Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sage
Fuckedy fuck fuck.
Never again will I complain about how mundane my life is. Not that I’ve had the opportunity to do so lately, but that’s the whole point. It’s been one thing after another.
My hands are trembling, my heart beating rapidly, and I recognize that a lot of these fearing-for-my-life feelings are similar to near-orgasm ones. Damn shame that there isn’t time for one of those.
We’re in the Great Library, currently being led down a long and dark corridor lined with burning sconces on the walls.
There are no glowing orbs, no kyn walking around in their oversized robes.
The only thing that reminds me this is the same building are all the deep-colored woods and domed ceilings.
From the base level, it’s impossible to tell that there’s a whole other world up here.
Well, not world, but close enough. This is where the Dei meet, and they all have their own areas and rooms where they can stay overnight or conduct business—according to the quick rundown Hack has given me on the way.
The place we’re headed to is the central hall where their meetings are held, and also where judgement is passed.
It isn’t the typical trial kind of situation, with a jury and an audience. No, they don’t need any of that. Their opinions are the be all and end all. There is no going back from their decisions.
It’s no wonder I’m shitting myself.
“The four of you should head that way, toward your Dei’s quarters. I will take Miss Bayley to judgement.” The angel who appeared at Loki’s has refused to let me leave his sight. To be fair, I don’t blame him. Given the chance, I would definitely have run. This is fucked up.
“Fuck no. Where my chosen goes, I go.” Hack doesn’t let go of my hand and I feel the tickle of one of his vines curling around my wrist to keep us tethered.
“Liege Hack.” A loud and deep voice has us all turning behind us, finding the gigantic demon that is Samhain heading our way. “You cannot interfere. You must do as the angel says.”
“Dei Samhain, all due respect, but absolutely fucking not.” Hack’s grip on my hand tightens.
“Terrence, I will escort Miss Bayley. Fuck off.” Samhain smirks and winks at the angel, who is holding his chest in outrage.
The angel doesn’t argue, though. He looks like he really wants to, his mouth opening and closing, his eye twitching, but he curls his fists, raises his chin, and storms off back the way we came.
“Now stop being such a stubborn fuck and go to my office. I bugged the meeting room as soon as technology was invented, have been updating it ever since, so you can watch the whole thing on the monitors.” He tries to wave them off and holds out his arm for me to take.
Hack growls, low and guttural, the sound coming straight from the depths of Hell/Heyl—never not going to be confusing. On top of this, the other three are growling too, all of them with their chests rising and falling as though they’re about to burst.
“It’ll be a lot fucking harder to persuade the other Dei that she isn’t a threat with you all growling like possessed dragons.
Get your asses to the end of the corridor, sixth door on the left.
Someone will take you to my office from there.
” He rolls his eyes and adds, “Fine, suck her face off first.”
“Samhain knows the drill.” Slash chuckles and I’d swear my eyes are deceiving me because he and Samhain fist bump, but that’s the least weird thing about this.
Samhain, Pierce, Slash, and shadows in the rough form of Slay, walk a little farther down the corridor, starting up a conversation I can only hear rumblings of.
Inhaling so deeply I almost choke, I turn my eyes to Hack.
“Any help with what to expect?” I try for an optimistic grin, but it’s half-hearted at best.
Hack cups my face, his palms warming my cheeks.
“Just tell them the truth. If I get any inkling that it’s going south, I won’t hesitate to kill every last one of them.
The Dei are the most powerful of each of their kyn, but there’s a reason they call us the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
You’ve got this, and I’ve got you.” His hold is firm, his fingertips putting pressure behind my ears.
He’s barely holding himself together and I’m surprisingly calm now that we’re this close. My mother is in there, my best friend’s brother, my chosen’s Dei…that’s at least three of them on my side. I hope.
“I think we need a vacation when this is all over with.” My joke doesn’t land. Although, not really a joke. I’m being serious. A few weeks of doing absolutely jack shit is exactly what we need. Nobody getting kidnapped or nearing death, no killing super important people.
It’ll be bliss.
The thought is pushed to the front of my mind and I cling to it for dear life.
“I love you, Satapti.” Leaning down, Hack kisses me. It isn’t soft and sensual, it’s animalistic and feral, and if we didn’t have an audience, I’d climb him right here and now.
Finally, he pulls away, resting his forehead against mine as we both heave out heavy breaths.
“I love you too.”
“Come on, time’s a ticking. You’re not winning anyone’s favor by being late.” Samhain demands our attention, his dark stare more intense and expectant with the contrast of his white hair and beard.
We both sigh, looking each other in the eye one more time before I’m taken for judgement by the Thirteen—although, it’s actually only twelve now. Whoops?
Pierce approaches and holds my shoulders. “We’ll be right out here.”
“See you when you get out, Sagacious.” Slash runs over and wraps his arms around me from behind Pierce in a strange kind of three-way hug, and I can feel the rage coming from Hack because of their closeness, but he doesn’t move.
