The Goddess Test Boxed Set: Goddess Interrupted\The Goddess Inheritance\The Goddess Legacy (114 page)

James turned into a room filled with sunshine, and though it
couldn't have been natural, a tree grew in the middle of the stone floor. Henry
stood in the doorway as James approached a dark-haired girl who sat underneath
the low-hanging branches. She munched on an apple and spoke in low tones with a
woman who resembled her far too closely to be anyone but her mother, though the
instant she noticed James, she lit up.

“James?” said the girl, her bright eyes widening. She flung her
arms around him and kissed him soundly on the mouth, not the least bit bashful.
“It's about damn time. Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you
to come get us?”

“Tuck,” he breathed, staring at her as if she was the most
beautiful thing he'd ever seen. There was something sad about the way he
murmured her name, something that reminded Henry far too much of himself.
Sometimes it was hard to remember he wasn't the only one in pain.

James gathered her up, wrapping his arms so completely around
her that she couldn't have escaped if she tried. They remained intertwined for a
long moment, murmuring things Henry couldn't hear, and he averted his gaze. He
would have given anything to have that. Anything.

At last they broke apart, and Tuck looked at him with shining
eyes. She clearly adored him. “This is my mother,” she said. “Mother, this is
James, the boy I was telling you about.”

James greeted the woman as if they were old friends, pulling
her into a hug, as well. “You have a brilliant daughter. Tuck's the most amazing
girl I've ever met.”

“Of course she is,” said the woman, laughing. “And from what
she's told me, you're not too bad yourself.”

The three of them talked for a few moments longer, and at last
James pulled something out of his pocket. “I've been holding on to this for
you,” he said, and he offered a small pendant to Tuck. “Thought you might like
to have it.”

She took the necklace with shaking hands. “You held on to it
all this time?”

“Of course,” he said, the tips of his ears turning pink.
“Anything for you. I'm yours and you know it.”

As she kissed him again, Henry took his leave, stepping back
out into the dim corridor. As much as he despised James, to see him find
happiness despite his tragedy gave Henry something he hadn't had since Ingrid.
It gave him hope.

Pulling the reflection out of his pocket, he gazed down at
Kate's face, memorizing every feature. He would be hers as well, and despite
whatever trickery the council had planned, he'd be there to watch over her. No
matter her fate, she would have a fair shot at the life she wanted, even if that
life didn't include him. He would make sure of it.

He'd lost everything that had ever mattered to him, but as he
listened to the sounds of James and Tuck's laughter, an odd certainty settled
over him. If Kate somehow succeeded where the others had failed—if she chose to
give him a second chance—then this was only the beginning. His existence felt
like an eternity, and in many ways it had been. But perhaps she would finally
allow him to close the book on the worst chapter of his life. And perhaps she
would be the start of the best.

Tracing her features, at once so like Persephone's and yet so
very different, he allowed himself a smile. In her, he saw possibility. In her,
he saw his future.

And when she was ready for it, he would be, too.

* * * * *

Immortality or love. You can't have both.

If you loved Goddess Interrupted, don't miss the rest of the
Goddess Test series. Available now!

The Goddess Test
The Goddess
Hunt
(novella)
Goddess Interrupted
The Goddess Legacy
The Goddess
Inheritance

“A fresh take on the Greek myths adds sparkle to this romantic
fable.”—Cassandra Clare
on
The Goddess Test

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