“Ardella, you really did not need to start threatening the Gods of Hell for us to come get you.”
“Yes, I did. You ignored me, and since I didn’t hear from you for almost ten years, you have some fucking explaining to do.” I was hardly in control of my wrath. My body shook with anger as I tried my best to compose myself. They were silent for amoment, so I kept talking. “If you lie to me, I swear I will lose my mind.”
“We could just kill you,” their leader said, but he didn’t know that I was aware that they could not overpower me.Hewould lose if he tried.
I smiled.
“Good fucking luck, asshole. You don’t have power over me; you need me, but I do not need you.” He didn’t say anything, but I could feel his annoyance with me. They thought I was stupid. They thought that they were tricking me into helping them because I was in love with Haden. But once again, I was the one in control. They were helping me, and they had no idea.
“What do you want to know?”
“I asked for help finding theBook of the Dead. Did you find it for me or not? I upheld my end of the bargain, but I can take it back. You’ve had years to find it, and if you do not give it to me, then I will go to Hell and rip those fucking gods into tiny pieces.”
He hesitated for a moment. “Yes.”
“You son of a bitch, you better say more than one word, or I swear I will see if my magic works on you as I rip your soul from your body.”
His shoulders shook slightly, like he was laughing. My eyes narrowed.
“There was a reason why you were always my favorite, Ardella—such passion. We know where the book is, and you can go get it yourself. A witch coven has it.”
My chest burned with anger. He was such an asshole. “Which one?”
“That is for you to figure out.” There was amusement in his voice. “You look like you might strangle me, Ardella.”
He really thought this was funny. Meanwhile, I was contemplating how I would kill him.
“I’m still deciding if I should rip your body apart before I take your soul or if I should just gut you.” My eyes flashed red, and he immediately sighed.
“You are really going to do this? Have you thought this through? You will fall from the grace of the stars.”
No, I wouldn’t. I would fall from the grace of the heavens.
“Haden is worth it.” I stared at him. He thought I didn’t know who he was under that damn cloak, but I did. It was why he would allow me to do this and not stop me. I glanced around at all of them—why all of them would step aside and let me taint my soul. They wanted me to release the Gods of Hell.
“He is a God of Hell, and you are a god of the heavens; it would never work between you two.” He always tried to persuade me to leave Haden. “He's considered dangerous.”
“Why? Because he is the God of Wrath? How delusional can you be to really believe that our realm is not already full of wrath, envy, greed, pride, sloth, gluttony, and lust? Those are all natural to feel; it doesn’t make the gods inherently bad. I could be considered bad to some too, to those who feel like living is suffering. War is bad for the side that loses, and justice is bad for those who do not ever receive any. You can make anything bad with perspective.”
“Ardella, you know what I mean. You are born of the heavens, and he is born of hell. The heavens will never allow you to keep him.”
“Yes, they will, and I do not need anyone’s permission to love him.” I glared at him. “We damned them to Hell for the faults of theirmother. And what does it matter that I was born of the heavens when I am helping you get the Gods of Hell out? I will be damned for my treasons. Haden and I are perfect for each other.”
“Haden messed with fate; it is his fault he is in this mess, not his mother’s.”
Oh, I struck a nerve. I smiled because I knew that he really thought I didn’t know who I was talking to.
“No, Haden was fixing fate. I was always meant to be his—someonemessed with our mating bond.”
I knew it was them. The stars had hired a witch to try and hide the mating bond. That is why it was so faded that day, but it was there. And maybe the heavens did give Holden a bond with me to punish me, but even that didn’t keep me from Haden.
“You are mated to another man,” he said, irritated. “You do not have a bond with Haden.”
I sighed with relief. I was worried that they knew I was mated to Haden and would tell his siblings. Especially since they were trying to make me end up with Mateo. They thought I still had a mating bond with Holden. Idiots.
“You shouldn’t be angry with the stars for all the issues happening. The old gods and heavens decided Malamay, Diath, and their children’s fates. Be angry at them.”
I was, but not for the reason he thinks.
