

"Never has another woman changed my life as much as you. I always thought I was so brave, until I met you. You amaze me every day-the way you stand even when the whole world is against you.

"You're so beautiful and it scared me that someone so great could be brought down this way by the gods. I've been abandoned by them and gotten angry with them, but I've never actually been tortured by them. It meant that any of us, no matter how high up we are, could be annihilated by them at any time. I should be fighting them like you are, instead of cowering, but I got overwhelmed."

Tears streamed down Medusa's face. She hadn't expected this speech and it hurt to hear it. "So you were so horrified by my mangled body that you couldn't handle it? Don't you understand? I showed you how I looked because I wanted you to love me the way I am. You rejected me instead. You love what you see in the mirror, but that's not all that makes me who I am."

"I wasn't disgusted, though," Perseus said. "I was awed. The woman I saw in front of me was even more amazing than the one in the mirror.

"I once believed that I deserved you, but I know that it's no longer the case. I shouldn't dare say this, but I still love you. I couldn't speak to you after what I had done with Andromeda because I was unworthy. I think that's part of the reason I did it. I'm not good enough and I wanted to give you a reason to leave me, but the truth is I can't live without you.

"I don't blame you if you never forgive me. I'm not the man I thought I was. Everyone has their faults, but mine are enormous."

Medusa crossed her arms and paced the room. She wasn't sure what to say because she had been feeling the same way, like not only was Perseus better than her, but that he must have figured it out himself. She had even behaved as destructively as he did when she was at her worst. She remembered the people she had killed and how she had savored the feeling of having control over someone else's life. In the end, it always made her feel more worthless than she had in the beginning.

She considered telling Perseus about those murders as a way of helping him feel better, but she realized, once again, her sin was worse than his and as king it would be his duty to punish her for attacking the citizens of his kingdom. Even if he didn't kill her, she didn't want to force him into a position to make that choice.

She lifted his chin and kissed him gently on the lips. His eyes glowed with love. "I'll give you one more chance, but you
can not
sleep with Andromeda or any other woman again. If it happens, even one more time, I will leave you forever."

He shook all over and pulled her close. He was breathing harshly. "I never thought you would take me back. This whole thing feels like a dream."

Medusa shrugged her shoulders. "We all deserve second chances. You gave me a second chance at life when you found me in the underworld and fell in love with me."

Perseus stared at the floor sadly and raised his eyes slowly towards her face. "What if I fail you again? It's hard to live with what I've already done."

Medusa kissed him on the lips and kept her arms wrapped around him. "I wouldn't have taken you back if I didn't believe in you. We'll take it one day at a time. You believed in me once and it took me further in the world then I ever thought I could go. Now I will do the same for you."

He smiled and pulled her close, so their lips could meet once again. As she kissed him, she allowed the passion and love she had held tightly inside her for days to be released. Relieved and excited, she melted so easily against Perseus' body.

As good as his lips felt, she realized that this wasn't a permanent solution. Trust issues needed to be worked out and real life was going to make it difficult to get through. They had a long road ahead of them.

A few weeks later, the good news spread-Andromeda was pregnant.

Medusa and Perseus still hadn't made love since Perseus had cheated on her. They hugged as they fell asleep, held hands as they confided in each other, and kissed frequently, but it never went beyond that. She was afraid that he would lose his erection again. She didn't plan to force him to look at her real body, but maybe even the memory of it would be too disturbing for him and she didn't want the result to be Perseus getting lost in Andromeda's arms. Not to mention that with Medusa's own pregnancy becoming more apparent, it would be harder to keep the truth from him.

It hurt to know that Andromeda was able to give him the heir he desired. She should have been relieved-this meant Perseus never had to sleep with another woman again-but it also reaffirmed Andromeda's place in Perseus' family.

Medusa thought it would be funny to watch Andromeda vomit up her weight in food as Medusa had during her first trimester, but instead of growing ill, her skin grew shimmery and her body curvier. Medusa hadn't imagined it was possible to make Andromeda any more beautiful than she already was until it happened. Medusa wished something would go wrong in Andromeda's life for once.

As if a thought from Medusa's mind was powerful enough to bring misfortune to someone, Andromeda stopped showing up for meals. She lay in bed all day, coughing, and her skin grew pale. Medusa felt smug, until she saw Andromeda lying in bed, wheezing each breath she took. She seemed frail enough for a strong wind to blow her away. Watching someone suffering was horrible, especially when that person was carrying an innocent child. At least when she killed people, it was over quickly, and she refused to ever harm a baby.

This had awakened the human inside her who loved to nurture. For now, the monster was beaten down, although she could feel it complaining. It mocked her for being so weak and had her sisters' voices when it spoke.

She wouldn't listen to it. Now that Perseus and she were having a fresh start, she had to be more compassionate or there was no hope for their relationship. She'd be the one to destroy it this time.

One of the servants admitted that she left the window open to Andromeda's bedroom one chilly night. She was running a high fever, mucus dripping from every orifice, and Perseus was yelling more often than he used to. When he wasn't screaming, he sat in silence, his jaw clenched and his brow furrowed. He was thinking of something, but didn't tell her what. Medusa imagined that he was worried over the baby.

The servant was fired and escorted from the castle by one of the soldiers. Medusa didn't follow them, but was pretty sure the girl received several lashes in punishment.

They had no doctor, but Danae-a former midwife who knew several herbal medicines that might help-looked Andromeda over, carefully tending to her sweating forehead with cold rags. She shook her head and frowned at Perseus. Things didn't look good.

