“It’s a mistake.”
“This book does not make mistakes.” He frowned. “Ardella died long before you supposedly did. But that is not the only odd thing about this. I have met Della a few times over the centuries, and she has never changed either. She's exactly the same as she's always been.”
Cassius wrapped his arm around me when I began breathing heavily. I was about to pass the fuck out.
“It’s alright, focus on me.” Cassius’ face took over my vision. “Breathe in through the nose and exhale out the mouth.”
“I’m dying.” I gripped my chest as pain and confusion swarmed through me. “I don’t understand.”
Ezra was watching me lose it, pity in his eyes. He turned to Avesh and glanced at the names again.
“Is this what he found that day?” he asked. “Did Della follow you out and erase your memory because you found her name on the list?”
Gods, I wish I knew. But nothing was making any sense to me. Thea was looking at the list of names and frowned.
“Wouldn’t my name be on here too, since I died.”
“You didn’t actually die.” Cassius frowned. “Della didn’t take your soul.”
“Maybe she did something similar to me?” I looked at them.
“She would never have waited 300 years to bring you back if that were the case.” Thea was quick to shoot that down.
“Avesh, sweetheart?” We all stilled and turned to the petite blonde woman standing at the doorway. She smiled at us before stepping toward me. Her eyes glanced over my face oddly. “Here.”
She lifted a small white book. I looked at it for a moment before looking back at her in amazement. Avesh’s mate gave me a small smile as I grabbed the book.
“You had it?” Avesh asked.
“Della told you to put it somewhere safe, and that is our secret spot.” She gave him a look filled with nothing but love.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
She didn’t say anything else as she left. I looked at the book before glancing at Avesh. He was staring at it, but so was everyone else. The book was pulsing in my hand, bound by some type of magic. I tried to open it, but it was sealed shut.
“It won’t open.”
“You need the key.” Avesh pointed to the ring on my finger. “Della’s star.”
I slipped it off, and as soon as it was close to the book, it was pulled to it like a magnet, sinking into a small indentation on the cover. Suddenly, the book slammed open, and wind from nowhere burst over it, flipping the pages. The flames of the sconces around us flickered, and thunder boomed outside. We all glanced around, knowing that something powerful had been protecting this book.
I glanced down when the wind stopped flipping through the pages, and my eyes scanned the page in front of me. It had only one name on it. “Abram,” I said out loud. I stared at it, trying to figure out what it meant, before turning it around so they could see it.
“The old god?” Ezra asked.
“Wait,” Cassius said.
I moved toward theBook of the Gods, and my eyes ran over the names again. I smiled as I pointed to it. It was the first name on the list of dead gods.
“There.” I looked at the name. There was no star next to it, meaning they were reborn. “Abram. He’s an old god.”
“They died first,” I said.
“There is nothing about him in the book.” Avesh looked at the name. “I don’t remember that name being there before.”Avesh scratched his head as if he were confused. His eyes met mine, and a flicker of something passed through them that made me watch him very closely.
I looked at the name that Della wrote only once. Why go through protecting this book for a name that was already on a list? I flipped the page, but it was empty. I kept flipping through the book until a small sheet of paper fell out. With shaky hands I opened it.
You are in danger. Do not say another word; go home. I’ll show you what to do once you are there. Do not tell Avesh anything.
