Page 15

Della

T hese fucks. I yelled so loudly I thought I might pass out, because they were ignoring me. I yelled for the stars to come talk to me. They would come; they always did, but they were taking their sweet-ass time, and it was pissing me off beyond reason. I was running out of time, and I needed them.

“Get down here, and speak to me!” I demanded as I looked up at the night sky, the stars above twinkling with their mockery.

These pricks were pissing me off more and more.

The gods did not understand that the stars had no real power over us, but I needed to pretend that I didn't know that.

Only the old gods were supposed to know these secrets.

“I swear to everything holy, I will start destroying this fucking realm!”

Still nothing. I knew they could hear me— I could feel them close by. Smiling, I glanced around before realizing what would get them out of hiding.

“I will start ripping souls from your precious gods!” I was not bluffing. My wrath was ready to sacrifice everything for the stars to answer for their part in this.

I lifted my hands, and lightning began striking the ground everywhere in the field near me. Each strike was more violent than the last, shaking the ground beneath my feet. I could feel my eyes shifting to black as I ran through the names of the gods to find one I could kill.

“Which god shall I kill first?” I yelled to the night sky. “Perhaps Elra, Mateo, or Daya?”

My eyes widened when four streaks fell from the sky like shooting stars.

That’s what I thought. Their light was blinding as I stopped my lightning and squinted.

Suddenly the light was gone, and four cloaked figures stood in front of me.

Their cloaks glowed like the stars, silvery with specks of shimmering light within them.

“Ardella, Goddess of Life, you have been summoned to the star council,” a man said with the most authoritative voice I had ever heard, a voice that held a tinge of familiarity about it.

“It’s about damn time,” I hissed.

He sighed heavily with annoyance before their magic wrapped around us.

After a moment, I opened my eyes and took in the large, circular room we were in.

The walls were completely made of glass so we could see that we were in the dark sky surrounded by the rest of the stars.

There were eight cloaked figures now, all sitting on wooden thrones in front of me.

“Ardella, you really did not need to start threatening the Gods of Hell for us to come get you.”

“Yes, I did. You ignored me, and since I didn’t hear from you for almost ten years, you have some fucking explaining to do.

” I was hardly in control of my wrath. My body shook with anger as I tried my best to compose myself.

They were silent for a moment, so I kept talking.

“If you lie to me, I swear I will lose my mind.”

“We could just kill you,” their leader said, but he didn’t know that I was aware that they could not overpower me. He would lose if he tried.

I smiled.

“Good fucking luck, asshole. You don’t have power over me; you need me, but I do not need you.

” He didn’t say anything, but I could feel his annoyance with me.

They thought I was stupid. They thought that they were tricking me into helping them because I was in love with Haden.

But once again, I was the one in control.

They were helping me, and they had no idea.

“What do you want to know?”

“I asked for help finding the Book of the Dead . Did you find it for me or not? I upheld my end of the bargain, but I can take it back. You’ve had years to find it, and if you do not give it to me, then I will go to Hell and rip those fucking gods into tiny pieces.”

He hesitated for a moment. “Yes.”

“You son of a bitch, you better say more than one word, or I swear I will see if my magic works on you as I rip your soul from your body.”

His shoulders shook slightly, like he was laughing. My eyes narrowed.

“There was a reason why you were always my favorite, Ardella—such passion. We know where the book is, and you can go get it yourself. A witch coven has it.”

My chest burned with anger. He was such an asshole. “Which one?”

“That is for you to figure out.” There was amusement in his voice. “You look like you might strangle me, Ardella.”

He really thought this was funny. Meanwhile, I was contemplating how I would kill him.

“I’m still deciding if I should rip your body apart before I take your soul or if I should just gut you.” My eyes flashed red, and he immediately sighed.

“You are really going to do this? Have you thought this through? You will fall from the grace of the stars.”

No, I wouldn’t. I would fall from the grace of the heavens.

“Haden is worth it.” I stared at him. He thought I didn’t know who he was under that damn cloak, but I did. It was why he would allow me to do this and not stop me. I glanced around at all of them—why all of them would step aside and let me taint my soul. They wanted me to release the Gods of Hell.

