Page 50 of Gods of Prey
Jovie is instantly on high-alert, her brows furrowed. “Revel?”
I move between them, instinctively protective. “How did you find us?”
“I followed her,” he says, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.
Her brows lift at his admission. “When she slipped out at one a.m., I got suspicious.”
“You were watching my apartment?” Jovie’s mouth pops open incredulously.
“Of course he was,” I sneer. We need to figure out how to spin this.
“I was watchingyou,” Revel corrects, as if that makes things any better. His gaze slides to Voss. “Who’s this?”
“Gregory Voss,” I explain, my tone cold. “Member of the Loyal Order of the Serpent. One of the men responsible for my untimely death.”
Jovie squeaks beside me, shocked that I’ve revealed so much. “We don’t know if we can trust him,” she hisses in my ear.
“He won’t say anything,” I assure. At least, not to anyone in the mortal realm.
Revel’s eyes widen slightly, understanding dawning across his features. “You thought kidnapping him was a good idea?”
“It’s a gift for Bash,” Jovie interjects defensively. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Do you have any clue how dangerous this is?” Revel ignores Jovie and steps closer to me, lowering his voice. “We’re trying to help Sebastian remember who he is, not encourage his obsession with revenge. This is your idea of getting close?”
“This isn’t about revenge,” I argue, widening my feet. I’m always preparing for a fight with him. “It’s about justice.”
“Is it?” His hard gaze locks with mine. “Or is it about you getting too attached to your mortal identities again? To this cycle of violence you and Sebastian keep perpetuating? We talked about this.”
Well, shit. I hate when he’s right.
“You don’t understand,” Jovie says, stepping forward. Her fear of being turned in has overshadowed her confusion about us. “These people are monsters. They kill for power.”
His expression softens slightly as he turns back toward Jovie, leaving me feeling like a child who just endured a harsh scolding. “I do understand. But this”—He gestures to Voss, who’s now fully conscious and watching us with wide, terrified eyes—“this isn’t the way.”
“Then what is?” I demand, floating closer to him. For a moment I forget Jovie is here with us. “Tell me, Revel, what’s your brilliant plan? Because so far, all we’ve done is watch and wait while the balance between Life and Death continues to unravel. You told me you were on our side.”
He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. “We need Sebastian to remember on his own. Forcing it could damage his mind, maybe permanently.”
“And if he doesn’t remember in time?” I challenge, ignoring the fact that forcing Sebastian washissuggestion just over a week ago. “What, then? We talked about speeding things up.”
Before Revel can answer, Voss speaks up, his voice trembling. “Lancaster. You’re Lancaster’s sister, aren’t you? The one from New York. Fuck, I must have hit my head. I swear you died.”
We all turn to look at him. I drift closer, letting my form shift into something more terrifying. The true vision of Death that mortals glimpse in their final moments. Jovie gasps behind me, slowly taking a few steps back to distance herself.
“Yes,” I say, my voice echoing with the weight of Umbraeth. “And you helped kill me.”
Voss pales, shrinking back against the pipe. “I didn’t have jack shit to do with those assholes.”
I laugh, the sound hollow. This was supposed to feel better than it does. It should be much more cathartic. But with Revel brooding behind me and Jovie backing into a corner, it all seems so frivolous.
Childish.
“You all knew what was happening and worked hard to cover it up. I was only one victim from one night.” I lean closer to Voss. “Little did you know they actually found Death herself.”
“Sienna,” Revel warns, but I ignore him.
“Tell me, Gregory,” I continue, “did you know that the Lancaster twins were reincarnations of gods? That by killing me, you triggered cosmic consequences beyond your comprehension?”
