The mention of Xander's selfless act tugged at my heartstrings.
“He is nice, and yes, he makes me smile. A lot.” I conceded, unable to mask the warmth that thought brought. “But being with someone like Xander... it's not just about the good times. It's about making choices that could change everything.”
Jamal considered this, his brow furrowing in thought. “But don't you always say we should do what makes us happy? That life's too short to be scared?”
His words, a mirror of my own often-spoken advice, struck a chord. Here I was, wrestling with the fear of immortality, ofa love that spanned the impossible, while my son distilled it all into a simple pursuit of happiness.
“I do say that,” I admitted. “And I believe it. It's just... with Xander, it's not about not wanting to be with him. It's about figuring out how we can be together when we want such different things for our futures.”
Jamal nodded, a maturity in his acceptance that made me wonder who was the parent in this conversation. “Maybe you don't have to figure it all out right now, Mom. Maybe just being happy together for a while is enough.”
His insight, so pure and unburdened by thewhat-ifsandbutsthat plagued my thoughts, offered the clarity I'd been seeking.
As Jamal turned his attention back to his homework I leaned against his headboard, allowing myself a moment to just be.
Between the soft scratch of Jamal's pencil and the comforting presence of his room, life didn’t feel so complicated.
That being said, the future did hold a weighty event I couldn’t put off anymore. I kissed Jamal and reminded him of his bedtime before I headed out.
After the quick drive to the Strip, I stepped onto the elevator and hit the white button that led to the top of Sinopolis.
The sun set a half hour ago, so I wasn’t surprised to find Vivien standing there waiting for me when the doors slid open. Timothy was there, handing her a massive frozen coffee piled high with whipped cream. As soon as he saw me he turned toward me, stretching out an arm with a large cup. An americano that was more espresso than water.
“I figured you ladies could use some fighting fuel for tonight.”
Viven smiled at me. “Ready to get balls to the walls, pretty?”
I breathed in deep. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Release the hounds,” Vivien announced.
Chapter 26
The Badass
Vivien did not mean literal hounds. She was announcing the unleashing of the hair, makeup, and dress stylists.
While Vivien groaned and complained the whole way through even as they dressed her in an extravagant red and black ball gown, I quietly submitted to whatever they wanted to do to me.
“How can you just sit there and take it?” she asked me with a scowl.
“I trust professionals to do their job.”
Vivien blew a raspberry at me.
Out came my box braids, while creams were applied to moisturize and soften my face. They plucked and pulled at me the same as Vivien, until the job was done.
The room was filled with a weighty silence as I stood before the full-length mirror, my reflection a stranger adorned for war as much as for splendor. Timothy, Vivien, and Bianca had outdone themselves, weaving elements of the divine and the warrior into every thread that now clung to my form.
Hair cascaded around my shoulders in a torrent of loose curls that caught the light with a rebellious shimmer. The ensemble they'd chosen for me was an echo of the ideas we'd discussed, a perfect amalgamation that spoke of power and grace.
The top piece molded to my torso was a masterpiece of dark, burnished gold, sculpted to resemble the intricate carapace of a scarab, a symbol of eternal life which seemed almost a mockery considering the blade I bore.
A skirt of layered fabric, dark as the midnight sea, split along my thigh, offering freedom of movement and an unspoken promise of danger. It was trimmed in gold and dotted with blue accents that caught the light like the surface of water kissed by the sun. My arms were embraced by bands of gold climbing from wrist to elbow, a delicate balance of adornment and readiness.
As I turned, the light danced across the metal and fabric, casting a glow that seemed to ignite the very air around me. The effect was not lost on me—I was the only mortal who would stand among gods this night, the only one with the power to unmake them.
Timothy handed me a headpiece, a circlet that dripped jewels onto my forehead, the centerpiece being a scarab.
