Goddess of the Rose (Goddess Summoning #4)(67)

Then it was her turn to be silent. He could feel her thoughts. He couldn't actually read them, but he knew that she was thinking of him . . . considering . . . weighing her response.

"Maybe you need someone else to believe in the man, so you can quit seeing nothing but the monster."

The meaning of her words jolted Asterius, and hope surged so sweetly within him that he felt the beast shiver in response. "How can you see anything but the monster?" The depth of his emotions made his voice rumble with the force of a growl, and even though he noticed that this time she didn't flinch away from him, he struggled to regain control. Through gritted teeth he said, "Look at me. Listen to me. I cannot even gentle my voice to speak soft words to you! There is little that is manlike in my appearance."

"Then I suppose I'll just have to look deeper than your appearance."

The smile that tilted her full lips made his heart beat painfully against his chest. He wanted to pull her into his arms and crush her to him. But he could not - not here and now, and perhaps not ever. But he could touch her. Just for an instant . . .

Asterius lifted his hand and let his fingers brush the side of her cheek. "Mikado, you make me believe that I still dream," he murmured as gently as possible.

She met his eyes. "Sometimes I think that would be nice. Gii told me that I have the power to weave dreams. Maybe I'll figure out how to weave one for us."

His fingers began to sting, and reluctantly, he took them away from her face. She sighed, as if she, too, was disappointed that he wasn't still touching her. Then she gave herself a little shake.

"Dreams are for later. Right now let's hurry up and eat. I'm still not done here, and I really do want to check in with Nera and Gii before it gets too dark."

So amazingly, he and Mikado ate the midday meal together within sight of many of the women of the realm, who did often steal looks in their direction, trying hard to peer through the shadows of the ancient oak.

His inhumanly acute hearing caught the sound of the Elemental approaching before Mikado noticed her, and he surreptitiously motioned for the shadows under their tree to lighten. Then he stood and moved aside, purposefully giving the appearance that he might only be there to wait on the Empousa's next command instead of sitting close beside her, sharing an intimate meal.

"Empousa, the women have finished their meal," Floga said after sliding a narrowed glance at the Guardian.

"Good! We're done here, too."

Then, very deliberately, Mikado held out her hand to him. Asterius hesitated only an instant before taking it in his own and helping the priestess to her feet. She smiled and thanked him as if he were a man accustomed to the touch of a woman's hand. Then she turned to the staring Fire Elemental.

"Let's get back to work."

Chapter Twenty-Three

"I'M glad the palace is situated in the north so Gii and her group of women are in charge of the roses surrounding it," Mikki told Asterius as they watched the Earth Elemental pass the word to her women that they were done for the day.

"It's obvious that you and she are becoming friends," Asterius said.

"Yes, we are," she said, thinking that it was just as obvious that the Elemental was uncomfortable with her Empousa's familiarity with the Guardian.

"It's not surprising that the two of you are compatible. Earth and roses fit naturally together."

"You're right - they do."

Gii would just have to get used to having Asterius around. Mikki didn't think it would be too tough for the Elemental to do that. All she needed to do was to quit thinking of him as a beast, and she'd soon see what Mikki saw - the man within. It hadn't been that hard for her. How difficult could it be for the rest of them?

"I should go now, Mikado. The handmaidens will want time alone with you, and there are duties to which I must attend."

She looked up at him, surprised that she could be sad to part from him after spending the whole day in his company. She usually got sick of being around a man in less than half that time. "Will you come back?"

Mikki watched his eyes darken and he said, "If you call for me, I will come to you."

"Then I'll call," she said.

He bowed formally to her just as the four handmaidens approached them. Mikki noted how each of them looked obviously relieved when Asterius turned and disappeared into the shadows of the darkening garden. She pushed down the annoyance she felt. They had worked hard today; they were all tired. And it really would be unreasonable of her to expect the women to change the way they felt about Asterius in just a couple days. The other Empousas had treated their Guardian like an animal; it was logical, then, that was how the women of the realm would treat him. Mikki would just have to lead by example. They were smart girls - they'd catch on.

"Are you four as ready for a long soak as I am?"

THIS evening was even cooler than the one before, and steam from the baths veiled everything in a warm, damp mist. Mikki leaned back against the smooth side of her private bath and fed herself another grape. She was pleasantly full and a little tipsy from the wine. She hadn't planned on having dinner with the women. She'd planned on taking a quick bath and then retreating to her room and another private dinner with Asterius, but the women had been hungry, and, after all, who could bathe quickly when the "tub" was this spectacular and the company was so enjoyable?