Omi snorted. “As if that was enough.”
Imha clicked her tongue. “To be honest, I heard about your deal with the Death Lords. Planning on killing Levi, huh? So exciting! Though, apparently, it didn’t work.”
“Unfortunately, it didn’t,” I said through gritted teeth. “But I would like a chance to try again.”
“I bet.” Imha tilted her head. Her long, black hair fell to the side like a curtain. “This might be a good thing. Can you imagine? Chaos, war, and death ruling the world?”
Omi turned to her, his teeth clenched. “I don’t like this.”
She gave him a hard look and he retreated.
Throughout our history, Imha had had a hold over Omi, but it was nothing like this before. The way she quieted him with just a look was interesting and concerning.
Without her wicked smile, Imha returned her gaze to me. “I like the idea of having you by my side.” The glint in her crazy eyes left no room for misinterpretation—the double meaning of having me by her side didn’t escape me. I stifled a shudder. “But it won’t be that easy. I want proof that you’re on our side.”
I expected as much. “What do you want me to do?”
She shrugged. “Surprise me. The bigger, the better.”
I focused on my mission here and forced a sly grin of my own. “I have an idea.”
22
Nadine
Alice swung her arm and her fist slammed into my shoulder. I staggered back, a little disoriented.
“Sorry,” she said, already sounding irritated. “If you weren’t so distracted, I bet I wouldn’t get one hit in.”
True. Or at least it would have been harder for her. But as it was, I was distracted. Again. There was too much going on.
Everything had changed in the last three days. Keisha died, Micah left, we had a simple funeral for Keisha, and Victor continued to ignore my questions, so now I was ignoring him too.
Even Ceris, who I had actually made progress with in the friendship department, had become a bitch once again.
Last night, I had told her, “If you want to be my friend, then prove it to me. Tell me what happened between Micah and Victor. Tell me everything, including this damn Nasya’s island that I heard you guys talking about.”
She just shook her head and told me it was not for her to tell, and even if she could, she didn’t think it was a good idea to worry me with things I couldn’t change.
And there was our war progress too. It seemed stalled, at least from my end. I kept checking the map for Lua, but her symbol had disappeared in the desert and never reappeared again. Still, I looked, hoping she would emerge soon.
I shook my shoulders and came back to the present.
“I can’t help it,” I said to Alice.
“Then you’ll be killed in the next battle.”
I flinched. Keisha had been killed in the last battle. Then the next was me? And the next? Alice? Would our numbers dwindle until there was no one left to fight Imha and Omi?
Alice was right, though. If I didn’t focus, I would be killed in the next battle. And I couldn’t die. Not yet.
I closed my eyes and let out a long breath, trying to empty my mind. There was no family in the underworld, no guilt over Morgan’s death, no disappointment over Micah leaving, no sadness over Keisha’s death, no frustration with Victor and Ceris. There was only my adversary. One fight at a time.
Opening my eyes, I rolled my shoulders and readied myself—feet apart, knees bent, arms raised, fists closed.
Alice smiled, mirroring my stance.
I didn’t leave room for thought. I lunged at her with all I had.
Then Ceris flew by the gym’s door with Victor, Sol, Ronen, and Maho on her tail.
I halted, watching as they opened the front door with haste.
And Alice’s fist hit my jaw.
Groaning, I stumbled back.
“Hey!” Alice cried. “I thought you were ready.”
“I was,” I said through the pain spreading across my face. “But something is happening.” I pointed to the hallway and she turned to look, her brows furrowing. I walked past her and went to check it out. “What’s up?”
“A scout is coming,” Maho answered.
I frowned. “A scout? But he isn’t supposed to come for another six days.”
“Exactly,” he said, his tone laced with concerned.
The blond scout hurried up the steps. He arrived at the apartment’s door out of breath.
“What happened?” Ceris asked, ushering him in.
“It’s Lord Mitrus,” he said between long breaths. “I saw him this morning.”
“And?” Victor asked.
“I saw him this morning while I was scouting one of Imha’s bases.”
I knew what he was saying, but my mind couldn’t put one and one together. “What do you mean?” I asked, wanting to hear him say it out loud.
“He was with Imha,” the scout said. I gasped. “I saw him entering the grounds, being escorted by Corinia, and then leaving, accompanied by Imha. She looked … pleased with his presence.”
My heart bled. I couldn’t believe it. No, Micah wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t turn his back on us. That didn’t make sense.
“I can’t believe it!” Ceris exclaimed so loud, her voice filled with so much rage the walls shook.
“Calm down.” Maho put a hand on her arm.
“She’s right to me mad,” Victor said. “He betrayed us.”
“You don’t know that.” The words rushed out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Ceris glared at me. “After all he did, what other evidence do you need?”
The scout cleared his throat. “Our spy says he was working on a deal with Imha, though he doesn’t know the details.”
“By the Everlast,” Ronen whispered.
I retreated a step.
“He wouldn’t just join Imha and Omi,” Maho said.
I took another step.
“Chaos, war, and death,” Sol muttered. “We’re doomed.”
