Page 32 of Gods of Prey (Parallel Prey #3)

Sienna

T he following morning, Revel returns to Sebastian and Jovie’s apartment.

I spent part of the night here, then drifted around the city streets while they slept before returning as they ate breakfast. He walks past them on the couch with their training and straight to the window, where he knows I am.

I materialize, making sure I’m only visible to his eyes, then lead him onto the balcony, keeping my shoulders straight and my head held high.

In truth, I’m embarrassed that I let my jealousy get the best of me, especially with an audience.

Things are getting so intense as our timeline ramps up, and I feel out of control.

But I’m too proud to admit I’ve made a mistake.

“The Council of Elders sent another message this morning,” he begins without preamble, his tone serious. He isn’t looking at me. Instead, he’s gazing out at the odd sunrise.

We haven’t discussed what Sebastian and I revealed yesterday. It’s obvious what his opinion is though, and I don’t feel like getting myself upset hearing about it.

I keep my voice low. “What did it say?”

“That because Sebastian hasn’t returned, they’ve notified the Divine Council of his absence.”

My blood would run cold if it still flowed. With the Council of Elders news, they’re immediately going to know that Erebus was lying. “We still have two days!”

Gods, I wish I could storm into Aurelys and rip them all to shreds.

This is exactly why I don’t have a council to meddle in my business.

If Sebastian was focused on doing his job instead of being desperate for his realm’s acceptance, he would’ve cut them all off at the knees to prove the point that he could.

Umbraeth may fear me, but they would never betray me.

“I know,” Revel says, and there’s something in his voice that makes me look at him more closely. “That’s why we need to convince Sebastian to take Jovie before the Divine Council himself. Today.”

I roll my eyes in dismissal. “He won’t listen. He keeps insisting she needs more preparation.”

Revel moves closer, and I catch his scent—something like rain and growing things, so different from the shadows I’m used to. I’ve become strangely addicted to the polarity of it.

I haven’t been able to infiltrate his dreams again. Not when he hardly sleeps and tensions have been so high.

I wanted to step in the night he got between me and Sebastian. At first, my intention was to ream him out. What sort of suicidal, delusional interim god would get between a fight like that? I was ready to strike my brother down if he moved a single muscle wrong.

Then, I thought about it longer and realized exactly what his actions meant. And like the coward I am, I got too scared to acknowledge them. Even in a dream state.

Now, I’m not sure how he would react if I did. I'm no Lyra, afterall.

“Then we make him see that she’s more ready than he thinks,” he insists plainly.

Before I can ask what he means, Jovie steps through the sliding glass door.

“Did you two kiss and make up?” she asks teasingly, though she’s looking at the space where I hover rather than at Revel.

I make myself visible to her, a skill that’s become easier with practice. “Absolutely not,” I tell her, scowling at Revel’s remorseful frown.

Jovie smirks, and I understand again why Sebastian fell for her. There’s something luminous about her when she’s happy, something that makes even my shadowy nature feel lighter.

“Bash doesn’t think I’m progressing fast enough,” she confides, glancing toward where he’s typing furiously at his computer. “He keeps saying we have time, but I can feel how anxious you both are. The Divine Council isn’t going to wait, are they?”

Revel and I exchange a look. Jovie has always been perceptive, but her growing divine awareness is making her even sharper.

“No,” I admit. “They’re not.”

“Then show me something more advanced,” she says, determination setting her jaw. “I know you’ve been holding back.”

Revel steps forward. “Jovie, Sebastian wants to control your training pace for a reason?—”

“Because he’s terrified,” she interrupts. “I get it. But I’m not fragile, and I’m not stupid. I know what’s at stake.”

I study her face, seeing not just the mortal woman my brother fell in love with, but the potential immortal she could become. There’s steel in her, beneath all that warmth.

“Show her,” I tell Revel.

He looks surprised. “Sienna?—”

“Show her divine sight,” I insist. “Full spectrum. If she can handle it, Sebastian will have to admit she’s readier than he thinks.”

Divine sight is advanced. The ability to see through all realms simultaneously, to perceive the true nature of beings around you. It’s overwhelming for new immortals, but if Jovie can master it, she’s ready for Aurelys.

Revel hesitates for another moment, then nods. “All right. But if this goes wrong?—”

“It won’t,” Jovie says firmly.

Revel places his hands on either side of Jovie’s face, his power radiating outward. “This might be disorienting,” he warns. “Don’t fight it. Let the sight come naturally.”

I watch as Jovie’s eyes begin to glow with the same golden light I’ve seen in Sebastian’s.

Her breath catches, and for a moment I worry it’s too much.

Then her gaze shifts to me, and I know she’s seeing me as I truly am—not the ghostly apparition I’ve been showing her, but the Goddess of Death in all my shadowy glory.

“Oh,” she breathes, wonder in her voice. “You’re beautiful.”

The comment catches me off guard. Beautiful isn’t typically how people describe Death.

Her gaze moves to Revel next, and her eyes widen. “And you’re...wow. You’re like looking at sunlight through leaves. And you both have wings!”

Revel chuckles, his hands still framing her face. “How do you feel?”

“Like I can see everything,” she whispers. “The energy flowing between you two, the connection to your realms, the way this apartment sits between worlds...” She pauses, focusing on something I can’t see. “And I can see Sebastian’s true form even from here. He’s . . . ”

She pauses, her expression dropping as she allows herself a moment to fully take him in. “He’s stunning.”

Revel drops his hands, the divine sight fading from Jovie’s eyes. She blinks several times, adjusting back to normal vision.

“That was incredible,” she says, then raises her voice. “Bash! Come here!”

“Jovie, what are you doing?” I hiss, but she’s already moving toward my brother.

