Page 2 of Immortal Sun

“A pulse?” I snap. “Could you focus for one second and tell me if her brother convinced her it would be in her best interest to take the management position? I looked into her financials, they aren’t great and with her brother's constant wandering on behalf of my research, it’s a shock to me she’s even been able to get him on the phone.” Idiot with stars in his eyes and I couldn’t constantly ask a new hire about his family member without looking suspicious.

Anubis’s sigh is long like I’m the annoying one. “There is this thing called the internet.”

“There’s also these things called words,” I point out wryly. “You use them to form sentences, oh and favors, which you owe me about a million of at this point.”

Anubis stands to his full height and walks over to me. He pauses in front of the fireplace. It’s one of the things I always keep within reach—heat. The flames cast a glow across his chiseled features, and bright blond hair.

I roll my eyes. “Lose the ponytail.”

He sighs and eyes me up and down. “Pick a style, what is it now? Grumpy millionaire with deep dark secrets and a fetish for spanking?”

“The fact that you know that’s a kink is only mildly alarming.”

“I know everything, and I have to say it’s even more alarming when you live with werewolves who do, in fact, mate; only to walk by humans who dream of being slammed against a wall by one. Do they have no common sense of how many bones would shatter in their bodies? Humans don’t just magically heal from a good lick.”

I snort out a laugh. “I mean some don’t.”

“Would you even know?”

“I’m not dead.” I shift nervously on my feet and look away; that’s a low blow. “You know I’ve always had rules when it comes to humans.”

His eyes narrow. “I bet you would shut down Tinder if you created a profile.”

I snap my fingers on instinct as a small blue flame erupts from my hand. “Tell any of the rest of the immortals, and I’ll singe you alive, you know I can.”

He shrugs. “I can’t die.”

“Yes, but I could make you wish for death over and over again while your body tries to heal from my burn.”

Anubis crosses his arms. “She’s here. I already have Cassius on it.”

Son of a bitch. The last thing I need is a fallen angel on the job to add to actual chaos. “You told him?”

“Listen, everyone knows, like everyone who chose to stay with the humans knows, everyone?—”

“Please stop saying everyone,” I implore through gritted teeth. There was a reason I was trying to be so careful about this. No attachments. I’m leaving them and this godforsaken world behind. The immortals that stayed have done something dangerous—they’ve gained humanity and forgotten Olympus.

He’s quiet for a minute, and then his very cold hand touches my shoulder and squeezes. “Are you truly sure this is what you want? It could get boring up on Olympus; you know how immortals like to toy with humans. It’s not really your scene.”

“I’m tired,” I snap hearing the loud music from the bar makes me even more annoyed. It was never supposed to be this difficult or this long. “I know I belong up, not below.” Frustration has me shaking away from him. “I want peace, I want the screams of humanity, the bitterness of their cries to stop, and most of all, I want to end Chaos for good. The only way to do that is to take the last bit of power he thinks he has and catch him at his weakest. If I let her live, what does that make me?”

Anubis pats me on the shoulder and drops his hand. “Human, it makes you human.”

“What?” I shrug away from him “You know how insulting this entire argument is.”

“Ever wonder?” He turns and walks toward the window. “Why the stars sing so loudly and watch from above?”

I roll my eyes. “I know you serve the Creator and that they’re very lovely, but I’ve long ago lost interest in your heavens. I want to rule. I want my power. And I want to go where I belong.”

He ignores me as if I don’t know the stories or the way the skies tell them. “They choose to fall and sacrifice to save one human each lifespan. Why would something ever choose to crash down to earth? Why would it be an honor to sacrifice for something so … small?”

I hate his riddles. I hate his stories. He always tries to convince me to stay, and I always try to convince him why I can’t. “Since you won’t leave until you tell me—why?”

“Because we’re nothing special, Cyrus.” He uses my human name, one I hate because it reminds me of my own weakness. “It is an honor to humble yourself and die for the weak—even if they are undeserving.”

“Let me know when she’s on her way,” I snarl, ignoring the tightness in my chest and the way it once again reminds me that I won’t just be ascending to the Mountain but I’ll be leaving friends I’ve no choice but to count as family. It’s not my journey though, it’s not my test, it never has been.

He bites out a curse. “Fine, I’ll text you when she’s on the way. Who do you want to do the training?

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