Page 19 of Holy Shift (New Orleans Nocturnes #8)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“It’s me, Pete. I’m the sacrifice.” Destiny sat in her clawfoot tub, leaning back to look up at him. He’d drawn her a bath and settled her into the tub before showering and changing into the clothes he’d brought from his realm.

His dark hair, still damp, curled onto his forehead, and the intensity in his jewel-green eyes demanded her attention. She wanted to look away, to curl into a ball and drown herself in her own sorrowful humiliation, but he held her gaze, looking, not at her, but into her.

His lips moved, beginning to part before he pressed them into a thin line. He took three breaths before he finally spoke. “No one is going to end your life.”

Something between a laugh and a sob rolled up from her belly, catching in her throat before coming out on a hard exhale. “It’s in the prophecy. Fate has willed it. The angels will turn me over to the fae to stop them from attacking. I might have saved Easter, but I wrote my own death sentence in the process.”

Pete stood and grabbed a towel from the rack. “If that’s the case, they’ll have to get through me first. Come on.” He opened the towel, and she stood, stepping out of the tub and letting him wrap her in the soft cotton fabric.

Holding her from behind, he turned her toward the mirror and pressed a kiss to her temple. “You saved us. Eostre will make sure they understand that.” He patted her dry before offering the set of clothes she’d gotten from her closet before her bath.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter.” She dressed in a pair of sunny yellow pants and a white shirt. “You got to the fae realm without a miracle, so my request will be voided. My immortality is already toast, so the best-case scenario would be Eostre convincing your people to let me live out my days as a human. I’ll grow old and die, and you’ll stay young forever.”

She felt like she needed to drink a glass of water, to vomit, and to hibernate for six centuries, but she finished dressing and ran a brush through her hair to make herself presentable. Gabriela would be summoning her any minute now, and she needed to hold her head high no matter what the outcome. She refused to give her boss the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

“You should head back to your realm and help the elfen with the eggs. You don’t need to witness this.”

“Hey, don’t say that.” He gripped her shoulders before sliding his hands up her neck to hold her face. “We belong together. You are my fated mate, and I will stand by your side until the end of you or the end of days. I love you, and I always will. No matter what.”

Her throat thickened, and tears gathered in her eyes. “I love you too, Pete, but… What about when I’m eighty and you still look like you’re thirty-five?”

He chuckled and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Then you’ll look like the hottest cougar in New Orleans.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “You always say the right things, don’t you?”

“I try.” He pressed his lips to hers, and she closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment to get lost in his embrace.

Everything about this man felt right. The softness of his kisses, the gentle yet purposeful way he touched her, caressing not just her skin, but her soul with each brush of his fingers. His smile made her heart sing, and for the first time in as long as she could remember, she felt like a whole being.

She leaned against him, fitting into his arms as if she were made to be there, and as he deepened the kiss, she knew there was no place in all the realms she’d rather be.

“Gabriela was right.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. “Any angel who can follow a recipe can do what I do. Crimson’s parents proved New Orleans will get along just fine without me.”

“It’s just a job.” He stroked her hair.

“I know that now.” She leaned back to look at him. “Maybe in the time I have left, I can learn to just…be.”

“Destiny Monroe, you have been summoned.” The voice calling from her living room was unmistakable.

“Gabriela.” She closed her eyes for a long blink, preparing herself for whatever news her boss would be all too happy to deliver.

“Are you ready?” Pete offered his hand, and she placed her palm in his.

“Let’s get it over with.”

They walked hand-in-hand through the bedroom and down the hall toward the living room, both of them stopping short as they took in the crowd standing before them. On one side, Eostre stood, her regal glory fully restored after a few hours outside the iron mine. Next to her stood another goddess with strawberry-blonde hair and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. With her uncanny resemblance, it could only be Frigg.

A crow perched atop her television, his intelligent eyes taking in the scene. Odin had sent a representative rather than appearing himself. Was that a good thing, or was it a very, very bad sign?

