“Duncan is trapped in Greed,” Lucifer states, raising an eyebrow at me. Oh yeah, thanks buddy—leave the aftermath to me.
“Trapped?” Nathan asks.
“We had to pay the tax. Lucifer turned the tables in Greed and made the payment the opposite. The level demanded an act of selflessness.”
“And you couldn’t have thought of anything else?” Jed grinds out. “Someone couldn’t have held open the elevator, or baked cookies for the neighbors?”
Zee rolls his eyes. “Paving the way for many beings to descend to the next level demanded more than passing gratitude.”
“Is Natia with him?” Emi asks. She almost was. She almost abandoned us for him.
I shake my head. “Natia was in shock. She left Hell before we could talk her down.”
Zee flips a table. “We should have warned her, she was blindsided,” he roars.
Everyone snaps their attention to the volatile male. “You know she would have fought to take his place,” Zac reasons. “And we need her with us. Having her as a sitting duck for Lawrence, Zeus, and The Duchess isn’t advisable.”
“Where did she go?” Nathan asks.
I’ve been scanning for her since we exited Hell. I can’t sense her anywhere, which worries me. I should be able to link to her. Even before she became a goddess, I could find her amongst the billions of souls on this planet.
“I don’t know, I can’t find her,” I grit out. “She must be somewhere with ironclad wards.”
Jed looks at me. “I know where she is.”
“Take me to her,” I demand.
He holds out his hand. “Wait, how angry was she?”
Myself, Zac, and Zee cut looks at one another. “That bad?” Jed determines. “I will go to her. I wasn’t there so she might not tear me limb from limb. Perhaps I can calm her down enough to come back here.”
Nathan taps his fingers on the book. “We need to get her back here urgently.”
“Why?” I ask.
“I’ve determined what the curse means for Natia.”
I glance at the tome that is splayed out in front of him; he spins it around so I can read it. I glance down at the description, recognition pulling at my memory.
“Fuck.”
20
Chapter Twenty
Natia
You can’t fool a Taurus, but they will let you think you have, for the moment.
It’s a strange feeling, being able to sense the world turning on its axis. As a human, I knew logically it was happening. As a goddess, I can track the stars across the sky like I’m on the slowest fairground ride in history, but also the most magnificent.
This ride, however, is fucked. The sky glows an ominous burgundy, drenching the milky moon in blood. I tremble with rage and the beginnings of the apocalypse match the storm brewing in my veins, which itches to set the world on fire. My bare feet dangle over the cliff, wiggling in the warm breeze as the Caribbean waves crash below. I try to dig up the drive to continue the fight, but I feel defeated before we’ve even begun.
The air shifts around me as someone exits the cave behind me. I close my eyes. Of course they sent him. “Go away,” I whisper.
Jed plops his ass down, his shoulder brushing against mine. The wave of calm he emanates skims my flesh and falls into the water below, the tide carrying it away.
“We’ll get him back, Natia,” Jed mutters. I snap my head to him and get caught in his hazel eyes. “He’s a good soul with a heart of gold, one to match your own. He doesn’t belong there any more than you do.”
