Page 2 of Gods' Battleground

I sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Jace asked me.

“Oh, nothing,” I replied with another sigh. “It’s just that seeing all these witches reminds me of my sister Bella.”

Of course Bella was far more than a witch. She was the daughter of a demon and a dark angel, linked to an immortal artifact—and, on top of that, she’d been leveled-up by a powerful curse that took control of her body whenever the sun was up, transforming her into an all-powerful, god-killing super-demon.

One of the witches in the crowd caught my eye. The outfit she wore was so familiar. Bella had one just like it. Even the witch’s strawberry-blonde hair, styled into an elaborate up-twist, reminded me of my sister.

Over the last few months, I’d seen Bella everywhere—or at least I’d thought I had. But every time I rushed in for a closer look, I’d found a stranger instead. Wishful thinking wasa powerful force. More powerful than magic. So powerful that my mind was playing tricks on me, making me see just what I wanted to see.

Bella had left to protect the people she loved, and she wasn’t coming back. Her note had said as much, and I had no reason to doubt my sister. She wouldn’t return until her curse was cured. She was too terrified that she’d hurt one of us.

But Bella had forgotten one thing when she’d run off: our family always stuck together, no matter what. And we never gave up on the people we loved, no matter what. Every curse had a cure, and we were going to find it.

I sighed yet again.

“Why are we here, Leda?” Jace asked me.

I snapped out of my Bella stupor. “Why are we here?” I repeated, frowning. “I thought you knew.”

“No.” His expression was guarded, his words checked. “Lord Faris did not say.”

“And you didn’t ask?”

Jace shot me a wary look. “When the King of the Gods commands you to drop everything immediately to go on a mission for him, you don’t ask questions.”

“Oh, I most certainly do ask questions,” I chuckled.

“Yes, but you’re, well,you, Leda.”

“The one and only Angel of Chaos.” I grinned at him.

He tried not to return my grin, but he didn’t do a very good job of holding it back. “In any case,” he said, clearing his throat, “I figured why make waves with the gods? Especially since I was going on this mystery mission with you, and I knew you’d tell me why we’re here.”

“You’re right about that.” I wiggled my naked fingers in an attempt to ward off winter’s bite. “Unlike Faris, I’m a firm believer in knowing what you’re hunting. Or whom.”

Jace’s eyes narrowed slightly. “So itisa person.”

“Yeah, it’s a person,” I confirmed. “The fugitive’s name is Vertigo, and she’s a powerful telepath, an escaped ghost from Faris’s Orchestra.”

“Telepaths are rare,” Jace said, his voice quiet, his expression reflective.

“And powerful telepaths are particularly rare,” I replied. “So now you know why Faris is so eager to get her back.”

“Yes.” Jace frowned. “But how didyouget involved, Leda? You’re more than just an angel now. You’re a goddess, and a member of the gods’ council at that. You don’t have to do whatever Faris says.”

I snorted. “Tell that to Faris.”

“I’d rather not,” Jace said, his smile fading. “Lord Faris is even more intimidating than General Windstriker.”

“Ok,don’ttell Nero that,” I laughed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” he said softly, as though the sky would crack open and crash down upon him if he spoke up.

Yeah, so Jace was kind of terrified of my husband.

“To answer your question of why I’m even here,” I said, “Faris informed me that recapturing his lost telepath falls under my responsibilities as the Goddess of Telepathy.” I shrugged. “So here I am.”

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