I looked at Azrames, choking on my helplessness. “Az—”
He rounded the island from where he’d been slumped by the counter. He grabbed me by the elbow, guiding me to the couch. “I’m going to have to go,” he said, voice low.
I tried to deny him. I attempted to voice my demands, but nothing came out amidst my speechless trembles.
“He’s my Prince,” Azrames said. “And he’s right. It doesn’t matter that Silas was on our side. It doesn’t matter that he fought for us. The truth was: You didn’t think he would.”
“I don’t need a speech from you,” I said, looking sharply to the corner of the room.
“Don’t you?” he said, squeezing my hand. “Because the way I see it, you’ve alienated yourself from your biological family, you’ve cut out the Nordes, Heaven wants you dead, and you just gambled against Hell.”
I looked up at Azrames with wide, pleading eyes. My lower lip quivered.
He tightened his hold on my hand. “You have your sølje. Call Fauna the same way you’ve been calling Silas. And clearly, you know how to call Caliban. You won’t be truly alone. The angel isn’t going anywhere. Or…whatever he is now. I know Hell won’t take him. But apparently, you will.”
“Az—”
He pulled away. “I’m hurt too, Marlow. I’ve tried my best to be understanding when you pushed away the one I love most in all the worlds—one who loves you too, might I add. You haven’t shown a lot of sympathy or compassion when others have made mistakes that hurt you. I was understanding when you insisted on pairing us with an archangel, even when his people hurt Betty…” His lips twitched at the memory. “But you can’t keep alienating your allies. You won’t win the war if you’re playing for yourself.”
“Please.”
“It’s just time to think. That’s all.”
He turned from me. With ahumph, he took a few quick steps to Silas and planted his hand against the side of his face. Silas blinked awake, shock falling from his eyes like scales. Azrames shot me a final look, barely giving me the time to part my lips and raise a finger before he stepped out of the mortal realm, leaving me alone with the fallen angel.
Caliban brushed a kiss against my lips. “I’ll always love you.”
He took a step into the void, jumping between realms. I stumbled toward the empty space, grabbing the air to ensure he wasn’t just invisible as he’d been before he’d unraveled himself from our binding contract. But there was nothing. I was alone with the man who was once an angel.
Two beings with no allies and no realm.
***
The bed was my cave now. I kept the covers bunched around me, doomscrolling on my laptop through mindless videos for hours. Every once in a while, I’d stumble across a video of Geoff Christiansen’s announcement and reactions to trusting the shady Merit Finnegan. I couldn’t always scroll away before the damage to my psyche was done. Some tried to draw connections between my appearance at the Vexa concert and my recent doxing, but none of their speculations made sense.
Either way, for half the internet: I was evil and untrustworthy.
But for the other half…gods were out of the closet, and they were listening.
(Marlow) Hey…do you guys still love me? No reason. Not spiraling or anything.
(Nia) You need me to commit a murder? Idc I will gut Heaven and Hell. Let me at ‘em.
(Marlow) lol. You’re my reason for living. Thanks for being you.
(Marlow) Kirbs? Not that my self-esteem and mental health hang in the balance or anything, but I’m feeling pretty alone, and Nia and I haven’t heard from you…
(Nia) I haven’t heard anything from them on my end, either. Not since they headed to meet with some Egyptian underworld god. If you do, though, please do something because I think the valkyrie’s girlfriend is ignoring her. Estrid is fucking terrifying. I know I said I’d kill for you…but I think Estrid’s willing to kill YOU for HER girlfriend if they don’t check in soon.
(Marlow) Great. Another thing that’s my fault.
Fuzzy phone clips of a broad set of wings and a horned man filled my feed, evenly spliced with Poppy and Dorian as she grew a tree in the middle of the studio in real time. The algorithm supplied me with witches around the world discussing their pagan deities and pastors begging people to repent, for the end was near.
Our stunts had worked. The world was talking.
I didn’t turn when the soft knock came at my bedroom door.
“The delivery guy left these at your door. Are you going to eat this time?” Silas asked.