And another step.
“No, we aren’t,” Ceris said, her voice firm and confident. “We’ll work through this. We’ll make it.”
Another step.
“What if Imha decides to squeeze him for information on us, on our plans?” Ronen asked, clenching and unclenching her fists.
“That …” Ceris inhaled deeply. “That’s a risk we can’t control now.”
One more step.
“What should I do, my lord?” the scout asked Victor.
Just one more step.
“Tell your spy to find out more about Mitrus and this deal,” Victor answered. “We need all the information we can get.”
The scout answered, but I didn’t really hear him. I was already darting into my bedroom and closing the door. I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
It hurt, it all hurt. The pain started slow, but the burning was increasing. It was spreading. I gasped for air but nothing came.
Dizzy, I dragged myself to the bed and crawled in. I hugged Pinky, telling myself I could fight through the pain—the physical one, inexplicable one, and the one in my soul. The one that couldn’t believe Micah had betrayed us.
A tear slid down my cheek, but I wiped it away as if it were poisonous. I wouldn’t cry for him. He didn’t deserve my tears.
The pain ricocheted and I bit my pillow, swallowing the scream.
It would be a long, painful night.
23
Micah
Another boom echoed in my ears and another ball of fire descended on the small Italian town. I watched from the mountain as the orange and yellow consumed the houses and buildings. Women, children, and men ran, some crying, some yelling, some badly burnt. There was nowhere to go. They were trapped by the fire.
Aruhi appeared by my side. “It’s done, my lord.”
“Good,” I said.
I waved my fingers at him and black snakes wrapped around him. He cried and jerked ag
ainst the magical hold, but the snakes bit him and his body went limp, falling to the ground.
Forgetting the fallen lesser god, I watched the scene for hours until the fire was gone, leaving only charcoal behind.
I sighed, walked to Aruhi’s sleeping figure, picked up his limp body, hoisted it over my shoulder, and teleported to Imha’s castle. This time, the demons didn’t advance on me. They watched me, probably wanting to attack, but knowing they weren’t supposed to. Not yet.
I walked up the path, ignoring the growls and hard stares. They were only acting like that because Imha thought she was the best of all of us. If they knew how each god and goddess was exactly balanced, they wouldn’t bare their teeth at me.
Corinia met me at the entrance of the castle, raised an eyebrow at the body over my shoulder, and escorted me to Imha’s throne room. This time, Corinia opened the double doors but didn’t go in with me. She bowed and closed the doors behind me after I entered the room. Imha was seated on her throne, playing with a purple orb.
The orb puffed out of existence and Imha stood. “A gift for me?”
“Yes.” I dropped Aruhi’s body at her feet.
She squealed like a child with a new toy. “I already heard about your deed. Well done.”
“And?”
She strolled toward me, swished her hips. “With what you did today, how can I doubt you?” She halted in front of me. Her eyes sparkled with more than evilness. She licked her lips and rested a hand on my chest. “Besides, who says I want to doubt you?”
I refrained from stepping back. “Where’s Omi?”
She shrugged. “Who cares?” She stood on her tiptoes and offered me a naughty grin. “I just got myself a new toy,” she whispered.
I tried not to, but I stepped back. I turned to Aruhi. “What do you want to do with him?”
Her smile changed to a crazy one. “So many ideas.”
“I could take him to your dungeon and torture him.”
The shine in her eyes grew brighter. “Only if I can watch.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” I said, trying as hard as I could not to grit my teeth.
She let out a laugh like an evil queen from a fairy tale.
I walked out of the cell and the door slammed closed.
“Well done,” Imha purred, handing me a damp rag.
I didn’t say anything as I took it and wiped the blood off my hands.
She circled me, watching me with her too-clever, too-crazed eyes. “This torture session was extraordinary. I knew you still had it in you.”
I forced my lips to curl up. “It was good to use my skills again.”
Her smile widened. “I know. I felt it.”
All I wanted to do was to get away from her. I wanted to go to my new chambers and hide there until she evaporated into nothingness.
“I think I need a shower,” I said, turning toward the stairs that led out of this dark, damp dungeon.
She touched my shoulder and I fought the urge to wince. “Hmm, do you want some company?”
I glanced over my shoulder, unsure what lie I would tell her to keep her away, but as I opened my mouth, my eyes spotted something behind her and I halted. “What’s that?”
A heavy wooden door stood at the other end of the corridor, symbols drawn with what looked like dried blood smeared on its surface.
“Oh, you don’t know?” She bounced to the door and spied over the tiny cutout square on the top part of the door. “Come take a look.”
Wary, I walked to the door and spied through the tiny window.
Oh, shit.
24
Nadine
I knelt before two tombstones, one of which was my dear sister’s and the other the man she had married. They had lived a long life, but as with any mortal life, they eventually died.
A tear trickled down my cheek. “You stupid, stupid woman,” I whispered. “You could be here with me. We could have lived together forever.”
There was only me now.
And I was tired of being alone.
I looked down at my hands and blinked hard to see what lay there.
