Chapter 40
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule forty: When entering diplomatic relations, try to avoid name-calling.
The force of the blast shakes the floors and rattles my teeth. In a blur of motion, the table flips, and chairs go flying, just as Sin’s arm snakes around my waist, yanking me backward.
I barely have time to register the storm of wood shards flying toward us before a scarlet shield bursts from Sin’s other hand. The shrapnel slams into it, dissolving into nothingness.
Dead silence settles over the room.
Sin keeps me tucked up against him, and I lean into him, letting his terrifying power hum against my skin.
A smart person would stay there and let the all-powerful Destroyer handle this. Unfortunately, I accepted my lack of self-preservation a while ago.
“I strongly suggest you stay where you are.” Sin’s voice is so low that it vibrates through me.
It takes me a second to realize he isn’t talking to me.
A lone figure steps through the doorway, framed by drifting dust. He’s easily as tall as Sin, and he has the same warrior’s build. Olive-toned skin stands out against his dark hair, and he would remind me of those painted depictions of Greek gods, if it weren’t for his opaque white eyes.
Chairs scrape beside me, and I quickly glance around the room to make sure the others are okay.
Morgana is rising, looking annoyed. Arianna’s shadows are coiled around her fingertips as she keeps Conner safely behind her. Ragna moves the same way, protecting Isaac and Sarah, while Magnus and Damien brush themselves off.
I release a shaky breath and turn back to Sin. His jaw is clenched, but his arm around me is gentle.
He gives me a small squeeze, as if to reassure me it’s okay.
“We’re pleased to see you up and healthy again,” Magnus says, breaking the silence.
He gestures in my direction. “Might I introduce you to Vivian? She is the woman responsible for your newfound freedom.” Turning to me, he continues.
“Vivian, this is the man who was being held prisoner in the hidden passage. The one you made sure was not overlooked.”
Despite the looming threat, Magnus sounds completely at ease. I can’t help but marvel at what a good peacekeeper he is.
It’s really putting a dent in my theory that testosterone and diplomatic relations don’t mix.
The deadly-looking man eyes me with suspicion. Nymara never did say who he was, but given how his eyes are an exact replica of Need’s, I’m assuming he’s also a titan.
“Where is she?” The man growls and takes a threatening step forward.
Sin immediately takes exception to his tone. “Last warning. If you don’t back the fuck off, I will end you.”
He releases me, his fists clenching on the table’s edge, ready to leap over it.
A part of me wants to join him and tear this man’s throat out for daring to threaten my people.
Until I remember I’m supposed to be a leader and make rational choices.
The titan sneers. “You think the drops of Olympian power that flow through your blood are enough to match me?”
He takes a step forward.
Immediately, Sin launches himself over the table, putting himself between me and the threat. Another pulse of red power flares out from him, slamming toward the intruder.
But rather than vaporizing on contact, the stranger holds his ground. Sin’s power wavers, not extending more than a few feet before him.
I can’t see what power the titan is throwing out, but everyone can feel it.
A thin sheet of ice spreads like veins over the floor. The temperature in the room plummets, and I can see my breath in the air.
When his power doesn’t break through, Sin reaches for his sword.
Oh crap.
“Stop!” I shout. “We don’t need to be enemies!”
My own power seethes beneath my skin, begging to be released, but I grit my teeth, trying to hold it down.
This man isn’t actually angry with us. We have a common enemy.
He just might not realize it yet.
Sin pulls back his power a fraction, but his fingers never leave the hilt of his sword. “Who the fuck are you?”
I spent well over an hour this morning telling the others about how Need is an escaped titan who wants to breed more power. The news didn’t go over particularly well.
With that in mind, I decide it might be better to gloss over this man’s identity.
It seems like the kind of news you give after a crisis.
“We haven’t confirmed where Need escaped to, yet. But you’re welcome to join us in the war against her. Or, if there’s somewhere else you’d like to go, we’re happy to help you get there.” There’s a slight waver in my voice, but I think I manage to sound friendly.
Look at me, nailing this diplomacy thing.
Of course, the titan has to go and ruin it. “I couldn’t care less that you’re god-touched. I don’t need your help, and I don’t give a flying fuck where Need crawled off to.”
The room gets even colder, and tension ripples under his skin, like he’s a second from losing it. “Now, I’m going to ask you one more time. Where. The. Fuck. Is. She?”
My attempt at diplomacy dies a quick, frozen death. “Well, asshole, if you could stop playing dress-up as a thermostat and be a little more specific, maybe I could answer you.”
Sarah, Conner, and Isaac look properly impressed by my insult. Most of the others look at me like they’re trying to remember what a thermostat is.
“Way to tell him, Vivi!” Sarah chirps.
