Page 25

Cassian

I can barely believe my eyes as I stare up at my mom and aunts.

Are they truly here?

And if they are, how?

“My sweet boy.” Mom smiles softly, her hand cupping my cheek.

My eyes fall shut as my tears spill over. I can feel her hand on my cheek. It’s been so long since I felt her touch or heard her voice.

“I missed you so much,” I murmur, surging to my feet and wrapping my arms around her.

She still feels small in my arms, but it’s been that way since I grew up. I’m over a foot taller than her and my aunts. They all hover right around five feet tall and petite in stature—although that’s easy to forget with the power they exude.

“How are you here?”

Mom pulls back, patting my chest, and I reluctantly release her. “The end of the battle woke us.”

I stare at her, trying to comprehend why the end of the battle would wake them.

I might have inherited some of my mom’s abilities, but understanding the ominous choice of words isn’t one of them.

She and my aunts are known for talking around a topic, never really giving an answer, and I’ve never been able to read between the lines with them.

“Umm…okay?”

My aunts laugh as they move up to hug me. Then, as one, their eyes turn to Audrey.

“Hello, daughter,” they say in unison, and a shiver runs down my spine.

I hate it when they do that. It’s creepy as hell.

“Umm…hello…Fates?” Audrey’s eyes are wide as she glances toward me, but I don’t kn ow what to tell her. I have no idea why they’re looking at her like that.

Taking pity on her, I step over and wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Audrey, this is my mom, Claudia, and my aunts, Laurel and Athelina. Mom. Aunties. This is my mate, Audrey.”

“We’ve met,” Mom says with a smile.

I’d almost forgotten that they had come to Audrey once before.

“How did you manage that?” I ask, hurt panging in my chest. I tried for so long to reach them in their sleep, but I never could. If they could reach out, then why was it to my mate and not me?

“Oh, sweet boy.” Aunt Laurel offers me a soft smile. “When we were forced to sleep, we weren’t at full power. We could feel you reaching out to us and hated that we couldn’t respond. We had to reserve what little power we had left for when your mate sought us out.”

I bite my cheek so I won’t demand they explain in more detail. I’m a grown-ass man, and I shouldn’t whine about being unable to reach them when they’d been placed in a magically induced sleep.

My mate doesn’t seem to have the same problem. “But why? Why me? Why was it so important that you ignore your own blood to speak to me?”

“Because we knew this moment was coming. It hurt us to hurt Cassian, but if you failed to defeat Michael, then none of the gods would be able to wake.” Aunt Athelina looks between me and Audrey.

“We would’ve loved to speak to you, Cassian.

We heard every word you spoke to us, and it gave us hope.

It’s what kept us going when we could’ve lost ourselves to the abyss as some of the other gods have. ”

Lucifer clears his throat, coming to stand on the other side of Audrey. “Athelina, Claudia, and Laurel, it’s good to see the three of you awake and among us once more. I’m sorry to interrupt this moment, but what’s this about the other gods?”

Mom shoots me one last smile. “We’ll continue our conversation shortly, my boy. As for the gods, some of them may be forever lost to us. They haven’t fared as well in their sleep.”

“Are we even going to be able to wake them?” Lucifer asks, frowning.

Aunt Laurel nods. “The future isn’t written in stone, but there is a chance of bringing back all the gods. ”

“But it’s not guaranteed.” He doesn’t phrase it as a question. Why would he?

He’s spent just as much if not more, time with the three of them as I have. Nothing with them is ever guaranteed.

The strings of fate are forever changing. A single decision made by one can cause ripples throughout the destiny of many.

It’s a pain in the ass, if you ask me.

“As with everything,” Mom agrees. “There are many factors that could change the outcome.”

Lucifer nods. “We’ll be reconvening in the war council room shortly. Fates, I would appreciate it if you would join us.”

Mom inclines her head. “We will be there.”

I can feel the others crowding in behind us, Wraith moving to take Lucifer’s empty spot beside Audrey when he walks away.

“Are you going to introduce us to the rest of your…friends?” Aunt Athelina asks with a smirk.

“This is Wraith, also known as Death—one of the four horsemen—and Donovan, who’s a hellhound. They’re my chosen mates,” I tell them with a roll of my eyes. They’re always so fucking nosy. “This is Brenden. He’s a vampire and a teacher at the academy. And this is Nex— “

Mom hums. “The mate who was the deciding factor of whether my baby boy got his happy ending.”

Nex blanches, taking a step back. “I wasn’t… I didn’t…”

“I know.” Mom waves him off. “Remember, we see all.”

Now, it’s my turn to flinch. “Don’t let her lie to you. They don’t see everything—unless that was a lie.”

The three of them laugh, but it’s Aunt Laurel who answers.

“No, it wasn’t a lie. We don’t see the more intimate moments, or even most of the events of people’s lives.

What we do see are the points in each person’s life that could change the path they walk.

Because Nex’s destiny is so intertwined with Audrey, and therefore you, we might have peeked more often than we would have for the average person. ”

“But we also know why you made the decisions you did, as your sister’s death was a major turning point in your life,” Aunt Athelina continues. “It’s what started you on the path to become one of Audrey’s mates.”

Nex shakes his head. “That’s almost too much to believe. That was so long ago.”

“And yet, it still affects you now.” Mom lifts her eyebrows, daring him to argue with her.

It’s a look I know well. When he says nothing, she turns to Audrey.

