Page 32

Haden--Valynth

E zra and I had been sitting in these godsdamn woods of Nightfall Court for hours.

The forest here reminded me of Crimson, but everything seemed to be covered in moss.

The air was heavy with something that I couldn’t place my finger on.

But it felt suffocating. I couldn’t fucking take it anymore, so I stood up, and Ezra immediately followed my lead.

“What are you thinking?” Ezra asked.

“That I do not have time to waste sitting here. Della does not have the time.”

Ezra glanced around us and paused.

“Wha—” I started to ask, but he slammed his hand over my mouth. I narrowed my eyes at him as he shoved us violently behind a tree.

“Someone is near,” he whispered. His hand was still over my mouth, and he was too close to me.

I didn’t hear shit. I glanced around the woods. It was oddly silent, but it had been this way since I landed here. Not a soul had been seen since we arrived.

“I can feel an intense power.”

I smacked his hand from my face, and he gave me a boyish grin.

He seemed different from what the God of Souls should be—friendlier than I expected.

We both stood still, scanning the forest around us.

I was about to step forward when I saw her.

A woman in a dark cloak, with white hair tumbling out from under it.

Ezra’s eyes widened, and he nodded to the woman, letting me know that was who was pulsing with power.

I still didn’t feel it, but I would take his word for it.

We stalked her, silently, without much thought other than that we were curious where she was sneaking off to.

This woman was the first thing we had seen here.

No birds, no animals, not a single monster lurked.

I wondered if it was because they could feel her power like Ezra could.

She was silent as she moved through the darkened woods.

She seemed to be on a mission as she stepped with purpose.

Maybe she was hiding from something. I searched the darkened trees, expecting to see a monster.

When I turned back toward her, it was just in time to see a man as he stepped out from behind her.

Fuck, I couldn’t even warn her that he had a weapon as he lifted it in his meaty hand and pulled it back.

I started to open my mouth to warn her, but Ezra fucking tackled me to the ground.

I punched him, but he slapped me across the face and put his hand over my mouth.

“He’s here,” he whispered. “Shut up.”

My eyes flashed red, and he pulled his hand off of my mouth and climbed off of me.

We both lay on our stomachs in the tall grass, watching the woman that was about to be attacked.

At the last moment, just before his weapon pierced through her, she turned, driving her dagger up through his chin.

Both Ezra and I opened our mouths in a surprised ‘O’ as the man went limp immediately.

Fuck. She pulled her dagger out of the man’s head and stared at the body for a moment before wiping the blood from her blade on his shoulder. She let out a soft sigh.

Her hands slid the hood off, and I stared at how young she was. Her white hair was misleading; she was young like us.

“Grim,” a deep voice called out somewhere near her.

I saw a small smile tip her lips before it disappeared, and she turned toward the voice, but I couldn’t see anything at first.

“Death,” she hissed.

My attention was immediately on the man who appeared in front of her.

There was a weird cloud around him, and she glanced around as if she couldn’t see him.

I realized it was because he was shielding her from him with his odd black mist. Small black butterflies were fluttering around the two of them, glowing slightly gold and leaving a small golden light behind where they fluttered.

“I am in no mood for your attitude today, Grim.” He told her in annoyance. “Give me the damn soul and go home.”

“No,” she scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. “I killed the bastard; I get to keep the soul.”

Keep the soul? Ezra shot me a look of disbelief.

“Why must you be a pain in my ass every time we cross paths?”

She said nothing. Even from here, I could see the defiance etched into her expression.

Death moved closer to her, keeping his mist in front of only her so she couldn’t see him. She still didn’t flinch even though I could feel his power pulsing from where we hid in the grass.

“If you’re trying to intimidate me, it isn’t working.” She rolled her eyes. “Why are you so grumpy?”

“Because you are stealing souls that do not belong to you. I am the God of Death; they belong to me.”

She gave him a smile void of any warmth and then flashed her fangs at him when he muttered something I couldn’t hear. The woman was a vampire; we did not have vampires in Elloryon. Even though I was a god, I wondered if I should fear vampires.

“You’re so damn greedy. Aren’t gods supposed to be, like, nice and holy?”

He went still. “I am nice, just not to you.”

