Page 73 of A Reign of Storm and Madness

“One of them knows.” Knows what? I want to shout and pound my fist into the shingles beneath me. “He’s keeping it a secret for now. He—”

“We’re dead.” The human male gasps out the two words as he interrupts whatever she’s about to say next.

“No, we’re not,” Kiera insists. “We’re fine. Regis, he won’t tell. I’m close to him and if he were going to say anything, I’d know. He’s one of my Masters in the Academy. He said he’s—”

“You cannot trust them, Kiera!” Regis snaps, cutting her off once more.

Like a damned bug, I lie flat on the roof and press my ear even closer. More blood trickles from my nose. No Mortal God or Divine Being would still be here listening to this. Whatever that noise is, it’s clear that it’s affecting my head and causing this throbbing migraine. But this is too important. I have to know what secret this woman has been keeping from me and … who knows of it.

“Mortal Gods are just like their sires,” Regis says, scolding her. And though I understand the man’s position since it’s one I’ve been in many times myself, the thought of someone else doing so to the woman who’s been a thorn in my side since the second she stepped through the door to my chambers makes a violent creature blossom in my chest.

“They are not kind and they are not forgiving,” the man continues, not stopping. “Even if you think you can trust them, you fucking can’t. They’re all monsters. Evil, wicked, vile creatures that would kill us if they find out that we’re a threat.”

“I already am a threat to them, Regis.” Kiera’s voice is so quiet I have to strain harder to hear it. “Don’t forget, I am one of those evil, wicked, vile creatures.”

What.

I sit up and away from the rooftop. Still, her next words are as clear as sunshine on a cloudless day, as if the strange noise that has been impeding my ability to listen to them is suddenly overwhelmed by the shock that hits me.

No.

“I’m a Mortal God, too, Regis.”

I close my eyes, blocking out the rest of the world as those words slam into me. She continues talking, but I don’t hear her. The truth slips in on the heels of this realization. She’d said one of her Masters knew. That means one of my brothers knows this secret, and I already suspect which one.

Three things are now clear.

One. Kiera Nezerac is a Mortal God.

Two. One of my brothers knows.

And three. He. Didn’t. Fucking. Tell. Me.

Chapter 37

Kiera

Istep out of the front door to Madam Brione’s shop without ever having seen the old crotchety woman leave her bedroom. My eyes burn with the brightness of the sun that’s risen since I’ve been inside the dark cramped space of Regis’ room. A dull throb has taken up residence at the base of my skull and slowly grows in both intensity and volume.

Turning, I start my jog down the street. I’m going to be late, I think, as I hit the end of the narrow road too slender for carriages to pass through, avoiding the eyes of those who’ve come out of their doorsteps and alleyways to beg for food or denza from anyone in their vicinity, even if those passing by look hardly well off enough to feed themselves, much less offer to others.

No sooner has the thought struck me that Ruen is going to be particularly angry at me for my tardiness than a hand snakes out from the shadows of an alley and grabs ahold of me. The move is so quick and silent that even my trained instincts are frozen for a moment. Those instincts, however, come roaring back to life an instant later.

I stomp my foot into the kneecap of my attacker, whirling around. My assailant makes no sound as strong, masculine arms corded with muscle I can feel through the dark shirt they’re wearing come around me. They pluck me off my feet as easily as if they were lifting a bag of laundry. The urge to shout rumbles up my throat, but I stifle it.

I’m the fucking trained one here. This man is no one. Likely a robber or drunkard who got too tired of begging and decided to try his hand at crime instead. He’ll learn, though. He’ll learn today that choosing the wrong victim will get him killed.

My fingers inch down my thigh and around my hip to the dagger I strapped at the small of my back. The assailant carries me further into the darkness of the empty alleyway. Rage thrums in my bones. I truly don’t have time for this. I’m going to piss Ruen off enough as it is. I call for my power, dark threads dripping from my fingertips as I do.

Strangely enough, though, it feels like the darkness is surrounding us, closing off the end of the alley that leads out into the street. It’s as if there are far more than the little strings of my own darkness moving around us. A low, rumbling vibration at my back tickles my ears. A growl.

“You’ve made a very lethal mistake, Kiera.”

Oh. Shit. I know that voice. I don’t just know that voice—that voice belongs to the man that is waiting on me. The one that absolutely should not be here.

“Ruen…” I breathe his name, and suddenly we’re spinning and my back is slammed into the side of a stone wall. Bits of rock and dust flutter down around my face and on my shoulders. My hand slips away from the dagger I’d been mere milliseconds away from unleashing and using to slice his throat wide open.

The Mortal God that had brought me into the city is there, hovering over me, his face a mask of fury that I’ve never seen on him. Oh, I’ve seen annoyance on those perfectly sculpted features of his. I’ve seen ire, but I have never seen Ruen Darkhaven in pure, unadulterated rage. The sight of it stops my heart dead in my chest.

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