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“You know Brim, he knows everyone’s business,” Ezra chimed in. “He even told us you’d be lurking in the woods of Nightfall Court.”

“Lurking…” Death’s voice was unamused as his gaze moved to Ezra. “I wasn’t lurking. I was soul collecting.”

“Well, actually you didn’t collect any souls. Your lady friend did, which is very interesting because she isn’t a goddess.” Ezra stepped back when Death’s pissed-off gaze stared into him, and his jaw clenched.

“Grim and I have an understanding about soul collecting, and if you breathe a word of what she did, I will find your home and burn it down with you inside. Then I will rip your soul into so many pieces that you can never be reborn.”

Ezra lifted his hands up in the air and grinned. “Brim also said you were grumpy.”

Death stepped toward Ezra.

“For fuck’s sake, man. I am not going to tell anyone that your girlfriend can collect souls even though she is a mortal vampire .” Ezra’s eyes bore into Death. “Do you realize how much power is pulsing from her because of all the souls inside of her? It’s intoxicating.”

I realize now why I never felt her power. Ezra was the God of Souls; he could feel them within her. Death stared at Ezra, his expression unreadable.

“You just don’t know when to shut the fuck up, do you? I will not talk about Morrigan with you, another male god.”

“If you are worried that I am interested in your lady, think again,” Ezra scoffed.

“She would never give you a second glance,” he said, staring down Ezra. The guards behind Death stared at the two of them bickering like they would have to hold Death back.

“I have a mate, so turn down your possessiveness.” Ezra gave him a sassy look. “I’m just making sure you know that if I sensed her power, then others will too. You should protect your mate better. A power like that will attract the wrong attention.”

Death’s eyes widened at Ezra’s words, but honestly, I wasn’t sure which ones because Ezra kept digging his own grave.

“Grim?” he said, strained. “She is not my mate.”

“She’s not?” Ezra and I both asked.

“No, Grim is not mine. Not all of us will get mates.”

There was an odd sense of grief coming from him. I felt bad about asking because it was clear he was upset about this. His guards looked at us and motioned for us to shut the hell up. Death sighed heavily as he looked away from Ezra.

“I would like to help you, especially since you have found your mate, and that is a treasure that not all of us will get. But I cannot guarantee that I can get to you right when you need me. I am a prisoner here, and I will have to sneak away and help quickly.”

“Thank you.” I smiled. “That is all we ask.”

Death nodded before clenching his jaw tightly. “Can you do me a favor?” he asked.

“Anything.”

“When you see Brim, will you tell him that I said his vision came true, we were too late to stop it, and now there is no way out? Our fates are broken.”

I frowned but agreed to tell Brim.

“I really do have to go before my brother notices I am gone for too long.”

I nodded, but before he left, he stopped and turned to us. He struck out his hand, and I gripped it. A searing pain shot through my arm, and when I looked down, I saw a black butterfly marked into the entirety of the back of my hand.

“Death’s omen. It will connect us through the magic barriers so I can hear you, but you must call for me as the God of Death for me to hear anything. Once you do, I will come as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Death.”

“I’ll find you soon.” He gave me a sad smile before he and his two guards disappeared.

“I think he and I will be great friends.” Ezra smiled at me when I looked at him. “He’s a little rough around the edges, but I think I made quite the impression on him.”

“He almost murdered you.”

“But he didn’t; that is what is important.” Ezra looked me over for a moment. He had lost his damn mind. “What do you think he meant about them not getting mates? Aren’t all gods promised that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe not in the other realms.” I glanced around the dark woods. “We should go check in with Thea and Cassius.”

“Let’s go then.”

?★★★?★★★?

Thea and Cassius stood up off the couch immediately when we arrived back at their home. I instantly became tense at their faces. They looked as if they had a hell of a day.

“What happened?” I asked.

“We found her in Akecia,” Cassius started.

“She slaughtered a ton of men. Not just slaughtered, she made a public spectacle about it. Women would come to her and tell her of men that hurt them; Della would go hunt them down and bring them back for a very public display of execution. She is on a rampage to cleanse the realm.”

My entire body tensed. Why would she be doing something so specific?

“What the fuck? That is an oddly specific form of wrath,” I said.

“Did she see you two?” Ezra asked.

