Page 13 of Gods of Prey
As I materialize in my own palace, I allow myself a moment of doubt. Am I doing the right thing, keeping Sebastian’stimeline manipulation secret from Revel? From the Divine Council?
But then I remember the look on my brother’s face when he found Jovie again in this new timeline. The pure joy, the love that transcended divinity itself. In thirty-three lifetimes, I’ve never seen him so happy.
Still, duty is duty. The balance must be maintained. Sebastian knew the terms of our punishment when we began. Fifty mortal lifetimes to atone for our transgressions. We’re only thirty-three in. Thirty-four if you consider the one he reset. The Divine Council will not be lenient if they discover his defiance.
I have to remember that.
I find Erebus in the Hall of Transitions, overseeing the arrival of newly deceased souls. Tall and austere, he’s been an efficient interim ruler in my absence. He can handle a couple more weeks.
“I’ll be leaving again,” I inform him without preamble. “Revel and I are going to retrieve Sebastian.”
He raises a single elegant eyebrow. “This should be interesting.”
Dropping my gaze, I refuse to acknowledge how much of a disaster I know this will be. “Can you maintain order here while I’m gone?”
“Of course,” he says, his deep voice resonating in the cavernous hall. “But I’ve just spoken to a friend in Nytheris. The council is watching. They’ve sensed the disturbance.”
My steps falter and my teeth dig into my bottom lip as I consider my next words. Erebus has been a devoted disciple of the Divine Council forever. Regardless of our close relationship, putting him in a position to defy them would not end well for me.
“What should we do about that?” I gently ask.
His thin lips tighten into a straight line, brows set in determination. “I’ll do what I can to hold them off for you, but it won’t last long. You have a week, tops.”
A week. I can handle another week. That’s nearly a year in mortal time.
I don’t bother hiding my shock. “Why are you doing this? If they find out what we’ve done, they’ll rip Umbraeth away from me and give it right to you. Isn’t that what you want?”
His chest rumbles with a deep, ancient- sounding chuckle. “I was alive eons before you. They offered dominion over Umbraeth on many occasions. I didn’t want it then, and I don’t want it now. Besides”—He reaches between us, lightly rapping his fist against my upper arm in an uncharacteristically friendly way—“I like what you’ve done with the place.”
A soft smile slips through my hard mask, but I make quick work of wiping it away. Erebus may have strong loyalties toward the members of the Divine Council, but we’ve formed a close friendship over time that I don’t think they anticipated.
“Keep them at bay as long as you can,” I instruct, sobering my features. “If they ask, tell them I’m personally investigating the matter.”
Erebus studies me with those unnerving eyes. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
I meet his gaze steadily. “There are many things I don’t tell you, Erebus.”
He inclines his head, accepting the rebuke. “How long will you be gone?”
“As long as it takes,” I reply, already turning away. “I’ll return when Sebastian does.”
As I prepare for the journey to the mortal realm, gathering the essence of Umbraeth that will sustain me in spirit form, I try to ignore the unease settling in my chest. Working with Revel, the man who has always seen me as nothing but a cold, unfeelingobstacle to his friendship with my brother. Being forced into a partnership with someone who despises everything I represent.
This is going to be a nightmare.
But for Sebastian, I’ll endure it. I’ll endure Revel’s self-righteousness, the limitations of spirit form, even the garish brightness of the mortal realm.
Because despite what Revel believes, I do love my brother. And I will not let him destroy himself for the sake of a mortal woman—no matter how special she might be.
An hour later, I meet Revel at the veil between realms. He’s dressed in simple mortal clothing. Dark jeans, a gray sweater, a black coat. His wings are gone.
I’ve never seen him without them. He looks off balance without the two amber peaks at his back. and his divine radiance has been dimmed to pass as human, though there’s still something about him that will undoubtedly draw attention. The interim God of Life can only hide so much of his nature.
“Ready?” he asks, not bothering with pleasantries.
“Delighted to be working with you too,” I reply sarcastically. “Yes, I’m ready.”
Revel gives me one last look of barely concealed disdain before activating the gateway. Light spills through the opening. Not the golden radiance of Aurelys, but the harsher, more artificial light of the mortal realm.
