Then she shakes her head and laughs a little—nervous, disbelieving. “Horsemen of the Apocalypse? I mean, are you even being serious right now?”
I look her dead in the eye. “Deadly serious. Remus and I are War. My eldest brother Abaddon is Pestilence. Kharon is Death. And the youngest, Layden, is Famine.”
She just blinks. “But—but—” She sputters, waves a hand uselessly in the air. “I thought—doesn’t Abaddon have a wife and a baby? And isn’t Kharon’s—Death’s, according to you—wife or consort or whatever pregnant?”
“Yes,” I say shortly, not wanting her to miss my point. “Like I said, we retired. And it was different for them. They were just trying to be good sons to our father. Obediently following his orders because they didn’t realize there was another way. They were just roles we played, not who we were.”
I pause, let the words settle.
“Except for Remus.”
She scoffs. “Are you kidding? You can’t have it both ways. He told me you’re all thousands of years old. Are you really going to blame everything you did on your dad? I’m pretty sure you’reconsidered a grown man after the first hundred years, let alone a thousand.”
I breathe out hard.
No one has challenged me so directly in... well, a very long time.
“It’s true, what you say. It’s just a story we’ve told ourselves over the years. But you’re right. We had full responsibility for everything we did. We simply considered human life to be...” I breathe out again. “Of little consequence.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Wow. You just said that out loud.”
I stand straighter. “Unlike Remus, I will never lie to you about who I am. We thought ourselves gods. Humans were merely the fodder in our father’s games to gain power. He manipulated human leaders like pieces in a chess game and cared nothing at all for the pieces knocked off the board—especially pawns. His only concern was gaining advantage and winning.”
“And Remus?” she asks quietly. “What did he care about?”
“Nothing!” The word comes out harder than I intend. “He cared for nothing at all. He just delighted in chaos. He was a constant thorn in our father’s side because he didn’t care about winning or losing. He just wanted war, discord, and madness.”
She crosses her flour-dusted arms over her chest. “And you? What didyoucare about?”
I want to dissemble. Deflect. Change the subject.
But I’ve just promised not to lie to her.
Besides, it’s not like I should want her to think well of me. The sooner we drive her away from here, the better for everyone.
So I look her straight in the eye as I tell her the truth.
“I, too, am War. As much as I might hate my twin at times, I can’t deny we’re two sides of the same coin. He can stir the chaos and mad bloodlust of war, but I brought the order—thegenius tactical planning that allowed for true, effective, and total destruction.”
I put my hands on the counter and lean in so she really hears me.
“Remus and I have decimated everything we ever touched. And my brothers knew it. Far more than even my brother Death—who is kind-hearted and gave peace to those in the worst suffering imaginable—Remus and I were the most destructive Horsemen to your world.”
I hold her gaze, let her see the monster I am.
“And I believe with my whole being that we should still be chained to that dungeon wall downstairs. Because I fear Remus will tear a hole through the heart of this realm with his rage and selfishness if he continues to remain free.”
FOURTEEN
LAUREN
Okay,so that’s a little intense.
Nothing like hearing that the man of your dreams—the one you’ve had the most amazing connection with—is actually one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
My forehead feels hot. The overwhelm of information crashes over me in waves, and for lack of anything better to do, I grab the dough and shove it back in the bowl to rise. I turn away from Romulus, needing space, searching for a towel to lay over the top.
I spot one on a rack by the wall and practically lunge for it, grateful for the breathing room.
