Page 25 of Gods of Prey (Parallel Prey #3)

Revel

I ’ve faced many challenges in my immortal existence, but nothing quite like the tension in this room right now.

Bash paces like a caged animal, his mortal form vibrating with barely contained fury.

Jovie sits on the edge of the sofa, eyes darting between us all.

And Sienna, ethereal and stubborn as ever, hovers near the window only visible to me, her spectral form glimmering in the afternoon light.

There’s something different about him now—a weight in his eyes that wasn’t there before. He looks at me, and for the first time since we arrived in this realm, I see recognition.

“You can drop the act now,” he says, moving toward me. “Both of you.”

Sienna materializes fully beside me, no longer bothering to hide. “What exactly do you remember?”

Sebastian glances at Jovie, who takes his hand without hesitation. “Everything. It all came rushing back when I killed him. When I felt his life force drain away and realized I could control it.” He looks back at me. “How long have you been here?”

“Just a few weeks,” I admit. “We’ve been trying to find a way to help you remember gradually.”

A laugh escapes him—bitter but not angry. “Gradually. Right .” He runs his free hand through his hair. “Gods, Revel, I’ve been so suspicious of you. Part of me knew something was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, meaning it. “We didn’t know how else to approach this.”

Sebastian steps forward and pulls me into an embrace. The relief I feel is overwhelming. My friend is back. Not completely, but enough that I can see him in there. We’re halfway there.

“I’ve missed you, brother,” he murmurs against my shoulder.

Clearing my throat at the odd sentiment, I pull back to look at him. “Aurelys?—”

“I know.” His expression hardens. “I can feel it now. The chaos is spreading because I’m not there.” He looks at Sienna. “How bad is it?”

“Getting worse every day,” she replies, her tone light and airy, like she’s announcing the weather for the week. “The Divine Council has noticed. So has your little pack of elves.”

He looks at me.

“The Council of Elders,” I clarify, cutting her a look of warning not to start their sibling rivalry bullshit here.

Jovie speaks up for the first time. “They’ll make you go back.” It’s not a question. Which means he’s already warned her of this risk.

Sebastian’s grip on her hand tightens. “They can try.”

I study my friend’s face, seeing the determination there. Dread settles in my stomach. “You’re not planning to return.”

“Not without Jovie.” He looks at me steadily. “I have unfinished business in this realm.”

Sienna drifts closer. “Sebastian, you can’t manipulate time indefinitely. The Divine Council will?—”

“The Divine Council can go to hell,” Sebastian cuts her off.

“I’ve served them faithfully for centuries.

I’ve endured thirty-three mortal lifetimes as punishment for something that happened eons ago.

I’ve bled and died and watched my sister die beside me over and over again.

” His voice rises with each word, sounding so much like Sienna, it’s impossible to deny they’re siblings.

“And now, finally, I’ve found something that makes all of that bearable.

Someone who makes me want to exist rather than simply endure. ”

He turns to Jovie, his expression softening. “We talked about it. She knows what I am now. What returning to Aurelys would mean.”

“And?” I ask, though I think I already know the answer.

Jovie steps forward, chin raised defiantly. “And I told him I’m not letting him go alone.”

Sienna’s form flickers with agitation. “Jovie, you don’t understand what you’re asking. The divine realms aren’t meant for mortals.”

“Then, make me immortal,” Jovie says simply. “Problem solved.”

I stare at her, stunned by her matter-of-fact tone. “It’s not that simple.”

“Isn’t it?” Sebastian asks. “The Divine Council has granted immortality before. For less worthy causes.”

I glance between the two of them, completely surprised that neither one of them realizes what they’re suggesting is pure madness. The divine realms are packed with beings that have absolutely no respect for humans.

“Those were different circumstances,” Sienna protests, and I’m grateful to at least have her on my side. “You were fulfilling your duties then, not abandoning them.”

Sebastian’s expression darkens. “I’m not abandoning anything. I’m asking for what should have been mine from the beginning—the right to choose my own path.”

I run a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of this conversation pressing down on me like hands on my shoulders.

“The balance is failing, Sebastian. Without you in Aurelys, the natural order is breaking down. We’re already negotiating so much when we go back. This seems like too big of an ask.”

“Without me, what? The realms collapse? The universe ends?” Sebastian spreads his arms wide. “Maybe it’s time for something new.”

