I tried to hold my tongue because I knew Keisha and me—and Morgan, when he could come—were more like guests in these meetings than anything else, but I couldn’t stay quiet. “And the other nymphs?”
“A great number of my dear nymphs died during our fight, but some were smart and took advantage of the distraction to escape,” Zelen said. “Where they are hiding, I don’t know.” He stared at Ceris. “I owe you my life and that of my nymphs. With my forest gone I’m weaker, but you can count on me. I’ll do whatever I can to help you win this war.”
A relieved smile appeared on Ceris’s beautiful face. “That’s good to hear.”
“Me too,” Izaera mumbled. All eyes turned to her. She sighed. “I mean, I’m weak too. With almost all green gone, almost all clean water gone, no blue sky, and polluted air, my powers are weakening. I can feel my energy draining out of me … into oblivion.”
Ceris rested her hand over Izaera’s. “You’re strong, sister. No matter what. Hang on. We will win this war, and the green will come back.”
Lowering her gaze, Izaera patted Ceris’s hand.
“One thing is bothering me,” Micah said, drawing the room’s attention to him. “How Omi knew we were going to be there?”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Ceris said.
“It could be a coincidence,” Victor said. “Being one of the only green spots on Earth, Omi and Imha must have had their eyes on the forest for a while.”
Ceris tapped her chin. “It could be, but it’s hard to believe.”
“Are you suggesting someone here told Omi and Imha of our plans?” I asked. All gazes fell on me. “If we have a mole, how did this person communicated with Omi? We could check everyone’s phones, but I doubt you’ll find anything. And nobody left the bunker. Except you, Ceris.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you suggesting I told them?”
I raised my hands in a peace offering. “Of course not. I’m just saying it doesn’t make sense.”
“It could be a coincidence,” Zelen repeated Victor’s words. “I know demons were close to us. They had an eye on us for a while, probably getting ready to attack.”
“True,” Izaera said. “Demons were getting closer and closer to us.”
“That’s an unfortunate coincidence then,” Victor said.
Micah yawned loudly, raising his hands above his head and lifting his shirt a tiny bit—enough to show half an inch of his glorious six-pack. Everyone stopped and watched him. Ceris and Victor gave him an annoyed look, Zelen and Izaera shook their heads, and after gawking for a few seconds, Keisha lowered her gaze.
Unaffected, Micah knotted his hands behind his head. “So. What’s the next step?”
“Finding the scepters?” I said, sounding a little too righteous. Oops.
Victor unclasped his hands and folded his arms over the table. “Well, that isn’t going too well, is it?”
“But it should be priority.”
“It should,” Ceris said. “Unfortunately, as Levi pointed out, it isn’t going well. So, I propose we try to find another one of the creed gods.”
Unbelievable.
Micah cleared his throat. “Izaera, during all these years, you never had any contact with Sol, Lua, Ronen, or Maho?”
For sake of the discussion, I assumed those were the names of the other gods and goddesses.
“No,” Izaera said. “Never. All I know is they went into hiding, like I did, and I never heard from them again.”
“You were hiding where your powers were strongest,” Victor said. “So probably they are too.”
“That’s a good point,” Ceris said, her gaze distant. “We should try to find them. Having all of us together against Imha and Omi will make a huge difference. The odds might change in our favor then.”
Leaning back in his chair, Micah crossed his arms. “But once again, we’ll search for them with only a vague idea of where they are, just like the scepters. We’ll waste time.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Ceris sounded annoyed again. “Sit here and wait for a miracle?”
Micah stared at her, his eyes with a resolute shine. “You know what I suggest.”
Ceris tsked. “You also don’t know where they are.”
“But it’s easier to find them,” Micah said. Were they talking about the Death Lords again? “Find dead people, and you’ll find one of them. Talk to him, pass the word of a meeting, and done. We’ll get them all together, and we’ll have them on board.”
“What makes you so sure they will be willing to help?” Victor asked.
