Page 71 of Court of Heathens

“Your duty?—”

“Will still be here. I can do both,” I tell her. “If you want me, that is?”

Her lashes flutter for a moment, and when her eyes lock on mine, they are warm with desire and happiness. “I want you,” she states boldly. “I want any part of you I can have, even if that is selfish.”

“It’s not selfish when I want you to have it,” I murmur, tugging her closer and lowering my face. “If you want me, little witch, then claim me.” It’s a plea rather than an order. I have reached for her every time, but in this moment, I need her to reach for me and give me a reason to fight for us.

When her lips press softly to mine, I taste the truth in her heart, even if she does not speak it.

It’s a soft, exploratory kiss, and when it’s over, I pull her into my arms, holding her tightly. I always felt like I was waiting for something, and this is it. I was waiting for her to fill my arms and my heart.

“When you gods want something, you really don’t hold back,” she teases from the shelter of my embrace, making me laugh.

“We better go back before your demon and creature storm the god realm looking for you.” We share a look as we pull away. “We both know they would.”

“And they would enjoy doing it.” She smirks, pressing up on her toes to kiss me gently. The warmth of her lips stains my soul forever. “Take me home, Phrixius.”

“Always,” I promise.

CHAPTER 38

Phrixius’s eyes snap open and land on us. “I know where he is.”

We all breathe a sigh of relief. Despite the demon’s teasing, I think we were all worried Phrixius couldn’t find the necromancer. He searched for hours. When we came back from his world, we all slept curled together—it was the best sleep I ever had. Our hands lingered on one another as if we knew we needed to hold on tight because tonight, we will face our biggest enemy yet. Anything could happen. It almost made us reluctant to release each other, but before the sun set, we sat down and protected Phrixius as he tracked the necromancer.

We are ready, or so I tell myself. Either way, it doesn’t matter. We have to end this before any more lives are taken. I don’t know what awaits us, but I know the necromancer will not go down without a fight, which means I need to be stronger, faster, and harder than ever before. I need to trust my magic and my men.

Combined, a demon, creature, god, and necromancer can do this, right?

My nerves do not disappear, however, even as Phrixius gracefully rises and holds out his hand. “Let us go.” As I place my shaking palmin his, the others surround us. “Remember,” Phrixius warns, “necromancers are masters of the dead. Do not trust anything or let your guard down. The grave will come for us tonight, and we must face it head-on.”

Nodding silently, I hold his hand tighter, and then we are gone. My body twists and melts, and when we reappear, it is not where I thought it would be. We stand at the edge of a graveyard—a familiar graveyard.

A lone church with open doors faces us.

“This is the church we came to before,” I whisper, sharing a look with Adder. “He’ll be waiting inside. It’s a trap.”

“Yes.” Phrixius nods as he steps over the invisible line we have drawn. “It most certainly is a trap.” When he glances back at us, there’s a slight grin on his face. “So let’s spring it, shall we?”

I share a look with Sha and Adder, who grins, rubbing his hands together. “I like this version of your god. You should fuck him senseless more often.” He winks at me and tugs me after them. “Into the creepy church we go.”

“Don’t hide behind me this time,” I mutter jokingly, searching the graves in case he lies in wait. Something is different, but I can’t put my finger on what. Maybe it’s my own nerves, or maybe I’m just being a coward, but my steps slow. The darkness within me crawls and writhes as if sensing something I don’t. My magic is ready to strike out at an attacker I do not see nor sense.

“What is it?” Sha asks, turning back and waiting for me.

“Nothing.” Shaking my head, I start to follow them to the church once more. There is no point in hiding our approach, since he will have sensed me as soon as I arrived—I know because I can sense him. The touch of death waits for us inside. It calls to me like a taunting whisper on the wind.

Suddenly, I jerk to a stop, realization slamming into me as to why it looks different. “All the graves are empty.”

They stop around me, seeking out what my brain has noticed. Every grave is a gaping hole. As far as the eye can see, there are no bodies, only empty caskets. I tread closer to one to check and swallow at the emptiness.

“Freya,” Phrixius murmurs, “can you see if they are waiting inside? Be careful not to touch them. You could take control, but don’t yet. We’ll take him by surprise with that once we are inside, if you think you can.”

Nodding, I close my eyes and reach out with those thorny vines. They touch upon the church, and I pull back. “At least forty inside,” I tell him. “I can do it.” Rolling my shoulders back, I nod at them. “Give me the signal, and I will snatch control of them so it’s only him.”

“He’ll be weak from bringing so many back so suddenly, right?” Adder asks with a frown. “That takes a lot of power.”

“Unless he did it before and left them behind. It wouldn’t surprise me,” Phrixius says. “Necromancers are tricky, intelligent beings. They know their greatest strength is also their weakness.”

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