“Yes, she smiled when she saw us, like she recognized us, but then she announced to everyone that she had to go and fucking vanished.” Thea frowned. “Haden, her power pulsing from her is like nothing I have ever felt.”

“Great.” I rubbed my forehead. “My wife has gone completely fucking mad.”

“No, she hasn’t,” Ezra said. “Wrath is about vengeance, anger, and hatred. It is often misguided and doesn't always root itself with logic. Della’s targets are too specific for her to be out of control. Even at my castle, she did not hurt all of my slaves. She went to the room of the Hell-bound souls and killed the slaves there. She is being selective in who she is hurting.”

Ezra smiled at us like he'd solved everything.

“Don’t you see? Maybe she is partly in control of her wrath, even without her soul. Della is using this ‘evil’ power for good. But probably to help get some of the rage out and get better control of it. Della is still in there somewhere.”

I looked at Ezra.

“It’s like when I was void.” I looked at Thea and Cassius.

“Maybe she is like that too, two sides. Maybe the bad side is in control, but Della is trapped in there. If that is true, then I need to get to her; I can make her nice side come out. Ezra is right; wrath does not care about the consequences. If she wanted to kill for fun, she’d kill everyone.

And she smiled at you two, which means maybe she does remember some things. ”

Hope filled my chest. Storm was still in there, but could I get to her in time before wrath took control of her completely? I sighed heavily because we didn’t know where she was.

“How can we find her?” I asked.

“We don’t know.” Cassius frowned. “Maybe we will get word that there is a woman slaughtering a fuck ton of men again.”

“What did the God of Death say?” Thea asked.

“He is going to help us the best he can, but it will be difficult for him to get to us immediately.”

Thea nodded before suddenly looking around the room and grabbing Cassius’ arm with worry. Her eyes scanned around us. “Do you all feel that?” she asked.

“No.” Cassius glanced around us. “What is it, my love?”

Thea looked over my shoulder and out of the windows. Her face paled.

“Della’s power is close by. I’m pretty sure she is in the woods watching us.” Thea swallowed hard. “Don’t look,” she said quickly.

“I’m not going to lie, I am completely fucking scared right now,” Ezra whispered. He stepped closer to me.

I saw Thea’s eyes flicker around the woods outside. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. She was here, and I could feel her eyes on me.

“I think she is just spying,” Thea said. “Cassius, kiss me. Everyone, act normal.”

Cassius pulled Thea to him and gave her a lingering kiss. I grabbed Ezra’s shoulder, our backs still toward the window.

“Don’t be scared, Ezra. Thea is right. If she were here to hurt us, she would have attacked us already. She is watching us for some reason. I can feel her eyes on me.”

There was a tugging on our mating bond, but I didn’t turn around because I had a feeling that she would be pissed if she knew that we sensed her.

“For fuck’s sake, I did not make a friend just for her to fucking kill me days later,” Ezra mumbled.

“She won’t kill us,” I said confidently. My thoughts cut off when I felt a surge of desire through our bonding tattoos. Fuck, that had not happened before. My fingers dug into Ezra’s shoulder.

“What is wrong?” Ezra asked.

“She is sending…feelings…through our mating bond.”

Gods above, I was going to chase her down if she didn’t stop it.

I let go of Ezra’s shoulder and tried to focus on anything but the powerful emotions she was forcing through our bond.

Quickly, I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the counter and gripped it so tightly my fingers ached.

Storm, you are going to fucking kill me.

“Maybe I should go out there.” I could not block the feelings from her. My chest was heaving as her desire pumped through me.

“No, what if she is trying to get you to come out there so she can murder you?” Ezra’s point was logical, but I did not fucking care. She could murder me at this point. As long as she put her hands on me and eased this carnal longing and desire that was slamming into me violently.

Without warning, the feelings ceased immediately, and I turned back toward the windows to see if she left.

But I jumped back, startled when I saw that she was right next to the window, her head tilted to the side.

Her hair was soaking wet. Her red eyes stared directly at me, and they were still vacant of emotion or recognition.

“Storm,” I whispered.

Then she looked me straight in my eyes and smiled. Something about the gesture seemed as if she were marking me—claiming me in a way I didn’t understand.

She pointed at me, and I could feel the tugging on our mating bond.

Everyone was watching us without saying a word.

Then she pointed and tapped her right arm before pointing back at me.

I lifted my arm and rolled up my sleeve to show her my bond she gave me.

