Free Fate of the Gods 01 - Forged by Fate by Amalia T. Dillin Page A

toward her. “You don’t have to let him touch you, Eve.”
    “He was angry with me for pulling away.” She rubbed her arm, lifting her head to look at him. Her skin was red where Adam had grabbed her. “He hurt me.”
    Reu dropped to the ground beside her. “I’m sorry.”
    “The way he touches me—” she hesitated, brushing dirt from her hip. “It makes me feel cold, even though his hands are like the sun.”
    “He hurt you because of me.”
    She shook her head. “No. Because of me.”
    “He has no right.” Reu’s voice was hard. “He has no right to force you. God’s laws are clear.”
    “I wish someone would tell me,” she said softly. “What I’m supposed to do. How I’m supposed to act. I keep waiting for some understanding, but everything gets more confused.”
    “Eve.” It was a sigh, more than anything. He covered her hand with his, just for a moment. Then the warmth was gone and he rose back to his feet. “It wasn’t meant to be this way for you. You shouldn’t have to fear, to weep. I’ll do everything I can to help.”
    “How was it meant to be, Reu? Please.”
    He shook his head, stepping back, toward the front of the cave. “I hope someday to be able to show you.” But then he turned and walked away.

    She spent the rest of the morning alone for the most part, though Adam made her leave the cave when the sun reached its zenith. She sat in the shade of a large tree in the thick, green grass spotted with small purple flowers, and watched the others, not knowing what else to do with herself.
    Some of the women brought her food and water, and sat with her while they ate their own. They laughed often among themselves as they talked about the men.
    “Seth promised to marry me. He means to speak with Adam this evening.” The woman’s hair was the color of the sun, and Eve thought her name was Sarah.
    Another woman, Hannah, glanced to where the men stood together. Her hair was almost black, and her eyes were a darker green than the grass they sat in, almost brown at times. “I wish that one of them would marry me. If only to keep Adam from touching me. Every time he sends us off to bathe, I’m tempted to coat my skin with mud before I come back, just to disgust him.”
    “You mean you wish Adam would marry,” a third woman said. Eve thought she was called Lilith.
    All three of them glanced at Eve. She felt their eyes, even if she pretended not to notice. Sarah’s voice lowered. “Seth doesn’t think he’ll stop even if he does marry.”
    “We’re his,” Lilith said. “To do with as he pleases.”
    “Reu doesn’t believe that,” Hannah said, catching Eve’s eye. The dark haired girl smiled at her tentatively. “He says that we’re meant to be free.”
    “Reu should be more careful what he says.” Lilith says. “If Adam hears him, he’ll be punished. Talk like this will only get us into trouble.” She stood and walked away.
    Sarah sighed and watched her go. “I don’t understand her, sometimes.”
    “Reu told me that Adam took her right after she was made.” Hannah spoke softly. “He isn’t sure what happened, but God was upset.”
    “You know Reu well?” Eve asked.
    Hannah smiled, her eyes warm. “He helped many of us, when we were made.”
    “He confuses me.”
    Sarah laughed. “Everything is confusing in the beginning.”
    Eve frowned, her gaze going back to the men, and Reu. They were taking turns throwing long sticks. Every so often cheers went up. They clapped each other on the back and laughed together, the way the women did. All but Adam. Sometimes his lips curved, but his gaze was always hard, and none of them touched him. Because he was Lord. That was what they called him when they bowed and served and scraped.
    “How long does the beginning last?” Eve asked.
    Hannah’s slim fingers curled gently around Eve’s wrist. Her hands were delicate in a way Adam’s would never be, but her skin shared the same tones, closer to brown than pink, as