Page 63 of Gods of Prey
His words hit too close to home. I join him at the window, looking down at the tiny lights that represent mortal lives—each one a story, a love, a dream.
“What would you do?” I ask quietly. “If you had to choose between duty and love?”
Erebus is quiet for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is barely above a whisper. “I think I’m about to find out.”
18
Revel
Iwatch from the kitchen doorway as Jovie fidgets with the delicate chain around her neck, her fingers tracing the glowing heart-shaped locket that’s become as much a part of her as breathing. She’s been wearing it since we arrived, and every time I see it, something nags at me—a whisper of recognition I can’t quite place.
Sebastian sits beside her on the couch, his arm draped protectively around her shoulders as he explains the divine realms, while Sienna hovers near the window in her spectral form. The afternoon light passes right through her, casting no shadow, but I can see the tension in her translucent features as she watches Jovie touch the locket.
“I still can’t believe this is all real,” Jovie says, breaking the contemplative silence that’s settled over us since our revelation yesterday. “Gods, divine realms, cosmic balance.” She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “It sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.”
“It’s real enough,” Sebastian murmurs, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I’m sorry you got pulled into this.”
“Don’t apologize for loving me,” Jovie replies firmly, then looks toward where Sienna floats. “Both of you have sacrificed so much already.”
I see Sienna’s form flicker, her control wavering at Jovie’s words. There’s something she’s not telling us. I can feel it like a splinter under my skin. The same instinct that’s been warning me she’s keeping secrets now screams that whatever it is, it’s connected to that locket.
“Sienna,” I say, my voice cutting through the moment. “What is it?”
“What do you mean?” she asks, but she won’t meet my eyes.
“You’ve been staring at Jovie’s necklace since we got here. What aren’t you telling us?”
Sebastian straightens, his divine instincts finally kicking in. “The locket,” he says slowly, his gaze shifting between Sienna and Jovie. “It was yours in your mortal life.”
Jovie’s hand moves protectively to cover the heart-shaped pendant. “You gave it to me, remember? In New York, the first time ...” She trails off, not wanting to mention him switching timelines.
But Sebastian is frowning now, his recovered memories clearly at war with his mortal experiences. “I did give it to you,” he admits. There's uncertainty in his voice.
Sienna drifts closer, and I can see resignation settling over her features like a shroud. “It wasn’t his to give,” she says quietly.
The words drop into the room like stones into still water, creating ripples of confusion and growing alarm.
“What do you mean?” Jovie asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
Sienna looks at me first, and I see an apology in her ethereal eyes before she turns to Jovie. “The locket is mine. It’s been mine for over three thousand years.”
“That’s impossible,” I say, but even as the words leave my mouth, I’m reaching out with my divine senses, really examining the pendant for the first time. And there it is—Death magic, ancient and powerful, woven into the very metal of the chain and heart. “What have you done, Sienna?”
If the Divine Council knew that she was carrying her magic around in an amulet that could easily be lost or stolen, there would be no use even trying to negotiate the punishment. Her sentence was specifically designed to have her live without her power. The locket is a physical token of her defiance. They’ll both be destroyed on the spot, especially when they realize it was passed to a mortal willingly.
Sebastian has gone still beside Jovie, and I can practically see the memories clicking into place. “You told me you’d destroyed it.”
“I lied.” Sienna’s admission hangs in the air like a confession. “I couldn’t destroy it. It holds too much of who I am.”
Jovie’s fingers tighten around the locket, her knuckles white. “I don’t understand. What is this thing?”
Sienna floats closer, her form becoming more solid as her emotions intensify. “When Sebastian and I were first sentenced to our punishment, I was angry. Furious that the Divine Council could strip away everything we were and force us into these endless mortal lives. So I created that locket as a reminder that I still hold some semblance of power.”
“Created it how?” I demand, though I’m already dreading the answer.
I thought we were done with secrets.
“I bound a piece of my divine essence to it. Death magic, pure and undiluted. It allows me to carry some of my power into eachmortal life, to remember who I truly am, even when the council’s punishment tries to make me forget.”