A Black Thorn.
I sat up in my bed, breathing hard.
What the hell?
One more dream about the mysterious woman. I was starting to wonder if it meant something, like the visions I used to have about the gods. Maybe these dreams were like the visions? Or maybe it was my overactive subconscious. At least I wasn’t having nightmares about my family and Morgan. Well, I hadn’t had any nightmares about Morgan since Micah told me he had forgiven me. Knowing he was well in the underworld also helped.
The clock on my wristwatch read a little past five in the morning. I sighed, knowing I wouldn’t be able to get any more sleep. I slipped out of my sweatpants and tee, and put on some workout clothes. Maybe I could tire myself and then take a quick hot shower and go back to bed, otherwise it would be a long and tiring day.
I sighed, seeing this new pattern in my days.
As I walked into the living room, I halted. “Aren’t you up a little early?” Victor and Ceris turned to me, their eyes concerned. “What is it?”
“Sit down,” Ceris said.
Uh-oh, this didn’t sound good.
I crossed my arms and stuffed my chest. The hell I would sit down. “What is it?”
Ceris looked to Victor and he sighed, coming to stand beside her.
Double uh-oh.
“A scout just left with an urgent message,” Victor said, his voice solemn.
“What is it?”
“There’s no easy way to say it,” Ceris muttered. “Mitrus was behind an attack on a small Italian town.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
No, no, no, no. Micah. The Micah that had held me in my sleep. The Micah that had made breakfast for me. The Micah that had taken me to the underworld to see my family—he wouldn’t do this. He couldn’t.
“H-how bad was it?” My voice broke and I felt the tears coming.
“No one survived,” Ceris whispered.
My knees gave in and I sat down. “When was it?”
“Last evening,” Ceris said. “And he took Aruhi to Imha too.”
“Aruhi?” I asked, confused.
“Sorry, I forget you don’t know everyone,” Ceris said. “Aruhi is a lesser god under my power.” She clasped her hands together so tight her knuckles were white. “Our spy says he tortured Aruhi in front of Imha.” Even she sounded sad.
Bile rose in my throat. Oh my God.
“So he’s really on her side?” I asked, my voice small and weak, but I already knew the answer.
“I’m afraid so,” Victor said.
Hearing that out loud hurt more than I thought it would.
“I’m sorry, Nadine,” Ceris said. “I swear I wanted to believe I was wrong about him. But I wasn’t. He really is on Imha’s and Omi’s side.”
Victor reached for me. “Are you okay?”
Taking a long breath, I stood before he could touch me. “I will be.”
I wiped away the tears. I wouldn’t cry. I had cried too much for him already, for everyone, and I was done crying. Instead, I marched past them and hopped on the treadmill. I had some extra energy and rage to burn.
I looked out the window, gazing at nothing but the darkness, focusing on that and the black clouds surrounding us, when a tiny dark spec, even darker than the background, cut through my line of sight.
Rok.
Micah had gone but his raven had stayed.
Could the bird have stayed to watch over us, to spy on us, or … could Rok have stayed to watch over me? I shook my head, reprimanding myself for being so naïve and stupid and dreaming that Micah cared about me.
He didn’t. Otherwise he wouldn’t have gone and I wouldn’t feel like my heart was in pieces.
25
Micah
“I’m not sure how long I can endure it.”
“I know, my lord, but you must,” Morgan said, trying to sound ch
eerful.
I shuddered. Imha had been nothing less than disgusting since I returned to her side. Well, pretended to have returned to her side.
She cornered me every opportunity she had, and it was never easy coming up with excuses why we couldn’t jump into bed and have some fun. I shuddered again. By the Everlast. Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have refused. Hell, I had initiated several of our long hours in bed. Once upon a time, I thought her craziness was exciting, intriguing, arousing. Her laugh and the evil shine in her eyes contagious.
That was centuries ago.
Now her maniacal laughter and the wicked gleam in her eyes made me want to run in the other direction.
“One of these days, she’ll notice,” I said. “She’ll figure out that it sickens me to be near her.”
“Let’s hope you find out something useful before then, my lord.”
I had found out several things we could use against her, but all of them would point back to me. I had to be careful what to act on. I needed something good, something big, something that wouldn’t leave room for error. Something that would destroy Imha.
I hoped that something came up soon.
“I saw Nadine’s family this morning, my lord,” Morgan said.
“And?”
“They are well. Of course, they miss Nadine, but they are happy she’s alive and well.”
“Not for long,” I whispered.
They wouldn’t be happy to know she was trading her life for theirs, but I couldn’t do anything about that now. She had made her decision. The Soul Oath was made.
I sighed and paced in front of the bar, returning my mind to the current situation.
“You’ll make a hole in the floor, my lord,” Morgan said.
“He’s late.”
“I know, my lord, but ruining your expensive floors won’t fix it.”
Why was he worried about the floors?
I shook my head and stopped by the bar. If I was going to have to wait, then I better wait with booze. Two doses of whiskey swallowed in five seconds.
The Everlast Series Boxed Set Page 66