Page 19 of Gods of Prey (Parallel Prey #3)

“He says you appeared out of nowhere. That you have no past.” She goes on, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. “And honestly, he’s right. I looked you up too. There’s nothing about you online before this year.”

Mortals and their lack of boundaries.

I feel Sienna move closer, her presence cool at my shoulder.

“I’m a private person,” I supply carefully, shrugging my shoulders to appear less intimidating.

“No one’s that private anymore.” Jovie sets down her cup. “Bash thinks you’re affiliated with the Order, but I don’t think you are. I think you know more about Sienna than you’re letting on.” My stomach drops. “And there’s something else. Bash...he says he’s seeing her again. Like, her ghost.”

I feel Sienna stiffen beside me.

“That must be difficult for him,” I say cautiously. “Grief can manifest in strange ways.”

“It’s not grief.” Jovie insists, just as she did before, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Because I’ve been seeing her too. For months now.”

Months . She’s been seeing the Goddess of Death for months.

Time in the mortal realm moves differently than in ours.

Faster. These weeks have likely only been a day or two in Aurelys.

But even then, her claiming to see Sienna for so long proves again that Sienna may have returned to this realm before I summoned her to Aurelys.

And more than the singular visit Sienna has already admitted to paying for their wedding.

“Even before she died in this—” She stops abruptly, eyes widening as if she’s said too much.

In this what? I wonder, glancing briefly to where I know Sienna hovers.

What secrets are you keeping from me, goddess?

“Jovie.” I lean forward. “What do you mean, ‘before she died in this?’”

She shakes her head quickly. “Nothing. Just...I’ve been having dreams. About a different life. Where Sienna is still alive.” She laughs nervously. “Sounds crazy, right?”

“Not as crazy as you might think,” I say carefully. Beside me, I can sense Sienna’s tension. I’m getting close to unraveling her carefully weaved web of secrets.

Jovie studies my face. “You believe me.”

It’s not a question, but I answer anyway. “Yes.”

She exhales slowly. “Then you know something. About Sienna. About what’s happening to Bash and me.”

I weigh my options. Sebastian clearly hasn’t told Jovie everything about who he really is. I’m not sure he can at this point. But she knows more than she’s letting on.

How much should I reveal? I glance at where Sienna should be, wishing I could see her reaction.

“I knew Sienna for a long time,” I say finally. “Longer than you might believe. And yes, there are things about her and Sebastian that are unusual.”

Jovie nods, unsurprised. “They’re not...” She pauses, struggling for words . “Normal , are they?”

I’m taken aback by her directness. “What makes you say that?”

She rolls her lips, dropping her gaze to the coffee in her hand like she regrets speaking the thought out loud. “It’s nothing. I’m just feeling overwhelmed lately.”

“Are you sure?” I press. “You can trust me.”

She looks stressed and tired. A lonely woman unknowingly living beside a powerful god with no one else to talk to. Doesn’t she have family? Friends? How did Sebastian manage to find someone with zero connection to the mortal realm?

“It’s just little things,” she finally blurts, blinking owlishly. “The way Bash sometimes talks about the past, like he’s lived much longer. I know we had an unconventional start, but things aren’t adding up.” She pauses again, then shakes her head. “See? It’s silly stuff. I’m grasping at straws.”

I sense movement beside me. Sienna, reacting to Jovie’s words. What exactly happened between them?

“You were close to Sienna,” I observe.

Jovie’s eyes fill with tears. “She was my friend. Probably my best friend. Even though Bash never knew.” She wipes at her eyes. “That’s what’s killing me. I keep seeing and dreaming about her, but I can’t talk to her. And I can’t tell Bash because he’d think I’m losing it.”

I feel a subtle change in the air and realize with alarm that Sienna is manifesting, making herself visible. Before I can stop her, she appears—translucent, but unmistakable—sitting beside Jovie on the couch.

“You’re not losing it,” Sienna says softly.

Jovie gasps, nearly spilling her coffee.

I stand, stunned by Sienna’s recklessness. Why can’t she ever just follow the plan?

“What are you doing?” I hiss.

But Sienna ignores me as she always does, her focus entirely on Jovie. “I’ve been here. Watching over you both.”

