Page 13

Della

A vesh’s persistent calling for me was the only thing echoing around in my mind.

I had been sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the wall for hours.

No thoughts crossed my mind. Nothing. I had been numb since I saw Cassius two nights ago.

How had no one caught on to what I had been doing?

I closed my eyes as Avesh called to me again.

My memories were still coming back to me, and with each new one, I dug myself deeper into a hole.

Haden would be disappointed that he fell in love with a liar.

Avesh was disturbing my silence, so I used my star mist to go see him. When I appeared, he stumbled backward at the sight of me. His dark eyes stared at my black ones. I looked like the void, and I did not know how to feel anything. This was my magic, and I gave it to Haden.

“Ardella?” Avesh asked like I was someone completely different. I snapped out of my racing thoughts and looked at him.

“You called a million times for me.” I stared at him. He was pacing around a sitting room. The same sitting room we had been in years ago. His hands were going through his hair and pulling it like he was losing his mind.

My focus went to the book of Malamay and Diath. Why was that out?

“You have about two seconds to tell me before I leave, and I will not come back.” My voice was laced with irritation.

He stopped and stared at me. “Ivy, Goddess of Nature, is missing, and now I am getting hell’s flowers.”

I should care, but nothing stirred inside of me.

“You found your mate.”

“Yes, but she doesn’t know yet.”

I stared at the book of Malamay and Diath again. My interest was more in that than the safety of the gods. Who was looking into Malamay and Diath? Did I need to be worried that someone was getting too curious? I ignored Avesh’s concerns entirely.

“Why do you have that out?” I pointed to the book.

Avesh looked at me oddly. He picked it up and stared at the book, bound in black leather with silver glowing marks on the front.

“Brim wanted to see it.”

Damn it, Brim. He watched me as I stepped toward him, backing away like I would rip his soul out. I narrowed my eyes at him. Great, now I needed to be worried that Brim was remembering things that I made him forget as well.

“Give me the book and tell me what Brim wanted with it.”

Avesh stared at me and slowly handed me the book. I saw the concern swimming in the depths of his eyes. I flipped open the book to the image of Malamay taking Diath’s soul.

“He was asking about the red lilies, hell’s flowers, that were being left for gods. So I told him how Malamay promised Diath that he would create the flower for their children to have something pretty to look at in Hell.” Avesh scoffed like that was stupid.

“These flowers only grow in Hell?” I looked up at him, and he nodded. I knew that already, but I needed to play the part.

“Brim flipped through the book and saw the pictures of the seven gods of Hell and became very interested in it. I honestly didn’t even know that they were in the book. I was going to read through its entirety so I was up to date on my knowledge.”

I flipped through the book, taking in each portrait of the seven gods of hell. When I flipped to the youngest born, I paused at Haden’s handsome face. I read the information on him.

Magic: mind jumping, visions, frost, mind scrubbing, and probably some we didn’t know. Sin: Wrath: bouts of vengeance, overwhelming desire for justice even if he must obtain it in irrational ways.

Origin: Last-born child of Malamay and Diath, born of both his parents' stars. The first to try and break the curse on the seven gods of hell.

I stared at his portrait and sighed heavily. I was hoping the book had information I didn’t already know about him. But it was all the things I learned about him 500 years ago when I wrote the damn thing. I closed the book and handed it back to Avesh. I needed to go see Brim.

“I will tell my brother about Ivy and you.”

Then I left before he could even respond. Pia was staring at me when I came out of my room. She dropped her teacup on the floor, shattering it. I wasn’t sure why, but then Mikel stood up and backed away from me. Ah, yes, my black eyes.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he snapped.

“Ivy is missing with her mate, and now Avesh, the God of Knowledge, is getting lilies.”

I turned from him, and he called out for me, which was unusual. So, I turned back toward him, and a small hint of worry flashed in his eyes.

“We should call a meeting with the gods.”

“Then do it.” I shrugged and started to turn around again, but he kept talking.

“Well, are you free today?”

“I’m free for the rest of my life, Mikel. I have nothing going on, but even then I do not want to be a part of this stupid issue. You can figure it out on your own.”

“What the fuck is your problem? Since when don’t you care about the safety of the gods?” He was pissed. “And why are your eyes black?”

I turned around.

“Because I do not care about anyone. I do not care to help with this, so leave me out of it.”

“The stars will be disappointed in you,” he said like I would change my mind.

I laughed, and it scared the fuck out of Mikel.

“The stars can go fuck themselves.”

He paled. We were not to curse the stars, but I was so fucking full of rage that I wanted to climb into the heavens and kill them.

“Ardella, you cannot say shit like that.” He frowned.

“Yes, actually I can. I will not serve the stars after everything they did to me.”

“To you!” he yelled, and I saw his grief and anger bubbling up. “What about me? What about the fact that they did not punish you for taking Remiah from me?”

He walked toward me.

“You might want to choose your next move very carefully, Mikel. I am very fucking angry, and I will hurt you if you come at me.”

He stopped and stared at me, concern flashing in his eyes again.

“Seriously, what is wrong with you?” he demanded. “You are not acting like yourself, and since when are you okay with breaking god’s laws?”

“You don’t need to do that, Mikel. You don’t need to pretend to care about me. I understand that you hate me, so don’t waste your breath trying to do what you think the heavens would want from you.”

“You’re my sister.”

“I haven’t been your sister since I killed Remiah,” I said truthfully. He stared at me, and I couldn’t even pretend to be feeling like myself. Something dark and pissed off beyond reason was inside of me, and I couldn’t control it.

Then I headed back to my room and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall, trying to figure out what was going on inside of me.

Then a rage so violent pulsed through me after I thought of the life that the heavens teased me with.

But I fell in love with a God of Hell, and the heavens would never allow me to keep him.

Fuck the stars. I hated them. As I thought of it, I felt my arm burn as a new broken star seared into my skin.

A new treason, and I didn’t fucking care.

I looked around the room before deciding to go see Brim.

I needed to make sure he wasn’t remembering too much.

He would ruin my plans, and nothing would stop me from going through with it.