Chapter 88 Chapter Eighty-Eight - Gabriella
I walk down the front steps of the beach house, making my way across the sand and over to Jartre who continues to stare out at the horizon. I sense his anguish and guilt and if our bond were complete I’d probably be crushed by their weight. That’s the thing most people don’t realize about Jartre. Jartre feels everything far more intensely than others. His own emotions are a destructive force to himself and those around him. His love for Apaki nearly destroyed the world and then his love for me nearly did the same thing, only on a much larger scale. His guilt, disgust and shame birthed a new God and that has come with its own set of problems. I can’t blame Jartre for wanting to run and hide from his feelings all these years because it seems whenever he lets them out, someone gets hurt.
“Are you going to keep standing there watching me?” he utters, not sparing me a glance.
“I didn’t want to disturb you. Do you want to talk?” I gently ask.
“I’m sure you already know what happened, so what would be the point?” he shrugs in an apathetic manner, not that he’s fooling me.
I walk over to him, reaching out and turning his face to look at mine, my heart aching when I see the guilt in his eyes. “This isn’t about what I know, this is about you needing to talk or not, and if you do then I’m right here, okay?” I caress his cheek, hoping my touch can bring him just a hint of peace. “You don’t bottle things up anymore, you have me now.”
I see the tears start to brim in his eyes as he captures my hand and places an urgent kiss on my palm before placing my hand back against his cheek, holding it there as if my touch is the glue holding him together.
“I waited too long. You were right all those months ago, I should have just sucked it up and done what I should have done. If I had…” he closes his eyes, lowering his head in shame.
I capture his face in my hands and lift his head, “Look at me,” I instruct. Reluctantly, he opens his eyes and looks at me, almost afraid to even do so. “What’s done is done and you can’t beat yourself up about this forever. Maybe this was how it was meant to be.”
His face contorts in an appalled expression, “An infant was meant to be cursed?”
“I can see her future and while there will be hardships ahead of her, I think this is part of her destiny.”
“They’re having a girl?” he quietly asks.
I nod in reply. “You keep telling me that the universe always finds a balance and I believe it will for her. She will grow up with the love of two wonderful parents and an incredible family and support system behind her. What she will be I believe is what she’s meant to be. It won’t be easy but just look at her mother. Zarseti created Yildiz to be different from all her sisters. To others, Yildiz’s blindness is seen as a disadvantage, but she has only ever seen it as a blessing that allows her to view the world in ways no other does. I believe she will help her daughter to see that what Oshmin views as a curse might actually be a blessing.”
“How can a curse ever be seen as a blessing?” he asks incredulously, but I can feel the part of him that wants my words to be true.
“For Oshmin it was a curse because he had a life before it. It changed everything about him and reminded him that he wasn’t the person he used to be. For him, it was a loss, not a gain, but for their little girl, this is who she will be born as. This will be her normal and I believe she will embrace it fiercely. It’s Oshmin who has to learn to come to terms with what this means and learn to stop seeing his curse as hers, and that might be harder.”
“But this is still my fault,” he says regrettably.
“You cursed Oshmin and that was fucked up, but you didn’t tell him to raw dog it with his animai, okay? He was the idiot who had unprotected sex and at no point thought it might result in a perfectly healthy and fertile woman getting pregnant. So really, in this case, he’s the idiot and he knows that, and he is blaming himself far more than he is you. It’s just easier to hate on you because he’s done it for so long,” I say bluntly.
Jartre looks stunned, “I…hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“Of course not, because in classic Jartre fashion when shit hits the fan you either turn to avoidance or self-deprecation and this time you went with the latter. You cursed him, shit happens, he was reckless, it is what it is. Everyone needs to accept that and move on. No one is going to be doing that girl any favours if they view her as a mistake. Now I’m sure Yildiz can talk Oshmin around, and if not Zarseti or I will probably step in, but I don’t see why you can’t offer your support and kindness to the girl as she grows. Let her come to you and ask questions to understand the origins of what is in her blood,” I suggest.
Jartre scoffs, “I’m certain I’m the last person either Oshmin or Yildiz would want near their child.”
“Oshmin, probably not, but I can see Yildiz being open to the idea. She’s a smart woman,” I say with a confident smile.
“Since when do you know so much about her?” he asks suspiciously.
“I’ve been making a point to try and get to know the other Gods better and also the Delegation. I figure I’m going to be in their lives for a long time, so I better get used to them.”
Jartre captures my face, his touch igniting my face like an inferno as he bores his eyes into me. “Have I ever told you how remarkable you are?” he asks reverently.
I shrug as I give him a coy smile, “Once or twice, but I am more than happy to continue to hear it on a regular basis,” I say cheekily.
