by Brey Willows
“You said it yourself. I’m supposed to be the bridge. I think that means I’m supposed to bring our worlds together, not keep them as opposing forces that can be used against each other. I really, really believe this is the way.” Selene held her ground.
Jesus grinned. “I think she might be right. I mean, some of us are already doing it, right? We just have to figure out how to make an appearance, get noticed without getting lynched. Or crucified.” He shot a glare at his father. “I like it.”
Allah shook his head. “They believe because it’s faith. Faith must be tested by the absence of proof. If proof is suddenly there, faith is no longer necessary, and all that the gods do is taken for granted.”
Selene frowned. “With all due respect, you don’t do much. Have you seen the state of the world? It’s not exactly a shining example of your abilities as a group. You’re a creation of human belief, so you can’t really ever be stronger than a human can conceive of. And you’ve got their limitations too. You have to show them what’s possible, so they believe it, and then you can make it happen.”
At this, Selene felt the room darken and the energy shift. “Get pissed off if you want to. Go ahead, let your egos take over. But you know it’s true. You’re just as jealous, petty, spiteful, and egotistical as the humans who keep you alive by believing in you.” She looked around the room, meeting their eyes. Now that she knew what came after death, she had no fear whatsoever of their reactions. “But you can also be exactly what they need, what they believe you to be. Do it my way and prove you deserve their adoration and prayers.”
They all stayed quiet, but Jesus was practically vibrating with excitement, his smile wide.
Finally, it was God who broke the silence, and the high pitch of his voice made Selene think of Mickey Mouse. “I think we try. I did it once, with my son. It didn’t go exactly as planned—”
Jesus snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.
“But it did work, for a while. It certainly got people’s attention.” He looked at Zed. “You and your family used to do it all the time, before I came along. And people behaved better, or worse, because of it.”
Zed sighed. “We’ll take it to an emergency board meeting and put it to a vote.” He looked at Selene, and she was glad to see how solid he appeared. “You know this could backfire?”
“And what? People stop believing in you because of it? You don’t have much to lose. And Alec and I will do our best to make the transition easier.”
Ama had been typing away in the background, and she stood up to get their attention. “No need for a board meeting. I’ve been updating them via a live feed.” She looked at them each in turn, solemn and unsure. “The board has voted. The majority wins—we go with Selene’s plan.”
The silence was heavy until Jesus got up with a shout and wrapped Selene in a hug.
She laughed and felt Alec squeeze her hand. Selene had needed to do the talking, as the one designated as the bridge, but Alec had insisted on being there to support her. Because that’s who we are together. The thought warmed her and she smiled at Zed.
“Then it’s settled. The gods are coming out of the closet.”
About the Author
Brey Willows is a longtime editor and writer. Her passion is literature and the classics, and she has published a large handful of short stories and several articles and reviews. When she’s not running a social enterprise working with marginalized communities on writing projects, she’s editing other people’s writing or doing her own. She lives in the middle of England with her partner and fellow author and spends entirely too much time exploring castles and ancient ruins while bemoaning the rain.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Divided Nation, United Hearts by Yolanda Wallace. In a nation torn in two by a most uncivil war, can love conquer the divide? (978-1-62639-847-4)
Fury’s Bridge by Brey Willows. What if your life depended on someone who didn’t believe in your existence? (978-1-62639-841-2)
Lightning Strikes by Cass Sellars. When Parker Duncan and Sydney Hyatt’s one-night stand turns to more, both women must fight demons past and present to cling to the relationship neither of them thought she wanted. (978-1-62639-956-3)
Love in Disaster by Charlotte Greene. A professor and a celebrity chef are drawn together by chance, but can their attraction survive a natural disaster? (978-1-62639-885-6)
Secret Hearts by Radclyffe. Can two women from different worlds find common ground while fighting their secret desires? (978-1-62639-932-7)
Sins of Our Fathers by A. Rose Mathieu. Solving gruesome murder cases is only one of Elizabeth Campbell’s challenges; another is her growing attraction to the female detective who is hell-bent on keeping her client in prison. (978-1-62639-873-3)
The Sniper’s Kiss by Justine Saracen. The power of a kiss: it can swell your heart with splendor, declare abject submission, and sometimes blow your brains out. (978-1-62639-839-9)
Troop 18 by Jessica L. Webb. Charged with uncovering the destructive secret that a troop of RCMP cadets has been hiding, Andy must put aside her worries about Kate and uncover the conspiracy before it’s too late. (978-1-62639-934-1)
Worthy of Trust and Confidence by Kara A. McLeod. FBI Special Agent Ryan O’Connor is about to discover the hard way that when you can only handle one type of answer to a question, it really is better not to ask. (978-1-62639-889-4)
Amounting to Nothing by Karis Walsh. When mounted police officer Billie Mitchell steps in to save beautiful murder witness Merissa Karr, worlds collide on the rough city streets of Tacoma, Washington. (978-1-62639-728-6)
Becoming You by Michelle Grubb. Airlie Porter has a secret. A deep, dark, destructive secret that threatens to engulf her if she can’t find the courage to face who she really is and who she really wants to be with. (978-1-62639-811-5)
