Page 40 of A Sword of Shadow and Deceit

Gingerly, I take a step off of the last stair and make my way across the room, feigning a light limp to avoid suspicion. It doesn’t take much acting, my calves are, after all, on fucking fire. I get about halfway when his voice calls me to a halt. “I thought I told you to clean yourself up?”

With my back still to him, I reply. “I did, Sir Ruen.”

“I don’t recall telling you to continue with your duties when I sent you away,” he states.

Slowly, I pivot my body to face him. “I apologize for the inconvenience,” I say. “Would you like me to come back later?”

Ruen drops into a chair and lifts his booted feet to a table set at the perfect distance for him to plant his heels, crossing one over the other. Still, he doesn’t look at me. “Are you here to clean?” he asks.

“It’s one of my duties.”

The deep baritone of his hum rumbles throughout the room as he lifts a book from the arm of the chair where it’d been placed haphazardly before, its pages split open to some unseen story. “Duty, huh?” he mumbles. “What are the duties of Terra again?”

I blink at him. He can’t be serious. I wait a beat, sure he’s going to laugh and wave me off, but no. He’s quiet, and when I don’t offer an answer, he lifts his ice-coated gaze to mine. “Well, Terra?” he prompts me once more. “Recite your duties to me.”

“It is a Terra’s duty to foresee any need or desire from their Masters. We are to clean and provide a comfortable living space for our assigned Mortal Gods as well as to attend to their needs in whatever fashion they wish.” As much as I hadn’t wanted to take the book that Madam Brione had given, it had proven more useful than I’d initially thought and I relay the information he’s requested like a well-trained worshiper of the Gods.

“Correct.” He snaps the book shut with a loud thwack. It takes me a moment to realize that I should’ve feigned a jolt as any human would, but by the time I think of it, the time has passed. Ruen’s eyes narrow on me. “It is a Terra’s duty to attend to our needs.”

I nod slowly. “Do you have need of me, sir?” Surely, he’s not going to be like that other Mortal God and demand I strip down and service him. I can’t quite say why, but Ruen Darkhaven strikes me as a conservative sort. He wouldn’t be the type of man to fuck a woman in a shared space like this. No. He’d want her all to himself in a private chamber. No doubt where he could pour all of the subtle darkness I sense deep within him into her and release it. Then again, he is a Mortal God and I’ve been wrong before. Rarely. But it’s possible.

“Yes,” he snaps. “What I need from you is simple.”

“I’ll make it my utmost priority, sir,” I reply. “If you’ll just give me your command.”

“I need you to get the fuck out.”

My lips part. “What?”

“Get out,” he snaps again. “And this time, don’t fucking return. They’ll send someone better next time. Someone stronger. Perhaps a male, but you—well, it doesn’t matter that you outsmarted Malachi. Anyone with half a brain, mortal or not, could do that. You might have surprised Theos but not me. You strike me as a female of decent intelligence. So, do yourself a favor and leave while you still have life and limb to. I won’t take responsibility if my brothers rip you apart in their ever-fervent quest to seek amusement.”

Perhaps it hadn’t been stoicism that I’d seen on his face after the classroom incident but guilt. Odd. I’m a Mortal God and I’ve felt more than my fair share of it, I have to admit—even if it’s only to myself—so they must all be capable of the same emotions as me.

A burning sensation forms in my chest. Something like the dying embers of a fire illuminated after too long in the cold. I inhale a breath through my nose and then quietly blow it out through my mouth. As if he’s satisfied that he’s effectively scared me off, Ruen lifts the book back into his hand and splits it open once more.

“Do I scare you?”

The silence following my question is palpable. Slowly, Ruen raises his head and fixes me with a stare so intense it could only be described as fatally dark. “Excuse me?”

There’s no point in pretending like he didn’t hear me the first time, but I repeat it anyway. “Do I scare you?”

The book in his hand lowers to his lap. Quiet stretches around the room, wrapping around it several times before the string breaks and Ruen speaks. “In what way do you think a mortal such as yourself is capable of scaring me?” Though his voice is deep, riddled with anger and insult, his eyes remain on mine, unmoving and unchanging.

“Everyone feels fear,” I say. “Even Mortal Gods.”

He stands but doesn’t move towards me. Blue eyes darken at the edges as they glare at me. “If you refuse to leave then I suppose I’ll have to do it for you.”

My body tenses. I open my mouth—to say what, I’ll never know, because before I can utter a single word, a wave of air sweeps through me so intensely that I flinch back. My eyes shut and when they open again, I’m standing in the corridor at the stairwell with the feeling of Divinity sliding over my flesh like a breeze.

I turn and gape at the now closed door to the Darkhavens’ chambers. What … just happened? An ability? Space manipulation? I’d never experienced something so strong … or dangerous. As my eyes settle on the scarred wood leading into the private rooms of the Darkhaven brothers, I realize something.

It’s not just Kalix that I need to be concerned with. If my target is any one of the Darkhaven brothers, I might be in for more trouble than I can handle.

Chapter 18

Kiera

One thing I have to say about Mortal Gods Academy over the following weeks is that it’s a strange combination of lavish playground and prison for those inside. After my initial thwarting of their attempt to make me regret taking part in the Darkhavens’ little bet, they seem to lose interest in tormenting me, to lose interest in the bet altogether. I’m just fine with that. After all, it was only because of my need to rebel against anyone who tries to squash me that led me to make that ridiculous decision. If they’re to forget all about it, then it’s no longer an issue.

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