Page 26 of Gods of Prey (Parallel Prey #3)

“Then we won’t tell them about the immortality part right away,” he suggests. “We’ll frame it as a temporary arrangement. Jovie comes to Aurelys as my consultant. Someone to help me readjust to divine duties.”

“You want to lie to the Divine Council?” I ask incredulously. My mother absolutely despises liars.

“I want to buy time,” he corrects. “Time to prove that Jovie belongs in our world. That she can contribute to the divine order instead of disrupting it.”

Sienna laughs bitterly. “The same way you’ve been contributing by abandoning your throne and letting the realms fall into chaos?”

The accusation hits home. Sebastian flinches as if she’d struck him physically. “I never meant for it to go this far.”

“But it has,” I say as neutrally as I can manage. “And now we have to deal with the consequences.”

He goes quiet, considering his options.

“What if I went to them myself? Explained that this was my choice, that Sebastian isn’t forcing me into anything?” Jovie finally pipes in.

All three of us turn to stare at her.

“Absolutely not,” Sebastian says immediately. “I won’t let you face those monsters alone.”

“It might be our only option,” I say slowly, the idea taking shape in my mind. “If Jovie presents herself as a willing petitioner, rather than your victim...”

“They’d still refuse,” Sienna points out. “But they might be less inclined to execute everyone involved.”

Another crack appears, this time in the ceiling above us. Plaster dust rains down, and I can feel the fabric of reality straining at the edges of my consciousness.

“We’re running out of time,” I say. “Whatever we’re going to do, it has to be soon.”

Sebastian looks around at all of us—his sister, his best friend, the woman he loves—and I can see the weight of the decision settling on his shoulders.

“One month,” he says finally. “Give me one month to prepare Jovie properly, and then we’ll face the Divine Council together.”

Sienna and I exchange a look. We haven’t even gotten to the part where his Elder Council has placed their own deadline on us.

A month is too long for the realms to maintain stability, but it’s also barely enough time to prepare for what we’re about to attempt.

The world is literally crumbling around us.

We’ve only got a week left before the Elder Council acts.

But something in the tightness of Sienna’s expression tells me not to bring that up yet.

“We don’t have a month,” is all I tell him.

Sebastian shakes his head, refusing to back down. “She needs time.”

“We can get a week, if that,” I agree reluctantly. A mortal week is less than a day in Nytheris. It’ll take them that long just to gather in their chambers. “We’ll need to be strategic about how we approach them.”

“ We ?” Sienna turns from the window.

I look at Sebastian—my friend, my brother, my king. “Of course.”

His relief is palpable. “Thank you, Revel. I know this puts you at risk too.”

“Let me worry about that.” Ignoring the rock that’s settling into my stomach at all the promises I keep handing out with no idea how I’ll be able to keep them, I turn to Jovie. “Are you sure about this? Really sure? Because once we start down this path, there’s no going back.”

She doesn’t hesitate. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

Sienna drifts back over to us, her eyes lingering on me longer than they should. She’s the only one who has realized what I’m doing, but I can deal with her later.

“Then we need to move quickly. The longer Sebastian stays away from Aurelys, the more attention we’ll draw,” she says.

“Agreed,” I say.

“But first, we need to make sure there are no more loose ends here.” Sebastian adds, his voice resolute.

Of course , he has to make this more complicated than it has to be.

As if abandoning our duties and playing mortal for weeks on end wasn’t enough.

“There are still members of The Order out there.”

Sienna’s expression hardens. “You can’t be serious.”

“We need to finish this,” he insists. “We can’t leave with threats hanging over what we’ve built here.”

When she scoffs and rolls her eyes at him like he’s the biggest nuisance she’s ever dealt with, he adds, “It might help our case with the Divine Council if we can show we’ve fulfilled our obligations in this realm.”

“Those men are not part of our obligations in this realm. I’ve already got plans for them in Umbraeth that reach beyond anything we can do here.”

Her green eyes light up at the thought of whatever nefarious things she’s got up her sleeve, and I have no doubt she’s telling the truth.

While she’s been rather timid here in the mortal realm, the Goddess of Death has earned a reputation in the rest of the realms. One that deems her someone that no self-preserving being wants to mess with.

“Then I’ll get my hands on them first and have them waiting for your return.” Sebastian locks eyes with her, meeting her glare with one just as imposing. He looks at Jovie. “We can end this.”

