by Gina Sturino
Looking to the fireplace, I jerked my head. The spark and poof of flame confirmed I still had divine energy.
“Nice, Nova.” Dane grinned. “Damn, that’s a turn on.” He shook his head, then dropped into the seat beside me. “Josie invited us for breakfast tomorrow before we leave. I have a couple questions for her myself. Never really thought much about Jake and my childhood. All this talk about things happening for a reason has me wondering. Weird, isn’t it? Gods are rarely raised among the mortals, but me—a walking god—was allowed to?”
“My friend—” I stopped, then started again, “My sister was raised here too, but she didn’t know she was divine. It’s a complicated situation.”
“It always is,” he said solemnly.
“No more talking about the complicated stuff. Tonight’s for us.”
Dane reached over, intertwining his fingers with mine as he leaned in to kiss me. As our lips connected, a knock sounded at the door.
“Thai’s here. I’ll get it,” I said after his lips left mine. “It’s on me this time. You can’t bankroll the entire trip.”
Grabbing my wallet from my purse, I swung open the door and stuttered, “Oh,” while taking a reflexive step back.
Liam stood with his arms crossed over his chest. “Well, you’re looking much better.”
Dane came behind me; his hand gripped my hip. “Couldn’t give us one damn night, could you?”
“Nice to see you too, Killbane.” Liam sighed, then nodded toward our suite. “You guys gonna let me in, or we gonna do this out here?”
“Cut to the chase.” Dane dropped his hold on my hip. “I know I messed up.”
“Wait!” I exclaimed, stepping between the two men. “Don’t say anything more. I’m a lawyer, I know your rights.”
“Doesn’t apply here, sweetheart.” Liam tugged the gruff on his chin, then stuck his hand into his jean’s pocket. He wore a flannel over a white T-shirt, making him look like any other guy I’d pass on the street without giving a second glance. But underneath, I knew he was a very powerful being.
“Don’t call her that,” Dane warned. “You may be my superior, but don’t push me.”
“Thankfully, you won’t have to deal with me much longer.” Liam moved past us, stopping by the patio door, looking outside.
“Spit it out then. We were in the middle of something.” Dane leaned against the wall.
“I’m sure Nova and you’ve talked, cleared the air. You weren’t in Milwaukee for her.” Liam gave a deliberate pause. “I wasn’t either.”
If not for me, then…
“Me,” Dane said softly, answering my unspoken question. “You were there for me.”
The corner of Liam’s lip twisted slyly as if he was the cat catching the canary.
“What do you mean?” Fear built in my chest.
He ignored me, instead directing his words to Dane. “My eyes and ears have been following you for a while, and what they relayed, well, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it first-hand.”
My eyes and ears. The birds, messengers of the divine, were actually there for Dane.
Liam studied Dane like a principal overseeing a kid sent to his office. “You never needed anyone. You never really cared enough to need anyone. That changed with Nova. You changed. Your curiosity quickly shifted from fascination to lust to love.” He looked at me. “When Dane met you, he gained kindness, generosity, patience—everything he once lost. All the vices that made him into a hunter were replaced by virtues, leading him back to the divine.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“Do I need to spell it out for you? He’s earned redemption, salvation. He’s earned his wings.” Liam’s lips turned up again, this time into a warm smile that lit his eyes, transforming his face from formidable to strikingly handsome.
“Wings?” Dane asked. His arms dropped to his side, and he looked to his feet.
My stomach dropped and my breath caught as I realized Dane wasn’t being reprimanded. He was being set free. He’d earned a place in the Kingdom… which I’d just give up.
“You’re released from the binds that have held you in this world. You’re set free. You’ve earned your wings.”
“What?” Dane scratched his shaggy hair. “What are you saying?”
“Well, we both know you won’t claim your ticket there.” Liam’s chin jerked toward the ceiling. “But you’re free.”
“I’m free,” Dane repeated quietly.
“What do you mean, he won’t claim—” I was cut off by Dane’s lips. His arms enveloped me, lifting me up and spinning me around. He pulled away and whooped.
“I’m free!” Laughing, Dane set me down.
“What about the Hark? The Kingdom? You’ve earned it,” I whispered.
“Nothing can beat what I have here with you.” A smile stretched across his face. He looked at his wrists, then pulled his shirt collar down and hitched a thumb near his throat. “Where is it? Is it here?”
