In This Chapter: Azrael: God of the Wolves. Orion: God of the Mages. Draco: God of the Lycans. Rosalind: Goddess of Beauty. Casimir: God of Trickery. Drefan: God of Madness. Ismene: Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge. Solana: Goddess of the Sun.
Blakely I should’ve spun on my heel and told Orion to dance with himself, but it was hard to formulate the words when faced with the soft tilt of his lips, and the almost vulnerable light shimmering in his pale eyes. Beauty like that would make any woman weak, I told myself. I reached for his hand, willing myself not to tremble. Instead of acid, nervousness seized my throat. The heat of his fingers against my lower back penetrated my gown. I could feel every movement. Every twitch. His heart, level with my face, thundered heavily. As though the castle could anticipate our needs, music began to trickle from all corners of the ballroom. There was the smooth cadence of a violin, followed by the deep croon of a cello. Each note was overlayed with the unique melody of instruments found only in the godly realm, creating a sort of music that was both mortal and immortal combined. It felt fitting, given the circumstances. I couldn’t catch my breath. Not when Orion gently spun me on my f
Blakely I held back my own self-loathing, swallowing it down where it writhed in my chest like an angry serpent. “Since the night I dosed Orion with Hemlock’s nectar.” Orion stepped away from the wall, towards Azrael whose stare remained fixated on me, fractured with betrayal and hurt. Every part of me wanted to look away in shame, but I couldn’t. I had to face the consequences of my decision. “Az,” Orion said in a voice like steel. “This isn’t her fault. If you’re going to cast blame, cast it on me. I—I listened to the voice. It poured poison in my ears and I listened. It said it would tell me where Lunette was if I sent you to Bargainer’s Bay.” Azrael turned to where Orion stood. The threads of moonlight flickering and waning from where they writhed between his fingers. “It lied to me.” Orion rasped, “It didn’t tell me where she was, just as it didn’t tell me what it planned on doing to you. I didn’t know, brother. I’m so fucking sorry. I’ve regretted it every day. Every single
Blakely No one said a word as we scurried down the network of halls, throwing doors open at random in hopes one would lead back to the main ballroom. Well, no one except for Azrael. Apparently, even on his death bed he couldn’t resist making jokes. “On the bright side, you’ll finally kill me this time around, Orion. Second times the charm and all that, right?” “Shut up,” Orion snarled in response. “I never wanted you dead, you fool. I thought I was doing the right thing.” Azrael, who was slung halfway over Draco’s shoulder, scoffed. “When I’m out of the picture, you and the little wolf will have to keep secrets from Draco instead.” I couldn’t help it, I flinched. His expression, even marred with pain, softened. “Little wolf—” “No.” I held up a hand, the harsh tone of my voice startling me a bit. “We’ll talk after we find a cure.” He felt guilty for hurting my feelings, I could see it written across his face, but what did my feelings matter when I’d made the choice to keep th
Blakely “You did what?!” Draco at least had the care to wince at my shrill tone. Azrael on the other hand flashed me a smile that dripped with pride. “We had no choice, tiny goddess. Drefan had an entire room full of phoenix flame. Enough to level a city of innocent people. Killing him and destroying the phoenix flame in the process was our only option.” I shared a look with Orion, which was odd considering it seemed like we were on the same page for once. Neither of us knew what to do with the information Draco and Azrael had sprung on us not even fifty feet from the castle’s entrance. I slumped into the carriages seat with a huff. “Casimir isn’t going to take the news of his brother’s death well, is he?” Draco shook his head. Despite his pale face and the blood-soaked bandages wrapped around his torso, Azrael’s lips tipped up in a crooked grin. “He’ll likely want revenge.” “That’s great,” I muttered. “Let’s make sure you live long enough to see it.” Peeling the mask off my f
Blakely The Next Day The ship pitched to the left, jostled by a wave the size of my old house. While I ooh’d and ahh’d at the glittering water, speckled with hints of sea life I’d never seen before—including some very flirtatious mermaids—Orion felt differently. My pale-haired, vicious, insufferable mate let out a pained groan and rushed to the side to vomit into the water. Hopefully the mermaids had scattered. After catching a few hours of sleep, we awoke and caught the earliest ship heading back into the mortal realm. The trade routes were one of the fastest ways to slip through the mist, guarded by the God of the Mist himself, Emrys. Men dressed in gilded coats and buckled boots raced along the deck of the ship, tugging ropes and unfurling the smaller masts. Those with wings hovered a few inches above the polished wooden planks. Those with gills helped control the tide, egging it on until we were cruising over cerulean waves. I stifled a yawn. Had Azrael not awoken me in t
Blakely There were two things I was certain of. One: The ancient force of evil after us wouldn’t get the chance to kill me because I was seconds away from offing myself. Two: Azrael was up to something. We sat out back of my parents lavish, luxurious house. The patio was just as I’d seen it through Lunette’s mirror. Pale stone led to a staircase, down to a field of emerald grass and an inground pool set with it’s own diving board and built-in waterfall. I was still reeling from seeing not only my sister, but my father. Where Lina had blossomed, Dad had regressed. He looked—well, he looked awful. Dark circles lined his eyes, and he had a beard that looked like an overgrown hedge. When he pulled me into his arms I was stunned speechless. My father had hugged me in the past, but it was those awkward half-hugs where the person lazily drapes an arm over you and then calls it a day. This was different. He clung to me like I was a life preserver in the middle of a vast ocean, and when
Blakely Lina looked away guiltily. More than once she’d heard me screaming from my bedroom. Each time I snarled and told her I was fine—told her to stop pretending to care. “Yes.” I replied evenly, “It’s not something I’m comfortable talking about though. Maybe someday, but not now.” They didn’t need to know all the grizzly details until I was well and ready to tell them. Besides, if I had to confess what I’d done to those Mages, I’d likely spew every ounce of eaten pizza onto the table. Slowly, my mother set down her martini. “Blakely, I would have never sent you to that place if I had known…” She pressed her trembling fingers to her mouth. “Goddess, what kind of mother am I?” Azrael, the asshole, mock pouted. “You’ll find no sympathy here, mortal. Your kind always finds a way to live with the terrible things they’ve done. I’m sure you will as well.” “Not helping.” I murmured. He shrugged against my back. “No, but it is fun.” “Enough.” I said softly, much calmer this time arou
Blakely “You were going to run away?” I asked. Mom pinched her lips together. “She thought I didn’t notice her gathering supplies, but my bank statements are proof enough. Winter coats, hunting knives, and packs of freeze-dried food. That’s only the cheaper things. Don’t even get me started on the tent she bought.” Lina fixed me with a flat stare, one so severe that my face began to warm. Without hesitation—without an ounce of playfulness—she said, “I knew you weren’t dead. I don’t know how, but I could feel it in my chest. So, I was going to come find you.” The air rushed from my lungs. My sister was going to come into the Godly realm to find me. She was going to do this all on her own, without a single shred of help. Tears pricked the backs of my eyes and I blinked, glancing away as I fought to shove them down. My fiery, willful little sister who had been given everything was going to sacrifice it all for me. Gingerly cradling her glass of wine, Lina brought it to her lips and