He turned my head and gazed into my eyes. "No, Psyche. That's part of being you. The depth of your heart is what drew me to you. Don't underestimate yourself."

Slowly, he guided my head to his shoulder and I didn't stop him. As I closed my eyes, the fresh smell of his skin, the gentle caress of his fingers against the back of my neck, played with my mind. Could anything bad smell so inviting? Or feel so tender? But more than anything, I let him hold me like this because it was so nice to feel understood.

For months, I'd kept secrets from my family, pretended to be a diva for my fans, and done my best to impress Aphrodite with my every word. Now, Aris claimed he already knew me: my flaws and imperfections, my true self, and apparently he wanted me anyway. At least for tonight, I'd enjoy this feeling. No worries about tomorrow, or who Aris really was; no worries about anything.

I was just about to let myself consider falling asleep on him when he broke through our comfortable silence. "You want to get out of here?"

"We can do that?" My head snapped up and I was instantly more awake than I'd felt all day.

"You deserve a better present than cake that makes you sad. But," he paused and I bit my lip, waiting for him to continue, "you've got to trust me."

Trust Aris in exchange for temporary escape? A blink takes more time than I took to decide. What could he do to me outside the palace that he couldn't do here? The risk seemed more than worth it.

I smiled - the winning one Aphrodite taught me - and I hoped he melted just a little, if for no other reason than vanity made me want to be the green-eyed girl of his dreams. "Done. Now where to?"

"It's a surprise." Stepping in close, he wrapped his thick arms around my waist and I heard his wings unfold. "Hold on."

As I felt my feet lift off the ground, I had no choice but to cling to his neck. We pa.s.sed easily through the window and over the garden. Peering over my shoulder, the hedges and fountains blurred into the oblivion of darkness and I clamped my eyes shut. At least when Zepherus swept me off the cliff, we were headed down. The continuous upward spiral coupled with the steady beat of his wings made my head spin.

His arms squeezed tighter. "You hanging in there?" The warmth of his breath against my ear sent a delicious shiver down my spine.

"You could say that." I managed a half-laugh to prove I wasn't about to pa.s.s out or anything, but I don't think either of us was fooled.

Just then we pa.s.sed through a cloud; white beams of moonlight reflected off its surface. Behind us, thousands of stars twinkled in the inky black night. For a second, I could almost believe I was floating, like in a dream, and the blackened form holding me in the sky was just my overactive imagination. But he broke the evening spell as quickly as it'd come over me.

"Get ready, this is the fun part." We tilted back toward Earth and careened forward. Wind gusted past us, tangling my hair and pushing against his wings with a force I thought might shred his feathers. An involuntary scream escaped before I could silence it and I gripped him even tighter. I swear he chuckled.

With a snap of wings, he slowed our dissent. When we touched down, my toes brushed against smooth, warm rocks and I stumbled as I got my balance on the slick stones. Without the wind clogging my ears, a new sound took over. The crashing of waves. .h.i.t me at the same time the warm, salty air curled through my lungs.

He'd brought me to the ocean. Did he know that as close as it was, I hadn't seen it since I was a child? That I'd always dreamed of watching the white caps roll into the beach under a blinding moon?

His arms fell away and I made my way to the waves. The first lick of the water was almost icy and I shrieked - a girlish, carefree laugh. I backed away from the next wave, but steeled myself by the third. As the water swirled around my ankles, the penetrating cold lessened and I walked out another step.

Looking back over my shoulder, I saw a void of darkness resting on the beach. "You coming?" I asked.

"I think I'll sit this one out. You go ahead."

Pulling up my dress around my knees, I trod deeper into the water. When the chill gripped the back of my knees, I turned and fled, running up the beach in a sprint. "Never mind," I panted, collapsing next to him. "That's way too cold."

"I'd warm it for you if I could." His eyes turned to mine and the s.p.a.ce between us seemed impossibly narrow. Had I really sat down so close to him?

He might not have control of the waters, but the heat rolling off his body was strong enough to cross the s.p.a.ce between us. As I met his eyes, his head dipped forward. My heart stuttered in my chest and my throat seemed to close tight. Was this fear or desire? His nose brushed mine as he leaned dangerously close and I felt his breath tease and tickle my lips.