“Well, I find that very hard to believe.” She looked to his left, and I noticed two guards watching them, smiling at her. Were they his guards or hers?

“Grim, I’m in no mood for that smart mouth today.” But as he said it, he smiled at her. And that was a smile full of warmth.

“Are you saying you are sometimes in the mood for it?” The woman smiled. Fuck, there was a tension between the two of them that would make anyone blush.

He said nothing, but he ran his hand through his hair and tilted his head up to the sky.

He brought up his hands as if he was begging the skies for something.

The woman couldn’t see him, but the guards could because they were laughing softly.

He got closer to her, bending down slightly so they were eye level, but she didn’t know.

“She is impossible,” Death sighed.

“Are you going to let me have this soul, or do I need to fight you for it?” She pulled out her dagger and waved it around. She was threatening a god, which meant that she was either very brave or very fucking stupid.

He stood there staring at her. Then he moved a step toward her and gave her a soft smile that did not match the fake annoyance in his voice.

“I don’t have the energy to deal with you tonight,” Death mumbled. “Take it.”

“Smart choice, Death. You would’ve lost.” She tilted her head, waiting for him to say something to her, but he was just watching her like he was enchanted by her.

“Do you really think you could beat a god, Morrigan?”

She stepped toward him. “I think I could bring you to your knees, Death.”

Morrigan gave him a bright smile. Gods, I don’t think he was breathing. He closed his eyes tightly as he seemed to be trying to control himself.

“Grim,” he warned.

“I know, I know.” She rolled her eyes. “Keep my smart mouth to myself.”

Then she turned away from him and started to walk off without a word. I watched her walk off until a stick broke close to us. When I turned, a man taller than any fae I had ever seen before was towering over me. His red eyes burned above harshly drawn features.

“If you were about to follow Morrigan and hurt her, I would fucking annihilate you.”

I see why Brim knew he’d be lurking in Nightfall Court… Morrigan.

“Brim sent me to get help from the God of Death,” I said quickly because I knew he was not kidding in the slightest about annihilating me—I wasn’t even sure what he meant by that.

“Brim…the seer?” His eyes shifted to a color somewhere between blue and green. His arms were crossed over his chest. “Help with what?”

Ezra and I both stood up. I told him a very short version of what was happening with Della and the Gods of Hell. The god’s face did not move in the slightest. Gods, how did Morrigan not shrink away from his intensity? I turned away when the two men in black uniforms appeared behind him.

His guards.

“Is everything alright?” the blonde one asked.

“Yes.” Death ran his fingers through his hair.

“You want me to help you rip their souls from their bodies?”

“Yes. Brim said you were the only one that could help me. My wife can also do this, but she has recently lost her soul, so I need your help.”

“Your wife can rip out souls? Is she the Goddess of Death?”

“Goddess of Life,” I sighed.

“Goddess of Life, huh. Just like my sister.”

“Your sister is the Goddess of Life?” I was confused.

“Yes, but remember each realm has its own set of gods. She can’t rip souls from bodies, but I can. Interesting that gods with the same titles can’t perform the same practices.”

My chest ached with worry. “So, can you help? Brim told us to tell you that my siblings approached your brother Artemis to help them, and he agreed.”

“Fucking wonderful. Of course, my brother is helping them, the greedy fucking prick. My brother would never allow me to leave, which means I would have to do it quickly, and I don’t know how quickly I could get to you when you need me.”

I could feel a tugging in my chest. Was this Della? I rubbed my chest as our mating bond ached.

“Is something wrong?” he asked when he saw me rubbing my chest.

“Ardella,” I said. “My mate, she is upset.” I waved my hand in front of me towards the mating bond he couldn’t see. “She is sending overwhelming emotions through the bond.”

“Mate,” he said the word as if it had punched him in the gut. “You found your mate?” His eyes filled with something like sorrow. His intensity vanished, replaced by a wave of grief.

“Yes, but she has fallen from the grace of the heavens, and I only have a few days to save her and kill the Gods of Hell.”

His glanced at me oddly, like he wanted to say something.

“Brim sent you to me? How is he?” He paused for a long moment before looking back at his two guards, who were watching us oddly. “It’s odd that he is allowing you to call him Brim.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Death looked at me and sighed. “I didn’t think he told others his name. He was secretive about it when I met him.”