Jovie reaches toward her, then stops, realizing she can’t touch her. “Why didn’t you show yourself sooner? I’ve been seeing glimpses of you for weeks. Bash has been waiting–” She glances at me and stops herself.

Waiting ? Waiting for what?

What the fuck are those three hiding?

“It’s complicated,” Sienna says, her spectral voice echoing slightly. “And dangerous. We need to help Bash remember some things, but he’s not ready yet.”

“Remember what?” Jovie asks, but before Sienna can answer, heavy footsteps sound in the hallway outside.

“Hide,” I tell Sienna unnecessarily. She’s already fading from view.

If he realizes what’s happening here, we’re all fucked.

The pounding at my door makes Jovie jump.

“Jovie?” Sebastian’s voice calls. “Your location says you’re here. Open up.”

Jovie shoots me a panicked look. To the door, she calls, “Coming!”

She moves to open it, revealing Sebastian standing in the hallway. Even without his divine memories, he’s imposing. His hard eyes scan the room before landing on me with unveiled suspicion.

“What are you doing here?” he asks Jovie, though his wary gaze remains fixed on me.

“I was just asking about New York,” Jovie admits quickly. So much for covering up. “About Sienna.”

Sebastian’s jaw tightens. “And what did he tell you?”

“Nothing helpful,” I interject smoothly. “Just that I knew her briefly. I didn’t realize how much she meant to both of you.”

Sebastian steps into my apartment without invitation, his presence filling the space. Even diminished, living as a mortal, there’s something undeniably divine about him. The God of Life, hiding in plain sight.

“I find it strange, all these coincidences,” he says, moving closer to me. “That you moved in across from us. That you seem to know things about Sienna that even I didn’t know.”

I maintain my composure. “Coincidences happen.”

“Not in my experience.” His voice is low, threatening. “Who are you really, Revel? Because I’ve had my team dig into your background, and you might as well be a ghost. No medical history. No social media. No credit score. Nothing.”

I feel Sienna’s presence near me, tense and watchful. “I value my privacy,” I repeat the same excuse I gave Jovie. “Not that you seem to care.”

“No one values it that much,” Sebastian counters, his upper lip lifting in a snarl. I’ve hit a nerve—awakened a god. “Not unless they have something to hide.”

Jovie steps between us, placing a hand on Sebastian’s chest. “Bash, please. You’re being paranoid.”

“Am I?” He turns to her. “First you tell me you’ve been seeing visions of my dead sister, and now this stranger who knows her appears out of nowhere?”

Jovie looks stricken. “I thought you didn’t believe me about seeing Sienna.”

“I didn’t.” Sebastian’s voice softens when he speaks to her. “But then I started seeing her too.”

I feel Sienna’s shock as a cold ripple in the air. This is unexpected. Sebastian shouldn’t be able to see her unless his divine consciousness truly is awakening.

I keep my expression neutral. “As I’ve said, grief manifests in strange ways,” I try again.

Sebastian turns back to me, eyes cold. “Or perhaps you’re not who you claim to be. And I intend to find out exactly what you’re hiding.”

The threat hangs in the air between us. I hold his gaze, searching for any flicker of recognition—any sign that the god I’ve served for millennia is still in there somewhere.

That he recognizes me not as a threat, but as his closest friend.

That we’ve sparred countless times before and always come out the other side.

But there’s nothing there outside of pure malice and—damn these human emotions—it makes my heart drop into my stomach in disappointment.

“Bash, let’s go home,” Jovie pleads, tugging at his arm. “You’re tired. You haven’t slept properly in days.”

After a long, tense moment, he nods. “Fine. But this isn’t over,” he tells me.

As they move toward the door, Sebastian suddenly stops, his head turning slightly to the right, exactly where Sienna hovers invisible. For a moment, something passes over his face. Confusion? Recognition?

It’s gone before I can decide.

Once they leave, I turn to where I know Sienna is. “Show yourself,” I demand.

She materializes partially, her form shimmering with agitation. “He saw me.”

“What the fuck was that?”

She cuts her gaze toward me, brows pulling together in a dangerous scowl. “She practically knew I was here already.”

“Why can’t you follow a single direction?” I bark.

She drifts closer to me at a slow, predatory pace. Her upper lip lifts in a slight snarl. “Need I remind you again that I don’t answer to anyone—especially not some interim god?”