He finally graces me with a smile and plants a kiss on my forehead, “I will tell you every day for the rest of our lives.”
“That’s going to be a very long time.”
“No amount of time will ever be enough.” He wraps me up in his arms and I happily do the same to him, breathing in his mind-altering scent.
“Do you want to go inside?” I ask him.
“I have a better idea. Close your eyes.” I follow his instructions and close my eyes. “And no peeking with your visions either.”
I snort in amusement, “,I’ll do my best.”
I feel a wave of warm energy to the side of me but it’s over before I have the chance to bask in how electric it feels.
“You can open your eyes now,” Jartre instructs.
I open my eyes and look to the side, gasping in awe at the gorgeous little beach nest Jartre has conjured for us. A cosy, circular mound of blankets, surrounded by pillows and lanterns buried in the sand, invites us to lay down under a canopy with netting tied to three poles holding it up. A large lantern hangs from the ceiling where crystalised lights also hang from the canopy further amplifying its exotic glow.
“Jartre this is so beautiful,” I breathe out.
“I may not deserve it, but I need a moment to just lay down with my animai and bask in our little paradise.” He holds his hand out to me, and I can feel the desperation burning inside him.
With zero hesitation, I take his hand and walk with him over to the canopy. I eagerly lay down amongst the cushions, feeling like I’m floating on a cloud as Jartre lays down beside me. He pulls me to his chest, burying his nose in my hair as I snuggle up against him, the heat of our contact immediately making me feel at peace as the sound of the waves create a soothing ambience around us. This truly is our paradise and for all his faults, there’s no one I would rather be here with.
“You know Jartre, you’re not just destruction. I mean, look at his island. You created something unbelievable and beautiful. I want you to remember that when you look at this home you’ve made for us. Your powers can do a lot of good things,” I try to assure him.
“I’ve done more good with my powers since you came into my life and that’s a fact.”
“You’ve also done some pretty unique things,” I say playfully.
“Like what?” he prods.
“Like customising your dick and creating a clone of yourself so I can have a threesome with my soulmate,” I grin up at him as I caress his chest. “Which I totally have to return the favour for one day.”
He smirks mischievously, “I think I would definitely enjoy that. I also enjoyed using my powers to please you both emotionally and sexually. Watching how your body reacted to a little magically enhanced orgasms has definitely been imprinted on my brain.”
“Some magically what now?” I inquire, sitting up on my elbow.
He looks at him in amusement, “Don’t tell me you never noticed.”
“Noticed what?” I press.
“Every now and then I’d help…intensify your orgasms.”
“How?” Jartre raises his hand, and my jaw drops when I watch the static electricity zap along his fingers. “You were electrocuting my vagina?!” I shriek.
“You make it sound like I was torturing you,” he scoffs. “It was a low voltage zap, and you fucking loved it,” he says haughtily.
“Dude! You could have at least asked me first! That’s like some Godly BDSM shit. What is it about consent you don’t grasp?”
“I took the ‘Jartre, don’t fucking stop’ as consent,” he says smugly.
I narrow my eyes at him, “That was sneaky, and you know it. I’m not going to get mad because now I know why those times literally felt like a jolt hitting me and causing an intensely explosive orgasm but seriously, inform a woman before you do that,” I huff.
“I couldn’t exactly inform you the first time, you didn’t know I was a God or that they even existed. I was just determined to leave a lasting impression,” he says with a cocky grin.
I roll my eyes. “Well, congratulations, you most certainly succeeded at that.”
“So, do I have permission to keep using this little trick of mine?” he teases, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“I wasn’t going to tell you to stop doing it. Do I look like a moron?”
He smiles at me lovingly, “No, not even remotely close.”
I lay back down and rest my head on his chest, relaxing as he starts running his fingers through my hair the way I love. The man is utterly insane. But am I upset he used unconventional methods to get me off? Not really. Shocked by the methods, but I’ve come to learn that Jartre is the kind of man who uses everything in his arsenal, and I love that about him. If he wants to light me up like a Christmas tree, he can go right ahead and do it.
Which reminds me…
“Jartre?”
“Hmm?”
“Why haven’t you pushed to complete our bond?”
His fingers halt halfway through my hair, and I can feel his trepidation as his heart begins to pick up speed in his chest. I glance up at him and see the apprehension on his face, which immediately worries me. Does he not want to complete our bond?
He slowly inhales through his nose and exhales through his mouth before he addresses me. “At first, I didn’t want you to have to juggle feeling my emotions and power while you were adjusting to your own.”
“And after that?”
“I was scared,” he admits uncomfortably.
“Of?”
“The last time we completed our bond a war broke out and you died. I’m not exactly keen for a repeat.”
