Page 57 of Gods of Prey
“I’ve missed you, brother,” he murmurs against my shoulder.
Clearing my throat at the odd sentiment, I pull back to look at him. “Aurelys?—”
“I know.” His expression hardens. “I can feel it now. The chaos is spreading because I’m not there.” He looks at Sienna. “How bad is it?”
“Getting worse every day,” she replies, her tone light and airy, like she’s announcing the weather for the week. “The Divine Council has noticed. So has your little pack of elves.”
He looks at me.
“The Council of Elders,” I clarify, cutting her a look of warning not to start their sibling rivalry bullshit here.
Jovie speaks up for the first time. “They’ll make you go back.” It’s not a question. Which means he’s already warned her of this risk.
Sebastian’s grip on her hand tightens. “They can try.”
I study my friend’s face, seeing the determination there. Dread settles in my stomach. “You’re not planning to return.”
“Not without Jovie.” He looks at me steadily. “I have unfinished business in this realm.”
Sienna drifts closer. “Sebastian, you can’t manipulate time indefinitely. The Divine Council will?—”
“The Divine Council can go to hell,” Sebastian cuts her off. “I’ve served them faithfully for centuries. I’ve endured thirty-three mortal lifetimes as punishment for something that happened eons ago. I’ve bled and died and watched my sister die beside me over and over again.” His voice rises with each word, sounding so much like Sienna, it’s impossible to deny they’re siblings. “And now, finally, I’ve found something that makes all of that bearable. Someone who makes me want to exist rather than simply endure.”
He turns to Jovie, his expression softening. “We talked about it. She knows what I am now. What returning to Aurelys would mean.”
“And?” I ask, though I think I already know the answer.
Jovie steps forward, chin raised defiantly. “And I told him I’m not letting him go alone.”
Sienna’s form flickers with agitation. “Jovie, you don’t understand what you’re asking. The divine realms aren’t meant for mortals.”
“Then, make me immortal,” Jovie says simply. “Problem solved.”
I stare at her, stunned by her matter-of-fact tone. “It’s not that simple.”
“Isn’t it?” Sebastian asks. “The Divine Council has granted immortality before. For less worthy causes.”
I glance between the two of them, completely surprised that neither one of them realizes what they’re suggesting is pure madness. The divine realms are packed with beings that have absolutely no respect for humans.
“Those were different circumstances,” Sienna protests, and I’m grateful to at least have her on my side. “You were fulfilling your duties then, not abandoning them.”
Sebastian’s expression darkens. “I’m not abandoning anything. I’m asking for what should have been mine from the beginning—the right to choose my own path.”
I run a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of this conversation pressing down on me like hands on my shoulders. “The balance is failing, Sebastian. Without you in Aurelys, the natural order is breaking down. We’re already negotiating so much when we go back. This seems like too big of an ask.”
“Without me, what? The realms collapse? The universe ends?” Sebastian spreads his arms wide. “Maybe it’s time for something new.”
“You’re talking about cosmic genocide,” Sienna whispers, her form flickering again with emotion.
Jovie steps between us, her voice cutting through the tension. “Stop. All of you, just stop.” She looks at Sebastian with a mixture of love and frustration that’s painfully familiar. “Bash, you can’t destroy everything because you’re scared.”
“I’m not scared,” he says, but his voice lacks conviction.
“You are,” she insists. “You’re terrified of losing what we have. But running away isn’t going to solve anything.”
Sebastian’s shoulders slump forward, and for a moment, he looks less like a god and more like a lost man. “You don’t understand what they’ll do to you, Stardust. The Divine Council doesn’t recognize mortal rights. To them, you’re barely more than an insect.”
“Then we make them recognize me,” Jovie says firmly. “We find a way.”