When his hand slipped around my waist, pulling me a fraction of an inch closer, the spell was broken. It didn't matter that he'd carried me all the way out here, his touch chilled me. "Thank you for bringing me here," I said, turning my head and staring back out at the gently crashing waves. His hand slipped away and he sighed, long and low, as he leaned away.

"I'm just glad you trusted me enough to make the trip."

I tucked my legs into my chest and wrapped up in my own arms. Looking back over my shoulder at him, I could tell he was focused on the waves too. Anywhere but on me.

"Listen," I said, trying for a peace offering, "I still owe you some facts, right?"

His gaze snapped my direction. "A few."

"Name your topic," I offered.

Silence. His cloud stretched out and it was evident he was laying back against the pebbles, staring at the moon-bleached clouds. "Me," he finally said.

"Excuse me?"

He cleared his throat. "I want to know what you think about me."

How do I answer that? "I'm not really sure what to think," I admitted.

"Why?"

"Do you really have to ask?" I ticked off the reasons on my fingers. "First, there's the prophecy. Second, there's the fact that you won't show yourself. Third, you create stuff out of thin air, which is just odd. And fourth -" I stalled, having run out of reasons to push him away.

"Yeah?"

"You fly way too fast."

His laugh bounced down the beach. "Would you be happier if I slowed down? With you anyway?"

I nodded. "That'd be a start."

He sat up and I heard him brush the pebbles off his palms. "Okay, done. What else? What else can I do?"

"Tell me why I can't see you. Really. Are you a nymph or something like Alexa and it'd be bad luck?"

"I told you, I'm not a nymph. But, bad luck? Yeah, you could put it that way."

"I don't want to put it any way," I protested. "I want you to tell me."

He leaned in close to my ear and whispered. "Don't ever repeat this out loud. It'd put us both in danger. You understand?" He pulled back to study me, making sure I understood how serious he was. Swallowing hard, I nodded.

His hushed story continued. "I made that prophecy up."

"You what?" I blurted.

"Shush. You want to get us both killed?"

"Sorry, sorry. Go on."

"When you made Aphrodite mad, she cursed you to fall for a creature too hideous for words. But I knew I could spare you from all that if I stepped in and worded the prophecy right. The only kicker was that you'd have to spend your days, or nights rather, with me. I figured it was better than the alternative."

I sucked in a startled breath. "You saved me? Why?"

"I thought you didn't want me to say I loved you any more." Coy. He was playing with me. And I wasn't actually minding so much.

Turning, I raised up on to my knees so I could whisper back to him more easily. "So why the darkness? The whispering? If you saved me, why are we hiding?"

"What do you think would happen if Aphrodite found out her curse didn't come out quite the way she'd planned?"

That question made me sit back. Nothing good, was the only answer I could come up with.

"Yeah," he answered to my silence. "It wouldn't be pretty."

"Gotcha." I nibbled my lip, wondering if I dared to keep going. "So are you really the son of a harpy then?"

His shadow shifted as his head tossed side to side. "Yes and no. How *bout we leave it at that for now?"

How could I say no? What more did he need to tell me now that I knew I'd fallen for a false prophecy? And he'd spared me from Aphrodite's wrath?

"Will it always be like this? Between us, I mean."

Softly, he placed a kiss on my shoulder. "If you let me stay, we can be everything you've ever wanted. And more."

Resting my head against his shoulder, I let my body relax into him. His arm wrapped around my waist again, but this time, I didn't pull away. As the waves danced across the beach stones, and his hand played slowly and endlessly through my hair, I let go of the day that had been my oddest birthday ever and surrendered to sleep.

Chapter 24 - Psyche.

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead," Alexa called in a sing-song voice that would've made songbirds jealous. It just made me want to hit her.

"You are aware that I didn't go to sleep until really late at night, right?" I groaned as I pulled the covers over my head to block out the blaring sunlight.

"Um-hum," she answered, snapping the covers away, "which is why I let you sleep in. It's almost three in the afternoon."