“Together,” Jovie adds, squeezing his hand.

I feel a strange mix of pride and concern watching them. Their love is so clear, so pure, that it makes the centuries of divine politics seem petty by comparison. But it also makes what we’re about to attempt infinitely more dangerous.

“Absolutely not,” Sienna cuts in, destroying the Hallmark moment. “We have days before the collapse of all the realms. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you two waste our time chasing after cockroaches in the name of honor.”

She looks toward me with widened eyes in a silent plea to agree with her.

“It’s not really up to you, is it?” Sebastian sneers back. “You’re going to do things our way, or we won’t be returning at all.”

Sienna drifts closer, only stopping once she’s nose to nose with her brother. Their divine power radiates around them, electrifying the entire apartment with a terrifying uneasiness. Silver and gold sparks crackle in the air, just as they had always done when they were younger and less mature.

It’s never been a comfortable thing to witness Life and Death going against one another, and I’ve been caught in the crosshairs of their disagreements more times than I’m comfortable with.

But I’ve never felt so torn on whose side I wanted to be on.

“You can pretend to be this wild, vengeful animal in the mortal realm all you’d like, killing tiny men and stalking after the woman you love.

But I know the real you. The one that sprouts flowers where you walk and dances with little bunnies in the meadow every day.

” She tilts her head and jams a finger toward his neck.

“If you don’t want to come willingly, I’ll grab you up by your throat and drag you both into Nytheris myself, then return to Umbraeth like nothing happened.

Let the Divine Council sort you out on your own,” she grits the threat out between clenched teeth.

I believe her.

Those glowing green eyes have shifted into a shade of black that matches the inky tendrils swirling around her protectively.

Death magic.

Something I’d never want to be caught up in. But Sebastian only matches her energy, his brow quirking up at the challenge.

“Touch a single speck of mortal flesh, and I’ll rip your soul right from your body,” Sebastian dares.

Something happens then. A shift, deep inside my chest. Where I would once laugh at his threat and encourage him to follow through—I could never stand Sienna’s arrogance—I’m overcome with rage instead.

“You won’t lay a finger on her,” I seethe, stepping between the twins.

Their divine power zaps my mortal skin, but I ignore the burn to push Sienna behind my back subtly. She stumbles a few steps, her shadows pulling back as confusion mars her face.

“Is that right?” Sebastian’s voice is lethal. Where Sienna’s shock has disarmed her, his has only emboldened him.

“Don’t fucking try,” I warn, refusing to step down despite every atom of my being insisting on it. This is the god I vowed to serve for my entire lifetime. Defying him in this way feels like taking my skin off and putting it back on inside out.

His darkened eyes glance between the two of us, and I’m afraid of whatever he sees in Sienna’s face that makes hip lips tip up in a taunting smile. By the grace of the gods, he takes a step backward and reels his divine power back in. My shoulders don’t relax until Sienna follows suit.

“All right,” I say. “We prioritize Jovie’s preparations for the divine realms. If there’s time, we’ll take out some of these mortals.” I pause, meeting each of their gazes in turn. “But I need you all to understand—if this doesn’t work, if they refuse to compromise?—”

“They won’t,” Sebastian interrupts. “They can’t. Because I’m not going back without her, and they need me more than I need them.”

I hope he’s right. Because if he’s wrong, we could all end up paying a price none of us are prepared for.

“The longer we wait, the worse our position becomes,” Sienna explains, her voice still filled with ice. “Revel’s right. We need to be strategic. And part of that strategy is controlling the timing.”

“We’ll get there when Jovie is ready,” Sebastian insists, tension lingering.

When Jovie is ready . Perhaps I’ve just found the loophole I was looking for.

“All right then,” I say, looking at him. I see my own determination reflected in his eyes. “Then we go change the rules of eternity.”

Sebastian grins, and for a moment he looks exactly like the friend I’ve known for millennia, our standoff long forgotten. “Just like old times.”

“Better than old times,” I correct, glancing at Jovie and then at Sienna. “This time, we’re fighting for something that actually matters.”

As we begin planning our next move, I can’t shake the feeling that everything is about to change irrevocably. But looking at Sebastian and Jovie, seeing the love and determination in their faces, I know we’re making the right choice.

Even if it destroys us all.