Page 27 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

She shakes her head. “Not quite, and the same rules don’t apply for everyone. Jed gets more freedom because of his origins as a Primordial, but the rules he has are stricter.”

I’m fascinated. This is more information in five minutes than we’ve got in the last few weeks and endless hours of research. “Like what?”

“Emi,” Jed warns.

She snorts. “For starters, the bossy assholes can make rules for the rest of us. But he’s already told you a Primordial is the only one who can reveal their identity.”

“What about me?” I ask. Emi cocks an eyebrow. “What’s my purpose now that ‘the beast’ is loose? And why can’t I remember who I am?”

She sighs and twists her lips to the side. “Gods can’t kill other gods, therefore, your purpose must be to kill Typhon.”

“I thought he was the son of Lucifer?” Duncan snaps.

Jed scratches his head. “Lucifer is a god.”

I frown. “Isn’t he a fallen angel?”

“Optics,” Jed mutters.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Explain.”

“Ever wondered how there are umpteen religions and various ones for different time periods?”

I shrug. “Not really, but go on.”

Jed’s eyes search the ceiling before he carries on. “Throughout history, humans have always sought a higher power, the meaning of life and so on.” I nod. “Well, for most gods their power is fed by the worship of those humans.”

I reel back, my eyes wide. “You get power from being worshipped?”

Emi snorts as she leans forward and points at Jed. “Not him, Primordials don’t need the power boost. They are born directly of The Creator, but it didn’t stop them reinventing themselves.” She waggles her eyebrows at Jed.

“I’m confused,” I admit.

Jed taps his leg. “When humans stopped worshipping a particular god, they reinvented themselves in a new religion, kept it fresh, you know?”

“No, not really,” I mutter, “but what’s that got to with Lucifer being a fallen angel?”

“In more recent times, humanity has moved away from multiple gods and towards one god. The others needed to fit in the hierarchy somewhere.”

“They became angels,” Duncan concludes.

“Which angel are you?” I ask Jed.

Jed runs a hand through his hair. “Gabriel.”

My mouth drops open as everyone apart from Emi blinks at him. “As in the archangel?” I clarify.

Jed nods.

“Forgive me, Jed. But you haven’t displayed the level of power I would expect of a Primordial god,” Duncan says, tilting his head.

“Oh he’s powerful alright, it’s just more subtle.” Emi nods in Jed’s direction.

I frown at him as he looks away from me. “What can you do?”

“Alter emotions, among other things.”

My brain analyzes our time together before I launch to my feet and point at him. “How many times?”

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