“He is a God of Hell, and you are a god of the heavens; it would never work between you two.” He always tried to persuade me to leave Haden. “He's considered dangerous.”

“Why? Because he is the God of Wrath? How delusional can you be to really believe that our realm is not already full of wrath, envy, greed, pride, sloth, gluttony, and lust? Those are all natural to feel; it doesn’t make the gods inherently bad.

I could be considered bad to some too, to those who feel like living is suffering.

War is bad for the side that loses, and justice is bad for those who do not ever receive any.

You can make anything bad with perspective. ”

“Ardella, you know what I mean. You are born of the heavens, and he is born of hell. The heavens will never allow you to keep him.”

“Yes, they will, and I do not need anyone’s permission to love him.

” I glared at him. “We damned them to Hell for the faults of their mother . And what does it matter that I was born of the heavens when I am helping you get the Gods of Hell out? I will be damned for my treasons. Haden and I are perfect for each other.”

“Haden messed with fate; it is his fault he is in this mess, not his mother’s.”

Oh, I struck a nerve. I smiled because I knew that he really thought I didn’t know who I was talking to.

“No, Haden was fixing fate. I was always meant to be his—s omeone messed with our mating bond.”

I knew it was them. The stars had hired a witch to try and hide the mating bond. That is why it was so faded that day, but it was there. And maybe the heavens did give Holden a bond with me to punish me, but even that didn’t keep me from Haden.

“You are mated to another man,” he said, irritated. “You do not have a bond with Haden.”

I sighed with relief. I was worried that they knew I was mated to Haden and would tell his siblings. Especially since they were trying to make me end up with Mateo. They thought I still had a mating bond with Holden. Idiots.

“You shouldn’t be angry with the stars for all the issues happening. The old gods and heavens decided Malamay, Diath, and their children’s fates. Be angry at them.”

I was, but not for the reason he thinks.

There was a long pause before he sighed heavily. “You gave the Gods of Hell the Book of Dark Magic ?” he asked. “So they can use it against the gods?”

“Yes. I left it in Hell for them.” I swallowed hard at my treason. “Just like I promised, unlike you, who is making me search for the fucking book. I should go back down there and take it back until I have the Book of the Dead .”

“Careful,” he warned.

“I am not scared of you.” I glared. “I am helping the Gods of Hell escape, and you couldn’t get the book in your greedy little hands and give it to me? You only gave me half of your side of the bargain.”

He chuckled softly. “You said to find it. I found it—you’re welcome.”

“Maybe I should only let half the gods out of Hell.” I stepped toward him with anger.

The others just sat in their chairs watching the exchange. I didn’t need to see their faces to know who they were. Disappointment coursed through me; they had all turned their backs on Elloryon, the old gods, and the heavens. And for what, power and greed? They would all die for it.

“Gods, Ardella, you are not like the other gods and goddesses. What will the gods say when they learn that you are their villain—that you helped the Gods of Hell because you fell in love with one of them?”

I needed to calm down. These guys couldn’t be aware that I was on to them.

“I do not care what they say. You promised me that no harm would come to Haden from you or his siblings if I did this. I want to hear you promise it again.”

He took a step forward, and the scent of a frosty, winter morning filled my lungs. Haden’s face popped into my mind at the smell, and it made my throat tight with longing.

“Do you not trust me?” He sounded offended that I didn’t. I didn’t answer him.

He sighed heavily when he realized I would not be answering him.

After a moment he slid his hood off, and stormy blue eyes gazed at me.

My chest stopped moving. My heart wasn’t beating.

Everything was at a standstill. I knew it was him, but seeing him stand in front of me felt surreal.

He trusted me enough to show me it was him.

The idiot was falling straight into my trap.

“Malamay.”

He gave me a smile that resembled everything about Haden. God, he and Haden looked nearly identical except for the hair. Malamay’s hair was brown instead of dark blonde.

“I appreciate how much you love my son, but there is a lot at stake here.”