“We all did, in a way. I’m moving on to the chapter about Neva now.” I turned a page. I’d already read about Milonna, my own goddess, and hadn’t found anything groundbreaking either. It was interesting, if a little repetitive.
Neva’s chapter of the book was the smallest. It was like the high priestesses didn’t know much about her, even though, according to the book, she’d incarnated the most on Earth out of all the gods. I read through the passages about her past lives, intrigued. The goddess of time had never directly interfered in fae politics or war, although most of her incarnations appeared whenever Malovia was in a time of peril.
A new passage caught my attention. I read it aloud in a whisper, bringing the book closer to my face to make sure I read it right. “Besides being the goddess of time, Neva is also known as the patron goddess of writers, most particularly journalists, as they are seen to have influence over time and space with the power of their words, which remain to influence others even after their passing.”
A thought came to me. Arthur had told me that shifters who fell in love with goddesses went mad with grief after they died…
“Oh my gods!” I yelped. I nearly fell out of my rocker. Kalina let out an alarmed wail before she settled down.
“What is it?” Kiara asked, fully alarmed.
“I’ve got to talk to my brother!” I tucked the book under my arm and ran out of the nursery without another explanation. I had to pick up my dress skirt so I could move quickly, and I cursed myself for wearing it. I used to be a jeans kind of girl, but being queen had made me more comfortable in skirts instead of pants, and it was hard to break that habit now. Unfortunately, you didn’t really movequicklyin a floor-length tulle dress.
He was in the library, where I supposed he would be. He looked up the moment I entered. He was surrounded by a stack of books on all sides.
“It’s a bit early to be slamming doors open, wouldn’t ye think?” Arthur asked crossly.
I tossed the book on the table and slid into the seat across from him. “Why didn’t you tell me that Vara was the goddess of time?”
He blinked. His mouth dropped open, and he stuttered, “Wh…what?”
Oh, gods. He hadn’t known.
I bet Vara hadn’t either.
I took a deep breath. “Okay. This is going to sound insane, but I think Vara might’ve been one of Neva’s incarnations.”
“No. That’s impossible,” Arthur stated. “I spoke to Neva during my naming ceremony. She didn’t look like my Vara. She was a doe— like in all the stories.”
“Did she ever transform? The gods have deer and fae forms both,” I stated.
Arthur stared at me. Then he looked away as he hunched over the table. “No.”
“It makes sense, Arty,” I insisted. “She loved being a journalist, and Neva is the goddess of writers. You haven’t been right since she’s been gone… what if it’s more than grief? What if you’re suffering from losing the love of a goddess, and not just a mate?”
“If she’s a goddess, why didn’t she tell me?” he asked harshly.
“Because maybe she didn’t know herself. Lady Magdalina told me she hadn’t realized she was the goddess of knowledge until much later in life,” I said. “Vara didn’t have enough time to remember who she truly was, or time to access her true power. That’s why she wasn’t accomplished at magic.”
“That doesn’t explain why she didn’t show herself to me during my vision,” Arthur argued.
A realization slammed into my gut and made me feel guilty as hell. “Maybe she didn’t think you were ready to know.”
And I’d just blown the whole thing without a second thought as to how my grieving brother would take the news. I was a fucking idiot.
Arthur fisted a hand in his hair. He appearedsoconflicted. “If this is true, I… I can’t believe I never realized.”
“I think maybe youdidknow, in your heart,” I said. “You swore yourself to Neva at your Choosing, when it’s unheard of for a shifter to be a patron of a goddess. You told me yourself you’d be interested in being a part of Neva’s harem— because youare.She chose you as one of her mates.”
Arthur frowned. He was still trying to convince himself it could be true. “This all seems so circumstantial. I’m a researcher, Emma. I like facts. Where’s the real evidence?”
“Your daughteristhe evidence. People are after her because she has power,” I pointed out. “What if she inherited some of Neva’s abilities, and is one of thesidhefae?”
Arthur fiddled with his glasses. “You may be right.”
Since the kidnapping, Arthur had been told about Kalina’s demigod potential, but we hadn’t discussed it in detail just yet.
The door opened. Lucien brightened when he saw both of us. “Ah, there you two are. Come. We need to have a discussion about the twins.”