“What made you so sure Zelen would help?” Micah retorted. “What makes you so sure anyone you want to go after will help?”
“He’s got a point,” Zelen said.
Micah continued, “Well, I can tell you that besides what the Death Lords and I did, what they still do, we were a team. I knew I could count on them for anything, and I know that hasn’t changed. If they find out I’m alive, if we tell them of our quests, I’m sure they will join us.”
Ceris sighed. “I don’t know.”
Izaera squeezed Ceris’s hand. “You took a chance with Zelen, and you would have taken chances with other deities. I know you have issues with Mitrus, we all do”—she glanced at Micah, making her point. He shrugged—“but I believe he’s on your side, our side, this time. Give him a chance.”
A long minute passed. Ceris seemed to mull the options over in her mind. To me, there was no question. Come on, she was willing to go after anyone, why not Micah’s guys? It was only fair.
Her gaze met Victor’s. He nodded at her, assuring her it was the right thing.
“All right,” she said, sounding defeated. “I’ll find them and set up a meeting.”
22
Ceris left right after our meeting, and Keisha called me to train. Since I had nothing better to do, I accepted.
I changed into yoga pants and a tank top, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and met her in the gym. She wasn’t there yet, but Micah and Victor were. They talked in hushed tones.
“Hmm, sorry,” I said, whirling around to leave the room.
“No,” Victor said. “It’s okay. We didn’t know you were going to train right now.”
“I can come back later,” I said, pointing to the door behind me.
“No, it’s okay,” Micah said. “We’re done here.”
He started for the door. I stepped to the side but couldn’t help watching him as he walked by me. To my surprise, he watched me too. Our eyes locked, and I inhaled a sharp breath, my heart speeding in my chest. Was it really a surprise? Maybe it wasn’t.
He walked out, and I watched as his gorgeous frame retreated down the hall.
“Sorry about that,” Victor said, drawing my attention.
“You don’t have to apologize for anything.” I walked farther into the room. I wanted to start stretching, but I didn’t feel okay doing it with Victor watching.
He took three steps to the exit, but stopped. “How are you doing?”
The question caught me by surprise. It took me a minute to find an appropriate answer. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”
“Good.” He stared at me, and his sea-green eyes seemed vulnerable. “I want you to know I’m here for you. You know, if you need to talk. I know you must still resent Ceris for what she did and—”
“And you don’t?”
He sighed. “I do, but it’s more complicated than that.”
I crossed my arms. “Really?”
“We’ve been together for thousands and thousands of years. People change. People make mistakes.”
“How about gods?”
“Gods make mistakes too.” He ran a hand through his golden hair. “I’m not saying I forgave her; I’m not saying everything is all right. It isn’t all right. I still haven’t forgiven her. Nevertheless, I know I can live around her and count on her when I need her. In spite of her mistakes, she’ll always be there for me, and I’ll always be there for her.”
“You know, from what I read, you two shared one of the most beautiful love stories.”
“A couple of months ago I would have scoffed at that, but the truth is Ceris means a lot to me, and I hope I can forgive her.”
Jealousy ran in my veins. Not because Ceris had Victor, but because I would never have what they had, what they would have over and over again.
“You will,” I said.
He nodded.
Keisha walked in the room a few seconds later. Her gaze shifted between Victor and me. She settled for Victor. “My Lord.” She bowed briefly. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No,” Victor said. “I was just leaving. Have a nice ... training.”
He walked out of the room, and Keisha widened her eyes at me. “What was that?”
I shrugged. “Nothing.”
“You know, I’m not just a warrior, I can be a friend too. You can talk to me.”
I glanced at her. A girlfriend to bitch about the boys and my hatred for Ceris’s actions. If she wasn’t such a fan of them, that would have been perfect.
Hours later, Keisha landed a blow with the wooden sword to my stomach. The force of the impact sent me sprawling backward, and I fell gasping for air.