It took me a minute to realize he referred to the trio of freckles that would symbolize his fall. My head continued to shake. “Dane, I can’t have you give it all up for—”
“I’d get bored there. All that harmony and purity, ugh.” Dane grimaced, then grinned while putting his arm around my waist. “Besides, I already have perfection here.”
My cheeks pinkened. I leaned into Dane, pressing my nose into his clean, fresh-scented T-shirt.
“That’s my cue to leave.” Liam moved toward the door. “I’ll be by tomorrow. Heard Josie’s hosting breakfast.”
“Hey, hang on,” Dane called. “I need a favor.”
Liam’s eyebrows rose. “Asking for favors already? Thought I just got rid of you.”
“I need to get word to Niko. I think his family has returned to the Land. I haven’t been able to reach him, and well, you know we have some big news to share.”
“I can do that. Have a favor to ask in return.”
“Expected that,” Dane said, rolling his eyes.
“I want an invite when you two tie the knot. And there better be an open bar.”
Now my cheeks burned, but Dane pulled me in tighter and beamed. “A bar. Now there’s an idea for my next career. I’ll open a bar. Killbane’s Cantina. That’s kind of catchy, right?”
“I’ve been thinking.” Liam’s tone was serious yet a slight smile played at his lips. “Maybe you should consider changing your name now. I mean, Kill-bane was funny when you were, you know, hunting gods and stuff. Something different, like… Dane In-sane, Dane No-brain?”
“Did Liam just make a joke?” Dane cocked his head, looking from Liam to me. “I didn’t know you knew how. You better not be going soft on me.” He released his hold on me to give Liam a pat on the back. “I hate to admit it, but I’m gonna miss you. All these years, think I finally got used to your cranky ass.”
“Finally got used to this constant pain in my ass.” Liam’s face quickly lit into another smile. He was breathtaking when he wasn’t busy being so intense. I had no idea how I missed his unearthly allure when I’d first met him at Bar Continental. “Treat her right, or I’ll come back for you.”
“Always,” Dane promised.
With our final goodbyes, Liam yanked open the door, just as the Thai delivery guy on the other side raised an arm, fist balled and ready to knock. The poor kid took one look at Liam and practically threw the bag of food into the room before fleeing down the stairwell.
“In case you thought I’d gone soft.” Liam grinned, then closed the door behind him.
Epilogue
“Babe, why are you curling your hair?” Dane asked, pulling me into his lap. “It’s just a phone call.”
“Just a phone call?” I pushed at his chest, which barely budged under my fingertips. “I’m introducing my boyfriend—”
“Fiancé,” Dane interrupted.
Dropping my eyes to the ring Dane had slipped on my finger the night before, I nodded my head. “Right. I’m i
ntroducing my fiancé to my family. It’s kind of a big deal.” My focus snapped from the emerald-cut diamond ring to my watch. “They should be calling any minute now. Let me talk first, okay? Liam didn’t tell them much, so I’m sure Mira is pretty confused.”
Dane nodded and handed my cell phone back to me. He’d kept watch over it while I freshened up in the bathroom. We stared at the screen, impatiently waiting for Nick and Mira’s call.
Liam had pulled through, not only locating Nick and Mira within a few days, but also coordinating the resources for us to connect. They didn’t have phone or internet service at the isolated cottage in Ireland. Nick, a seasoned god, easily could have come to us, but Mira was still learning the ropes—and they had baby Calla to consider.
The phone lit up and vibrated under my sweaty palm. Instead of the international number for Nick’s newly acquired satellite phone, Cami’s name popped up on caller ID.
“Send her to voicemail,” Dane exclaimed as I swiped a finger to connect the call.
“Cami, hey!” I said, swatting at Dane with my free hand.
“Nova!” Cami squealed into the earpiece.
“Are you back? We have a ton to catch up on, but I’m expecting a call—hang on, this might be them—” I twisted the phone away from my ear to peer at the screen, again expecting to find Mira or Nick on the other line. Liam’s name appeared. “Oh, Cami, I have Liam on the other line. He coordinated a call with my sister. Maybe there’s a problem. Can I give you a call back in a bit?”
“Liam? As in Liam Cross?” Cami’s cheerful tone deflated. “What does—”
“Let me call you back!” I felt bad disconnecting her mid-sentence, but wanted to reach Liam before he was sent to voicemail.
“Liam, hey, everything okay?” I asked once the line connected.
