Page 15 of Queens

“I do,” Mom admits. She absentmindedly rubs her stomach. “But we aren’t ready. Aziel was… He was devastated after Luca, and he needs more time.”

I frown. “It’s been over twenty years…”

“You can’t put an expiration date on grief, Cassia.”

I disagree, but that’s not an argument I care to get into right now. I don’t want to ruin this time with Mom. My plan is risky. Committing regicide is risky. I may return to Wrath in a body bag—assuming Mammon allows my body to be released to my family. There’s a chance she’ll keep me just to spite them. I wouldn’t put it past her.

“Why didn’t you retaliate against Mammon?” I ask.

My heart is pounding, and I’m grateful my fathers aren’t here. If they were, they’d hear it and sense my nerves. It would make them think, and I don’t want them thinking about me and my relationship with Mammon.

Mom can’t detect my heartbeat, though. She doesn’t have the hearing.

“It’s complicated,” she says. “I had a close friend, Rock. I’m not sure if you remember him—” She pauses, and I shake my head. I don’t know whom she’s talking about. “Well, he was infuriated by Luca’s death, and he took it upon himself to get revenge. He disappeared into Greed after the attack.”

Mom’s voice cracks, and she clears her throat before continuing. “He never returned, and it was eye-opening. Your fathers and I felt that enough blood had been shed. If we had killed Mammon, one of her children would have taken over and made us a target. It’s a cycle, and we needed to end it. You andyour siblings were too young to protect yourselves, and it wasn’t worth the risk.”

I have no recollection of this Rock Mom’s speaking about, but fuck him. They probably would’ve gone after Mammon if he hadn’t taken it upon himself to venture into Greed and take on Mammon himself.

“Is he dead?” I ask. “Did Mammon kill your friend?”

“I’m not sure. I assume so.”

I hum, but I keep my thoughts to myself. He failed, and in the process, he ruined my parents’ confidence.

“Why do you ask?” Mom asks.

It’s time to pull back. It’s not uncommon to ask about Luca, but we rarely talk about Mammon or his death. My parents refused to discuss it with us when we were children, which I suppose makes sense. I’ve never worked up the courage to ask about it as an adult.

Nothing Mom said has changed my mind. I’m still going into Greed, and I’m still going to slaughter Mammon. I don’t care if it angers the fates. I don’t care if they punish me. It’s a risk I’m more than willing to take.

I grab a shirt from my closet and shove it into my bag.

“If you do decide to have another child,” I say, changing the subject, “you have my support. I’ll watch them so you can go out.”

Mom laughs. I shoot her a dirty look.

“I love you with my whole heart, Cassia,” she says, still chuckling. “But you will never be asked to babysit.”

I frown. “I’m great with children.”

“You’re not.”

“That’s bullshit.”

I rip open the top drawer of my dresser and grab a handful of underwear, and Mom snorts as I unceremoniously dump them into my suitcase. She made it sound like she wanted to helpme pack, but all she’s done is watch and loudly judge. It’s not appreciated.

The air around me ripples, and Aziel appears a second later. He’s grumbling about something or other, but he stops as he fully emerges inside my room. He has a bad habit of disappearing in the middle of conversations, and this must be one of those times. I feel bad for whomever he was just with.

“Good morning, Cassia.” He dips his chin in my direction, then turns toward Mom. His entire body softens as they lock eyes. “Charlie…”

Mom slides off my bed, and I grimace when Aziel kisses her with just a little too much vigor. I understand how I was created, but I don’t need the reenactment.

“That’s enough,” I say. “Stop that.”

Aziel chuckles. I don’t think it’s funny.

I shove my last few items into my suitcase. I’m getting nervous, but I can’t let it show.