Page 43 of Gods of Prey
“Why can’t you follow a single direction?” I bark.
She drifts closer to me at a slow, predatory pace. Her upper lip lifts in a slight snarl. “Need I remind you again that I don’t answer to anyone—especially not someinterimgod?”
“Need I remindyouthat we’re working as ateamto reach the same solution?” I find myself biting back.
She can throw my insignificance in my face as much as she wants but she can’t deny that she needs me. If we’re going to get anywhere in this, we have to work together.
Her reply is a sneer as her form flickers, a telltale sign that her emotions are high.
“He’s remembering,” I continue grimly. “His divine consciousness is breaking through.”
“It’s too soon,” she bites. “We’re not ready.”
“We? Oryou?” I move closer to where she’s hovering, her form still inconsistent. “What exactly is your game here, Sienna?Because I’m starting to think you never intended to bring him back at all.”
Her eyes flash. “Of course I want him back! The balance?—”
“Is that it? Or is it that you can’t bear to separate him from Jovie? That you’ve grown fond of her yourself?” I see the truth in her face before she can hide it. “By the council, that’s it, isn’t it? You care about Jovie.”
Sienna’s form flickers. “She’s important to Sebastian.”
“And to you,” I press. “That’s why you revealed yourself to her. That’s why you’re hesitating.”
“You don’t understand,” she says, drifting away from me.
Gods, I want to wrap my hand around her neck and stop her from getting away. To squeeze some sense into her for once.
“Then help me understand!” My voice rises in frustration. “Because right now it seems like you’re working against our mission. Against the balance you claim to protect. Against the peace you seem to crave.”
“The balance has been my burden for longer than you’ve existed,” she snaps, her form darkening with anger. “Don’t lecture me about duty.”
“Then be honest with me,” I press. “How long have you been protecting his relationship with Jovie? What aren’t you telling me?”
Sienna floats higher, literally looking down on me. “My loyalty is to my brother. Always has been,” her ethereal voice booms. She looks every bit the angry Goddess of Death no being would ever want to cross. And yet here I stand, challenging her like the fool she makes me.
“Your loyalty should be to the cosmos,” I argue back. “To the balance between Life and Death. Toyourself. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
She laughs bitterly. “Is it? Or are you just afraid of losing your power when Sebastian returns? The interim god, desperateto hold on to his temporary throne? How do I know you really want to end this punishment?”
I rear back in offense. How dare she question my loyalty when I’ve been nothing but honest with her? When I’ve carried the weight of her death with me since she showed me how it happened?
It’s her who hasn’t been fully transparent.
“We need to speed up our timeline,” I say, changing tactics. Arguing won’t help us. We need to end this so I can get away from both of them and move on with my life—however that looks without them. “Sebastian is finally remembering. And Jovie knows more than she’s letting on.”
Sienna drifts down to my level, her anger fading to resignation. “What do you suggest?”
“We need to find out exactly what Jovie knows about Sebastian.” I pace the length of my living room. “And we need to prepare for the possibility that he might regain his memories at any moment.”
“And then what?” Sienna asks defensively. “Force him to abandon the woman he loves? Drag him back to Aurelys against his will?”
The question hangs between us, unanswered. Because the truth is, I don’t know. Sebastian is not just the God of Life. He’s my oldest friend. Can I really force him to leave his happiness behind?
If it means restoring the cosmic balance and taking back control of my existence, then yes. But Sienna won’t see that as anything but selfish.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” I say finally. “For now, let’s focus on understanding what we’re dealing with.”
Sienna nods, a truce of sorts. “I’ll follow Jovie tomorrow. See what she might reveal when he isn’t around.”
