“With the prince,” I finish when she doesn’t. “You already said that.”
“Dying,” she corrects. “You were dying, Selene. He was there to collect you.”
I scoff in disbelief. We are immortal. We do not die.
But that’s not true, is it? Why else would I have burned my father’s body on a funeral pyre in a mortal realm? His death was his choice, but ours won’t be. If we’re purposefully cut off from this realm, if we’re exiled with no way to ever return here, we will all die.
“Did you see any of the others?”
“I am not certain of the outcome,” Taura says, reading the question I artfully avoid asking. “There’s still something undecided.”
“Taura, I need to ask you for a favor but you cannot tell anyone. Especially not my sisters or Mikais.”
The Goddess of Truth nods. I squeeze her hand tightly and guide it to rest atop my stomach. “I need you to read a fate.”
Her jaw drops at my request. “Are you …” The question dies on her tongue as her indigo eyes shift, transitioning from blue to purple as she uncovers my secret. The violet hue disappears and my best friend drops to the ground in front me.
“Holy Creation.” Her expression flits from panic to awe to excitement in rapid succession. “There was so much I couldn’t see before. But this…this changes everything about the prince’s story. She changes everything.”
“She?” I ask, tears clouding my vision.
Taura gasps as her pupils dilate again. “She has emerald eyes. Her father…”
Water streams down my face as I nod in confirmation. The goddess jumps to her feet, and begins pacing in front of the fireplace. Her hands ball into fists and flex repeatedly as she pieces together the fate of the Prince of the Gods and the daughter of Death.
“She’s with him,” Taura finally says. “In the throne room. They’re covered in blood and wearing crowns made of shadows. She calls him Callan and he calls her…he calls her…holy fucking Creation.”
It’s a rare occurrence for the Goddess of Truth to be rendered speechless, and whatever she’s seen has now done that twice in the nearly twelve minutes since my sister left.
Taura’s violet irises fade into pools of pitch black as a prophecy tumbles from her red lips. “The one with the power to unite them will rise.”
“We don’t dethrone Nobus, they do.” The words have barely left my lips when the door to Mikais’ chamber opens.
Taura quickly turns to face the fire, putting her back to the trio of deities who enter. The Wolf God, the Goddess of Flame, and the Dark God of Death stride into the room, each wearing a different expression.
Nina’s face is hard and determined. The face of a commander preparing for battle.
Mikais wears a grin, a cocky expression fit for a man who believes he’ll be king soon.
Drayven’s face is blank, but his eyes give him away. He’s anxious to hear what I know.
The thud of a book on the table pulls my attention from him. “You left a mess in the library, but I found what you couldn’t.”
“Sorry, Nina. I’m…nervous,” I lie. It couldn't be further from the truth, though. Armed with the knowledge that only Taura and I share, I know exactly what I must do.
“Nothing to be nervous about, Light.” Mikais perches on the table, crossing his ankles with a casual ease that only he feels. “We’ll use our powers, maim a few immortals, and this time tomorrow my brother will be…what’s the word you used, Death? Contained?”
“Not by you.” Taura turns to face the Wolf God.
“Doesn’t matter who does it. It just matters that it happens,” he replies. “Does it happen, Goddess of Truth? Will Nobus be contained.”
A smile blooms across her face, her eyes flitting to me briefly before responding. “He will be.”
CHAPTER 12
SELENE
Sweat coats my palms as I pace the corridor outside of the queen’s chambers. This might very well be the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. I may be a lot of things, but I could never be cruel enough to steal a mother’s child. Convincing Arcasia to give him up on her own is the most painless way to save them both.
