Goddess of the Rose (Goddess Summoning #4)(60)

"You're right. There are Dream Stealers in my old world. Young men throw away their lives; girls repeat cycles of abuse until they can see no way out; terrible things happen every day."

"And what causes those things to happen? What is at the heart of those tragedies?"

"Hatred, ignorance, apathy," she said.

"Exactly. And those are just some of the Dream Stealers that lurk in the forest of the crossroads between worlds. If they would enter our realm, they would be able to not simply destroy people's lives, but the dreams on which generations survive."

"You'll keep them out, won't you?"

"I have sworn a life oath to do so."

"You should have told me all this earlier." Mikki shivered, feeling sick at the thought that she'd insisted he open the gate and let the women go into the forest. "No, it's not your fault. You tried to tell me that it was dangerous; I should have listened to you."

"You did what you believed was best for the roses. No harm was done; I was there to guard the gate. I will always be there to guard the gate."

"But if those things are in the forest, why is there a gate at all? Shouldn't we seal it up and be sure it's never opened again?"

"We cannot. Mikado, not everything in the forest is evil. You should know that even dreams must be tempered with reality from time to time. Our reality comes from the forest and the threads of reality that drift there from the worlds beyond."

"First thing tomorrow you'll check all the rest of the hedge to be sure no other area has been weakened by the roses being sick?"

"I will. You may rest easily, Mikado. The realm is safe under my protection."

She knew what he said was the truth - she knew it because she felt it deep within her blood. All her intuition told her that this incredible man-beast would give his life to keep the Realm of the Rose, and its Empousa, safe.

"Thank you."

This time instead of bristling at her appreciation, he simply bowed his head slightly.

For a while they sipped their wine, each lost in their own thoughts.

"May I ask you another question?" Mikki said.

"You may." He was looking at her with an open, interested expression.

"When I asked you if you could teach me to conjure things, you said you couldn't because only someone born of a Titan had that ability. Just exactly who were your parents?"

He didn't respond to her question for a long time, weighing whether he should tell her his story, or whether he should stay silent and remain a mystery to her - a mystery that she would eventually tire of trying to solve.

The thought made him feel crushingly alone.

When he began to speak, his powerful voice was unusually subdued, and he could not look at her. Instead, he stared blankly out into the night.

"My father is the Titan Cronos. One day he visited the ancient island of Crete and was struck by more than the beauty of the land amidst sea. He saw and instantly fell in love with the fair Pasiphea. But she was no mindless maiden. Pasiphea knew that mortals who become lovers of the gods usually come to tragic endings, so she refused the Titan. Cronos was not dissuaded by her rejection - he waited and watched. When Minos, king of Crete, chose Pasiphea as his bride, my father saw his opportunity. On Minos's wedding night, he drugged the king and took his likeness, as well as his bride's virginity. Minos was fooled, as was Pasiphea. But Cronos's wife, Rhea, was not. She suspected her husband's infidelity and confronted Cronos. He denied loving Pasiphea. And in truth, he did not lie. Once he'd sated his desire for the mortal woman, his love faded. Still, Rhea was not satisfied. She watched Pasiphea, discovering that the new bride was pregnant. In a fit of jealous anger, Rhea cursed Pasiphea's child. If, indeed, it was the son of a Titan, the child would be born not man or god, but an abomination, a creature like none other in the ancient world. That is how I came into being."

"You are what the myth of the Minotaur was based on!"

Bottomless and empty, his eyes found hers. "That is the name Minos gave me. He loathed me from the moment I was born."

"And your mother?"

"Pasiphea was kinder than her husband. She even used to secretly visit me, and I remember when I was young, she sometimes sang me to sleep." He paused, struggling to control his emotions.

"Your mother loved you."

He flinched and felt as if her words physically hurt him. "I like to believe that she tried to love me. She named me Asterius, refusing to call me by the name Minos had given me, but even in her kindness she could not forget that I was a beast. She knew that because of my monstrous form, Cronos had somehow been successful in entering her bed, the very thought of which was abhorrent to her. The sight of me was a constant reminder that the Titan had tricked her and invaded her body. So she persuaded Minos to build an enormous labyrinth, saying that in the center of it was where he should hide the fortunes of Crete, and that I would guard it for him. The labyrinth on Crete is where I lived, away from my mother's eyes and those who would hunt me for sport. It is where I would still be today if not for Hecate."

"My God! They tell stories about you. Stories that say maidens and boys were sacrificed to you."

The stunned expression on her face made him feel hot and cold at the same time.

"You should know that I have not always been as I am now. Before I answered Hecate's summons, I was as Rhea cursed me to be - an abomination, of both body and soul. When I pledged myself to the goddess, she lifted Rhea's curse and gave me the heart and soul of a man, though there was nothing even the Great Goddess could do to alter my physical form."