“As we told you when we spoke, you and Wren both have a destiny to be fulfilled. Your part is now done, but your sister’s story has just begun.

With that being said, you still have a decision to make.

We told you that you would have three mates or five, and that was true—to a point.

“With only three mates, there was a higher chance of failure for you today. I know it was a hard decision to mate with Nex in the way you did, but doing so is a large portion of why you succeeded. With that being said, as of now, you only have four mates, and if that’s all you desire, then that’s how it should be.

With Nex’s death and subsequent resurrection, any mate bonds he held broke upon his death.

It is up to you whether you choose to bond with him again. ”

Audrey’s eyes seek out Nex, a smile forming when she finds him.

“Losing Nex was one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with—especially paired with losing my sister at the same time.

I think I had to lose them both in order to become what I was meant to be, but I never plan on it happening again.

Losing him, even for just a few moments, was too much to bear. ”

My mom and aunts hum, nodding in perfect synchronization—another thing that freaks me out on the regular.

“You are correct, necromancer,” Aunt Athelina tells her.

“Their deaths are what unlocked the powers hidden inside of you. As Wren’s death is what unlocked hers.

There was once a time when three-quarter blood gods were abundant.

A time when necromancers, phoenixes, and many others roamed the earth freely.

Until some gods grew greedy, not wanting their offspring to be nearly as powerful as they are. ”

Mom nods, taking over for my aunt. “With yours and Wren’s birth, a new age began.

Most will not remember that time in our history, but we can never forget it.

While you may be the only two three-quarter gods, it will not remain so.

There are many types of supernaturals that have been lost to us that will reappear in the coming years.

Your children, no matter who you have them with, will share your three-quarter blood status, as will their children and their children after them.

I’m sure you get the idea. But there will be others. ”

I’m not sure the last time I heard my mom or aunts give such a straight-to-the-point response to anything. It makes me stand up straighter, knowing this is important. I don’t know why yet, but when the Fates speak without riddles, you have to pay attention because it’s going to affect your life.

“Umm…hi?” Wren joins us, the three horsemen behind her—surprising no one, I’m sure. “You mentioned my story is just beginning?”

Aunt Laurel gives her a soft smile. “Hello, Wren Nathaniel. We’re happy to make your acquaintance.

I’m sure it’s not what you want to hear, but today was the beginning of your destiny.

There is much left in this world for you to do.

We cannot give you the specifics—as we were unable to give them to Audrey—but when the opportunity comes, you’ll know. ”

Wren wrinkles her nose. “Well, that’s not at all cryptic.”

“Welcome to dealing with the Fates,” I tell her with a laugh. “Try growing up with them.”

“Oh, hush, you.” Mom swats at my arm. “You love us.”

I nod. “Of course I do. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating as hell dealing with the roundabout answers when I would ask a question.”

Mom hums. “I can see your point. It’s hard for us.

We can never give away too much, as it can change fate—she is a fickle master.

Plus, we wanted you to grow up like everyone else.

We didn’t want you to rely on us because of the knowledge we carry.

You needed to be independent so that you were able to fulfill your destiny. ”

As always, I understand what she’s saying.

It doesn’t change the frustration that came with growing up surrounded by those who knew the answers but refused to share them with me.

That also doesn’t make me love them any less.

They’re my family, and as much as I complain, I wouldn’t change anything about my childhood.

I was loved and cared for. I was taught right from wrong. I was taught to be independent but to care for others.

They’re the reason I’m the man I am today.

“So…” Audrey glances around. “Does anyone know how the hell I’m supposed to get the zombies back in their graves? Or what to do about the dead angels? ”

I chuckle at the look on her face, but I have no clue. It’s not as if I’ve ever been around a necromancer before.

Luckily, Wraith is here to save the day as usual.

“For the bodies that rose from their graves, you just need to command them to return to their graves. As part of the cleanup, someone will have to recover their graves, but that’s something Lucifer and the other gods should take care of.

Same with the angels’ bodies. Without your magic animating them, they’re nothing more than a corpse. ”

Audrey gazes off, her eyes stopping on each of the dead bodies. “It’s so wasteful—all this death. I don’t like it.”

“None of us do,” Donovan says with a sigh. “It was needless and unnecessary, but most wars lead to just that, unfortunately.”

“I hope we never have to deal with another war,” she declares, and I watch my aunts and mom exchange a glance.

While I can’t be sure what it means, it leads me to believe this isn’t the last battle we’ll see in our lifetimes.

Honestly, it’s not a surprise, considering we’re all immortal—mostly, anyway .

“War is an inevitability,” Octavius says with a wry smile. “No matter how much we wish it wasn’t. There will always be a war or a battle to be fought by someone. All we can do is try our best to prevent any major ones like this.”

And if anyone knows about war, it’s War himself.

Desolation settles over the group, ruining what should be a celebration, and that just won’t do.

“Enough of the heavy talk,” I declare. “We’ve had enough of that to last us multiple lifetimes. We need to make our way back to the underworld, but I’d really like to see Audrey put the bodies back to rest. I love how powerful my mate is.”

Audrey smiles, ducking her head as she flushes, but she doesn’t deny my words.

When it’s time, Nex and I join Audrey in the sky to watch the corpses ramble back to their graves. It really is hot how powerful she is.

Too bad we have a meeting to attend or I might have tried to convince her to sneak off so I can show how hard it gets me.

Alas, we must deal with our responsibilities first.