Page 97 of Marked by the Demigod

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The next morning, she wakes up to him warm and pliant next to her, still asleep. Both cats are curled at his feet, and only blink at her.

She slides out of bed without him even twitching, feeling only a small pang of jealousy at how sound he sleeps. Sneaking out to the kitchen, she sleep makes a pot of coffee and grabs the packet of information Katya had given her ages before.

The last few months had aged the pages, and she flips past the werewolves and the shapeshifters to the section on deities.

It has very little on how they're killed, of course, so she flips to the bigger packet she had been given on Iakov. There's the single line about how he had killed his own father, which again seems over dramatic. But if there's anything that is constant it's Iakov and his brothers being needlessly dramatic.

It gives her nothing of use, so she flips back to the general section of info Katya had given her, scanning for anything useful, but nothing jumps out...

Her eyes drift over to the kitchen when the coffee perks over to done, and almost as if it's calling for her, her gaze drops to the cutlery drawer.

The first time he had come back, it was because he had been shot with a bronze bullet.

She scrambles up to her kitchen, yanking the drawer open with more force than necessary.

The bronze knife, the mysterious one from all those months ago, lay still in its plastic casings.

"Son of a bitch," she whispers, because he had given her that answer so long ago. "Of course."

She glances back at the bedroom, where he's still fast asleep...and pours herself a cup of coffee cause she's not about to go and stab the shit out of someone before breakfast.

She sits, the coffee cup warming her hand, staring at her purse. Her heart should be pounding, but instead it's stone cold calm.

In a small, idle corner of her mind, she wonders if she's not dealing with the emotions right now or if she's actually calm.

Could she stab someone, and what the hell is her life that she's actually considering it? How has her life evolved to the point that she's here, sipping coffee, with a Demi god in her bed and thinking of killing another?

So she looks at this like it’s a code. What are the questions she is looking at, how do they each break down, and what are the logical fallacies of each.

The first one: could she kill someone?

She sinks into her too comfy couch, staring at her black TV, and can't think of a conceptual answer except...probably? If they threatened her enough?

Had they?

The answer to that question is yes. The image of Iakov's tattered chest and the rattle in his breath is enough to turn her stomach. Yes, they have threatened her enough, she's been hidden away enough, and Iakov is tired enough and hurt enough.

She tucks her feet underneath herself and resolves to get a lot of therapy after this.

Would there be...consequences? Legally?

If Katya was willing to pull a gun on Iakov, are there any actual legal issues killing them? Would whatever shadow organization Katya's a part of prosecute her? If Iakov had Katya's help trying to take down them, then probably they're okay.

Is there any jail Iakov couldn't get her out of? As she sips her coffee, she has to admit that it probably exists, by sheer probability of large numbers, and she immediately feels gross for thinking about all of this.

Would Iakov and Katya let her in on any planning?

Probably not. Iakov's word notwithstanding, she has no doubt that he would break a bedside promise for the sake of remaining safe and alive.

* * *

He finally wakesas she gets ready to head back to Pasadena, the knife buried deep within her work purse, and he all but pouts as she's getting dressed. He's soft with sleep, warm, and when he wraps his arms around her middle and pulls her back into bed she doesn't protest.

The cats curl up even more between Iakov's feet, provoking a low, rumbling laugh from him. "I think your kittens like me more than they like you."

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