Sitting up, I rubbed the sleep from my eye with a knuckle and winced. "I've been asleep for twelve hours?"

"Must be some evenings you're having."

"It's not like that," I blurted. "I mean, not that you care. Or that I should be talking about this. Or..." I flopped back onto my pillow. "I think I need more sleep."

"No you don't." Alexa grabbed my hand and hoisted me out of bed. "If you don't get up now, you'll never go back to sleep before dawn. Besides, you need to eat. You're having a late dinner."

Suddenly I was wide awake. "Why? He's not going to be late is he?" For some reason the thought of him not showing up right as darkness conquered light really bothered me.

"Aren't we paranoid today?" Alexa teased. "I'm sure he'll be right on time. But you'll have to wait to dine until he gets here."

"Dinner? He's coming to have dinner with me?" The warmth of excitement crept up my neck. First birthday cake and a trip to the ocean. Now dinner. I could get used to these surprises.

With sudden clarity, I realized I wasn't just getting used to his attention, I was craving it.

"So, exactly how late is dinner going to be?" I asked when my stomach growled a noisy protest. I hadn't eaten much lunch and was paying for it now.

Alexa combed my hair back and placed a silver headband around my curls. "Soon, Miss Impatient. Is it dark yet?"

"Close enough," I all-but-pouted. "I wish the days weren't getting longer. From now on, no getting me up early."

She laughed. "I wouldn't exactly call three early." She gave my curls one last tousle. "There, finished."

"Perfect, let's go." I grabbed her wrist and bolted with her in tow.

"You didn't even look," she complained.

I was now well-enough acquainted with Alexa's handiwork to know that anything she touched would come out with her mark of perfection. Looking wasn't necessary.

We rounded the corner into the dining room, but it was empty. No set plates or waiting goblets. No sounds of musicians tuning their instruments or the chatter of the servant's last-minute preparations. "If you'd bothered to slow down for a minute, I would've told you that you were going the wrong way."

My eyes snapped back in Alexa's direction. "What's going on? I'm starving."

Just then, all the candles and lanterns extinguished and the room was blanketed in dark. Alexa wiggled free of my grasp, but I didn't really try to stop her. He was here. His scent, a mixture of crisp spring air and subtle pine, announced his arrival as much as the darkness. When had I memorized how he smelled? My chest constricted like the time I dove too deeply into the river as a child; a pressure intense and crushing and exciting. Your body knowing it's more alive than ever from being on the cusp of something dangerous.

His voice rumbled at the same moment those hypnotic blue eyes emerged from the shadows. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Placing my hand into the crook of his elbow, he steered me toward the gardens. "I understand you're a little hungry."

"I'll survive, I guess," I said and smiled, hoping he got my sarcasm.

We sat together on a marble couch, reclining against the pillows to look at the stars. They twinkled and blinked, radiating a brilliant light.

"Which one's your favorite?" he asked as his fingers entwined in mine.

"A favorite star? How could you pick one out as different from any of the others?"

"You're not really looking." He pulled his fingers away. Laying his hand over mine, he guided my index to finger to point at the sky. "See these stars? They're the constellation Leo. See, there's his head." Our hands traced an invisible pattern in the air. "This is his body, and his tail curves like this to the right."

His touch sent rays of heat up my arm until I felt ready to singe. "Amazing," I whispered, and he released my hand. "Oh no, show me some more."

"Gladly, but I thought you were hungry."

I rolled onto my side to face him. "Food can wait, I guess."

His eyes cut behind me and I swore I saw a chuckle in them. "Perhaps," he said, "but I doubt Mathias cares to stand idly by while we look at the stars."

Feeling suddenly embarra.s.sed for practically snuggling, I hopped to my feet and straightened my silk gown.

"No need to get up, my Lady," Mathias said. "I'll just set your food on the tripod here. Call if you need anything."

"Yes, of course," I blurted, still feeling awkward. My hands needed something to do, so I set about uncovering the plates of delicacies. "Umm... grape leaves, calamari." I lifted another lid. "Looks like lamb kabobs here. Where shall we start?"

"You pick," he answered. "But this game has rules too."