Across from the fae deities stood Gabriela, her chin tipped upward so she could literally look down her nose at Destiny. Michelle stood next to Gabriela, her hands folded at her waist, her expression stoic, and next to her…

“Dad?” Destiny tightened her grip on Pete’s hand. “What are you doing here?”

He glanced at the goddesses, his brows knitting as he returned his gaze to hers. “I wanted to be here for moral support when they…” He clamped his mouth shut and lowered his gaze.

Well, that wasn’t a good sign.

Pete moved closer to her, the length of his arm pressing against hers as he squeezed her hand.

“Destiny Monroe,” the crow said, his voice so deep and ominous, it could only be Odin speaking through him. “You’ve been summoned by our council for the murder of Helga, my wife’s golden goose.”

“It was self-defense.” Pete moved forward, but Eostre held up a hand. He huffed and stepped back to her side. “Helga was going to kill the elfen .”

Gabriela sneered. “Destiny is on trial here, not you.”

Michelle shot her a cold look, and she closed her mouth, taking a step backward.

Destiny remained silent. She wasn’t really on trial, and there was no use in defending herself. She could tell by the looks on their faces this meeting was merely a formality. They’d made their decisions. There would be no negotiations. No pleading for her life. What Fate had willed, no one could undo. Not even the allfather himself.

“Hello?” Jane’s voice drifted up from the bakery, followed by several pairs of footsteps on the stairs. “You were supposed to wait until sunset to start this shindig,” she said as she strolled into the room.

Gaston entered behind her, and then Crimson and Mike followed, another couple Destiny had never met coming in behind them. Michelle nodded at the couple, her expression as unreadable as ever. She knew them, at the very least, which meant they were probably angels.

“Crimson’s parents,” Destiny whispered. They had stepped in to replace the cakes Helga had smashed. Gabriela probably called them there to prove a point, to get in one last jab at Destiny’s self-esteem before the prophecy was fulfilled.

“I apologize for our tardiness.” Gaston bowed at Odin’s crow. “My associate insisted on changing her shoes before we arrived.”

“They’re my lucky stilettos. I thought they might come in handy.” Jane lifted a foot and winked at Destiny.

Michelle cleared her throat. “Destiny, as I am sure you are well aware, our pantheons have been at odds for millennia. Our truce has held for centuries, both sides keeping to our own realms to maintain peace.”

“That’s not true. You don’t all stay in your own realms.” Jane raised her hand, and Destiny tried not to cringe. “Plenty of fae call New Orleans home, and Destiny has lived here for a long time too.”

“Because this realm is considered neutral ground,” Destiny said through clenched teeth, giving her head a warning shake. Her friend was only trying to help, but talking back to an angel of Michelle’s caliber always ended badly.

“You’re lucky we’ve already smited your kind.” Gabriela crossed her arms.

“I think you mean smote.” Jane mimicked her posture.

Crimson whispered something into Jane's ear, and she rolled her eyes, dropping her arms to her sides before making a face at Gabriela.

“I tire of this banter,” Odin said through his crow. “Destiny, as a citizen of the angelic realm, you murdered a fae, thus ending the truce. Angels, this is your chance to make amends. What is your offering?”

Michelle opened her mouth to speak, but Gabriela beat her to it. “We offer you her life. We’ll strip her wings and halo permanently, rendering her human. You can do with her whatever you like.”

Gabriela smirked at Destiny and swiped her hands across each other as if finally ridding herself of the burden.

“Your offering is accepted,” Odin said. “We will take her life, and the truce will remain intact. Frigg, Eostre, see to it.” The crow flapped its wings twice and disappeared in a cloud of black glitter.

Frigg gestured at Destiny, and Michelle strode toward her.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” her dad said as he hung his head. “I tried to keep you safe.”

“You can’t do this.” Pete shoved her behind his back, spreading his arms as if he could actually stop it from happening.

“It’s okay.” She tugged on his arm, but he refused to move. “You can’t get in the way of angelic business unless you want to be on trial too.”

“They can string me up by the fluff on my nuts before I’ll let them hurt you.” He jerked his head toward the goddesses. “Eostre, Destiny saved Easter. She saved us . Surely you didn’t agree to a death sentence.”

