What she didn't tell him now was the last thing Aphrodite had said to her before she disappeared. The goddess couldn't be making her love Adonis, could she? If she wanted him for herself, what would pushing Sage on him gain? Other than being cruel…
She is the goddess of love though.
Those words had plagued her all day. Through the lunch she'd packed at her apartment, Pan showing up to ward the property and the woods around it, and through the pizza she'd had delivered by a very confused driver. Now, she and Adonis reclined on a blanket in the woods, surrounded by her witchy candles from the first night, and gazing up at the sky above. The sun had set two hours ago, and the full moon lit the ground like a softer, paler sun. Out here in the countryside, the bright stars surrounding it sparkled as far as the eye could see.
Sage sighed. It was so beautiful out here, yet hurtful words from a jealous ex continued to make her doubt her own feelings. That, she supposed, was Aphrodite's whole intent.
Bitch.
"Any stirrings yet?" She patted Adonis' chest and he chuckled.
"I am not sure when these pills wear off. Supposedly, natural arousal isn't suppressed, so I should know if it happens." He had taken a pill when she left to go to her apartment, but that had been over twelve hours ago.
"Don't you mean when it happens? Don't say if." She had enough doubt that she didn't want him to have any of his own. No point in both of them being a mess. "I could get naked, and see if that helps."
"If you do that, I'll only want to lick every inch of you until the eclipse starts. Besides, I haven't noticed…" As his words trailed off, his body tensed. Sage turned her head to look up at him. Something was wrong.
"What happened?" she said, sitting up. She quickly scanned the surrounding woods, searching for any sign of Aphrodite trying to ruin this night for them. While she wasn't barred from the location, she could walk into it from a point outside of the perimeter.
"Whoa, are you okay?" He sat up with her, rubbing a hand up and down her back, attempting to calm her. "Nothing is out there. What did you think…? Ah, Aphrodite." He pulled Sage against him, draping his arm around her protectively. "She won't ruin this night for us."
"How do you know that? She is circling you, waiting for you to be human again, trying to help you be human again."
"Well, she can try all she wants, but I don't want her. She hurt me bad, and what we once had can never be rekindled. Sometimes, where women are concerned, it takes a while for a man to learn his lesson, but he does eventually learn." He frowned. "I never want to see her again."
Birds shrieked and burst from the trees and into the air, squawking as they flew in all directions. Somewhere, in the midst of the sound, a wail of frustration and sorrow shot through the night. And then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped, bringing with it silence and tranquility.
"Aphrodite?" Sage asked timidly.
Adonis nodded. "I have a feeling she won't be bothering us again."
Hesitating over if she should even bring it up, she turned to face him, moving out of his embrace. "She said she was the reason I was falling in love with you."
He sucked in a breath, opening his mouth like he was about to say something, changed his mind, opened his mouth once more…then shut it again. Finally, he said, "She doesn't have that power."
Tears welled in her eyes. "What if she does?" Sage tried to stand, but Adonis grabbed her hand and held her steady.
"Look at me." When she didn't, he tried again, "Look at me, Sage."
She did as he asked and the swell of emotion in his voice made her heart ache. Did he feel the same for her, or was all of it a ruse by a jealous goddess who deemed herself too good for a satyr, but still wanted the man?
"Aphrodite does not have the power to make a person fall in love with anyone else. That's Eros' power, not hers."
"She's the goddess of love." Was what Adonis saying true? Had the words only been said to hurt her and make her doubt her feelings? It wouldn't be surprising, but she had to know for sure. That doubt couldn't be allowed to linger, or it would fester.
"Aphrodite, above all else, encourages vanity over true love. She can rekindle dying flames of the emotion, incite lust, but she cannot make one person love another. Only Eros can do that with his bow and golden arrows."
Sage closed her eyes and took a long exhale of relief. What she felt for Adonis was true. When she opened them, all she saw was his handsome face. She reached out and brushed a lock of hair from his brow. "I love you, Adonis. I might have from the moment I saw you, even though at the time I was too preoccupied trying to get into your pants."
Adonis couldn't believe how much his life had changed over the course of a few months. His penchant for making mistake after mistake seemed to be, at long last, over. He had found the one person he was meant to be with. She loved him, and he was pretty sure he felt