“Just tried calling Killbane. He around?” Liam said with his usual intensity. I’d come to learn and appreciate his odd demeanor.
“He’s right next to me. We’re waiting for Nick and Mira to call.”
“Right. Forgot about that. Give me a call when you’re done. Lots of changes on the horizon. Think Dane and you are going to want to hear this.” I didn’t know Liam well enough to get a good read on him, but his voice notched up with aberrant excitement.
Cocking my head, I asked, “Everything okay?”
“Good changes, Nova. I’ll explain later.” With that, Liam clicked off the call.
Eyebrows raised, I twisted toward Dane. “We have to call him back. Kind of a cryptic message, but there’s something he wants to discuss with us.”
“Was that Cami on the line before?” Dane asked.
“Yeah, she must really dislike Liam—”
“Those two have been skirting each other for years,” Dane grinned as he cut me off.
“You know Cami?”
“Not really. But I do know she’s one of the few people that can get a rise out of Liam.”
“Really?” I asked. As a lumineer, a patron of light and hope, Cami was naturally cheerful, hardly the type to rile up anyone. “When we ran into him at Bar Continental, I wondered what their deal was.”
“You know what I think?” Dane said, his playful grin widening. “I think he likes her, but knowing that stubborn, old fool, he probably acts like a bigger ass than usual around her.”
“Really!” I laughed. “Maybe we should—”
“Set them up!” Dane and I said gleefully at the same time.
As we giggled and plotted a plan to connect our friends, the phone vibrated and chimed again. The long string of numbers on caller ID confirmed the call was from an international source.
“Oh my gosh!” I shrieked, nearly dropping the phone. “It’s them! Remember, let me talk first. I have everything planned in my head—what I’m going to say to Mira—”
“Just answer it!” Dane exclaimed.
I’d penned in my head what I wanted to say, how I’d explain the journey that led me back to this world. Over the last few days, I realized why my memories of Mira were so vague. The peace and contentment that Mira, Anya, and Arthur felt after my departure didn’t need to be disturbed until I made a decision that would inevitably change all our lives.
Being able to talk to my sister, see her and my brother-in-law, watch my goddaughter grow, know my mother and father, experience and cherish all of the relationships I’d otherwise miss out on made the grandness of what I gave up feel miniscule.
Swiping my finger to connect the call, I then tapped the speaker button so Dane could hear as well.
“Mira!” I cried. “Is that you?”
“Novalee!” Hearing my best friend’s—my sister’s—voice brought instant tears to my eyes. “I can’t believe it! I can’t believe you’re back!”
“I know! We have so much to catch up on. So much. Is Nick there?”
“I’m here,” Nick said.
“Niko!” Dane chimed in. “Brother, looks like we’re really going to be brothers!”
“Dane! I said I’d tell them!” I scolded as simultaneous cries erupted from Mira and Nick.
“What?” followed by, “No way!”
Sighing, I shook my head at Dane. “He was supposed to let me tell you!”
“Sorry, babe. I’m just too damn excited.” Dane’s mischievous blue eyes glistened. I knew how he felt, because I felt it too.
I had returned to this world looking for answers; instead, I found Dane. I found it all. Husband and wife. Brothers and sisters. Mother and child. A family and a future. Dane and I may have given up perfection in the Kingdom, but what we found was better. We found each other.
Thank You!
Dear Reader,
THANK YOU for reading Light of the Sky! I hope you enjoyed reading Nova and Dane’s story as much as I loved writing it. If you did, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews and ratings can make a big difference in visibility, which helps me get my book into the hands of other readers. I’d truly appreciate (and would be forever grateful for) a short shout-out!
Cami and Liam’s story, Fire of the Flesh, is coming summer 2021! For updates, follow me on Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to sign up for my newsletter!
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Also by Gina Sturino
Of the Gods
Fruit of the Land (Book One)
Light of the Sky (Book Two)
Fire of the Flesh (Book Three) Coming July 2021
Color of the Clouds (Book Four) Coming December 2021
About the Author
Gina Sturino has been devouring romance novels since her teenage years. After marrying her very own Prince Charming, she found the inspiration to write her debut novel. While her husband isn’t a god (like Nick in Fruit of the Land), he’s pretty darn close (he may or may not have told her to write that), and helped inspire the character. They’ve lived in cities coast-to-coast and have settled in their hometown outside of Madison, Wisconsin, where they are raising their daughter.
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