Page 131 of Evermore

My blood ran cold as the Remnants surged, responding to the threat in his voice. “I owe you nothing.”

“You stole power that should have been mine,” Themis said. “I worked for that little fool for years. I earned that power. Instead, it festers within you, corrupting everything it touches.”

“That power was promised to me,” Vesalia interrupted, walking through the door as if she’d been waiting for the perfect moment to jump in. Her footsteps were in the exact rhythm of a clock as she walked forward. “We had a bargain, didn’t we, little thief? Or have you forgotten our arrangement in that fractured mind of yours?”

“First of all, I never bargain. I’m quite good at remembering words spoken. You said ‘bring me the power and I will show you how to return to Quill.’ But you never did, did you? I figured that out all on my own. With my power. That belongs to me and not you. And if we need to get into the technicals, there was no agreement. I said nothing in return when you spoke those words. So don’t fuck with me, Vesalia. I know exactly who I’m dealing with.” I let the Remnants swirl around her feet “Do you?”

We’d all been on edge waiting for this moment. Whether I had a defense or not, we knew she would come. Thorne had warned us endlessly about it. The council members shrank back in their chairs as more immortals stepped into the room. Bellatora’s armor gleamed as she circled the table. Serene drifted at the edges, drinking in the tension like wine.

Jealous, Sylvie said.

Too bad we cannot kill a god, Winter hissed.

Not all,Sylvie answered.

But before I could respond, Vesalia leaned forward, her ageless eyes fixing on mine. “Ten years,” she said softly. “Give me ten years of mortal life, and I will consider your debt paid.”

“You can’t be serious. She’s proven she owes you nothing.” Archer started to rise, but I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“And if I refuse?”

Vesalia’s smile was cruel. “Then perhaps I will take my payment in other ways. Time has many faces, little thief. Many paths that lead to suffering.” Her eyes flicked to Archer and I knew exactly what threat lay within them. Archer was her descendant. A descendant of a god would always be a threat. As far as I knew, the only person that could kill a god was a descendant. And he wasn’t king or even a true prince yet. There was no protection for him.

“Do you see?” she asked, drawing out the final word.

Thorne was on his feet the second he followed the signs to the same conclusion I had. Vesalia fell to her knees in an instant, gripping her head as she screamed. If I had to guess, I’d say Thorne’s power wrapped around her mind like a vise and squeezed. The other gods surged forward, but he held up a hand, his eyes blazing gold as centuries of control began to slip.

Gods, he was magnificent when he let go, all that carefully leashed power finally breaking free. The air crackled with raw energy that made my skin tingle and my breath catch.

“Your balls aren’t big enough to make threats in this room, Vesalia. I willalwaysprotect what’s mine.” His voice carried the weight of eons, of power that could reshape reality. Of beginnings and endings and everything in between. The command in his tone did something for me, even as warning bells rang in my mind. “You think you can walk in here and make demands?” He stepped toward her. “I’ve watched you play your games for millennia, Time Keeper. I have endured your bargainsand your schemes. But this?” He snapped his fingers and she screamed again. “This ends now.”

I should have stopped him. But watching him unleash everything he kept so carefully controlled, seeing that perfect facade crack to reveal the primal force beneath… He was intoxicating. Dangerous. Beautiful. And absolutely mine.

Themis moved first, shadows gathering beneath his hood. “Release her.”

“Or what?” Thorne’s laugh was hollow, manic even. “You’ll dispense your justice? Please. Try. Give me a reason to twist all of your minds.”

Bellatora’s armor sang as she drew her sword. “You’re not the only one with power here.”

“No?” The golden light around him pulsed brighter, and I could feel the fabric of reality starting to fray at the edges. Whatever his power over realms was, he was using it. And his power called to mine, the Remnants beneath my skin yearning to join his destruction. “Then perhaps it’s time for a demonstration of exactly what I am capable of.”

The other gods tensed, power gathering like storm clouds. This was it, the moment that would spark a war we couldn’t afford. Not with the balance already so fragile. Not with Archer unprotected. No matter how much a part of me wanted to watch him tear them apart, I slammed my hands on the table, my own power surging outward to fill the room with darkness. “Enough!”

Thorne’s grip on Vesalia loosened enough for her to gasp in a breath. His eyes met mine, and the heat in them nearly buckled my knees.

“This is a mortal realm,” I managed, forcing steel into my voice despite how much I wanted to let him continue. “Your petty feuds have no place in this chamber.”

I couldn’t tell him I was scared. He couldn’t know I worried for Quill’s future if she and every other child were thrust into a battle between gods that would likely span centuries. I couldn’t look at him and let him know that beneath it all, ten years was absolutely a reprieve. If I lived to only be a hundred and five, would dying at ninety-five matter if it meant peace? I wasn’t a hero. But I also wasn’t a fucking fool.

“Paesha,” he growled, and gods, the way he said my name made me want to forget why I was stopping him.

“No.” I moved to stand between him and Vesalia, close enough to feel the power radiating off him in waves. “Let her go, Thorne. Please.”

I would lead and he would follow. That was our unspoken promise. His eyes darkened as he slowly, deliberately withdrew his power. Vesalia slumped to the floor, gasping.

“Touch what’s mine again,” he said softly, each word carrying the weight of a death sentence, “and there won’t be enough pieces left of you to mark the passing of time.”

“Ten years,” I said, causing every head in the room to snap toward me. Thorne’s power flickered as his attention shifted, but I kept my eyes on Vesalia. “I’ll give you ten years.”