The titan narrows his eyes, and the temperature stays locked at ‘Arctic death.’ “The little witch who kept me in my cell. Where is she?”
He’s talking about Nymara, I realize. I glare right back at him. “You’re not hurting her. She was being controlled by Need.”
Fury flares in his gaze. “I will do whatever the fuck I want to her. She is the reason I was in chains.”
Anger pulses under my skin, and once again, I shove it down. If Sin’s power can’t hurt this man, then we really don’t want him as an enemy.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to let him hurt Nymara, though.
“No, she isn’t. She doesn’t have any power. She was a pawn. So, if you want to hurt her, then we’re going to have a problem.” I keep my tone measured, even as I reach for blades that aren’t there.
Right – I’m still in a damned dress.
I miss my fighting leathers.
Sin’s chest expands at my show of strength, and even though I can’t see his face, I can feel his pride. I’m proud of my response, too, right until the titan storms forward and walks through Sin’s shield.
The room freezes – literally. Specks of dust hang suspended in the air, and everyone goes still, as if someone pressed the pause button.
Everyone except Ragna and me.
She turns to me, looking even more shocked than I am. But already, my attention is whirling back to Sin.
He isn’t moving, not even a twitch.
Something vicious and protective rips through me at the realization that he’s been trapped. He’s powerless to defend himself.
Pain stabs inside my chest, as if all the broken shards of my soul have twisted, and their sharp edges are primed to attack. Power buzzes beneath my skin.
Without thinking, I jump over the table and place myself between Sin and the threat.
The titan stops just a foot away, towering over me. “Do you have any idea who you’re threatening right now?”
As he asks the question, the frost in the air becomes invasive. It seeps up through the floor and into my flesh, like it’s trying to root itself in my bones. White frost snakes up Sin’s legs.
That does it.
The tight lid I’ve managed to keep over my Creator power cracks, and the smallest threads of it clash with my Reaper power.
Violet electricity snaps to the surface, searing hot against the cold air. Every lick of power feels like a burn against my skin, and I’m painfully aware that I don’t have long before this becomes an uncontrollable storm.
The titan cocks his head, studying me with a predatory stillness.
Ice creeps up the walls.
“Vivian,” Ragna warns, but I don’t spare her a glance.
More bolts of purple energy crackle over my skin as rage surges through me.
Warmth starts to bleed back into the room.
The heat doesn’t feel reassuring, though; it feels alive and volatile, like one wrong breath could incinerate us all.
I don’t try to pull it back.
I will gladly burn this entire realm before I let this man hurt Sin.
“I have no problem with titans, but if you try to hurt the ones I care about, then I will not rest until you are locked back inside whatever hole you crawled out of,” I hiss.
A pulse of my power sparks against his. It feels like two storms brushing against each other. This creature is so powerful that even Sin’s power couldn’t touch it, but I will gladly go head-to-head if it keeps them safe.
As if directed by my fury, more violet bolts snap at the titan, crackling against an invisible but frigid wall of death.
The icy wall falters.
The titan’s brow lifts, and something like respect flickers over his features before he finally backs off.
“She’s my mate,” he finally admits in a low, rough voice. “And I want to know where she is, immediately.”
The ice in the room begins to thaw. The pace is unsteady and shuddering, like it’s reacting to the titan’s breaths.
His admission takes the edge off my anger.
He’s just worried for his mate. He isn’t a threat.
I let some of my energy dissipate. It rests just under my skin, burning through my veins. I keep it there, in case I need it again.
I try not to think about the fact that my power pushed his back.
That was definitely a fluke.
Absolutely not terrifying at all.
“She isn’t here,” Ragna finally interjects. Her arms are crossed, but she doesn’t look fazed as she continues, “Our search of the castle is nearly complete, but I am certain she’s long gone. Either Need took her, or she found some other way to escape.”
The titan grins, but it’s a twisted, dark expression that has me rethinking whether he’s a threat to Nymara.
“So, my little curse is running?” He mutters to himself, turning to leave.
“Or her psychotic mother has her!” I snap, exasperated. “You do realize there is a literal war happening? One where the universe could end. And you don’t want to help?”
I try to keep the incredulous tone out of my voice.
I fail spectacularly.
The titan is already striding to the doorway as he speaks, clearly done with this conversation. “Your war is trivial. You don’t need my help, nor do I have time for you. But if you do manage to completely fuck it up, I’ll ensure Need gets what’s coming to her.”
He pauses at the threshold, glancing at me over his shoulder. “Do try not to die.” Almost as an afterthought, he adds, “You’re the first person I’ve come across without titan blood that is even slightly interesting.”
With that, he’s gone, and the room bursts back to life.