Page 101 of Gods of Prey
When we part, I see Sebastian and Jovie approaching across the balcony. My brother’s arm is around his immortal wife’s waist, and she leans into him with the comfortable familiarity of someone who has found their place in the universe.
“There you are,” Sebastian says. “Escaping already?”
“Just taking a moment,” I reply. “It’s been a long journey.”
Jovie steps forward, taking my hands in hers. The touch of her skin feels different now—charged with divine energy, yet still unmistakably her. “Thank you, Sienna. For everything.”
I squeeze her hands. “I should be thanking you. You showed my stubborn brother that there are some things worth breaking the rules for.”
“And some people,” Sebastian adds, giving her a look of pure adoration.
“Will you continue to visit us?” Jovie asks. “In Aurelys, now that this is all over?”
“Of course,” I promise. “The realms aren’t as separate as they once were. That’s the whole point of this new arrangement. Besides, nothing can keep me away from Vale.”
Sebastian nods, his expression thoughtful. “Balance through connection rather than division. It took us thirty-three lifetimes to figure that out.”
“Thirty-four, technically,” I correct him with a smirk. “But who’s counting?”
We all laugh, and for a moment, I’m struck by how impossible this scene would have seemed when Revel and I first arrived in Seattle. The four of us, standing together in harmony—Death and Life, the divine twins reunited, a former mortal now ascended, enemies turned lovers.
“We should return to the celebration,” Sebastian says eventually. “They’ll be looking for the newlyweds.”
“We’ll join you in a moment,” Revel tells them.
As they leave, Sebastian pauses to embrace me. “Be happy, Sienna,” he whispers. “You deserve it after everything.”
Once they’re gone, Revel and I turn back to the view. The sun is setting over Aurelys, painting the sky in hues of gold and rose. Soon, the stars will emerge—the same stars that shine over Umbraeth, over the mortal realm, over all existence.
“So,” Revel says, slipping his arm around my waist. “Thirty-four lifetimes. That’s a lot of experience to bring to a relationship.”
I laugh. “Mostly experiences of dying horribly.”
“Not anymore,” he says, suddenly serious. “That part is over. No more mortal lives. No more deaths.”
“Just eternity,” I murmur. “In Umbraeth. With you.”
“Is that so terrible?” he asks, a hint of vulnerability in his voice.
I turn to face him fully, placing my hands on his chest. “Once, I would have said yes. The interim God of Life and the Goddess of Death, forced to work together? A recipe for disaster.”
“And now?”
I smile, feeling lighter than I have in millennia. “Now I think it might be exactly what both realms need. What I need.”
“What we need,” he corrects, pulling me closer.
Below us, Aurelys continues to celebrate. Soon, we’ll return to Umbraeth. To our new order with Erebus. There will be more challenges, undoubtedly. Centuries of tradition don’t change overnight, even with the Divine Council’s blessing. But for the first time since my punishment began, I’m looking forward to the future rather than dreading it.
“I love you,” Revel says quietly. “Goddess of Death, stubborn divine twin, complicated woman—all of you.”
Words I never expected to hear, especially from him. Words that once would have seemed impossible, a violation of the natural order. But now they feel like the most natural thing in the world.
“I love you too,” I reply. “Even though you’re absurdly optimistic and irritatingly noble.”
He laughs. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
As we stand together, watching day give way to night, I feel the perfect balance of it all. Life and Death. Light and dark. Beginning and end. Not opposites fighting for dominance, but partners in an eternal dance.
