Eros (27 page)

Breathing hard, Skye stared at her leg and the stream of blood.
She gingerly pulled away the torn fragments of denim but, when she saw the wound reaching through her flesh and exposing the bone, she fainted dead away.

***

Skye had no idea how long she’d been unconscious.
The sun was high in the sky when she opened her eyes.
She tried to sit up but her stomach roiled with nausea and she felt so dizzy she was sure she was about to pass out again. Gritting her teeth, she took several quick shallow breaths.
The pain in her calf was intense.
Not even jellyfish stings could come close to a cow’s bite.
She chided herself for not considering the animals might be a threat.
Her success at the barn had caused her to become far too complacent;
she’d almost paid for that complacency with her life.

Aphrodite didn’t just want her to fail, she thought dully.
The goddess wanted her dead.
For some reason, that strengthened her resolve rather than weakened it.
Skye shrugged out of her coat and carefully peeled off her t-shirt, wincing in pain.
Before she could faint again, she bound the cotton material tightly around the wound to staunch the bleeding.
Then she forced herself back into her coat and staggered to her feet.

‘I will not fail!’ she shouted.
‘Do you hear me?
I will not fail!’

Nobody answered.
Feeling hopelessly alone, Skye staggered to the fence.
Even if those bloody cows ripped her to shreds, she was not going to give up.
She would never give up.

Despite the fact that her vision was blurry round the edges, she managed to spot the section of ripped denim clinging to the barbed wire.
Skye reached out and touched it with her fingertips.
Then she laughed aloud.

‘You see?’
she yelled again.
‘I can do this!’

Moving carefully from fence post to fence post and doing everything she could to keep the weight off her wounded leg, she hopped round the field.
The terrible cows seemed to ignore her presence but she was fairly certain they were aware of where she was.
Regardless, she continued until she found what she was looking for.
At various points around the field, golden curls were caught on the barbed wire.
The sheep had obviously brushed against the fence at different times and sections of its fleece had been pulled away.
In one corner there was a bush where she gathered several gleaming handfuls.
Although she was moving slowly, it wasn’t long before she had an armful.

A wave of agonising pain hit her and she collapsed backwards, still clutching the soft fleece. ‘Told you so,’ she murmured, before she closed her eyes and blackness took over once again.

Moments later, freed from the golden chains of Olympus, Coop was by her side.
His hands were shaking with rage as he gently smoothed back Skye’s sweat-soaked hair and brushed the blood soaking through the makeshift bandage on her leg.

‘How could you let this happen, Mother?’
His voice was soft, but the steel lacing his tone left no doubt as to his true feelings.

Aphrodite’s face was pale.
‘I didn’t want her to get hurt.’

‘No,’ he snarled, ‘you just wanted to keep us apart.
So much for being dedicated to the course of true love.’

‘Coop,’ she began.

‘Fuck off.’

He rearranged Skye’s limbs and lifted her carefully up in his arms, holding her warm body against his broad chest.
He gazed tenderly down at her, before sending his mother a look of absolute loathing.
Then his wings unfurled and he flew up into the air, taking Skye with him.

Skye wasn’t quite sure where she was
but she felt very warm and very safe and very comfortable.
There was a slight throbbing in her leg but it was little more than an irritant.
Of far greater importance was the hard body pressed against the length of her back and the arm curled round her waist.

She sighed happily.
‘Coop.’

‘I’m here,’ he murmured in her ear, pulling her even closer against him.

Skye yelped in surprise and she sat up, twisting round to stare at the tanned contours of his face as he smiled up at her.

‘It’s over,’ he said softly.

‘I don’t understand.’

He pulled himself up to her level and gazed into her eyes.
‘Just know that everything’s going to be alright from now on.’

He planted a long, lingering kiss on her lips.
Skye moaned.
This was almost too good to be true.

She suddenly withdrew.
‘I’m not dreaming, am I?’

Coop laughed.
‘No, you’re not dreaming.’

‘The fleece?’

‘You got it.
You collected an armful.
You showed all of them, Skye.
I’m so sorry my stupid actions put you through all that.
I won’t let anything happen to you ever again.’

She frowned.
‘But there are still two more tasks.’

He caressed her cheek.
‘You don’t need to worry about them.
You’ve proven your worth.
My mother has agreed to let you off.’

‘But…’

‘Shhhh,’ he said.
‘Everything is fixed.
We have an audience with Zeus in an hour and then you’re free.
We’re free.’
He smiled.
‘So come on, get your lazy arse out of bed.
We’ll have plenty of time for that later.’