Her eyes traced over it slowly before looking at me; something flickered in her eyes.

I nearly fell to my knees when she sent waves of desire through the bond again. My eyes did not leave hers as she watched me closely, studying me as if I were the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.

“Fuck.” I groaned. I couldn’t take it. Before any of them could stop me, I hurried out of the door. “Storm!” I yelled for her.

“No need to shout,” she purred.

She flicked her wrist, slamming the door to the house shut and blocking it so Thea, Cassius, and Ezra could not come to me.

“Storm.”

“Haden.”

I let out a shaky breath as she lifted her hand up. Her fingers traced down my face slowly, appreciating the feel of me. My eyes gazed into hers, and there was a small glint of something in them that made me feel better.

“Please don’t leave again.”

Della smiled as she gripped the back of my neck, yanking me down to her mouth. I hummed as her mouth dominated mine. She yanked me flush against her and shoved her tongue into my mouth. Her hands dragged through my hair as my hands gripped her hips, tugging her to me harder.

I didn’t feel it at first. The sharp, stinging pain that started in my stomach and radiated through me. Pulling away from Della, I looked down to see a small knife sticking out of me. I glanced at Della, and she smiled.

“That was too easy.”

I pulled the knife from my stomach and stared at her. Blood began pouring out of the wound. Shit, the pain was becoming worse. I stepped forward and grabbed her by the back of the neck, yanking her to me. I held the knife to her throat as my eyes bounced between hers.

“Go ahead.” She smiled.

“Storm, what the fuck was that for?”

“I want you to come with me to Hell.” She tilted her head.

“Why?”

She grinned. “That is my secret.” Her eyes were gleaming.

Gods, she really was a fucking lunatic right now.

But she was captivating when she was like this.

I closed my eyes as I tried to find anything about my unhinged wife that was not attractive.

When I opened my eyes, she bit her lip as her gaze traveled over my face.

“You are so handsome.”

“Let me guess, you are going to kiss me again because you have another weapon?”

“No, I just like kissing my husband,” she whispered.

My face gave away my emotions. “You remember me?”

“Do you really think I would forget you?”

I swallowed hard. She reached forward, the knife in my hand cutting into the skin on her neck slightly as she kissed me fleetingly.

“I wanted you out here when I confronted your father, and he is hiding from me. So, I thought if I stabbed you, he would come running—or rather, falling.” Her gaze landed on me. “I made sure to stab you where it wouldn’t hit any major organs.”

How damn gracious of her. It still fucking hurt.

“Wh—”

“And I know Thea will heal you.”

Della stepped away from me. What the fuck was she talking about?

The door to the house suddenly popped open, and immediately Thea healed my wound.

Della winked at me and then backed away from us.

She lifted her hands to the sides and summoned lightning, laughing as it crackled and struck the ground over and over again.

Della smiled at me before opening her mouth and confusing the fuck out of me.

“Malamay!” she yelled.

I instantly stiffened.

“Malamay!” she yelled so violently that the ground shook.

Lightning lit up the sky as Della’s eyes became pure white, but her wrath was still pulsing from her.

After a moment, the dark sky above us lit up as stars came barreling out of the heavens, falling like blazing comets crashing to the ground.

I knew that if they didn’t slow down before they hit the earth, the impact would probably kill even us gods.

Della’s smile was that of a woman who had just won a war.

Three golden streams of light streaked down and faded as they settled on the ground in between us.

When their light faded, three cloaked figures stood in front of us; the cloaks were the same color as the stars, shimmering like the night sky. What the fuck was happening?

“Ardella, you have become quite eccentric with your tactics to summon us here.” His voice was deep and familiar.

“You’ve been ignoring me.” Her hands dropped to her sides. “How many men did I slaughter in Akecia to try and get you down here?”

The man in the middle sighed heavily as he rubbed his face, which was hidden by the hood of the cloak.

“333.” The man’s shoulders shook slightly, like he thought it was funny. “Did you think using a holy number would make us come?”

Della smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “A little.” She looked at the one in the middle and smiled. “I’m starting to think I am not your favorite goddess anymore. Is it because I fell from the grace of the stars?” She stepped toward him angrily, and he didn’t move. “You lied to me, Malamay.”

I froze at the name. “Father?”

He turned towards us and lowered his hood.

“Son.”