“You’re talking about cosmic genocide,” Sienna whispers, her form flickering again with emotion.

Jovie steps between us, her voice cutting through the tension. “Stop. All of you, just stop.” She looks at Sebastian with a mixture of love and frustration that’s painfully familiar. “Bash, you can’t destroy everything because you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared,” he says, but his voice lacks conviction.

“You are,” she insists. “You’re terrified of losing what we have. But running away isn’t going to solve anything.”

Sebastian’s shoulders slump forward, and for a moment, he looks less like a god and more like a lost man. “You don’t understand what they’ll do to you, Stardust. The Divine Council doesn’t recognize mortal rights. To them, you’re barely more than an insect.”

“Then we make them recognize me,” Jovie says firmly. “We find a way.”

“You’d be willing to come to Aurelys? Having no idea what awaits you there?” I ask her. I’m not fully convinced she realizes what that entails.

“If that’s what it takes to keep the balance and be with Bash, then yes.

” I shake my head in dismissal. No she wouldn’t.

Not if she knew. She looks at my friend with fierceness in her eyes that I recognize.

“If this is how I can get you to actually try to make this work instead of hiding here and hoping the problem goes away.”

Sebastian stares at her for a long moment before nodding slowly. “There are preparations that need to be made. If I’m bringing you to the divine realms, you’ll need to understand what you’re walking into.”

“You can’t be serious,” I mutter in disbelief, but no one bothers to listen.

Sienna drifts closer. “What kind of preparations?”

“She’ll need to be able to survive among divine beings,” Sebastian explains to us, his tone becoming more clinical. “The transition from mortal to immortal form isn’t something that can be rushed. It could take years to do it safely.”

I feel my stomach drop. “You can’t seriously be considering?—”

“Making her immortal?” He meets my gaze steadily. “Eventually, yes. Regardless of what they decide in Nytheris.”

The silence that follows is deafening. I look at Sienna, whose spectral form has gone completely still. It was one thing for Jovie to suggest it. She has no clue. But for him to be on board?

He’s truly gone mad.

Making a mortal immortal without the Divine Council’s explicit permission isn’t just against divine law, it’s grounds for permanent imprisonment or worse.

Jovie’s soul was not meant to be in the divine realms, let alone to live on for centuries longer than a few dozen mortal years. To alter her contract would be complicated and dangerous.

“You’ll be executed,” Sienna says quietly. “We all will, for helping you.”

“The Divine Council has made exceptions before,” Sebastian argues. “You said it yourself.”

“For other gods,” I counter. “Never for mortals. And never without centuries of deliberation and preparation.”

Jovie looks between us, clearly picking up on the gravity of what Sebastian is suggesting even if she doesn’t understand all the implications. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Sebastian takes her hands in his. “The Divine Council isn’t known for their flexibility when it comes to mortal-divine relationships. But if we present them with a fair?—”

“They’ll destroy all of us to make an example,” Sienna finishes harshly. “This isn’t some romantic fairy tale, Sebastian. This is divine law we’re talking about.”

I watch the conflict play out on his face, the war between his love for Jovie and his understanding of what we’re up against. Part of me wants to support him, to find a way to make this work because he’s my oldest friend and I’ve never seen him this happy.

But the rational part of me, the part that’s been maintaining the balance in his absence, knows how dangerous this path is.

“There has to be another way,” I say finally. “Some precedent, some loophole?—”

“There isn’t,” Sienna says flatly. “I’ve been researching divine law for weeks, hoping to find something that would help. The Divine Council’s position on mortal-divine unions has been consistent for millennia: They’re forbidden.”

A crack appears in the window behind us, spreading slowly across the glass like a spider web. The harsh sound makes us all turn to look.

“The realm is fracturing,” I say quietly. “Every day you delay returning makes it worse.”

Sebastian’s hands tighten on Jovie’s. “Then this is our only choice. Present the council with a unified front. You and Sienna will vouch for Jovie, help them understand that she’s not just some random mortal.”

“She’s the woman you’ve destroyed divine law for.” Sienna crosses her arms over her chest. “They’re not going to see that as a point in her favor.”

I can see the desperation growing in Sebastian’s eyes, the same look he had during his punishment centuries ago. He’s grasping for solutions that don’t exist, hoping to bend reality to his will through sheer force of desire. It’s when he’s cornered like this that he makes mistakes