Every time I met her gaze, what I saw there reminded me I was home. So seeing a sky full of that very same color…Yeah, this might be my new favorite view.
Zurie’s own response was full of reverence. “While I do miss being home in Hell at times, I never get tired of this being my new home. I never knew such a beautiful place could exist. It has served as a very peaceful atmosphere to raise our daughter and enjoy our lives.”
Yeah, I could absolutely see that.
“I’m sorry to say that we might be bringing some trouble to your doorstep if we stay here,” Elwin warned, dragging my gaze from Alexandra to Zurie to measure her reaction to his words. “We just need you to know what you’re getting into before you agree to help us. The last thing we want to do is put your family at risk.”
While I was usually only soft for my angel, the thought of Zurie and her mates having a kid here definitely complicated those feelings. I wasn’t sure how old their daughter was, but there was something about little ones that made me feel a feral need to protect them too. Perhaps it was knowing how much Alexandra was bullied and teased while growing up–I didn’t want anyone to ever feel that.
Zurie’s brow knitted as she continued to glance out the window. “We won’t ever turn our backs on family, and if Ama brought you to us, that is what you are now. No matter what it is, we will fight by your side and for your cause.”
She was steadfast it seemed, like Alora told us she would be. Stubbornness was clearly a shared trait amongst the women gathering in our lives.
Her lack of hesitation earned her more grace in my books in terms of our safety here. I already peeked at her soul with my powers and found no anger or hate there, and I knew my brothers had likely done the same upon our arrival. With no warning coming from them, I had to assume she’d either passed all of our checks or she somehow was able to shield us off. I highly doubted that latter option.
Turning from the window, she gestured toward the long dining room table with an equally long twinkling chandelier above it. “Please sit and we’ll discuss it. My husbands and our daughter will be home for dinner soon, and we have a strict rule to not talk about business or problems during family meal times.”
I almost wanted to take bets on whether there was a chandelier in the bathroom, but I was still feeling a bit conflicted on my feelings right now and joking didn’t quite feel right. I wordlessly slid into a chair first, allowing everyone else to choose their seats without fear of me pawing all over Alexandra since that suddenly seemed to be an issue.
Her gaze clashed with my own as she sat across from me, and I held it for a moment as she mouthed at me, “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head in dismissal. This still wasn’t the time or place.
Elwin and Alexandra slipped into an easy, almost practiced duo as they caught Zurie up on what we knew about Pandora’s box, all of our supposed connections to it, our powers, the curses, and our issue with Helen and likely Zeus.
After Alexandra and Elwin finally finished speaking, Zurie slumped back in her chair slightly, dropping her hands into her lap as she gazed at the table. “Wow, this is quite the situation. I’ve fought in a war for Hell, but unfortunately when it comes to matters of the gods here, my mates have fought to keep my daughter and I as secluded as possible from them.”
Her eyes lifted to each of ours, surveying us as she continued, “While there are truly kind and just beings in this realm, there are more that wish to dole out cruelty and violence for the sake of their own entertainment. Living as long as they do creates many problems, with life-long grudges and sides being taken in feuds many of us will never know exist until being sucked into the middle of one with no way out.”
Shit–I didn’t like the sound of that.
Hearing how vicious it could be here made my mind whirl with questions. Whenever Alora and our fellow classmates spoke of Hell, it was with a fondness for the peace and tranquility there. One might think Hell would be the realm of chaos and violence, with Divinius being a peaceful realm. It appeared that was not entirely the case, despite the serene physical landscape here.
“Would any of them know we’re here, just by simply coming to your home?” Alexandra asked.
She was doing her best to keep her tone even, but I could sense the underlying fear she felt from the slightest tremble in her tone. Though I didn’t think it was fear for her or us. Knowing her soul, I knew she was suddenly terrified of the fight we could bring upon their home here.
Which was very valid given Zurie’s words.
Thankfully, our host shook her head quickly. “No. Our home is warded to the highest levels for our safety. It was made known to the realm that no one could openly attack me or our daughter for having a connection to demons in Hell, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t one day try to secretly do it. My husbands just think it’s a matter of time–that they’ll play the long game with their eternal lifespans.”
With each word Zurie spoke, with each suspicion she shared, my skin prickled with unease just with the thought of being here. I really hoped we chose the right path to follow by coming here.
I guess only time would tell.
“The knowledge of you being here is safe for now, but the challenge of keeping your presence a secret comes with us needing to find an instructor for you, Alexandra. I’m not sure how to do that without putting feelers out there, and while we have those here who we trust, I’m not sure how far we’ll have to search until we find an answer for you. With that comes the unknown of who will inevitably hear.”
“Well, I guess we need to prepare for the worst,” I murmured, feeling my blood beginning to boil all over again at the thought of Alexandra being in danger here.
I had to close my eyes as my heart began to race, and my breathing grew ragged. Scenarios ran unbidden through my head, of her being taken and hurt, until I had to close my eyes and clench my fists in my lap to try to block them out.
The beating of my heart was all consuming as it whooshed in my ears.
I needed to feel her. To know she was safe right now.
But for the first time, I didn’t feel like I could do that without judgment.
Chapter 6
