I did know, and I nodded, running my fingers through the ends of her tangled hair. Somehow her braid had come undone. “I won’t let anything happen to you or the life you want,” I said quietly. “I promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she said, and she stared at the pendant in her hand, a hint of sadness flashing across her face. “I knew what would happen when I asked you to steal this. Well, actually, I figured the guards would kill you. Sorry.”
She gave me the tiniest of smiles, and I grinned back. I’d already guessed as much.
“I just…I’m prepared. I knew this might happen, and I was willing to swallow the consequences. But for Mac and Sprout and Perry…” She bit her lip. “Is he okay? Do you know anything?”
I hesitated. “I know he’s in good hands. The best there is in literally the entire world. If anyone can save Perry, it’s him.”
“Thanks,” she whispered. “You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t have to do any of it, yet you did anyway.”
I pulled her in toward me. She rested her head on my shoulder, her breaths coming in deep and uneven. “I did, though. Chosen family and all.”
“Even if you’ll outlive us all?”
My chuckle was void of all humor. She had no idea how much that reminder twisted the knife already buried deep inside me. “There’s an afterlife, you know. My uncle runs it, and sometimes I help escort lost souls there. What do you think will happen when you die?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. Hell, I guess. Eternal fire and torture for everything I’ve stolen and done and…right.”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” Or at least it wouldn’t be for her—I refused to let her think that way. “It’s the best place you can imagine. The happiest moment, the people you love most—it’s whatever you want. Whatever you believe deep inside of you.”
Tuck didn’t move for a long moment, and at last she whispered, “I don’t want to die. And I don’t want Mac and Sprout and Perry to die, either.”
“I won’t let that happen,” I said firmly. “Just trust me, all right? Hard as it might be, I won’t let anything happen to you. We can leave now, you know, if you want.”
She peered up at me. “We can?”
“Sure. Just say the word, and you and I will walk out of here without a care in the world.”
“But—Mac and Sprout—”
“I’ll come back for them, of course,” I said. “I wouldn’t leave them behind.”
Tuck shook her head fiercely. “No. If you can really get us out of here, then they need to go first. The moment my father discovers I’m missing, he’ll have them killed. I can’t let that happen.”
I laced my fingers with hers. They were cold and much smaller than I thought they’d be. “All right. Mac and Sprout first. I’ll bring them to a safe place in the woods, and then I’ll come back for you. Deal?”
“Deal. Wait a little bit before you go, though.”
“Why?” I said, tightening my grip on her hand. “Like spending time with me after all?”
Tuck snorted. “Yeah, right. The later it is, the less likely you’ll be spotted, that’s all. Sorry to shatter your hopes and dreams.”
I gazed down at her in the flickering torchlight. She was practically a kid—a mortal kid, no less. But there was something about her that made me want to stay in this cell forever with her. Just the two of us curled up together in the hay, waiting for morning to come. Despite everything that had happened, I hadn’t felt this sort of warmth in eons, not since Persephone.
Lives with mortals weren’t impossible—they weren’t exactly encouraged, of course, but several council members had mortal spouses and children they visited often, Zeus included. It was a leap, since twenty-four hours ago, Tuck could barely stand me, but in that moment, I saw a future. A real possibility of happiness, even if it would eventually end with her death. But a little happiness, no matter how temporary, was better than none at all.
“Hey,” I said as the minutes ticked by. “When we get out of here, why don’t we build a cottage somewhere as far away from this place as we can get?”
She peered up at me, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Like a home?”
“A home. A place in the woods where no one will bother us, but close enough to travel if we need to. We can take care of the boys until they’re old enough to decide what they want to do. If they want to stay, brilliant—if they want to venture out on their own, they can always come back. And you’ll never want for anything, I promise.”
Tuck’s expression softened, and finally she said, “That sounds perfect.”
I kissed her temple. “Then that’s what we’ll do. And you’ll never have to worry about any of this again.”
“That’d be really nice.” She sighed. “Thanks for—you know. Not being terrible. Even if I still don’t believe you about the whole god thing.”
“No problem,” I said. “Now sleep. I’ll wake you before I leave.”
She snuggled against me, wrapping her arms around my torso as if I was a pillow. Soon enough her chest rose and fell evenly, and her heart beat slowly but steadily.
I would give that to her no matter what it took. Even if I had to walk away from the council, even if I could never see my family again—I would have a new family with her and the boys. I did have that new family. And I wasn’t going to give them up for anything.
Iris arrived shortly after midnight, appearing in the cell with a burst of rainbow. Her red hair hung in waves, and she wore one of her fancier outfits, as if she’d taken time getting ready.
“Hey,” I whispered. “Thanks for coming.”
“Sure thing.” She eyed Tuck, who had shifted sometime in the past hour or so. Her head was in my lap, and she snorted softly. “Who’s this?”
“A friend. Her name’s Tuck. I need your help.”
“Of course.” But Iris didn’t tear her eyes away from her. “What sort of help? I don’t have much time before Zeus figures out I’m gone.”
“I need your help getting a few kids out of here. They’re in a cell a little ways down—I can show you where. They need to be brought to a safe spot in the woods where no one except us can find them. Go through the walls if you have to.”