Page 53 of Gods of Prey
Revel nods grimly. “I don’t want to imagine what this will do for our case against the Divine Council.”
“It’s not very Sebastian-like,” I say, a hint of bitterness in my voice despite myself. “Even as a mortal, he finds ways to balance the scales. But not like this.”
He’s likely just created another headache for Erebus to deal with on top of everything else.
“Is that what you call it?” Revel asks, glancing at me. “What you two were doing with the order—hunting them down, making them pay. Is that balance?”
I drift closer to him, suddenly defensive all over again. No, it’s not what I call it, but if I made a scene about it back there, they would have ganged up on me like they always do. “What about you? For being Mr. Righteousness, you sure shut your mouth real quick back there. He tells you to jump and you ask, ‘how high?’”
“I can’t alienate him when we’ve just broken through,” he bites back. “Not all of us can act on impulse like you.”
“You don’t understand what it’s like, Revel.” I sigh. I’m exhausted of trying to explain it to him.
“You’re right,” he admits. “I don’t understand. But I do know that vengeance isn’t the answer.”
“It’s not vengeance,” I insist, hating that I’m defending Sebastian over something I’m also pissed about. “It’s justice.”
“Is it?” He stops walking, turning to face me fully. “Or is it just another way for you and Sebastian to avoid your divine responsibilities?”
His words hit me like a physical blow. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?” Light gray eyes search my spectral form. “You’ve been hiding things from me, Sienna. I called it from the start. Your friendship with Jovie. Your involvement in hunting the order. The true time you’ve spent here. How am I supposed to trust you?”
I drift away from him, stung by the accusation. “Trust works both ways. You followed Jovie tonight. You blew our cover. You’ve been watching us.”
“Because I knew you weren’t telling me everything!” His voice rises slightly, then he takes a deep breath, calming himself. “We’re supposed to be partners in this. That’s what we agreed to when we stepped through the veil. When we stood on that New York street.”
The word ‘partners’ hangs between us, loaded with meaning neither of us is ready to address.
With a desire to bemore.
The version we allow ourselves to be in the dream state.
“Sebastian is remembering,” I say, changing the subject. “That’s what matters. Our mission is progressing.”
He starts walking again, shaking his head. “The mission has changed. You know that as well as I do.”
I float alongside him, silent for a long moment. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that none of us are objective anymore,” he says quietly. “Not me. Not you. Not even Sebastian.” He glances at me. “We all have something to lose now.”
As we reach his apartment building, I know he’s right. The lines have blurred. Duty and desire, divine and mortal, Life and Death—all the neat categories I’ve relied on for centuries are dissolving.
And somewhere in that dissolution, I’m finding something I never expected: A connection to Revel that goes beyond our shared mission.
Something that feels dangerously like what Sebastian found with Jovie.
Something that could change everything.
15
Sienna
The silence in Revel’s apartment is suffocating. I float near the window, watching him pace the length of the living room for the third time. His jaw is clenched, and I can practically feel the anger radiating from him in waves.
“You’re not going to say anything?” I finally ask. Our conversation took a nosedive into silence on the way back to the apartment, where we each sat and waited for Sebastian or Jovie to call us.
And we waited.
