Page 18 of Gods of Prey (Parallel Prey #3)

Revel

S ienna floats in her favorite spot near the window of my apartment, her form translucent in the morning light.

She doesn’t realize I’m observing while pretending to watch the television.

For Death, she has a surprising softness when she thinks no one is looking.

The way she watches the raindrops trace patterns on the glass reminds me of how she used to stand at the borders of Aurelys, gazing into my realm with an expression I could never quite decipher.

She has no idea that she had an audience through those vulnerable moments, either. If I have my way, she never will. Not after the way she’s reacted to me admitting to watching her as a mortal from Aurelys.

The past week cooped up in this apartment with her after our trip to New York has been confusing and torturous.

Living in a mortal body has gotten far more restricting than I ever imagined, and she’s a lot more distracting than I anticipated, especially since we’ve decided on somewhat of a truce.

We still bicker constantly, about everything.

There’s not a single move I make in this realm that she agrees with and she’s so unpredictable, it makes me crazy.

And then I had that dream of her that complicated everything even more.

It’s incredibly polarizing, honestly. The Goddess of Death can’t take anything seriously.

And while my eyes are sore from rolling them every minute and my head aches from the constant anger I feel toward her for not keeping this simple, her presence is becoming quite refreshing. A break from the monotony.

Everything in Aurelys is sunshine and rainbows, but there’s an underlying darkness to it all. It’s so predictable.

Nothing about Sienna is predictable. I think I’m enjoying that a little more than I’d like to admit.

“He’s getting close,” I say, breaking the silence.

Sienna turns, her spectral form rippling slightly. “What?”

“Sebastian.” I turn off the TV, too irritated with the constant hum of mortal news buzzing in my ear.

“The background check he ran on me came back empty yesterday. His assistant called me three times, asking for interviews I never agreed to.” Shifting in my seat, I roll my eyes.

“Mortals apparently have no regard for privacy.”

I’ve made it a point to run into Sebastian and Jovie every day this week. It’s aggressive, but we simply don’t have the time to sit back and wait for them to come to us. Unfortunately, that means my friend’s suspicions of me have only grown.

She drifts closer, her green eyes narrowing. “That’s to be expected. Sebastian has always been thorough.”

I’m not shocked that she doesn’t have a rebuttal for my other comment. She’s been on this plane so long, it’s probably normal for her to have her personal effects violated. The realization forms a guilty pit in my stomach, and I can’t identify why.

“Thorough is one thing. Obsessed is another.” I stand and move to the kitchen, needing distance from her.

Even as a spirit, her presence is overwhelming.

“He cornered me at the coffee shop this morning. Asked how I knew you in New York. Said my timeline of things didn’t add up.

He’s quite testy in this realm. And scary. ”

At one point, I thought he may drag me out of there and kill me. An odd feeling, considering I’ve only ever known him as the God of Life. Although nothing about Sebastian seems on-brand anymore.

My plan to gain his trust through Sienna has backfired tremendously.

“And what did you tell him?” There’s an edge to her voice.

“The truth. Or part of it.” I pour myself coffee I don’t need. Divine beings don’t require caffeine sustenance, but I’ve found I enjoy the warmth and ritual of it. “That we were old friends. That I moved to Seattle recently and was surprised to learn during the gala that you had died.”

Sienna makes a sound between a scoff and a laugh. “And he believed that?”

“Of course not.” I take a sip, watching her over the rim of my mug. “But Jovie did.”

At the mention of Jovie, something shifts in Sienna’s demeanor. It’s subtle—a slight change in the density of her form, as if she’s trying to appear more solid. More present. It’s been happening more frequently when Jovie is mentioned.

“She’s coming by today,” I continue, testing my theory. “Said she wants to talk about you.”

Her eyes widen. “Bash is okay with that?”

I shrug. “I didn’t ask.”

As expected, Sienna drifts closer, her interest piqued. “What exactly does she want to know?”

“Everything. How we met. What you were like before.” I set down my mug. I’m enjoying the idea of holding her full attention too much. “She misses you.”

Pain flashes across Sienna’s face before she can mask it. “She barely knew me.”

“Are you sure about that?” I ask, watching her carefully. There’s something she’s still not telling me about her relationship with this woman. It nags at every conversation we have. “Because she seems to think otherwise.”

