Page 65 of Captivating Magic

The wind kicked up again, shoving Clutch back.

“Fuck off,” Lo snarled.

A whimper came from the ditch beside them, and it was all Ebba needed to remind her of the injured dog. She ran before he could stop her.

“Enough!” Isis’s voice rang out, halting everyone except Ebba, who was determined to save the animal. “That goes for you, too, Ebba James.”

Standing at the lip of the ditch, she cast an anxious glance down and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

“Please help it,” she called to the Goddess. “I’ll do whatever you ask. Just help it.”

“No!”Laszlo and his physical self hollered simultaneously.

A smile curled Isis’s lips, and Death bore a smugness Lo wanted to slap clean off her face.

“She doesn’t know what she’s promising, Exalted One,” Castor argued, standing guard over the body. “It’s not fair to hold her to it.”

“When did you become the defender of mortals, Traveler?” Death sneered. “As I recall, you couldn’t be bothered to protect your ownson.”

The fury in her voice brought Castor’s head around, and he peered through the darkness at her. She eased back the hood of her black cloak, and his harsh expletive echoed off the trees when he recognized her.

“Divina. How the hell did you get this gig?”

“I had no choice!”

Isis cleared her throat. “You always have a choice.”

“It didn’t feel like it after my passing,” Divina said with a sour look. “It was the only way to protect my son from the constant evil the Thornes send his way.”

“Whoa! Wait a fucking minute!” Laszlo snarled. “My family isn’t evil, lady. If anything, they’ve tried their damnedest to prevent evil fuckers from hurting others.”

“Quentin has repeatedly stood in the line of fire to save that silly girl!” Divina argued. “As has anyone who loves a Thorne. You have no respect for human life.”

“Holly?”Castor scoffed. “He loves her. And she loves him equally as well. They have a daughter. Francesca,” he added, his voice softening on their granddaughter’s name. “She’s beautiful, love. You should see her.”

“I have.” Her tone was haughty, but the wary glance toward the Goddess indicated she’d done something wrong. When she received no rebuke, she allowed a soft smile. “She’s beautiful and looks just like Quentin at that age.”

“She does.”

“I have a job to do, Alex,” she said tiredly. “This game of jumping through time or binding souls to Earth has to stop. They are to be collected when their bodies die.”

“But her body isn’t dead,” Castor countered.

“The Tyet amulet has suspended her transition.” Isis shrugged a delicate shoulder. “It was necessary while we resolve this dispute.”

Hope tried to gain a foothold inside Lo, but resolving disputes meant compromise, and he didn’t know what sacrifice would be required. Another wave of dizziness assailed him, and rather than expend the energy to argue, he knelt at the Goddess’s feet.

“If you know anything about my family, you know we onlytrulylove once. But this isn’t about my happiness. It’s abouthers.” He gestured to Ebba’s body, still unable to look at her broken form. “She doesn’t deserve an end like this. She deserves the freedom to choose.”

“You’re correct. And I’ll give her the choice.”

“Wait—” Death’s objection was cut off by Isis.

“All those present answer to me, with the exception of the girl and you, Divina. You receive your orders from the Fates.”

“Yes, Exalted One. So you must see why I need to do my job properly. Balance must be maintained in all things.”

“I agree.” Isis produced a scroll. “These are your new orders.”

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