Overhead, a shadow falls before the grey and brown stones. I look up. Saff circles the area, ready to make her plunge just as I hear some commotion from the very top of the steps. Fenrir, a large, imposing body, pulls a disgruntled Castor after him. The other wardens are too afraid of the wolf to make a move.
“Unhand me, you dog,” I hear the screech of Castor’s voice. His tone is high-pitched and shrill.How did I ever like that man?Fenrir pulls him down the steps by his shirt collar.
A small group of people exit the tavern at the noise right before they gasp. Saff lands at the bottom of the steps. Shrieks are heard from down the lined streets that branch off in three different directions.
One purple baby dragon head pops up behind his mother’s, on her back. My face splits wide into a smile at the sight of my intimate and her young. These people—my people—will finally know the truth. We are mere specks in the grand scheme of the creatures of this world. Soon, they will see that.
Without warning, black wings flash before me. Fury is between Saff and me with a raging King Horus. “Guards, guards, arrest this daemon!” he’s spluttering, his face red. His eyes find Gideon, standing to my right. “Warden Gideon, kill this animal.”
The king’s eyes are wide, his wrinkled face fraught and scared. Gideon does not move. He will never leave my side. Just to prove his point, he slides his fingers through mine, bringing my hand to his lips for a kiss. His incisors graze the soft skin, a tingle shooting straight to my groin.Bastard.I quiver.
He winks down at me, knowing what he is doing, and bends his knee before me, hand still firmly placed in mine. This immortal dyre wolf kneels before me, declaring his undying loyalty for everyone to see. “My Goddess, I am yours to command. What will you have me do?”
Oh, Goddess.My knees tremble at the sight. Gideon forsaking himself in front of our home for me, calling me his Goddess.
“You are my equal, which means you are his Goddess,”Fury whispers in my head for only us to hear. My eyes flick to his wicked smile. Horus is in a state of shock, his mouth gaping open at the sight of Gideon bending the knee before me.
The villagers who have come out of their two-storey wood-thatched houses at the noise are also looking on in astonishment at the spectacle. I eye them one by one. The hollow faces of my people. I can see the fear in their eyes, on their bones. It’s defeating. But it’s not fear of us—it’s fear of what will become of them under Horus’s rule. They will all die of starvation soon.
So, I speak. From mute girl, to a woman with fire in her heart, nothing will stop me from having my say. Now that I have my platform, I won’t give up on them.
“My people, what you witness today is justice. Justice for all the lies this man has told us. The lies his ancestors have told us. Everything you know is nothing but fables passed down through the centuries. Out there”—I fling my free arm around—“beyond the mountains is a vast world filled with many creatures like Saff, my friend.” I gaze at the dragon. “What they aren’t telling you is that we are the ones who conquered this land. We ran the fae out.” I look towards Rivern, and he takes my hand in his, a hum working its way through my heart at thecontact. “We would have plenty of food if our king and his ancestors weren’t greedy and lived in harmony with the people here before us.”
“It’s time we create a new system. One based on respect and community. One where we are all equal and everyone’s voice matters. I would like to—”
My voice cuts off. Hands grip me tight around my waist—unfamiliar hands, rough hands.
Darkness consumes me.
forty-six
Fury
Goldenwings.Aflash.But I saw them—multiple sets of golden wings—before she was ripped away from us. From me. My heart squeezes at her absence.
One moment, she was here, the next, Gideon kneels before air, Rivern’s hand is empty and the looks on their faces are utter devastation.
Fury—no longer my namesake, but a thunderstorm within me. I have no more patience for these silly mortal games. Vengeance is on my lips.
I will start by saving my bonded’s kingdom.
Ordering Horus and Castor to be placed on the stairs, I eye them down, nowhere for them to go but up. They run, poor excuses for males, stumbling up the stairs, away from the keen red eyes of the fiery dragon below.
I order Saff to blast them.
They turn to ash instantaneously, nothing but dust on the breeze. The sight reminds me of the sands on my island, no longer my prison.
The villagers look on in horror. They did not bet on getting an angry God this moonlight.
Gideon, unable to control his wolf, transforms instantly, black, scarred fur taking over smooth, dark skin.
Rivern shouts at his bird to find her. The fae senses her beyond the sea. In the same place, I feel their power. The bond tether is stretching further than it has ever gone before—an unmanageable distance.
It shouldn’t be possible. The power needed to teleport over long distances is insurmountable in our bodily forms. I could barely go from my island to Haven, but with three of them—three monsters—it could be possible.
Being so far away from us, Dove will wither. She will get sick. I try to talk to her, but they are blocking me. And I know exactly who they are—the other Gods.
Oona.
