Page 40 of Gods of Prey (Parallel Prey #3)
Sienna
T he gardens of Nytheris stretch endlessly before us, filled with flowers that shouldn’t exist together—winter blooms alongside summer blossoms, desert cacti thriving next to water lilies. It’s a physical manifestation of the cosmic balance we’re fighting to restore.
Jovie walks beside me, her fingers reaching out to touch a flower that changes color at her contact. Her mortal presence here is unprecedented, but she’s taken it all in stride. I watch her face, searching for signs of fear or regret, but find only wonder.
“We’ve only got a few more hours before we know our fates,” I say, breaking our comfortable silence.
“How are you holding up with all of this?” I gesture vaguely at the impossible garden, at the crystalline spires of the council chamber visible in the distance.
At the very fabric of reality that’s so different here.
Jovie’s smile is soft but steady. “Honestly? I’m still processing.
One minute I’m hunting down cult members with my husband, and the next I’m finding out he’s actually the God of Life who’s been manipulating time to stay with me.
And the child inside of me has the potential to be.
..something terrible.” She laughs, but there’s bitterness in it.
“And my dead friend turns out to be the Goddess of Death.”
“When you put it that way, it does sound rather absurd,” I admit, slowing my stride to match hers. In this realm, I’ve been able to return to my true form. Apparently, gods are capable of moving faster than mortals.
She told us what the Divine Council discovered during her tests and none of us have been able to stop thinking about it since.
Hers and Sebastian’s child is destined to become the next God of Chaos—a god that was erased from existence centuries before we were even born.
The one who nearly ripped the cosmos in half and caused a divine war.
Due to its divine nature the child cannot be destroyed.
Instead, she’ll be forced to give life to a soul that has the potential to destroy all the realms. Neither one of them is excited for the Divine Council’s close involvement in their lives moving forward.
But they’ve made it clear that they’re going to raise the child with love and warmth, not fear.
“I’ve already healed from so much. It seems like as soon as life starts to feel steady again, something comes and knocks me off balance.
I’ve almost come to expect it. The strangest part?
” Jovie continues, looking directly at me.
“It makes sense. I always felt there was something...different about Bash. About you too, when we were friends.” She shakes her head, a nervous smile playing on her lips.
I drift down to perch on a stone bench, patting the space beside me. “Sit with me?”
She joins me, and I’m struck again by her calm acceptance of everything. “You’re not afraid of becoming immortal?” I ask, studying her face. “It’s not a small thing, Jovie. You’d be leaving behind everything you know.”
“What am I leaving, really?” she counters.
“My sister has pulled away again. Her love is so conditional. My mother has all but disowned me. I have some friends from work, sure, but I think they only like me because I’m close with Bash.
There’s no one I’m particularly close to except him.
” She pauses, a slight smile touching her lips. “And you, oddly enough.”
The admission warms something in me I thought had grown cold ages ago. “We were good friends, weren’t we? Even though I was keeping secrets.”
“The best,” she says without hesitation. “You were the only one who didn’t treat me like I was fragile and unworthy. You haven’t judged me for needing vengeance.”
“Death understands vengeance better than most,” I say softly.
Jovie’s quiet for a moment, contemplative.
“To answer your question about immortality—I’m not afraid.
Intimidated, maybe. But I’ve loved Bash across two timelines now.
After he did some wildly inappropriate things.
I’d follow him anywhere.” She rubs her palm against her flat belly.
“Plus, we’re forming our own family to worry about. ”
I smile, genuinely touched by her devotion to my brother. “He doesn’t deserve you.”
“Probably not,” she agrees with a laugh. “But love isn’t about deserving.” She turns to face me more fully.
I immediately sense where this is going and try to deflect. “The flowers here are actually souls in transition. Did you know that?”
“Don’t change the subject,” Jovie says, grinning. “What’s going on with you and Revel?”
I roll my eyes, trying to appear nonchalant. “Nothing is ‘going on’ with me and Revel.”
“Right.” Jovie’s voice is heavy with sarcasm. “That’s why you two can’t be in the same room without generating enough tension to power Seattle.”
“That’s called mutual irritation,” I counter.
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” She nudges my shoulder. “Come on, Sienna. He’s offering to leave everything he knows to ‘help’ you.”
Heat rises to my cheeks, which is ridiculous because I’m thousands of years old and shouldn’t be capable of blushing like a mortal teenager. “He was drunk when we spoke about our feelings. It didn’t mean anything.”
I leave out that we did a whole lot more than just speak about them. She doesn’t need all the sordid details when I can’t figure them out myself.
“Alcohol doesn’t create feelings, it just reveals them,” Jovie says. “Plus, I’ve seen you two argue. It’s like watching lightning strike over and over.”
“We’re opposites,” I say weakly. “Life and Death don’t mix.”
“Don’t they?” Jovie gestures to the garden around us. “Looks to me like they’re two sides of the same coin. Inseparable.”
I float up off the bench, needing some distance from her too-perceptive gaze. “It’s not that simple.”
“It never is,” she agrees, watching me hover. “But I’ve learned something important from all this madness with Bash. Time is precious—even for immortals, apparently. Why waste it denying what you feel?”
“Because I’m the Goddess of Death,” I say flatly. “I’ve spent a long time being punished for thinking I could have something for myself. For putting my desires above my duty.”
“Then it’s about time your punishment ends and your life gets handed back to you. It’s time that you start doing things for yourself.”
“You’re relentless.”
“One of my better qualities,” she agrees with a grin. “Now, spill.”
I puff my cheeks and blow out a breath, floating slightly above the bench again. “What is there to say? He’s insufferable. Self-righteous. Annoyingly principled.”
“Handsome,” Jovie adds helpfully. “Devoted to his friend. Willing to defy the Divine Council for what he believes in.”
“Whose side are you on?” I ask, but there’s no heat in it.
“Yours,” she says simply. “Always yours. Which is why I’m pointing out that the way you look at him when you think no one’s watching isn’t how someone looks at a person they despise.”
I’m saved from having to respond by a distant chime—the Divine Council is ready for us to make our declarations. We both turn toward the crystalline chamber, tension returning.
“Whatever happens in there,” Jovie says quietly, “thank you for being my friend.”
I reach for her hand, squeezing it gently. “If they grant you immortality, we’ll have eternity to be friends.”
“Is that a promise?” she asks, rising from the bench.
“It is.” I hover beside her as we begin walking back toward the chamber. “And if they don’t...well, I am Death. I have certain privileges when it comes to souls I care about.”
Jovie laughs, the sound bright against the solemn backdrop of Nytheris. The entire divine realm seems to be holding a breath in anticipation of our ruling.
She has no idea what I’m about to do. I’m sure it’ll break her heart when she figures it out, but I hope she’ll realize that it’s all for her. “I can see why Revel fell for you. You’re kind of amazing, Sienna.”
“Shut up,” I mutter, but I’m smiling.
As we approach the chamber, I spot Revel and Sebastian waiting for us at the entrance. Revel’s eyes find mine immediately, concern etched across his features. When he sees I’m okay, something in his expression softens, and my chest tightens in response.
Maybe Jovie’s right. Maybe it’s time to stop denying what I feel. Time is precious, even for immortals.
But first, we have to survive the Divine Council.