And in the Hollow Chamber? He might have released Quill, but he’d still been shot through the heart. So maybe he’d been given this new chance at immortality because of the legend, because he’d only just succeeded in recovering his heart, because he’d only just earned the reward. And maybe fate had wanted to apologize for the ruler who’d struck him down during a ceasefire.
Maybe all of this had happened because of one thing. Or a shitload of things.
Maybe a bunch of stars had aligned.
No matter what, one fact is clear: Destiny had expected this. It had taken crucial steps to unite Malice with Wonder, knowing what they’d mean to each other, knowing he would play his part in the bigger picture, in the balance of fate and free will.
Oh, the irony.
Malice grins. He bows his head, skimming Wonder’s nape with his lips, relishing the goosebumps charging across her flesh. His limbs bend on either side of his library queen, and his arms sling around her. Conjuring a blanket, he wraps them in the material, their cheeks touching as they watch the landscape thrive.
It’s only been a few minutes, and already his body simmers. How many hills have they christened so far, since he came back to her for the second time? He’s lost count.
He nibbles her shoulder. “Rawrrrr.”
She giggles. “Again?”
“Is that a question? I like questions.”
“This is dangerous,” she gasps when he cups her tits under the blanket and snacks on her neck. “We should prepare.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” he pouts.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this.”
“If I recall, you’re the one who tore off my sweater. We haven’t done much talking since.”
Also not true. He usually has a lot to say when they’re in the thick of it.
As to their location, sure. She’s right about doing this here, of all places. But really, he likes to think of it as a rebel’s rite of passage.
Why not bless the battlefield, give it a dose of lovin’?
Malice mumbles as much, earning an aerial laugh that slips right into his abdomen, joy lurching through his blood. It’s the best sound in the universe, other than when she’s reading aloud or moaning his name.
His name.
“Malice,” she says, twisting to receive his greedy kiss.
“Wonder,” he says, savoring her tongue.
A throat clears, its high pitch skipping across the summit. By contrast, a less discreet throat blusters, “What the Fates?”
The stormy sound jackhammers through the atmosphere. Wonder peeps and jerks away. Malice groans, recognizing that thunderstruck voice.
Great. Just when he was about to take his wildflower for a victory lap.
Goddammit, Anger.
The six rebels gather on the hill, thanks to Malice’s Asterra Flora. Constellations riot in the backdrop, and cliffs rise like fists behind the troop.
“You’re early, mates,” Malice mock whines. “What have I told you about being early? Bad, bad deities.”
With pink blotting her complexion, Wonder scrambles in his arms. “Dearests! We were just…”
“Please don’t clarify,” Anger grumbles.
“Speak for yourself,” a swanky timbre says. “I want details.”
Malice sniggers as a pile of black clothes fly at him. Their group is hardly as condemning toward Wonder, who accepts her pants and blouse, both extended by the dainty hand of Merry, who beams at them.
That she can gush at Malice after everything? That she’d actually accepted his apology when he appeared on Stargazer Hill with Wonder, shocking the fuck out of everyone? It must be the former love goddess in Merry. She’s a romantic who puts faith in redemption and shit.
All right, it does lift his mouth and blunt the edges…maybe a little.
The others remain wary. He doesn’t blame them considering it’s only been a few meager months since the Hollow Chamber’s demise, since he joined their celestial band of renegades. Though occasionally he’ll crack a joke that’ll make one of them snort. Or they’ll glance at him for insight while discussing conflict tactics.
To say the least, sex in enemy territory isn’t part of the strategy. But maybe they’re getting used to Malice, because at the moment, they don’t clamor, just wait in silence as he and Wonder get dressed, which takes all of a millisecond.
Envy ogles the post-coital scene, grinning like an asswipe. He’s positioned himself on the opposite end of the line, farthest away from Sorrow, who rolls her eyes at him. It’s been this way ever since Wonder shared the latest legend with them. Guess the hot and heavy times are over between those two, so long as they deny what they’ve been told.
But that’s their choice. And it’s their story.
Andrew glances away while pressing a fist to his smiling mouth. Beside him, Love taps her foot impatiently, giving Malice her default look—the one that states she’ll castrate him if he ever lets Wonder down.
She doesn’t have to worry. None of them do.
He’s here to stay.
Merry squeezes Anger’s hand, preventing him from rushing Malice. Too bad. Fucking with the god is fun, and fun is just so very funny.
All the same, Anger the Angry opens his mouth.
“Ah-ah.” Malice flaps his finger, his sharp nail slicing the air. “Don’t go there, mate. It’d be the pot calling the kettle black.”
“You couldn’t wait until you were home?”
Ahh. Their home, away from home, away from home. He and Wonder share an annex in the Celestial City’s library, a cozy little retreat that she prefers to the vault.
“We ran out of surfaces—and hills,” Malice defends, snatching his hickory bow off the grass and strapping it to his back. “We needed extracurricular options. And don’t go telling me the rest of you avoid getting frisky in public. I’ve seen every one of your afterglows. Besides, who doesn’t like to experiment—”
Wonder slaps a palm over his mouth. Playfully, he bites her hand.
It’s a good thing her Guide isn’t here. If Harmony were, she’d have words for them. Instead, she’s back in the mortal realm with their allies, rallying exiles and defectors alike.
Malice collects Wonder’s quartz weapons and hands them to her. Joining the archers, they step to the crag’s edge, where they gaze at the mountain range carpeted in purple, the misty waterfalls, and the sedate pools of water in the distance. In the valley below, a forest crowds the depths, with the silver dots of young dragonflies speeding through the beeches and willows while their gargantuan parents dwell by the sea.
Shrouded in the dale’s woodland is the Archives and the ruins of a forbidden repository. Hopefully, they’ll repair the damage someday. They’ll remake the Hollow Chamber, because if anything should be immortal, it’s books.
Aside from that, he’d left his saddlebag and envelopes there. Does he want them back? Eh. Not necessary anymore.
As Malice glances at Wonder’s profile, it’s clear that he’s got everything he needs.
Besides, they’d managed to save the copy of her first letter to him. That’s plenty.
Anyway, they’re not heading to the Archives this time around. Nope, they’ve got a different destination in mind.
Everyone stares, the moment sinking in. They’d agreed to meet on this hill and then forge ahead. Shit’s about to get real. Time to put their plan into motion. This isn’t a scheme anymore; it’s either the beginning or the end.