Page 36

Ari was physically much larger than God, as he stood before him, but it was a mirage. Clearly, he was far more powerful—something Ari hadn’t experienced since becoming a vampire.

“Why are you here?” he growled.

“Let me help you reword that; thanks for showing up and saving the day, God.”

“Jesus, you’re a dick.” Ari shook his head.

“Says the vampire who allowed humanity to self-destruct after I gave you and your brother enormous powers.”

Ari’s brows shot through the roof. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“Now would seem like a good time.”

“That’s why you did it? To save humanity? They did this.”

God shrugged and walked over to Sage, ducking to study her face and Ari’s fists clenched.

“She’s beautiful. Good choice.”

Pride snuck in despite being angry. Sage was his everything, and he agreed she was the most beautiful thing on the planet.

In existence.

So smart, loving, and beautiful.

“Took your time finding her.” God winked.

Unbelievable.

“She wasn’t born until twenty-something years ago.” Ari rolled his eyes and widened his stance. “Are you going to help us or is this little visit just a goodbye?”

Suddenly, God’s sense of humor faded.

He glanced around at the prince and king, then back to him.

“Yes, is the answer to your other question. I gave you and Gio the ability to stop humanity self-destructing. They advanced too soon. I saw it coming. Everything must have balance,” God explained, and like he was a college professor, waved his hand around as he spoke and paced.

“When I saw the path of their evolution, I realized I had to pivot. Redirect, so to speak.”

Ari listened, but it only made him angrier.

“We aren’t a factory line.” He growled.

“I’m not looking for your agreement, Ari Moretti. This is how nature works. There are multiple realities happening at any one time. Did you know that in a parallel universe you are a fictional character and quite the book boyfriend... never mind.”

“Stop. What?”

“I’m digressing. Nature needs balance and vampires were my creation intended to keep humanity from imploding.”

Which they had. And now, to punish him further, he got to sit on hold and watch the final millisecond on his own as the world incinerated.

“Clearly, didn’t work.” Ari sneered.

With a hand on his chin, God let out one of those hmmm noises like he was out of milk and looking for an alternative to his recipe.

Ari uncrossed his arms and ran a hand through his hair. There was no point arguing with the deity. What was done was done.

“Fuck, I should’ve intervened. Earlier. I knew I had the ability,” he admitted.

“Then why didn’t you?”

Ari glanced at his nephews. “Them. I lost my brother and my family and didn’t want to cross the line and lose them, either.”

“Yes. You should have. When I saw you wouldn’t, I threw you all a bone,” God said, taking a seat on the sofa and lifting his foot to his knee like he was there to have a beer.

“How?”

“The wolves. They can walk in the sunlight. Your mate”—God waved his hand at Sage—“she would’ve worked it out, but you focused all of her resources on the serum.”

Jesus.

Ari crossed his fucking arms again. “Because our enemies used the serum to capture vampires and torture them. It seemed like a priority instead of, I don’t know, being able to go to the beach. Jesus.”

God dropped his leg and leaned his forearms on his knees.

“Walking in sunshine would have given you an advantage. Some of those warriors next door can already. The wolves.”

Fuck.

He was right, but the king decided what his science team worked on. None of them had thought focusing on the daylight ability was worth risking right now.

Frankly, it was a little terrifying.

“Fine, whatever. Hindsight and all that.” Ari mumbled, thinking how awesome it was for God to show up and rub it in his face. As if he’d lost an online game and was giving him the commentary afterward.

Ari would’ve been fine turning to dust with Sage, silently.

What a douchebag.

God sighed and leaned back on the cushions. “What to do, what to do?”

Ari shook his head and walked back to Sage. “Well, listen. Nice talk. Can you, ah, go back to heaven or whatever and mull over your new plans?” Ari said, placing a hand on Sage’s hip. “I have to get on with dying. Finally.”

God smirked.

Fucking smirked.

“You want to die?” he then asked.

Who asked that? Right before a nuclear blast was about to hit you.

Of course not, but he’d lived longer than anyone else in history, so Ari wasn’t exactly going to throw a tantrum and complain.

The guy/being/whatever would’ve heard his screaming earlier and must know how he felt about him and all of this.

“Oh, I heard it. I’ve heard it all. All of you. Constantly.” God sighed and stood.

Great.

“Answer me this,” Ari said, needing to know before he left this existence. “Why could I not breed?”

God slid his hands into his cream pants and rocked back on his shoes.