Skye’s cheeks warmed.
Coop laughed again, happy lights dancing deep in his eyes.
He slapped her playfully on the thigh.

‘We’d better not keep the King of the Heavens waiting.’

***

Barely forty-five minutes later, the pair of them were standing in Zeus’s magnificent throne room, their fingers intertwined.
Despite being next to Coop, Skye was still hopelessly intimidated.
The large room was packed with people of all shapes, sizes and forms.
Some, such as Hermes, were openly happy to see her; others appeared merely curious.
And there were, admittedly, one or two who appeared hostile.
Apollo, in particular, was standing up near the dais and glowering at them.
There was a hint of mockery on his face as he watched them.

Coop squeezed her fingers.
‘It’ll be fine,’ he whispered.
‘Just don’t forget to breathe.’

Skye swallowed.
Her legs were shaking.
She’d rather face the carnivorous cows again than stand here in this vast marbled room with so many eyes fixed upon her.

Aphrodite, draped in a long, elegant gown, glided over to them and inclined her head. ‘Ms Sawyer,’ she said stiffly, ‘I apologise for any physical hurt you sustained during the course of your tasks.’

Skye tightened her grip on Coop’s hand, aware he was on the verge of saying something he’d later regret.
He answered with a reassuring caress, his thumb stroking her palm.

Skye lifted her head and looked Aphrodite in the eyes.
‘That’s okay,’ she said softly.

Something flitted across the goddess’s face, then she pasted on a smile.
Skye watched her carefully, suddenly understanding why the abrupt volte-face.
If Aphrodite continued forcing Skye to complete the tasks, she’d have lost Coop forever, regardless of the outcome.
In order to keep her son, Aphrodite had yielded.
It had nothing to do with Skye proving herself as brave or resourceful or worthy of Coop’s love.

Aphrodite opened her mouth to say something else and Skye tensed.
But a sudden fanfare sounded, indicating Zeus’s arrival, and the goddess fell back.
A trickle of self-doubt ran down Skye’s spine.

‘What’s wrong?’ Coop whispered.

She shook her head, not trusting herself to answer and turned instead to watch Zeus approach.
He strode forward looking every inch the king, and towering over the assembled crowd, who knelt as he swept past in an odd mimicry of a Mexican wave.
When he reached Coop and Skye, she dropped into a curtsey, feeling both foolish and clumsy.
She inwardly cursed as, yet again, she began to blush.

Zeus ascended the steps in front and turned to face them.
His blue eyes were looking upon her kindly but Skye still felt terribly awkward.

‘So,’ his voice boomed, cracking through the room like the lightning he purportedly carried, ‘today we meet to smooth out the matter of the human, Skye Sawyer.
What say you, Cupid?’

Coop cleared his throat and stepped forward, although his fingers still clung to Skye’s. ‘Skye was given four tasks to complete to prove her worth.
She has successfully finished two.
I petition Your Majesty to set aside the remainder of the tasks and allow us to live out our lives together.
To this end, I relinquish my immortality and position.’

An audible gasp filled the room and a shiver of horror ran through Skye.
Coop hadn’t told her that was what he was planning.
She glanced at Aphrodite and saw misery etched all over her beautiful face.
Oh gods.

Zeus folded his arms.
‘You can’t just give up being a god.’

‘Why not?’

Zeus shook his head and tutted.
‘Aphrodite.
The tasks were yours to set.
Are you prepared to drop the matter?’

She took a step forward, but before she could speak, Skye pulled her hand away from Coop’s. ‘Zeus,’ she said, rather more loudly than she’d intended. ‘I mean, uh, Your Majesty.’

He frowned and looked down at her.

‘What are you doing?’ Coop hissed.

‘I don’t agree,’ Skye said.

Clearly taken aback, the King of the Heavens blinked at her.
‘Excuse me?’

Skye moved forward.
‘I said I don’t agree.
I was given four tasks to complete.
I will complete those tasks.
I will not leave a job unfinished.’

Coop looked stricken.
Skye glanced around from Aphrodite to Apollo and then back to Coop.
She smiled at him reassuringly. ‘I love you,’ she said simply.
‘More than I ever thought I could love anyone.
You’re my heart.
My life.’

‘So why the hell are you doing this?’
The agony in his voice was evident.

‘Because otherwise I’ll never be truly accepted as worthy of you.
I promised to finish every task
and that’s what I’ll do.
I will not have you give up everything for me.’

‘I’m giving up nothing, Skye.
Don’t you see that?
If it means I can be with you then I’m giving up nothing.’
His eyes pleaded with her.

