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My breath hitched. “You don’t feel guilty about keeping your plans from me? Your one-way trip?”

He shook his head. “Never underestimate the love I hold for you. It will enable me to move mountains.”

“Then overthrow this game.” Don’t leave us behind.

“Those chronicles might help. And perhaps Tee’s birth can affect the outcome.” Aric must have seen I was roiling inside. He reached for me, cupping my face. “Know that I’m going to stay with you for as long as I can.”

Emotion threatened to swamp me. “I can’t live on after you. And you can just as easily raise your son. He’ll need his father.”

“He’ll need his mother more.”

Doubtful. “Why can’t you win the game? What if I’m not a better alternative than the Emperor? I don’t think the red witch will usher in an age of Eden. I dream of a wasteland of thorns and poison, as terrifying as anything Richter could ring in.”

“You’ve been traumatized, repeatedly.” Sometimes by me—the unspoken words. “So it’s understandable that you would have nightmares.”

Good point. How curious that I expected regular dreams like a regular girl in a non-apocalyptic world. Still, I didn’t want to win.

“You will always come back.” He sounded so confident. “You will always leash the witch in time.”

“You told me immortality was the utterest hell.” Being alone for centuries like that was my worst fear.

“You will have Jack for part of your reign, and you’ll have Tee. If I’d had children and grandchildren to look after, things would have been different. All I had was regret and thoughts of revenge. You are life; your reign will reflect that.”

Or it’ll be a hellscape of thorns. I recalled the red witch whispering that Demeter gave lavishly. But she also withheld viciously. “You’ve proven that you were the best option to win the game. You didn’t use your immortality to rule the world. You could have taken over everything.”

“Which would have empowered the God of Death.” Aric’s eyes looked haunted as he so clearly reflected over his endless years. “Why would I honor the deity who cursed me into this game? It’s time for his champion to experience defeat.”

At that, Aric released me and lay back. Having said his piece, he drifted off into a light sleep, while I fumed.

He’d aimed his obstinate determination toward a goal I’d never accept. We weren’t united in our mission, and working against Aric never went well for me. I felt helpless to save him.

My fists clenched. In the past, what I’d wanted to happen happened. Well, except for being able to keep both Aric and Jack. But otherwise, I’d worked hard and believed in myself, and I’d moved the needle.

Then the answer came to me. After tonight, we had another ace in our hand.

Sol.

If he empowered me against Richter, I wouldn’t risk burning out or going nuclear. No need to tap into my toxic well. Tomorrow I’d inform the guys that the Sun Card was the new MVP.

Resolved, I finally let sleep come. . . .

Over the night, Aric kept his sensual promises.

When I woke, I found a gift on the pillow beside me—the amber wedding ring around the stem of a clipped white rose. The message from him was clear: We belong together. I love you.

Despite being in love with Jack, I couldn’t imagine going back to a life without the closeness Aric and I had shared. I picked up the ring, knowing that if I slipped it on, I would consider us married again.

Part of me cautioned for more time. Part of me comprehended we didn’t have the luxury of it.

He was right; we were back together. With a shaky breath, I donned the ring, picturing how his eyes would go starry when he saw it returned to my finger.

Thoughts mired and emotions tangled, I headed to the bathroom and glanced at the mirror. A cry left my lips.

A strand of my hair had turned permanently red.

Death

I found Temperance’s chronicles on my desk, a note atop them:

Helped myself to engine parts and tires. We journey to the Sick House.

Kentarch Mgaya

I might have wondered why he hadn’t stayed to talk—after all, we’d never met in his current incarnation. But in all the games, he’d been no-nonsense and focused on the mission. A visit didn’t coincide with his current mission.

As predicted, Jack and his crew were heading to Fort Colman to find out why Fortune had refused to attack that place. Which meant they were heading toward evil. Again.

With a sigh, I murmured, “The hunter and his puzzles.”

15

The Empress

Day 666 A.F.

“You’ve been at that for hours,” Aric told me from his desk where he worked on the translation of Temperance’s chronicles. Over the last three weeks, he’d gotten halfway through.

I’d been studying my own chronicles, rereading from the very first line: What followeth is the trew and sworne chronikles of Our Lady of Thorns, the Emperice of all Arcana, chosen to represent Demeter and Aphrodite, embody’g life, all its cycles, and the myst’ries of love. I’d found nothing promising about overthrowing the game.