“Good,” she says, sheathing the weapon with a sharpclickthat sounds remarkably final. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do that involves actual research and not just posturing at sea monsters.”
“We can’t leave you alone, Nyssa,” I remind her, hands clasped behind my back.
She inhales deeply through her nose before releasing it out of her mouth, clearly reining in her temper. “Then figure out a way to bring the Order’s library to your house of doom and gloom, or you share what you know about this overarching thing threatening the realms.”
Dastian and Voren both stare at me, shaking their heads.
I extend a hand towards Nyssa, palm up. A peace offering, or a trap. It depends on how she looks at it. “Marrow House. We will tell you what we know. But in exchange, you stay until you are fully stabilised.”
“Can you sort out some decent plumbing at least? Perhaps a kitchen with food?”
“Yes,” I say.
She nods and reaches for my hand but pulls up short when a woman shouts her name.
“Nyssa!”
“Rynna,” she murmurs and drops her hand, turning to a vibrant red-haired woman, younger than Nyssa. “What are you doing here?”
“The Order couldn’t find you, and Taye had a vision about some creepy water thing down here. They called me.” She looks around. She can’t see us, but she knows something isn’t right.
Nyssa catches my eye with a frown, and I shake my head. She grimaces and then lies. “It’s fine. I took care of it. Some weird water monster. It’s gone.”
Rynna nods slowly, her shrewd eyes staring at the space where I stand. She is perceptive, a slayer in training, preparing to take over when Nyssa inevitably dies. Her younger sister. “You might want to go and report in. They are freaking out.”
“I’ll go now,” she says, and I hiss at her.
She ignores me and strides off with Rynna on her heels.
“We have to let her go, or the Order will come looking for her and find us,” Voren says as I take a step forward. “We can’t let that happen. If she blows up and incinerates the village, it’s just one of those things.”
He’s right. But it isn’t the fact that she might level the village with her power that needles me to follow her. I don’t trust the Order. In fact, they are our enemy, and as much as Nyssa is a part of that Order, she is the only thing that can save us. Her, I trust to do the right thing. The Order, on the other hand, is a whole separate problem that needs dealing with.
Chapter 24
Nyssa
Want to tell me the truth about this thing?” Rynna asks, her piercing gaze boring into my head.
“Nothing to add,” I lie. I’m trying to figure out if she simply couldn’t see the gods, or if they made themselves invisible around her. Either way, she didn’t see them and thinks I was alone.
“Is it dead?”
“Yep,” I lie again.
Her eyes narrow. “Fine,” she says and yawns. “Next time, inform the Order that you are going after creatures, so they don’t call me. I was in bed with Danny from the pub. He isbuilt. His cock is so huge, it nearly split me open.”
I stare at her and then let out a laugh. “Danny?”
“I know, right? Looks can be deceiving.”
“Can’t they just,” I mutter and look back over my shoulder. The gods are gone from my view now as well, but I think they may have left me in peace to report to the Order. They know if I don’t, they will come looking, and Taye, Cormac and Finnian will not be as accommodating as I amif they find out three gods crawled out of a tear in the veil from the Pantheon realm. Well, four if you include Aethel, whatever her name is. Not to mention the myriad beasts that also appeared in Blackfen Edge at the same time. Coincidence? I think not. I’m itching to find out what the gods know about all of this. It’s something a responsible slayer would’ve found out by now. SomethingIwould’ve found out by now under normal circumstances. Instead, I’ve been distracted by big dicks, and I’m turning into my sister.
“Go on, then,” I say, waving a hand towards the village centre. “Don’t let me keep you from Danny and his hidden talents.”
Rynna grins, completely unrepentant. “You’re the best, sis.”
She bounces away, leaving me alone in the drizzle. I watch her go, a knot of unease tightening in my stomach. If she knew I was currently playing house with three ancient deities who may or may not be using me as their own personal fuck toy after centuries of chastity, she’d probably have an aneurysm. Or, more likely, ask for an introduction.
