I stare at The Duchess as she plays with a strand of his hair and cocks a brow at me. She’s here babysitting the prince, not here as his date. Which leaves—“Zeus,” I grind out.
“Bingo,” Lawrence states. I glance at Archan, then Jed. If Zeus is here, we have a hell of a fight on our hands. I’m not ready. The trident is back at Archan’s house and I’m still hanging onto my goddess status. I have things I need to do before the curse gets the better of me. I need more time.
I’ll give it to the dealer. He doesn’t bat an eyelid as we discuss mythological creatures. In fact, he looks bored. “We don’t want a bloodbath,” Archan states as he squeezes my shoulder. “Go back to Hell, shut the portal and take The Duchess with you.”
The Duchess uncoils herself from Lawrence and turns to the dealer. “Leave us,” she says.
He drops the cards and scampers away. Perhaps he wasn’t as unaffected as I thought. She levels a stare at Archan. “The last male that tried to tell me what to do was obliterated,” she glances at me. “You have found a lot to live for, Archan, don’t squander the time you have with her by opposing me. I promise you will lose. I have been the queen moving pieces around this board long before you decided to play protector of humanity.”
“Remove the curse and I will think about it,” Archan says, twirling a cuff link.
I shove my chair back. “What? No!” Jed grips my arm. “Get your fucking hands off me, Smoothie, or I swear this will be the last you ever see of me.”
He drops his hand and holds them up in surrender. “Sit the fuck down, Natia,” Archan grinds out. His eyes bore into mine. What the hell is he playing at?
The Duchess tilts her head at me. “She’s worth humanity’s demise to you?”
“She’s worth the universe. I can carve a place out for us both where no one would ever find us. This place can burn whilst I lose myself in her. All of it is for her.”
“Don’t do this,” I seethe.
The Duchess frowns. “The biggest, baddest god around is willing to set fire to the universe and you want, what? Humans to live? The world to keep turning as it always has?” She lifts her hands in the air. “As far as I can tell, humanity has already died. We just need to clean out the dried husks ready for the new rule. Clean house, so to speak.”
And here we are full circle back to a god who thinks they know better, believing they are qualified to be judge, juror, and executioner for humanity. “Humans make mistakes. They sin and commit terrible acts—but can you say your race is any different? Who holds you accountable for your decisions? Have you learned anything in the thousands of years you have been around? Humans have but a fraction of that lifespan, yet they have great capacity for kindness, selflessness.” I dart a look at Archan. “And love.”
She looks between me and Archan and her eyes harden. “No deal,” she says. Then she grips Lawrence’s arm and tugs him out of his seat.
“Where the fuck are you going?” Jed barks.
She glances over her shoulder with a smirk. “The show’s just getting started, I was just waiting for you to arrive.” They disappear amongst the patrons of the casino.
I round on Archan. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“You are my priority. If I see a solution to your problem—I will take it.”
“Abandoning humanity to their fate is not a solution.”
He leans down and gets in my face. “Don’t you get it? All in means everything. There is nothing I won’t do for you. I would shatter the stars from the sky, gut galaxies, and crush civilizations to save you. But more to the point, what are you hiding from me?”
I blink as my heart picks up speed. “What do you mean?”
He grips my wrist and rubs his thumb over the mark. “This is physically painful?”
I relax my shoulders. “It is, but it’s bearable.”
“Clearly it does more than just make you mortal,” Archan says. I stare at him. He makes an exasperated noise in the back of his throat. “Do you remember the last time you kept secrets?”
My breath falters. “You need to trust me,” I whisper.
His gaze darts between my eyes. “If this results in your death, I will ruin this universe. I will not survive losing you a second time.”
I nod in understanding. “Now what?” I ask.
Archan leans back and snaps his fingers, causing a woman in a hotel uniform to run towards him. “Does that always work?” I wonder.
He smirks. “Almost, you were as usual the exception to the rule.” He waves at the mass of chips abandoned on the table—my winnings. “Please see that these are cashed and the money wired to a charity of the lady’s choice.”
She glances at me with wide eyes. I give her the name of a national women’s charity which helps victims of domestic violence escape their situations, hide, and start a new life. Just as she sweeps the chips into a black bag, Lucifer, Zee, and Zac emerge from the crowd.
