Chapter Five #2
He frowned. “I am a source god. There is no distinction between light and dark. I can be petty. I can be cruel. I can also be merciful if the mood is right. But in everything, there must be balance.”
She frowned. “You are totally going to have to explain all of that, but not right now. I think it would go in one ear and out the other. I have a hard time listening when I’m really stressed out.”
Kami knew that he could hear her chaotic thoughts, so she tried to censor herself.
That didn’t work so well since she had trouble controlling her wild imagination.
Besides, he could probably hear everything more clearly now that they were bonded.
That meant there was no point in trying to hide anything from him.
She tried to recall all of the stories she’d heard about War and couldn’t hold back a shudder.
War was known for riding a fiery red horse that symbolized blood and fire.
He was a destructive being who incited conflict and bloodshed wherever he went.
His presence signified a time of widespread violence, strife, and the breakdown of civilizations.
War was the bringer of chaos when fear, pride, or vengeance prevailed over reason.
He amplified destructive behavior like aggression and hostility.
In some of the stories, he was a feared warrior wearing armor and carrying a sword, while in others, he was a mere shadow manipulating events from behind the scenes.
There were some pretty outlandish stories about all of the Horsemen, but she really hoped they weren’t all true.
“There will be no apocalypse now that I have returned.”
“I’m really glad to hear that.”
“While there is some truth to the stories about me, I did not leave destruction in my wake everywhere I went, but I did tip the scales occasionally. It is all about bringing balance. Sometimes devastation needs to occur for others to flourish.”
While that might have been true, it was still terrifying.
She tentatively stroked a finger over the mating mark on his chest. “I’ve never seen a mating mark like this before. Is it supposed to look like this, or did I mess it up somehow?”
“The mark I put on you looks the same. It looks different than other marks because my magic is unique.”
“Right, Horsemen magic.”
“Source magic,” he corrected.
“Same difference.”
He chuckled as he carried her straight into the pool, walking down the steep steps until they were submerged in the warm water.
She let out a gasp of surprise when their clothing vanished and her bulky sweatshirt and jeans were replaced with a diaphanous red dress that did little to conceal her body.
Even if it was merely a conciliatory nod to her modesty, she appreciated the gesture.
Zander didn’t bother to hide his. He seemed as comfortable being nude as he had been wearing his full set of armor earlier. She felt the heat of his bare skin against her but couldn’t see much else because of how he was holding her. Still, his hard muscles and silky smooth skin were unmistakable.
The surface of the water rippled slightly as he sat down with her on his lap.
He adjusted her legs a little, automatically reading her thoughts to make sure she was comfortable.
While she felt a little awkward at first, the soothing warmth of the water helped her relax a little.
It took a few seconds before she realized there was a tingling sensation along her skin.
“What the—?”
“The water being fed into the pool is magical. All of your scars will be gone in a few minutes. It will also ease muscle aches, mend broken bones, and can even reverse aging if you drink it.”
In order for the water to do that, it would take very powerful magic. On a breathless laugh, she said, “It’s like you created the Fountain of Youth.”
She lost her smile after he was silent for several long heartbeats.
“I didn’t create it. I just have access to it,” he finally admitted.
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “You have to be kidding me! We’re bathing in the Fountain of Youth?” Appalled by the very notion, she sputtered, “That’s just…how can you treat the freaking Fountain of Youth like a bathtub?”
She tried to get up, but he easily held her in place.
“Settle down, mate. This isn’t the Fountain of Youth. That is located higher up in the mountain near the base of the Tree of Life. We just have access to the overflow down here.”
By the gods, it just kept getting worse.
She groaned. “You own the Tree of Life, too?”
“I do not own it,” he stressed. “It was simply relocated to the island after too many people began fighting over it. In their quest to obtain its power, people almost destroyed it.”
Kami wasn’t sure she would ever get used to the fact that her mate was a living legend. She wondered what other secrets could be found on the island, then decided worrying about that would just make her head explode.
Shaking her head, she chuckled. “My sister is going to totally freak out when she hears about all of this.”
“Your sister is the new Queen of the Winter Kingdom,” he stated.
She nodded. “Jackie will be an excellent queen. Her mate, Micah, will help her rule the kingdom well. Even though he is not fae, everyone seems to have accepted him. He was the metal mage-dark angel hybrid before the reaper, Merlin, gifted him his god powers.”
Zander’s eyes seemed to dim with sadness. “Merlin made a great sacrifice for all of us. Once the curse hit us and we were taken into the Realm of Illusions, he was able to create the sanctuary that protected us all these years.”
“He was your friend?”
“He was. A very good friend. He was a strong spellcaster with a wealth of knowledge. Micah is a fortunate soul to be given such a gift.”
“I can’t wait for you to meet them.”
He stroked a hand down her hair. “We shall see them again soon. I promise.”
Nodding, she pushed that aside for now. Lifting the amulet she was wearing, she glared at it. “Why am I wearing this thing again? And why isn’t it glowing anymore?”
“I put it back on you to temporarily help control the effects of the mating frenzy. And it will no longer glow since I reset it. You used your magic to activate it, but it was not meant for you. He made it with his own mate in mind, but there might be a reason it ended up in your hands.”
“You know who made this?”
He nodded. “It was Death.”
“Oh, hell no. I’m wearing something made by Death?”
“Would it help if I told you he is a good friend of mine?”
“I’m not sure if that makes it better or worse. The whole Horsemen thing is still freaking me out a little.”
“I can tell,” he said, stroking her hair in a soothing motion.
“Death made the amulet long ago, but I had forgotten about it. It is fortuitous that you have it, since I should be able to use it to find him. He went missing a long time ago. I was searching for him before I was cursed, and now, I will have to take up the task again.”
“You want to find Death?” She groaned. “Even saying that sounds so ominous.”
“I believe he might be in a similar situation like I was, held captive somewhere. Or perhaps he put himself in stasis for some reason. If not, there would have been some sign of him. It is imperative that I find him as soon as possible.”
Kami didn’t know what to say in response to that.
If his friend had disappeared before he was cursed, that was ages ago.
He was probably long gone. It had taken a handful of the strongest supernaturals to put Zander in a sleep spell, so she didn’t even want to imagine what would have been capable of killing Death himself.
“He is still alive. If he had died, I would have felt it. Besides, we are very difficult to kill. Only the other Horsemen would be able to take one of us out. That was one of the reasons I was cursed into sleep instead of dying like the original spellcasters had intended.”
“Why did they try to kill you?”
He sighed. “Because I am the Keeper of the Seal for the Realm of Souls.”
“You mentioned that before. What exactly does that mean?”
“It means I have direct access to the magical source. A guardian is chosen in each of the realms to protect the magical seal that resides there. If the seal is broken and magic floods out into the world, then it will be pure chaos. We will be facing the end of everything, and the apocalypse you feared will become reality.”