Sebastian looks up from his laptop, immediately noticing something different about her. “What’s wrong?” His eyes narrow, shifting between her and where Revel and I stand. “What did you do?”

“I showed her divine sight,” Revel admits. “She handled it perfectly.”

Sebastian’s expression darkens. “I specifically said she wasn’t ready for that yet.”

“But I was,” Jovie interjects, moving to stand in front of him. “I know you’re trying to protect me, but you can’t keep treating me like I’m going to break. I’m stronger than you think.”

“You don’t understand the risks?—”

“Then explain them to me,” she challenges. “Stop making decisions for me and trust me to make them myself.”

I drift closer, fascinated by the dynamic between them. This is the most assertive I’ve seen Jovie with Sebastian, and he’s clearly struggling with it.

“The Divine Council isn’t known for their patience or mercy,” Sebastian says finally. “If they think you’re not ready, if they decide you’re a liability?—”

“They’ll what?” Jovie asks. “Kill me? Bash, I told you I’m not afraid of dying.”

“I am,” he admits, his voice breaking slightly. “I’m afraid of losing you again.”

The raw vulnerability in my brother’s voice makes my chest ache. Revel moves to stand beside me, close enough that our arms almost touch.

“You won’t lose me,” Jovie says softly, taking Sebastian’s hands. “But you will if you keep stalling. They’re going to come for you, aren’t they? This council?”

Sebastian’s silence is answer enough.

“When?” she presses.

“Soon,” he admits reluctantly. I’m surprised he’s finally willing to acknowledge that the clock is ticking, let alone that we’re running out of time.

Revel and I glance toward one another, neither one wanting to admit that we’re out of time.

“Then we go to them first,” Jovie declares. “On our terms.”

Sebastian shakes his head. “Jovie, you don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I’m asking to stand by your side. In whatever realm, before whatever council, as whatever I need to become. But I’m not asking to be protected anymore.”

I watch my brother’s internal struggle play out across his face. The protector in him wars with the god who knows duty, the man in love with the immortal who understands what’s at stake. The predator who has been caught in a trap.

“She’s right,” I say. “Hiding won’t solve anything. It will only make the Divine Council more suspicious when they do come. And they’re coming sooner than you realize.”

Sebastian turns to me, and I see the moment he really accepts what we’re asking of him. “What do you know?”

I look at Jovie, seeing the determination in her stance, the way she’s not backing down from this fight. “Your Council of Elders has notified the Divine Council of your absence. They’re likely preparing to summon us as we speak. I think she’s been ready for days. You’re the one who wasn’t.”

Jovie’s stoic expression falls again, this time giving way to fear. “What does that mean?”

“It means we’re out of time,” Sebastian explains grimly.

Revel steps forward. “They respond better to initiative than to reluctance. If we present Jovie as your choice rather than a demand, it might get us further.”

“It could work,” Sebastian muses, understanding dawning in his eyes.

“So we do it?” Jovie asks. “We go to the Divine Council directly?”

Sebastian is quiet for a long moment, studying her face. Then he nods slowly. “We do it. But we do it right. Full formal presentation, with all protocols observed.”

“When?” I ask.

“Tomorrow,” Sebastian decides. “That gives us tonight to prepare her for what she’ll face.”

Jovie throws her arms around Sebastian’s neck, relief and fear radiating from her. “Thank you for trusting me.”

As I watch them embrace, I feel Revel’s hand brush against mine. The contact is brief, barely there, but it sends warmth up my arm.

“This is the right choice,” he says quietly, meant only for me.

“I hope so,” I reply, but I’m not looking at Sebastian and Jovie anymore. I’m looking at Revel, at the way the afternoon light catches in his honey-glazed hair, at the satisfaction in his kind gray eyes at this small victory.

The argument last night was over pure jealousy. Jealousy that all those other smaller beings get to spend time with him openly while I’m stuck hiding away in his dreams. They get his beaming approval while I get nothing but resistance.

Sebastian and Jovie mumble something about preparing to leave and disappear back into their apartment. I’m too focused on the warmth of Revel’s touch against my spectral form to hear it.

“We should prepare as well,” Revel says carefully. “The council will want to speak with us about the new arrangement.”

“What new arrangement?” I ask, though something in his tone makes me suspect I already know.

“If Sebastian returns to Aurelys with Jovie, they won’t need me in Aurelys.” He pauses, his gaze meeting mine. “We should probably figure out what that looks like.”

The implications of his words settle over me. Where will he go when obligations no longer tie him down?

“That’s a conversation for later,” I manage, suddenly aware of how close he’s standing.

“Is it?” he asks, and there’s something in his voice that makes my unnecessary heart skip. “Because something tells me it needs to be had now.”

Before I can respond, Sebastian appears in the doorway again and clears his throat. “If you two are done, we have work to do.”

I jerk back from Revel, heat flooding my cheeks. “We weren’t doing?—”

“Yes, you were,” Jovie says behind him with a grin. “It’s actually kind of sweet.”

I want to deny it, to maintain some dignity, but the truth is becoming harder to hide. Even from myself.

“Let’s focus on tomorrow,” I say instead, trying to regain my composure. “The Divine Council won’t be easy to convince.”

Sebastian nods, his expression becoming serious again. “They’ll test her. Push her limits. Try to find reasons to reject her.”

“Then we make sure she’s ready for anything they can throw at her,” Revel says firmly.

As we begin planning for tomorrow’s presentation, I can’t shake the feeling that everything is about to change. Not just for Jovie, but for Revel, Sebastian, and me as well. Because convincing them to let a mortal into Aurelys is just the tip of the iceberg.

We also have to convince them not to kill us for the crimes we’ve committed to get her there.