For once, fate was working in Medusa's favor. The woman who stood between her and being with the man she loved was dying. She should have been happy, but she wasn't. As easy as it was to watch those other people she killed perish, they were strangers, so it was possible for her to pretend they weren't real people. She had traveled with Andromeda and saved her life. She was young and she had suffered in her own ways. Medusa didn't want Andromeda dead; she just wanted her out of her life.

The night Danae told everyone that Andromeda had less than twenty-four hours to live, all rejoicing halted in the castle. The servants didn't gossip; their faces remained somber. Danae said she was surprised Andromeda had kept the baby for this long in her weak state. Even if she recovered, it was unlikely that the child would survive. Medusa's stomach felt as if it were ground into small pieces.

Perseus paced back and forth outside Andromeda's bedroom. Several servants sat around the bed, begging her to drink something.

"This can't happen," Perseus whispered. "After all we've given up to have this child, we can't lose Andromeda and the baby. It isn't fair."

Medusa agreed and planned to fight for Andromeda's life, no matter what Danae thought. She'd do it for Perseus and for his unborn child, who deserved a happy life. She had been forming a plan in her head for a while. It was a huge risk, but the only solution she could come up with. She was afraid to speak it out loud. Once she did, there was no turning back.

Soon, they were both walking side by side in the hallway. They were alone.

Medusa breathed in and out slowly. "I think I know what we should do. I know fate hasn't been kind to us thus far, but if you're willing to bargain with me and stay open-minded, I think we can fix all of this."

She was speaking of more than Andromeda's illness. She was talking about their relationship and the fact that the two of them hadn't touched. She was referring to the pain the two of them had suffered as they struggled to keep the secret of her existence. Of course, he knew none of her thoughts.

Perseus raised one eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

Medusa asked Perseus to follow her into the bedroom they shared. She ran ahead and waited for his footsteps to follow. He closed the door behind him.

Medusa picked up the knife he kept on his night-stand. It disappeared into thin air, but Perseus knew she had taken it.

Perseus' voice trembled. "What are you going to do with that? Don't hurt yourself."

She sliced her palm and grunted from the pain. "You need to trust me." Ironic words, considering their relationship was strained in this area. She squeezed her hand together until blood dribbled on the ground. It stained the carpet. Flowers bloomed where the droplets landed. They sprouted from the rug like seeds planted in dirt. "My blood has the power to give life."

Perseus' mouth dropped open. "Why have you never shared this with me?"

Medusa shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't relevant until now. Besides, do you know what kind of power this could give someone? If I told you the truth about my blood and word spread around that I was alive, then many men would want to capture me. You may not kill me, but others would who want a taste of the immortality my blood can grant against illness."

He grabbed a goblet he had been drinking wine from by the fire. He offered it to her. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's give Andromeda some of your blood to drink."

Medusa looked at the ground sadly. "You don't understand; it isn't that simple. My blood behaves differently when a human consumes it than when it leaks onto the ground." Her eyes glazed over as she got lost in another world. "I tried to cure a girl once from a snake bite by feeding her my blood. Instead of healing, she died more quickly. My blood has different reactions with different people. Some die instantly and others are restored to health.

"You and I have struggled with our relationship from the beginning because life has given you two possible paths. One is with me, defying the gods and fighting for the freedom of the world. The other is living as a king with Andromeda, having a normal family and less dangerous life. If you had never met me or believed I was your soul-mate, you would have been happy with Andromeda, I am sure of it. She's beautiful and a loyal wife.

"You've wavered between the two of us for a while now. I'm tired of it. Let's leave our future up to the Fates. If she takes a sip of my blood and lives-she will be your queen, you can make love to her whenever you want, and I promise to never complain. But if she dies, we can't allow this charade to go on. You must reveal to everyone that I am still alive, marry me, and accept me as your queen and the mother of your children."

Perseus' brow wrinkled together as she spoke. She chewed her lower lip and stroked the baby in her belly. She had as much to gain as she had to lose and Perseus was being too quiet. It made her nervous.

Perseus nodded his head slowly as realization dawned on his face. "You're right. This is the best solution to all our problems."

"Then I have your word?" Medusa asked.

Perseus grabbed her by the waist. It was uncanny how he always knew where she was in the room even though she was invisible. "You do indeed."

Medusa leaned in close. "Then let's seal it with a kiss."

Perseus pressed his nose against hers. "Gladly."

"And let's make it good," Medusa added right before their lips met. "Because this kiss could be our last."

The softness of Perseus' lips made Medusa's heart flutter. She savored the flavor of his tongue as they explored each other's mouths. Heat spread in the air between them as shivers ran up Medusa's body. He was tender, but passionate. She felt his love in each caress of his lips against hers. She wanted the moment to last forever, but all good things must come to an end.

Medusa grabbed the goblet and the knife. She reopened her wound, which was already scabbing over, and poured a generous helping inside. She felt nervous, but relieved. All the emotions and tension she had experienced since she met Perseus were drained into the cup along with her blood. The two of them would get their closure, even if it wasn't the kind of resolution Medusa was hoping for.

She handed the goblet to Perseus. "I will be right behind you. Make sure she swallows the whole thing."

They walked down the hallway and into Andromeda's bedroom. The room felt stuffy and smelled of bodily fluids. Andromeda lay in bed, her cheek-bones more prominent than they used to be and her movements weak. Her wheezing echoed through the silent room.