“Need I remind you that we’re working as a team to reach the same solution?” I find myself biting back.

She can throw my insignificance in my face as much as she wants but she can’t deny that she needs me. If we’re going to get anywhere in this, we have to work together.

Her reply is a sneer as her form flickers, a telltale sign that her emotions are high.

“He’s remembering,” I continue grimly. “His divine consciousness is breaking through.”

“It’s too soon,” she bites. “We’re not ready.”

“We? Or you ?” I move closer to where she’s hovering, her form still inconsistent. “What exactly is your game here, Sienna? Because I’m starting to think you never intended to bring him back at all.”

Her eyes flash. “Of course I want him back! The balance?—”

“Is that it? Or is it that you can’t bear to separate him from Jovie? That you’ve grown fond of her yourself?” I see the truth in her face before she can hide it. “By the council, that’s it, isn’t it? You care about Jovie.”

Sienna’s form flickers. “She’s important to Sebastian.”

“And to you,” I press. “That’s why you revealed yourself to her. That’s why you’re hesitating.”

“You don’t understand,” she says, drifting away from me.

Gods, I want to wrap my hand around her neck and stop her from getting away. To squeeze some sense into her for once.

“Then help me understand!” My voice rises in frustration. “Because right now it seems like you’re working against our mission. Against the balance you claim to protect. Against the peace you seem to crave.”

“The balance has been my burden for longer than you’ve existed,” she snaps, her form darkening with anger. “Don’t lecture me about duty.”

“Then be honest with me,” I press. “How long have you been protecting his relationship with Jovie? What aren’t you telling me?”

Sienna floats higher, literally looking down on me. “My loyalty is to my brother. Always has been,” her ethereal voice booms. She looks every bit the angry Goddess of Death no being would ever want to cross. And yet here I stand, challenging her like the fool she makes me.

“Your loyalty should be to the cosmos,” I argue back. “To the balance between Life and Death. To yourself . That’s what we’re fighting for.”

She laughs bitterly. “Is it? Or are you just afraid of losing your power when Sebastian returns? The interim god, desperate to hold on to his temporary throne? How do I know you really want to end this punishment?”

I rear back in offense. How dare she question my loyalty when I’ve been nothing but honest with her? When I’ve carried the weight of her death with me since she showed me how it happened?

It’s her who hasn’t been fully transparent.

“We need to speed up our timeline,” I say, changing tactics. Arguing won’t help us. We need to end this so I can get away from both of them and move on with my life—however that looks without them. “Sebastian is finally remembering. And Jovie knows more than she’s letting on.”

Sienna drifts down to my level, her anger fading to resignation. “What do you suggest?”

“We need to find out exactly what Jovie knows about Sebastian.” I pace the length of my living room. “And we need to prepare for the possibility that he might regain his memories at any moment.”

“And then what?” Sienna asks defensively. “Force him to abandon the woman he loves? Drag him back to Aurelys against his will?”

The question hangs between us, unanswered. Because the truth is, I don’t know. Sebastian is not just the God of Life. He’s my oldest friend. Can I really force him to leave his happiness behind?

If it means restoring the cosmic balance and taking back control of my existence, then yes. But Sienna won’t see that as anything but selfish.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” I say finally. “For now, let’s focus on understanding what we’re dealing with.”

Sienna nods, a truce of sorts. “I’ll follow Jovie tomorrow. See what she might reveal when he isn’t around.”

“And I’ll keep working on Sebastian. Try to spark his memories gradually.” I hesitate, then add, “But Sienna? No more secrets between us. Not if we want this to work.”

She studies me for a long moment, her bright eyes unreadable. “Some secrets aren’t mine to tell, Revel.”

With that, she fades from view, leaving me alone with more questions than answers. Sebastian is remembering. Jovie knows more than she should. And Sienna—the goddess I’ve opposed for millennia—is suddenly more complex than I ever gave her credit for.

As I look out at the Seattle skyline, rain beginning to spatter against the windows, I wonder if we’re really doing the right thing. The balance between Life and Death has stood for eons, but maybe it’s time for that balance to evolve.

Maybe Sebastian isn’t the only one who needs to remember who he truly is.