Birthright by Missouri Vaun. When spies bring news that a swordswoman imprisoned in a neighboring kingdom bears the Royal mark, Princess Kathryn sets out to rescue Aiden, true heir to the Belstaff throne. (978-1-62639-485-8)
Crescent City Confidential by Aurora Rey. When romance and danger are in the air, writer Sam Torres learns the Big Easy is anything but. (978-1-62639-764-4)
Love Down Under by MJ Williamz. Wylie loves Amarina, but if Amarina isn’t out, can their relationship last? (978-1-62639-726-2)
Privacy Glass by Missouri Vaun. Things heat up when Nash Wiley commandeers a limo and her best friend for a late drive out to the beach: Champagne on ice, seat belts optional, and privacy glass a must. (978-1-62639-705-7)
The Impasse by Franci McMahon. A horse packing excursion into the Montana Wilderness becomes an adventure of terrifying proportions for Miles and ten women on an outfitter led trip. (978-1-62639-781-1)
The Right Kind of Wrong by PJ Trebelhorn. Bartender Quinn Burke is happy with her life as a playgirl until she realizes she can’t fight her feelings any longer for her best friend, bookstore owner Grace Everett. (978-1-62639-771-2)
Wishing on a Dream by Julie Cannon. Can two women change everything for the chance at love? (978-1-62639-762-0)
A Quiet Death by Cari Hunter. When the body of a young Pakistani girl is found out on the moors, the investigation leaves Detective Sanne Jensen facing an ordeal she may not survive. (978-1-62639-815-3)
Buried Heart by Laydin Michaels. When Drew Chambliss meets Cicely Jones, her buried past finds its way to the surface—will they survive its discovery or will their chance at love turn to dust? (978-1-62639-801-6)
Escape: Exodus Book Three by Gun Brooke. Aboard the Exodus ship Pathfinder, President Thea Tylio still holds Caya Lindemay, a clairvoyant changer, in protective custody, which has devastating consequences endangering their relationship and the entire Exodus mission. (978-1-62639-635-7)
Genuine Gold by Ann Aptaker. New York, 1952. Outlaw Cantor Gold is thrown back into her honky-tonk Coney Island past, where crime and passion simmer in a neon glare. (978-1-62639-730-9)
Into Thin Air
by Jeannie Levig. When her girlfriend disappears, Hannah Lewis discovers her world isn’t as orderly as she thought it was. (978-1-62639-722-4)
Night Voice by CF Frizzell. When talk show host Sable finally acknowledges her risqué radio relationship with a mysterious caller, she welcomes a real relationship with local tradeswoman Riley Burke. (978-1-62639-813-9)
Raging at the Stars by Lesley Davis. When the unbelievable theories start revealing themselves as truths, can you trust in the ones who have conspired against you from the start? (978-1-62639-720-0)
She Wolf by Sheri Lewis Wohl. When the hunter becomes the hunted, more than love might be lost. (978-1-62639-741-5)
Smothered and Covered by Missouri Vaun. The last person Nash Wiley expects to bump into over a two a.m. breakfast at Waffle House is her college crush, decked out in a curve-hugging law enforcement uniform. (978-1-62639-704-0)
The Butterfly Whisperer by Lisa Moreau. Reunited after ten years, can Jordan and Sophie heal the past and rediscover love or will differing desires keep them apart? (978-1-62639-791-0)
The Devil’s Due by Ali Vali. Cain and Emma Casey are awaiting the birth of their third child, but as always in Cain’s world, there are new and old enemies to face in post Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. (978-1-62639-591-6)
Widows of the Sun-Moon by Barbara Ann Wright. With immortality now out of their grasp, the gods of Calamity fight amongst themselves, egged on by the mad goddess they thought they’d left behind. (978-1-62639-777-4)
18 Months by Samantha Boyette. Alissa Reeves has only had two girlfriends and they’ve both gone missing. Now it’s up to her to find out why. (978-1-62639-804-7)
Arrested Hearts by Holly Stratimore. A reckless cop with a secret death wish and a health nut who is afraid to die might be a perfect combination for love. (978-1-62639-809-2)
Capturing Jessica by Jane Hardee. Hyperrealist sculptor Michael tries desperately to conceal the love she holds for best friend, Jess, unaware Jess’s feelings for her are changing. (978-1-62639-836-8)
Counting to Zero by AJ Quinn. NSA agent Emma Thorpe and computer hacker Paxton James must learn to trust each other as they work to stop a threat clock that’s rapidly counting down to zero. (978-1-62639-783-5)
Courageous Love by KC Richardson. Two women fight a devastating disease, and their own demons, while trying to fall in love. (978-1-62639-797-2)
Pathogen by Jessica L. Webb. Can Dr. Kate Morrison navigate a deadly virus and the threat of bioterrorism, as well as her new relationship with Sergeant Andy Wyles and her own troubled past? (978-1-62639-833-7)
Rainbow Gap by Lee Lynch. Jaudon Vickers and Berry Garland, polar opposites, dream and love in this tale of lesbian lives set in Central Florida against the tapestry of societal change and the Vietnam War. (978-1-62639-799-6)
Steel and Promise by Alexa Black. Lady Nivrai’s cruel desires and modified body make most of the galaxy fear her, but courtesan Cailyn Derys soon discovers the real monsters are the ones without the claws. (978-1-62639-805-4)
Swelter by D. Jackson Leigh. Teal Giovanni’s mistake shines an unwanted spotlight on a small Texas ranch where August Reese is secluded until she can testify against a powerful drug kingpin. (978-1-62639-795-8)
Without Justice by Carsen Taite. Cade Kelly and Emily Sinclair must battle each other in the pursuit of justice, but can they fight their undeniable attraction outside the walls of the courtroom? (978-1-62639-560-2)