There are truffles too.
“Chocolate?” I sat up straight.
Above the fridge in that little nook.
“Lovely.” I snatched up the golden box of truffles and sat back to enjoy myself. “Champagne and chocolate in the morning. I should start every day like this.”
You can if you like. You can start every day in any way that you wish.
I sighed in bliss but an image of Kirill looming above me, his long braid in my hand as I pulled him down for a kiss, snapped me out of my happiness. That was how I liked to start the day.
Kirill told you that you were sick. He didn't stand by you. None of them did.
“But...” I whispered. Kirill; my heart echoed the name. My beautiful black lion. “We've helped each other back from insanity. I love him.”
Do you? Are you sure it's you who loves Kirill and not just some juju Alaric and Faerie foisted on you? You know that they've planned every step of your life and every man in it. Well, except for Toby, that is. She chuckled. You really pissed them off with that romance.
I blinked. Kirill and I had fallen in love with each other in the strangest of circumstances. In fact, Faerie had flat-out admitted that all of my men had been chosen for me; picked for their magic and power. Led to me to use those skills to protect, support, and help me to become what the Realms needed me to be. What Fate needed me to be. Wait; was it Faerie or Al who had said that? Everything was getting so fuzzy. Never mind; it didn't matter who had said it only that it had been said. And if it were true, if all of them had been manipulated into loving me, did that invalidate what we felt for each other? Was our love a lie? An elaborate hoax? A joke?
Just relax and sip your champagne, Vervain. I have this under control. You don't have to do anything but enjoy yourself and allow me to flow through you. Wish it and it shall be.
“I don't have to do anything,” I murmured, slipping back into my bliss. “I like the sound of that.”
Chapter Ten
I spent the day enjoying life, just as Star suggested. I lounged in my royal penthouse, eating chocolates as I soaked in the free-standing tub. A view of Bahrain stretched out far below me, beyond my wall of windows. It was like bathing in the sky. Then I danced over the polished marble floor in the massive living room as I sang out loud and off-key, my voice echoing up to the vaulted ceiling. I napped in both of the bedrooms just to decide which bed I liked better and decided on the one in the master bedroom; it had a blue velvet headboard as high as the bed was long. Then I laid on the couches that were more like daybeds and watched movies on the flat-screen TV. I had lunch brought up to me and dined on expensive china. It was lovely but by the time dinner rolled around, I'd decided that I'd had enough of solitude.
I called for my driver and met him downstairs, in front of the hotel. I wanted a meal that went with my surroundings. When in Rome and all that. Give me some cultural cuisine, please. The driver recommended the Takht Jamsheed; a Persian restaurant in the Gulf hotel. I wasn't disappointed. With the grand atmosphere, the attentive staff, the soft music, and the amazing food, all of my senses were pleased.
Gleaming pendant chandeliers dripped from the ceiling, imperial vases stood proud on pedestals, and weaponry hung on the walls like artwork. My waiter spoke English and gave me helpful suggestions on entrees without being too pushy. Most importantly, the food was amazing; soaked in spices and honey. I savored every morsel. Oh, and the coffee was perfect. It was strange to be dining alone, but I still enjoyed my meal as I people-watched.
Little did I know that I was being watched in return.
“A new goddess in town,” a masculine voice purred. “How exciting.”
I looked up from my dessert to find a devilishly handsome man standing before my table. No, not standing; posing. Midnight hair and desert-dark skin made his silver eyes seem to glow. The long lashes that framed those pale orbs softened his sharp stare into something more sensual. Full lips twisted up at the corners into a mischievous smile and the shadow of a beard added to that hint of bad boy. He smoothed his tailored suit as he looked me over. Then he suddenly straightened and his eyes widened.
“Ya khabar abyad! You're a moon goddess!” he exclaimed.
“Would you care to shout that a bit louder?” I asked dryly.
“Sorry.” He chuckled. “You startled me. I sensed that you were one of us, but I didn't recognize your magic until I got within range.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “And you're a moon god.”
“That's right.” He extended his hand. “I'm Sin, Moon God of the Babylonians.”
“A Babylonian moon god,” I murmured as I shook his hand.
How interesting, Star noted.
Indeed, I agreed.
Out loud, I said, “Your name is Sin?”
“Technically, it's pronounced 'Seen' but the ladies tend to like Sin better so I go with that.” He winked at me.
“Why don't you have a seat, Sin?” I offered. “I'm Vervain.”
“Vervain?” He asked as he sat. “I'm not familiar with a goddess of that name. Wait.” He sat up straight. “You're not her, are you? The human hunter turned goddess?”
“I was the Godhunter,” I admitted. “But I'm so much more now.”
His silver eyes glittered. “That you are. So, what are you doing in Bahrain, Vervain?”
“I'm thinking about moving here,” I said casually. “I need a change.”
“I heard that you were married to like twenty men.” He lifted a brow at me.
“Six, actually. Six husbands and one boyfriend; all of whom I left this morning. Well, maybe not Arach,