My expression softens as I lay my hand against his cheek, gently caressing his high cheekbones with my thumb. “It won’t be like last time. I’m strong now and I’m pretty certain I’m not tied to any other prophecies,” I try to say in a light tone to cut through the tension.
“You didn’t know about the first one until Zarseti told you,” he retorts.
“Okay, that’s fair.” I sit up and take his hand in mine. “Jartre, things are different now. I’m different now. I’m stronger and while I still have a lot to learn about what it means to be a celestial being, I feel really confident in us and our future. I want to be bonded with you. I want to start living the rest of our lives.”
Jartre sits up and holds my hands securely in his, searching my eyes for any signs of doubt or hesitation. He should know by now no one can force me to do anything and that if I choose to do something It’s because I one hundred per cent want to.
“Okay…we can do it.”
I smile wide with elation, “What do I do?”
“It’s hard to explain but basically…try to have your essram reach out for mine.”
My smile softens as I take in the light of his essram radiating around him. “I think I can do that.”
Jartre leans his forehead against mine, soothing me with his touch as he closes his eyes. I close my eyes in turn and follow his advice and am surprised by how easy it is to do. I feel my essram burning bright within me like this never-ending source of light. I pull on it, using it to reach out for Jartre’s and at that same moment, I can feel his essram reaching out for mine, our energies blanketing each other in a cocoon of love and warmth. Even with my eyes closed I can see the green light of mine and the white light of his colliding together and exploding with unimaginable force. As our essrams collide and unite, burning hotter than the sun within us, I once again feel our bond click into place, only this time it’s on a level that surpasses all words. Every emotion even down to the ones Jartre tries to suppress, rushes through me like a damn bursting and I welcome every last one of them. I take in his love and adoration, his remorse and his shame and I embrace every ounce of power he possesses, and I can feel him doing the same for me.
For the first time in my life, I finally understand what true peace feels like. To feel your soul or essram finally be complete and made whole by its other half and knowing that that other half loves me so unconditionally, is a beautiful and precious gift I will love and honour for the rest of my life.
Jartre and I happen to open our eyes at the same time, but I immediately blink in surprise as I take in his appearance. I reach out and capture a strand of his hair between his fingers, marvelling at the new streaks of deep forest green now flowing through his albino white hair. Jartre grasps a strand of my hair in his hand, and I look down to now see the streaks of pure white that are mixed in amongst the green.
“I know you hate green, but how do you feel about white?” he playfully asks.
I chuckle, holding his face in my hands, “I love the white so much more.”
I pull his face to mine, bringing our lips together in an explosive kiss. The fire of our kiss ignites between us, burning through my lips and rushing through my body, it’s intensity so consuming I swear it has the power to create a whole new galaxy. It only continues to grow as our lips move against one another in perfect synchronicity, a soft contented moan rumbling in my throat as I take in every single second, committing it to memory.
As we continue the most blissful kiss I’ve ever felt, the darkness behind my eyelids is replaced by a whole new scene. I see myself standing on this very beach, the morning sun beating down and the waves washing up on the sand as an energetic little boy with flowing neon, mint green hair and bright silver eyes runs across the sand leaping into the overjoyed arms of Jartre. A smile splits across my face, and I feel a lump of emotion get clogged in my throat as the vision passes.
Jartre looks at me curiously, softly caressing my cheek, “What is it?”
I smile shaking my head, “Nothing. I’m just…happier than I ever thought I could be.”
He smiles and leans in once again, kissing my forehead before laying back amongst the cushions and pulling me down with him.
“Jartre?”
“Yes, Starlight?”
“How did all of you Gods come about your names?” I query.
I feel him shrug beneath me, “I don’t really know. We just…kind of gave them to ourselves. One minute we didn’t exist and then the next we did, and we somehow just knew what our names were. They just popped into our heads. Why do you ask?”
“Well, you just happened to be born with names, and I was human, so my parents named me. I was just wondering…if you could name a God, what name would you give them?”
“That’s an odd question, even for you.”
“Humour me.”
Time passes silently as he thinks until finally, he comes up with an answer.
“Kaion.”
“Kaion?” I echo back.
“Yeah. I don’t know why, but I like that name,” he chirps happily.
I smile as I replay my vision in my mind. “Kaion…I think I love that name too.”
“Why did you ask?”
I smile to myself, wrapping my arms around him as I watch the sun set over the horizon. “You’ll find out one day.”
.
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THESE CHARACTERS WILL RETURN IN THE SEVENTH BOOK IN THE GODS' SAGA, A QUEEN AMONG TEMPESTS, coming shortly to this platform. Any questions about the series or my other books, please reach out via IG (adb_stories) or FB (Author A.D. Burnell).
Books in the series and ideal reading order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (Coming Soon under book 5, but can be read at any time)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (Coming Soon under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Generation Books Coming in 2026)