Page 102 of His to Hunt

“They didn’t have fireworks in Mother Nature’s time,” Taryn says, glancing over at me. “That was probably impressive back then.”

“For a Cosmic Twin?” I chuckle. “It doesn’t matter. Grandeur achieved. Now let’s unleash some wonder on the world.”

“We used to wait days between these,” Taryn sighs, moving to the next bowl.

“Is it taking anything out of you? Do you need a break?” I ask, the back of my neck bristling with concern.

“No, not at all. I feel great,” she says. “I just hope we’re not cursing Covington or something.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Ingrid says. “Ready?”

“I guess so,” Taryn says, squeezing her finger.

The blood drips onto the flame and it’s similar to grandeur, but there’s something different. A scent. Like sniffing curiosity at the source of creation. A wonder that spans eons and universes before the scent is gone.

“Strange,” I mutter.

“Yeah,” Ingrid agrees.

“I thought it was… kind of calming,” Taryn says, shrugging her shoulders. “Wonder. It’s Covington’s problem now. Goddess help us.”

“The last ritual,” I snarl, reaching into my pocket. “Don’t start it yet. I want Silver Pack here in case there’s trouble.”

“Good idea,” Ingrid says in agreement.

I text Saul and wait. A few minutes later, Silver Pack arrives. I introduce them to my mate, and we crack a few jokes while we wait for everyone else. Saul’s the last to arrive, so once he’s in the penthouse, I turn my attention to Taryn.

“You’re up,” I say. “Bring Mother Nature back to life, mate.”

“I hope she doesn’t just crawl out of the bowl,” Taryn mutters as she prepares to do the ritual.

More fire. More of my mate’s blood. Then there’s a golden shimmer that makes us shield our eyes. When we can finally stand to look, there’s a blonde woman standing in front of us wearing flowing green robes and a shimmering tiara.

“Ishtar,” Ingrid gasps.

The woman takes a step forward but nearly collapses. Saul catches her before she can hit the ground and hoists her back up.

“I’m sorry. I’m extremely weak,” she mutters. “I need Nanaya. She should be here.”

Suddenly, everything shimmers to a stop except for us. I’ve seen this before. It’s Finn. Except when the nothingness appears, it isn’t Finn who steps through. It’s an almost identical twin of Ishtar, except her hair is brown and her tiara is dull and slightly tarnished.

“Sister!” she gasps, rushing to Ishtar’s side. She sinks to the floor with her sister in her arms, the two of them weeping—for joy or regret, I cannot tell.

I tense up and move close to Taryn, then pull her away from the table. There are two goddesses in our penthouse. I’m going to stay out of the fucking way.

But right when I think it’s safe to relax, several golden seams rip through the air. Men in armor pour out of the torn rifts, as an enormous one begins to split the space near the fireplace.

“Oh fuck,” I snarl, shoving Taryn behind me. “Hide! These are those same assholes from Paris!”

She listens. Thank fuck. I don’t bother removing my clothes, I just shift. These guys aren’t frozen. They’re breaking into this time lock, or whatever Mother Fate’s emissaries manipulate.

My Silver Pack brothers shift with me and we tear into the soldiers. They pull ancient weapons that are as useless as their armor. We slice through their flimsy attire with ease until there’s nothing left but a bloody mess in the penthouse. We’ll have to figure out how to clean that up later. I really regret not doing this elsewhere.

“These are soldiers of Gilgamesh!” Ishtar shrieks. “Just like the first time!”

“Except now he has some of your power,” Nanaya cries, clutching her sister close. “He can harmonize time like we can.”

“No, there’s no way! Enough time passed. He didn’t have the power of immortality. I made sure of it!” Ishtar cries out. “No, no! I’m too weak to defend us!”