Page 66 of The Death God
It would’ve surprised him if he had. “Then I suggest you Google.” He pushed past him and grabbed cups from the cupboards and carried them over to the table. Next, he grabbed a plate and started placing cookies on it when the man he’d been speaking to gasped. More than one person turned to look at him.
“You’re death.”
He shrugged. Thanatos, the god, was death, peaceful death, but still death. He only witnessed it, over and over again.
“How does it work when you kill someone?” The curiosity lighting the man’s eyes had Thanatos bite back a grin.
“I don’t kill people. I tell them how they’ll die.”
“You threaten them?”
Thanatos looked around the faces of those watching them. “Is he right in the head?”
Someone laughed but hurt stole over the man’s face, and Thanatos regretted his words.
One of the other wolves glared at him. “Yeah, he’s right in the head, but he was born without a filter. The first thing that pops up in his head usually comes out of his mouth.”
“Right.” Thanatos nodded and focused on the man again. “Sorry. No, I don’t threaten them. I look into their future and see how they’ll die. Some deaths can be changed, some cannot.” He shrugged, grabbed the plate, and carried it to the table.
“How will I die?”
Thanatos turned to him. With these many unfamiliar people around, he thought it best to touch him while he checked. Normally, he didn’t need to, but he didn’t want to make a mistake. Gripping the man’s hands, he turned his face toward him and allowed his death to play out before him.
There was a hiss in the room, and all speaking ceased. “It’s dark, but not because it’s night. Murky.” He looked around. There was no sky, instead, he saw bubbles rise toward the surface. “You’re underwater, stuck.” Thanatos could feel the tug, the panic of wanting to get free but not being able to. Metal curled around him. Car. There was a motion next to him, long billowing hair, and the face of a young woman with a gash across the temple. A seat belt was holding her in place. She looked to be gone already or at least unconscious. “There’s a blonde woman with you. She has a head injury. Car crash, I think.” The image snapped away, and he swayed where he stood.
The room came back into focus, and everyone was staring at him. He took a deep breath.
“Car crash?” The man looked spooked.
“I can’t say for sure, but I think you drove into a river or a lake. She was bleeding from her head, her hair floating around, you were stuck, metal curling around you. She had a seat belt on. Bubbles were rising toward the surface.”
“I was driving?”
Thanatos was about to say yes, but there had been no steering wheel in front of him, and there hadn’t been any in front of her either. “No.” He dragged it out. “No, I don’t think you were. Maybe it wasn’t a car. Is there any other vehicle with seat belts and car seats but no steering wheel?”
“Good. I’d hate to know I killed someone by driving off a road. Maybe it’s in the future, self-driving cars.” He looked pleased, and Thanatos nodded. He glanced around the room and saw a few having started talking again.
Rufus walked into the kitchen. “Grab your cups and cookies and get your asses outside. I want to know the moment anyone hears an approaching vehicle. Gregory texted. A car left the cabin with three psychics and two guards. They believe one of the psychics is Echo, so they’re most likely heading here to get Himeros.”
Thanatos almost sagged. If Gregory was texting, he had to be mostly unharmed.
* * * *
Alaric made a weird whistling sound, then the forest came to life. Gregory was used to having Rufus by his side in situations like this. Together, they always knew how and where to move. This was different. Wolves operated differently, but it didn’t mean it was any less impressive.
As one, wolves surrounded the cabin. They pressed themselves to the walls, awaiting some sort of signal. He and Rufus might work as a team, but they most often entered buildings on their own or from different sides. He always trusted Rufus to have his back and vice versa, but they were on their own until they met in the middle. It didn’t look as if the wolves worked the same way.
It didn’t matter as long as the work got done.
Alaric nodded at Gregory, then he moved forward on soundless feet. For someone as big as he was, he sure knew how to move.
“We go first, the rest will follow.”
Gregory nodded. The signal they were all waiting for was Alaric and Gregory? He was fine with that.
Alaric kicked the door in, only to then move away from the entrance when shots were fired from within. Glass shattered as wolves from all sides smashed the windows. A female scream rose above all other sounds.
When the gunshots stopped, Gregory moved. He was the fastest one there and ran straight for the guard who’d been firing. He tore the weapon from his hands before he could fire again. Instinct told him to kill, but he reeled it in and dumped the man on the floor instead. They needed someone they could question.
