“As soon as I know what we want to do, I’ll be back to let you know,” I’d assured him.
The hugs with Charlie had almost broken me. She let the tears fall freely, and I swallowed mine, letting her know I would be back for the wedding. If Elysia couldn’t afford me a weekend, then what perks were there to being their leader?
“It smells good,” Gray said as I pulled the lasagne out of the oven.
The kitchen table was already laden with garlic bread, salad, and wine. The decision to break the news over dinner was an easy one. Family dinners had always been sacred. It was where Mum and Dad had told us big news and shared information. It was a tradition I wanted to keep while I could.
There was a heavy knock on the front door, and Gray scraped his chair back.
“I’ll get it,” he told me before leaving the room.
I placed the oven mitts back on the counter and waited before Gray returned with Sophie and Cass in tow. My big brother strode across the room and scooped me into a bear hug.
“You did it,” he said, squeezing me tighter. “You really did it.”
“Why don’t we sit down?” Gray suggested, pulling out a chair for Sophie.
Cass slowly let me go and sat at the table. There was a tightness in my throat as I took a seat, and I was grateful when Gray took the lead and served everyone.
“So,” Sophie started. “Hunter?”
“My brother is no more.” Gray stated it like a fact. No upset. No regret. “It is better for all of Elysia that way.”
“Oh, I didn’t… I thought maybe… Do Gods have a prison?”
“They have cells,” I answered, pushing the food around my plate with a fork. “A trial would have been for the best, but it’s… happened.”
“There’s barely anyone who is sad about it,” Gray chimed in.
Cass lifted his head and gave me a quizzical look. He couldn’t understand why Grayson would be so nonchalant about his brother dying. But there was too much lore to explain, and I didn’t want to dive into the specifics of what had happened with Larkin and Archer and the rest of Elysia. We’d already been through it all once for the heavens, and it was time to let it rest now.
“There are always casualties in war,” I reminded him. “We should be grateful it wasn’t more.”
He hummed quietly before we lapsed into silence. The only sound was that of cutlery against plates and glasses being filled.
“Without Hunter,” Sophie eventually said, “what happens? It’ll mean fewer issues for you and Gray, right?”
“Something like that,” Gray muttered under his breath, and I pinched his thigh under the table.
Cass put his knife and fork down. “What’s going on, duck? I know you didn’t set this dinner up because you just wanted to celebrate a win.”
“You’re right.” I mirrored his actions and sat back in my chair. “There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
“Go ahead.”
“After the war, after everything with Hunter, there was an opening on the council.”
“You’re on the council?” Cass prompted.
As I struggled to find the words, Gray took my hand under the table and squeezed it gently. I had no doubt he could sense the swell of emotion that was threatening to pull me under. The levity of the situation was settling on me again and making it difficult to breathe.
“The role of leader was left vacant,” Gray said, sounding very matter-of-fact. “The council needed to be built from scratch again in order to work towards peace.”
“Quen, that’s amazing.” Sophie was grinning at me. “Does that mean you get to split your time between here and Elysia as a council member?”
I squeezed Gray’s hand even tighter. The conversation about my residence had been one that had been brought to me by various Gods and Goddesses. Their concerns and desires. It was clear they expected me to be there in order to rebuild the heavens. Trust only came if I was accessible to them and hiding down here, continuing my life as if I was more mortal than Goddess, would do me no favours.
“Quen isn’t a council member,” Gray told them.