“Step aside, Peter,” Eostre said. “All her people will do is strip her angelic magic.”

“I won’t let this happen.” His eyes were wild, his pulse sprinting in his veins as Destiny clutched his wrist and stepped around his outstretched arms. “Don’t.”

“It’s okay.” She faced Michelle and let him go. “I’m ready to accept my punishment.”

Michelle’s expression didn’t change. Not even an ounce of pity or sympathy creased her brow as she laid a hand on Destiny’s chest.

Her stomach tightened, a heavy ball forming in her gut before drifting upward and expanding in her chest. Pinpricks gathered on her skin beneath Michelle’s palm, and the ball vibrated, rattling her to the core of her being. The room seemed to spin around her, and her head felt as if it might literally explode.

The sensation dissipated, and Michelle stepped away. “It is done.”

Destiny swayed on her feet, but as the room stilled, she didn’t feel pain or emptiness like she expected. She simply felt lighter.

Michelle returned to Gabriela’s side. “Her life is yours. Do with it what you will.”

“No!” Pete grabbed Destiny’s arm and stomped the floor, no doubt to open a rabbit hole and whisk her away.

“Not now, Peter.” Eostre held a hand toward him, and he froze. “Behave yourself, or I’ll send you home before we finish with her.”

Gabriela snickered. “I can’t wait to see this.”

Michelle cut her another look before turning to the goddesses. “What other charges have you brought against us?”

Other charges? Destiny rubbed her chest and leaned into Pete. “If it’s about his amnesia, I take full responsibility. Please don’t let my mistake affect the truce between our realms.”

“That is noble of you to say.” Eostre smiled softly.

Frigg glanced at her before turning her attention to Gaston. “Vampire, what evidence did your council uncover?”

Gaston straightened and stepped forward. “ Madame, Mademoiselle . We discovered the vampire responsible for turning your golden goose and punished him accordingly.”

“With a stake in the heart.” Jane made a stabbing motion before mouthing it’s more fun with my boot at Destiny and wiggling her ankle.

“Ahem.” Gaston glared at Jane before continuing. “Before the culprit expired, our interrogators were able to glean information about Helga’s endgame. She wished to usurp, not Eostre, but Odin himself.”

“And how did she plan to do this?” Frigg asked.

“You are aware of how she devised to insert herself into your council.” Gaston clasped his hands behind his back. “Once there, she intended to invite a team of angels to attack, giving them whatever insider information she could gather. She colluded with one angel in particular, who agreed to split the fae realm, allowing Helga to rule one part while she reigned over the other.”

“Which angel in particular?” Eostre arched a brow.

“That one.” Jane pointed at Gabriela. “Now can I use my lucky boots?”

“That will not be necessary,” Michelle said.

Gabriela scoffed. “Can you believe this? Me colluding with a vampire duck? The absurdity of it makes me laugh.”

Michelle rolled her eyes and pressed her palms together. “Gabriela, you are sentenced to five hundred years in the repository, after which our council with the fae will reconvene to determine if the punishment has sufficed.”

“What?” Gabriela shrieked. “You can’t be serious. You believe them?” She flung her arm at the vampires before glaring at Destiny. “You believe that sniveling little runt over me, your star manager?”

“Star ass kisser is more like it.” Destiny crossed her arms, apologizing for her language not even crossing her mind.

“You’re broken.” Gabriella jabbed a finger at her. “You always have been.”

“I’m not broken.” Destiny raised her head, straightening her spine. “I’m fine just the way I am, and I’m sorry I ever let you make me feel otherwise. You’re the one who’s broken.”

Gabriela gasped and narrowed her eyes, her jaw ticking before she opened her mouth. “You?—”

Michelle flicked her wrist, sending her to the repository in a cloud of baby blue dust. Then, she leveled her gaze at Destiny. “This will be the last time I see or hear from you. I will leave you to your punishment. Mark, return to our realm as soon as it has been dealt.”

“Yes, ma’am,” her dad said, and Michelle disappeared into the ether.

“Now, Destiny.” Frigg laced her fingers together. “About your life.”