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WRATH

The wards cracked like bones as they burned away with the cabin.

I felt it before I saw it—an itch beneath my skin, a pressure drop in the air. The shockwave came quicker than I could react.

But Lust was faster than me.

He grabbed my elbow and pulled me and the goblin child down, shielding us with his body. His teeth were bared, eyes blazing gold, his power vibrating just beneath the surface of his skin like a dam about to break.

The world exploded.

A soundless boom rippled out from the collapsing wards. It hit us like a wall—hot, thick, and burning with the residue of every crime committed inside that place. I tried to move. The goblin child cried out. Lust screamed, but kept us down.

“No!” he roared, and I watched the shockwave slam into him.

The air shimmered as Lust absorbed it—his body drinking the destructive magic like a sponge, blood and power pulsing athis temples. His knees buckled. Then he dropped like a felled tree, crashing into the dirt beside me.

“Lust!” I crawled to him, fingers pressed to his neck. He was breathing—barely—but he wasn’t waking.

The child whimpered in my lap, their oversized eyes filled with terror. Smoke curled from Lust’s jacket. His skin glowed faintly, like something too full of fire.

“Shhh, I’ve got you both.” My voice cracked as I reached for control. I couldn’t fall apart. Not now.

That’s when the forest shifted.

The shadows stretched unnaturally. Trees leaned in. Birds went silent.

From the tree line, a figure emerged. Not one of the traffickers, but something older. The way he moved, with that ethereal grace...I’d only ever seen one other person pull it off. Diana.

A God.

He wasn’t tall. Not godlike in stature. In fact, he looked like a man you'd pass in a crowd—all muted colors and timeless features—but the weight behind his eyes bent the air around him.

“A minor god,” I murmured, heart hammering. I motioned for the goblin child to stay behind me. I hung over Lust’s body, unsure of what to do. I was powerful compared to a human, but a god?!

Fear squeezed my heart.

“I’d prefer ‘lesser deity,’ ” he said mildly, stepping closer. His eyes swept over the smoldering wreckage, the collapsed wards, and the unconscious sin at my side. They lingered on the child, one light eyebrow raised.

“Interesting little mess you’ve made.”

I didn’t recognize this god. Then again, it wasn’t like I truly knew any of them. Adonis himself could proposition me and I wouldn’t know.

Maybe.

“Stay back,” I growled, shifting my stance over Lust’s body. Panic raced through my veins–would the others get worried when Lust and I didn’t return to the manor? Would they come looking for us?

Yes. Likely soon. Just had to hold on until then.

“I’m not here to fight,” the god replied.

“I am,” I shot back.

He chuckled. “Oh ho, a new sin. Wrath, probably. We haven’t had a Wrath in a while.”

His head tilted to the side, eyes sparking with interest.

“Why are you here?” I asked.