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“You know I take her case personally,” she said finally. “It isn’t about you.”

“Obviously,” I mocked.

“Women who have been...preyed upon are special to me. You know that.”

My throat went dry. Diana usually refused to ever speak of...that.

“You of all people should then know she’s safe here,” I bit out, irritated.

I was the one who’d saved her all those years ago. She knew I could be trusted.

She set her glass down with a quiet clink. “I know,” she said quietly. “You know I trust you with everything.”

That shut me up.

“She’s part of this,” Diana continued. “Part of you, part of what’s been missing. That’s why I’ve been sticking my nose in it. I want to ensure she’s safe. You know it. You felt it. The moment she walked in.”

“I felt a headache,” I insisted, shying away from the serious mood.

We both watched Kiva chase after Wrath, her laughter slicing through the air.

“You felt potential,” Diana argued. “She’s not just a pawn, Gluttony. She’s the thread the tapestry keeps circling back to. This is to be celebrated. You do not seem happy.”

I stared into the woods beyond.

“Where the fuck is Hades?” I snarled. He was the only one who would know for sure–or at least, I’d feel better with him back and able to keep a finger on the pulse of things. Yes, we’d finally found Wrath, but there had to be a reason behind it.

“Damon has been showing up here and there. I assume that means Hades will be back soon,” Diana responded.

“Damon saved our asses,” I bit out.

She nodded, taking another sip of wine.

“So we are just supposed to just twiddle our fucking thumbs and hope nothing bad happens until the great and mighty Hades decides to end his vacation?” I snarled.

“We are handling it,” she bit back tersely.

“Are you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her hand shot out so fast I missed it. The hit split my lip and broke my nose. I hissed in pain, the bones already cracking and fusing back together before any blood could drip down onto my shirt.

It was easy to forget she was a goddess, sometimes. And they had more pride and vanity than Pride himself, ten times over. And she could squash me like a bug between her fingers if she wished.

“You’re getting uppity. Go hunt,” she ordered me, all business now.

I rolled my eyes.

“I haven’t hunted in decades. You know that.”

If I truly desired to hunt, all I had to do was ask some silly mortal woman and she’d gladly let me drink from her.

Yes, things are far different now. And it was for the better. It was either that or order a

blood bank from the internet.

Much, much different.

“I wouldn’t be as nervous if Wrath simply returned,” I sighed, frustrated. “Our powers are as incomplete as we are. We need the seventh brother.”