Wait, were those Nikes?

“Adidas.” God answered, then whipped out his hand and ran a hand over his face. “The truth is, Ari, you could have. I didn’t make you infertile. Nature is perfectly imperfect. Freewill has given you the choice all along. I suspect the competition between you and Gio became your focus.”

“I wasn’t competitive!”

“You were concerned about the competition. More concerned about what he thought than focusing on creating your bloodline.”

Fuck.

Ari knew immediately that he was right.

“This is how creation works. Focus,” God added. “Energy. It is all energy. What you focus on, you get more of. Your focus was not being able to create your bloodline, therefore that’s what you created.”

Wow.

“Why didn’t you leave us instructions?” he muttered, gripping Sage’s hip, needing her to ground him.

God seemed to snap at that and lifted his arms up like a frustrated parent.

“I gave all of you complete free will and choice, and what do you do? Create this shit show. Now I have to create something new all over again.”

Boo-hoo.

Poor God, he has to do some hard work.

Was this guy for real?

“Well then, don’t!” Ari yelled, glancing briefly at Sage as if she was going to wake up. “Give us another chance. Reverse this. Let me...”

God lifted his brows. “Yes?”

“Let me...”

Shit, Ari couldn’t say it.

“Why do you think I am here, Aristide Moretti?”

To rub it in?

Then the pieces began to click together. “You want me to...?”

God waited.

“You want me to want to lead.” When God nodded, he shook his head. “What about Vincent?” Ari glanced at his nephew, aghast at the idea. “I am a warrior, not a king.”

When God didn’t reply, Ari cursed.

Was this what he was meant to do all along?

If Ari could save eight billion people, an entire planet and twenty quintillion animals— no joke, that’s about twenty billion billion!— then he had to.

Didn’t he?

How did he do that?

How could he tell the king to stand down and go back on his word after all this time?

“Tell me what I need to do!”

“Choose.” God’s powerful voice demanded. “Choose Ari. Step into the role you always should’ve held.”

Fuck.

Was he meant to be the king all along? Had Gio sensed it, creating competition between them to retain power?

“Yes,” God replied with a short nod.

Ari was a natural leader and had always known he could rule if there’d been a need. Before Francis was born, he was the heir. It wasn’t a case of wondering if he could. It was whether it was the right thing to do.

His family loyalty was always stronger.

When he’d returned to the royal family and they learned the risk of exposure was extremely high, Ari had been torn between keeping relations with the king healthy and wanting to take over.

An urge which he never confessed to anyone, not even himself. He’d lost everyone because of this very topic and wasn’t about to voice it.

That was treason.

And the race was not his, they were Gio’s decedents.

“It is Moretti blood.” God shook his head. “ Your blood.”

My blood.

The Moretti blood.

The Moretti brothers’ blood.

Ari glanced down at Sage. Whatever it took. He’d do it for her. To spend another hour, day, year, life with his mate.

“I will ask you once again. What do I need to do?”

“Simply choose. From your heart. Choose. And if you do, I’ll give you the ability to walk in daylight, and task you once again with the mission to protect humans from, well, themselves. At least for now.”

Wow.

“At least you’re communicating better this time,” Ari muttered, rubbing his forehead. “You know. Being honest.”

“Enjoy taking your last stab, Moretti.”

Fair enough.

“How will this play out?” He glanced over at Vincent, who was wrapped around Lucca and Kate.

“Seriously? You’re still concerned about what your family will think? Look around you? This reality is about to become dust. This planet a rotting wasteland spinning inside an empty solar system.”

Wow. Very descriptive.

“A true leader doesn’t do that.” God crossed his arms. “A true leader stands in the face of criticism and judgment and keeps moving forward, anyway.”

He nodded, glancing around at the family, their expressions one of pain and fear. He dragged his eyes away, hating they were frozen in time for him to anguish over, knowing with one (not) simple choice, he could change this.

“What happens if I choose?” Ari asked, “To them. To my mate. To the two races and all the living creatures on earth?”

If he had to face his nephews and take the throne to save everyone, then he would. No matter the cost. They may not know why, but he’d know. He’d know he’d saved their lives and allowed everyone to keep living.

“You have chosen. I am proud of you, Ari. I will make the changes required.” God lowered his head once in a nod.

Ari dipped his head to Sage, smiling, knowing they would be together again soon. Brushing the hair from her face, imagining her as the race’s beloved queen, he saw a future he’d never dared to dream.

“Then, I accep—”