‘You are aware, Ms Sawyer,’ interrupted Zeus, ‘that if you go ahead with the tasks and fail, the terms state you will never see Cupid again?’

She looked at him steadily.
‘I am aware of that.
But you have to see that I won’t fail.
I can’t fail.
I will honour my promise and see the remaining tasks through.
It was doubt that caused the problems between Coop and me to begin with.
I won’t allow there to be any lingering doubt.’

‘I rather think it is us as gods who have proved ourselves unworthy of you, Ms Sawyer,’ said Zeus quietly.
‘Very well.
You will receive the details of the third task this afternoon.
Whether you succeed or fail, know that you have our admiration.’

Without saying another word, Zeus strode down the stairs.
When he reached her, he stood for a moment in front of Skye and bowed his head.
Then he moved past, and walked out of the room.

‘I’ve never spoken in front of so many people before,’ Skye said shakily.

Coop grabbed her shoulders.
‘What in hell have you done?’

‘What was right.’

The others in the room began to walk out silently.
Skye looked up in time to see a flicker of approval in Aphrodite’s eyes before she also turned and left.

‘Skye, if you fail…’

She smiled at him, raising her hand to touch his cheek.
‘But I told you.
I won’t fail.’
She tried to ignore the twist in her stomach which suggested otherwise.

‘You know I love you, Skye Sawyer.’

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
‘And that’s why I have to do this.
I’d better go and get ready.
The sooner these two tasks are completed, the sooner we can be together.’

Coop watched her go, pain and pride warring inside him and his fingertips absently brushing his lips where the taste of her still lingered.

Behind him, Apollo cleared his throat.
‘You don’t deserve her, you know.’

Refusing to rise to the challenge, Coop gave the Sun God a half smile.
‘I know.’

‘I thought that you’d be more of a man, Cupid.
She’s out there, risking her life to complete your mother’s tasks while you top up your tan.’

‘Maybe being a man means not treating her as if she’s made of glass,’ Coop remarked, turning to face his one-time adversary.
‘If I could stop her from doing this I would, but she’s her own person and I have to respect that.’

Apollo snorted.
‘I wonder if you’ll still be singing the same tune when she comes back to you in a body bag.’

‘She won’t,’ he answered quietly.
‘She won’t fail.’

‘You don’t know that.’

‘She told me she won’t fail.
I trust her.’

‘How do you know she’s decided she just doesn’t want to be with you, eh?
Maybe this is her escape route.
Maybe even death is better than being with you.’

Coop lifted up his chin, a fathomless expression flitting across his face.
‘I’m sorry.’
He sounded as if he meant it.

Apollo blinked.
‘For what?’

‘For the way I acted towards you before.
It was stupid and I see that now.
And I’m sorry that you only briefly understood what it means to experience true love.
It changes everything.
I hope one day you’ll feel it for yourself.
Otherwise what’s the point in living?’

The sincerity in his voice was genuine.
Apollo, however, glared at him with distrust.

‘Be happy, Apollo,’ said Coop.
He gave him a smile and followed everyone else out, leaving the Sun God gaping after him.

***

Standing yet again outside the imposing gates of Olympus, Skye wondered whether she had made the biggest mistake of her life.
She’d been given a way out and she’d refused to take it.
The assembly of gods might have approved of her actions; she had definitely seen respect in many of their eyes, even those of Apollo.
But if she failed the remaining two tasks, that respect would be worthless.

Hermes appeared by her side.
‘Here,’ he said, handing her a chunky black box covered in velvet.

Skye, momentarily surprised by its weight, turned it over in her hands.
‘What is it?’

‘A container,’ he answered, looking troubled.
‘It’s made of crystal so you’ll have to be careful not to drop it.’

‘Thank you.’

‘You don’t know what you have to do with it yet,’ he replied grimly.
‘The tasks were set before you began, so even if Aphrodite wanted to make them easier, she couldn’t.’

Skye gazed at him.
‘Do you think I made the wrong decision?’ she asked softly.

‘You mean continuing?’

She nodded.

Hermes shrugged.
‘I can see why you did it.
Coop shouldn’t have said what he did about giving up his immortality and status.
It doesn’t work like that.
He was being dramatic.’

Skye gave a small smile.
‘He certainly achieved that.
It wasn’t the reason why I said I didn’t want to give up, though.
It just gave me a little nudge, that’s all.’

‘So why then?’

‘I’m not a quitter.
I promised to see this through so that’s what I’ll do.’
Skye hoped the tremor running down her spine wasn’t evident in her voice.
‘But more than that, I would never be accepted if I just gave up.’