Sienna turns away, floating back toward the window. “Humans form attachments quickly.”

“So do gods, apparently,” I scoff quietly, following her. “Sebastian certainly did.”

“That’s different,” she murmurs into her chest.

“Is it?” I’m standing directly behind her now. If she were corporeal, we’d be almost touching. “Because I’m starting to think there’s more to this story than you’ve shared with me.”

She turns abruptly, her form passing partially through my chest. I feel a cold, tingling sensation where we overlap that sends shockwaves into areas I don’t want to acknowledge. “What exactly are you implying?”

I hold her gaze, unflinching. “I’m not implying anything. I’m stating, once again, that you’re hiding something about your connection to Jovie. And possibly about Sebastian.”

Her eyes flash with divine power stronger than anything I could dream of. It’s the only part of her that feels truly solid in this form. “You’re like a dog with a bone.”

“And you’re undermining our mission,” I counter, feeling the wedge that always sat between us settle back in.

This is better for us. More comfortable.

“We’re supposed to be working together to bring Sebastian back fairly.

To restore the balance. That’s what we agreed on.

That’s where we drew our temporary truce.

But I can’t help feeling you have divided loyalties. ”

Sienna drifts through me completely, a power move she knows discomforts me. The cold sensation of death washing through my life energy is jarring.

“My loyalty is to cosmic balance,” she says stoically, her voice echoing slightly. “Always has been.”

“Is that why you agreed to help Sebastian hide from the Divine Council? Why you didn’t report him immediately?”

She whirls on me. “Here we go again. I came when you asked for help, didn’t I?”

“After how long?” I press, knowing the answer. I’ve watched them long enough to know when she’s lying. “At what point did you realize there was a problem?”

Her silence is telling. Far too long .

First, it was obvious in what Jovie said at the gala, about seeing her at the wedding. Now, it’s even more obvious.

“That’s what I thought.” I move to the couch and sit, suddenly weary. Playing mortal is exhausting. “You’re protecting him. You always have. And if we’re working together, I can’t keep stumbling into your land mines.”

“He’s my brother,” she says simply, as if that explains everything. Perhaps it does.

“And what about Aurelys? What about the mortals suffering as the balance shifts?” I run a hand through my hair. “What about Umbraeth? Erebus is struggling to maintain order there without you. We can’t negotiate your punishment if we can’t get him to return.”

Sienna’s form flickers slightly. “I told you, don’t lecture me about duty, Revel. I’ve spent centuries paying for our mistakes. I understand the cost better than you ever will.”

The bitterness in her voice gives me pause. Before I can respond, my phone buzzes with a text from Jovie.

Downstairs. Can I come up?

I show the screen to Sienna. “Should I tell her yes?”

She hesitates, then nods. “But I’m staying invisible. I need to hear what she says about Bash.”

I text back a quick affirmative and move to open the door. Jovie arrives moments later, her waves windblown from the Seattle breeze. She’s carrying two coffee cups.

“I brought you a latte. You always order one,” she says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thanks for seeing me.”

“Of course.” I accept the coffee and step aside to let her in. I can feel Sienna hovering near the kitchen, watching. “Everything all right?”

Jovie sinks onto my couch, clutching her cup like a lifeline. “Not really. Bash is...I’m worried about him.”

I sit in the chair across from her. “What’s going on?”

“Something is off with him. I haven’t seen him this fixated on something in.

..quite a while.” She looks up at me, her dark eyes troubled.

I know what she means without hearing her say it.

Since Sienna’s death . “I know you probably think I’m out of my mind for coming to you about this. A virtual stranger. ”

“I don’t think anything close to that,” I assure, noting the insecurity in her tone.

This is a woman who has been convinced she’s a nuisance. The exact opposite of the woman in Aurelys. What could have attracted Sebastian to someone so inertly different from what he’s always known?

“I just think he senses something in you, the same way I do, and he’s trying to ignore it. He thinks you’re connected to something bigger. Something about Sienna.”

I keep my expression neutral. “What makes him think that?”

“I probably shouldn’t be telling you any of this. I just don’t know what to do, and something about you is so familiar.” She shakes her head in disbelief.

She’s sensing our essence. Sebastian and I share the same life magic. But I’ve never heard of a mortal who could feel it.