He caught my chin. He looked at me seriously. “She should have told you why rebels across the realms are rooting for you. But I assume she knew it would have freaked you out. So, what did she do? She kept you safe. She helped you navigate your new life without the veil. She was your friend, your bodyguard, your confidant. She held her agenda in her left hand and you in her right.”
I looked away, staring at the leaves that had begun to turn from green to yellow as they rustled, a few stray ones matching the oranges and reds that reminded me so much of Fauna. Finally, I said, “Why is everyone so eager to make me forgive her?”
He dragged his fingers along the bare skin of my arm, sending chills through me. “I suspect because we see that you’re hurting, and the cause is identifiable. I’d also guess anyone advocating for Fauna is trying to offer a non-mortal lens of events.”
“Why do they care?” I did my best to sneer but knew it was unconvincing.
“Maybe because life has always been hard for you, and it’s about to get a lot harder. You don’t need more enemies.”
I yanked my arm away. “I hate that you’re taking her side.”
He chuckled lightly. “Do you want me to kill her? I’ll do it. I can have it done before you brush your teeth and make your coffee.”
“Yes.”
His eyes twinkled.
“Maybe not,” I hedged.
The rising sun washed us in new light. Soon, I’d have to face the day. The ticking clock wouldn’t let me stay with himforever.
“How should we do it?” he said, voice dancing with amusement. “Head on a silver platter? Burned at the stake? Eaten by wolves?”
“She can command the wolves,” I said.
“Right, right,” he amended. “I’d suspected she was a forest deity before I met her. She passes herself off as a skogsrå, which isn’t quite a false equivalent. Nymphs are minor forest deities in their own right. But downplaying her role in the Nordic pantheon served her. Who would have thought your best friend would be the chaos goddess of the end times?”
“Nia and Kirby are my best friends,” I deflected.
“To be cherished by Angrboda…that’s an incredible feat. She loves you, you know.”
I threw off my sheets, feet hitting the floor. “Oh my god. What happened to the good old days when I’d get dicked down instead of lectured? Now you’re all wise and shit.”
He laced his fingers behind his head, grinning as he looked up at me from the bed. “Ah, yes. Things were much easier when I was in a box. I’m free, baby. But if you want to get dicked down…”
“No.” I humphed, marching to my dresser. I fished through my panties as I said, “Now I’m mad at you. Go to your meetings. I’ll ask Silas if I need anything. He’s the one who’s here for me.”
His silver eyes darkened in an instant.
I’d struck with my sharpest dagger. A thrill shot through me, forcing me to clamp down on my lip as he got behind me in a second, wrapping a hand around the back of my neck. He yanked me away from the dresser to look up at him.
A second wave of surprise tingled every nerve ending as I soaked in the heat radiating off of him. I spoke before I could think. “You’re jealous.”
He huffed a breath of air through his nose that could have been a laugh. “Jealous? That I’ve poured thousands of years of love into a mortal who’s found her way into the arms ofmy nemesis?”
“You brought your nemesis to my door in the first place,” I challenged.
His lip twitched as he appeared to fight the need for it to curl. “Should I be jealous that a Heavenly Host has fallen for her? Or that in this life, they can bond over a similarly abusive religious King, that he’s saved her a few times in this life, but she can’t remember how many times I’ve been there for her in the others? That he’s from the only pantheon who would—”
“Who would what?” I pushed, mouth opened in amused shock. I couldn’t help it. The challenge bubbled out on a giggle. “Who would dare to try to steal your girl?”
He stepped until I was forced back into the dresser, hips pressing into mine. He cupped my face with both hands. His hands dropped from my face to my hips, lifting me in a swift motion until I slid back against the knickknacks and lipstick tubes adorning my dresser.
“He’s doing his best,” he said. His hand slid up over my ribs, beyond my shoulders, grazing my neck before holding the back of my head. “But your body is not all you are. And I’m not out here to win the battle to lose the war,” he said.
I leaned forward, my forehead pressed into his. “The war is between—”
“The war is made up of individuals,” he growled quietly, our lips inches apart.