“Holy shit,” I wheezed.
“Crap.” Keisha crouched beside me. “Are you okay?”
Blinking back tears, I nodded. I pressed my hand over my stomach, hoping it would take away the pain, as if my magic—or whatever that was—worked on me too.
When I caught my breath and the pain subsided, Keisha helped me up. “It’s past eight. I guess we should call it a night.”
“My hungry and hurt tummy agrees,” I mumbled, still sounding like a hoarse chicken.
Keisha laughed.
We walked into the hallway, heading toward our bedrooms. She glanced at me. “I know Lady Ceris deceived you and Lord Levi a few months ago, but I don’t know exactly what happened. It’s hard not being a little curious about it, especially when I run into you and Lord Levi like that earlier. And I know you omit things, which makes me more curious.”
I sighed. What happened wasn’t a secret, but I didn’t want to tell the world how stupid I had been. The only other person who knew about it was Morgan, but he was my friend. Well, Keisha could be too. She said she wanted to be.
“Ceris gave me the Destiny Gift from the Fates so I would have visions of Victor.” I refused calling him and Micah by their true names. It didn’t feel right. “She wanted me to fall in love with him, and she succeeded. I had the hugest crush on him. Victor and I spent a lot of time together, and I think he felt something for me too. Well, I know he did, but I also know he was confused and alone. He didn’t want to get close to anyone and ended up getting close to me. Then Ceris came into the game, and we found out who he is and what she had done, shattering my heart. The end.”
The thing was, my heart hadn’t shattered. Not really. Whatever I had felt for Victor hadn’t been real. There was nothing there to be shattered. Yes, I still thought he was too good-looking, even for a god, but other than physical attraction, there wasn’t much left. I didn’t feel like we had a connection anymore. I had been confused and hurt after Ceris took him from Cathedral Rock, but those emotions subsided and I realized perhaps I wasn’t as hurt as I first thought.
“That’s ... wow.”
“Yeah.”
“Did you love him?”
“I don’t know. Maybe, yes. But if the feelings were created, then did I really?”
“That’s one messed up love story,” she said before narrowing her eyes at me. “What about Lord Mitrus?”
My heart skipped a beat. Was I that easy to read? “What about him?”
“He was there during it all, wasn’t he?”
“He was.”
“And nothing happened with him?”
“No ... why are you asking?”
“Because of the way he looks at you, as if he owns you.”
Oh, she had no idea how true that statement was. However, he didn’t own me; he owned my life and my soul, the one he would send to the underworld one of these days. Nothing more. I took a deep breath. No need to get cold feet about it now. It wasn’t happening soon. Besides, it had been my idea. An idea that would bring my family back to this world. I was more than happy to die for them. In fact, I couldn’t wait for that to happen.
Still a painful pang spread through my chest. Why? It was probably because they would go on, yet I wouldn’t see it, I wouldn’t be with them. Or could it be because of something else too?
“You’re misreading things.”
“I’m not. I know what I see, and I can tell the others see it too.”
Really? Was it obvious? I wondered how I hadn’t noticed it. I mean, I noticed him looking at me, but that was the normal Micah—always a charmer.
We reached her bedroom.
“I’ll wake you up earlier tomorrow so we can train. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
She disappeared into her room, and I turned to mine.
After a warm shower, I roamed the cafeteria, and was glad someone had cooked a big bowl of pasta and meat sauce. I was dying for real food.
When I was done, I didn’t know what to do. I thought about going back to my bedroom, but that didn’t sound appealing, even though it was getting late and I was tired.
I turned to the hallway leading to Morgan’s room. It was late, but I wanted to see how he was doing.
His bedroom door was closed, but I didn’t knock before opening it, in case he was sleeping. I didn’t want to wake him up.
“Hello there,” he said when I stepped in. He was in bed, propped up by pillows, a book in his hands. The only light on in the room came from a table lamp beside his bed.
“Oh, good, you’re not sleeping.”
“I think I already slept enough for a week. I’m done with sleep. At least for a couple more hours.”
I approached his bed. “How are you?”
He set the book down. “Ah, I’m fine. It still hurts whenever I try to move, but Lord Levi did a good job. The stitches are holding up well.”
“Good.” I didn’t know what else to say. I scanned the room, in search of a topic. My eyes fell over the book in his hands. “What are you reading?”
“Rereading. The Art of War by Sun Tzu,” he said. “It’s an old book but good.”
“Hmm, I think I heard about it in one of my literature classes.”
“I bet you did.” He put the book on the nightstand, wincing in pain, and then watched me. “What is it, Nadine? I can see you have something you want to say.”
“Well ...”
“Come on, Nad. I’m your friend. Talk to me.”
“All right. Well, I’m concerned. I saw you with the Crimson Dagger while we were in the forest.” He lowered his gaze. “Why do you still have it? That dagger is dangerous. You told me that. You said whoever possessed made a deal with Omi. Have you made a deal with Omi?”
He stared at me, appalled. “Of course not!”
“Then why do you still have it?”
“I don’t know. I mean, we got it from Brock, and then Brock was gone and the dagger was just there. It’s beautiful, powerful, and sharp. I decided to keep it in the temple’s vault with the other precious books and things like that. But once I was called to come here, I knew we would be fighting and I thought it would make a nice weapon.”
“Doesn’t it affect you? Keeping it like that?”
“I wasn’t the one that struck the deal with Omi. The deal probably fell through once Brock was killed, and the dagger became simply that. A beautiful dagger, no powers or deals attached.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am sure.” He offered me a tired grin. “Do you really think I would do anything that might bring harm to the creed?”
The memory of him rushing out of the hotel in Wichita to keep the demons off Victor and Micah came to mind. And after being attacked and almost killed, he had come to us
, even knowing there were more demons with us.
I smiled, feeling silly. “You wouldn’t.”
He smiled back. “See, you know me, but I appreciate the concern. I would probably have worried about it, if you were the one with it.”
“I know. Sorry about that.” I patted his hand. “Well, I’m going to let you rest.”
“As if I needed more rest.” He shifted his weight, trying to adjust his pillows, and ended up cringing in pain again. “Perhaps I do.”
I chuckled. “Good night, Morgan.”
“Night, Nad.”
I exited his bedroom, closed the door, and leaned against it. I truly felt silly. How could I have worried about Morgan? He was on our side. I knew he was, and he would always be.
23
Next morning Keisha woke me early as promised, and we trained all day.
“Like that,” Keisha said, approving of my stance. She threw herself at me, raising her wooden sword over my head, but I whirled around, almost as fast as she moved, and struck my wooden sword on her back. She groaned and laughed. “Nice!”
She reached behind her back and made a face.
“Was it too strong?”
“No, no. It was great.” She stretched her arms over her head, shook her shoulders, and took her stance. “Again.”
“Wait. It’s past four in the afternoon. How about a break?” We hadn’t eaten anything since lunch and even that had been a light snack. I was starving.
“One more time, then a break.”
“Fine,” I muttered. I was tired and hungry. My tummy would appreciate a snack right now. However, Miss Keisha wanted one more fight. Fine. I would give it to her.
This time I didn’t spin around her, but I ducked under her sword striking it with my own, hard and fast, making her lose her grip, and as her sword fell on the floor, mine leveled at her throat.
“Wow, you’re getting good at this.”
I smiled, proud of myself.
“Indeed.”
Losing the smile, I turned to the door. Micah was there, impeccable and handsome as always, watching us. Oddly, he was wearing sweatpants almost as tight as his jeans, a thermal shirt, and sneakers—clothes I never thought I would see him wearing, even if they were all black, of course. His eyes were intent on me, and that alone disconcerted me.
The Everlast Series Boxed Set Page 40