It’s over as quickly as it began, both of them turning and walking in the direction Samhain told them to go to his office. The shadows that are Slay move with them, but I don’t blame him for not giving me a goodbye hug. Dealing with any kind of feelings isn’t the easiest for Slay.
Last to follow is Hack, reluctantly, but with a final glare to Samhain, he disappears through the door.
Turning to me, Samhain strokes his white beard and it grows as he transforms into the demon that he is.
No longer giving human daddy vibes, he’s a straight-up demon daddy.
Glowing red orbs shine from pitch-black eye sockets, his beard now three times the length as before, a hole in his skull in place of a nose, and horns growing from the top of his head.
In seconds, he’s twice his original height and width, and completely transformed into a very obvious demon.
He snaps his fingers and a long deep-purple velvet cloak appears around his neck, one that he billows out before flipping up the hood. It must have holes for the horns because they poke through the fabric.
“Ready?” I’m surprised he’s asking.
“No.” I shrug, making Samhain chuckle. It’s different to his human voice, more of an echo and a much deeper tone.
He tilts his head toward the huge double doors in front of me. They’re big enough to fit Fenny through, but he stayed with Loki. The wood is embossed with a golden design made up of triangles, split directly down the middle as the door opens with barely a sound.
This is it.
Samhain gestures for me to enter first, and I’m surprised at the coziness of the space as soon as we’re inside.
There’s a giant curved fireplace on the wall behind the tallest chair at the round table, it’s surrounded by leatherbound books in a variety of colors.
Light shines in through the windows, but it’s definitely not sunlight.
It’s the orange-red kind from the sky here in The Shade.
All but one seat is filled—once Samhain sits—leaving the tall chair empty and me wondering what the fuck I’m supposed to be doing. I’m just standing here, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for some kind of instruction.
I spot Hekate, sitting in one of the chairs with a view of the entrance, and I smile and wave, knowing this is awkward but fuck it.
Even her smile is elegant as she tilts her head slightly in acknowledgement.
I can guess where Desdemon is sitting, because I can see his head of bright-red hair over the top of one of the chairs with its back to me.
The fireplace starts to split open, parts of the fire going on either side as it opens. The grating of stone against stone echo through the room, the only sound as all of the Dei sit in silence and a man appears from the smoke left behind.
With a flourish of his purple cape—hoodless—the man who looks like a jacked up version of Santa Claus takes the final seat.
“Can’t you just come in through the doors like the rest of us?” The man that speaks is covered in gold and bronze scales, accentuating his sharp cheekbones, and his long copper hair is half tied into a top bun.
“When you’re the Grandei, Zhang, then maybe I will…so that’ll be never.” Jacked-Santa grins. One of those knowing grins that says he’s aware they won’t fuck with him.
“Sorry to interrupt whatever this is”—I gesture between them—“but can we get on with it, please?” I haven’t moved from my spot, which may as well be the naughty corner.
Thirteen sets of eyes—okay, twelve sets, and one singular one from a creature made of stone and moss—turn to face me, some holding amusement in them, others with a very obvious disdain.
It’s difficult to read any of their auras, to try and get a feel for where they’re likely to lay their loyalties, so I’m completely in the dark here.
Surprisingly, I’m not chained up, my magic hasn’t been bound, so that is probably why I’m feeling bold right now.
“You are an insolent fool. Your time means nothing to us. Stay the fuck there and shut the fuck up.” If he wasn’t being such an ass, I’d have said the dark-haired man—or whatever he is—was good looking.
He has wide shoulders beneath his purple cloak and a chiseled jaw, nothing to give away what kind of kyn he could be.
“Lyka, don’t be a dick. She’s new to this world.” I’m surprised that it’s the half-snake woman sticking up for me. The sight of her makes me remember back to the day this all began. The lamia who were there that day…the lamia that killed Trina.
I try not to sneer at her when she turns to look at me.
“Ignore the Were, Sage. He’s always grumpy.” Flipping her hair, she gives her attention back to Jacked-Santa. I notice her ears are pointed and the rainbow ombre effect of her skin is highlighted by the light.
Stepping forward, I try to get a better look at them all, but a sharp glare and a hand wave from Jacked-Santa have me stuck in place.
“What did you do?” I can still talk, thank fuck, but my body won’t move. Like it’s frozen in time. I don’t like it. It instantly makes me feel helpless.
“We do not allow kyn into our chambers lightly. It is rarer than you would think that we convene for a judgement like this. We will discuss your crimes, you will listen, then we will judge, and you will accept.” He doesn’t ask if that’s okay, or if I understand, he just leaves it there as though I don’t exist.
“Dei Reilly, welcome to your first judgement. Would you like to speak first?”
I guess he is Rafi’s replacement—I did wonder why all thirteen seats had been filled.
“Thank you, Grandei Atlantis.”
Holy shit, Jacked Santa is my dad? The one who would have executed me before I was even born if he had known about me, because I’m a mixture of kyn, something he sees as an abomination—according to Hekate.
I can’t say that I fully agree with her, though. I imagine there’d be a lot more disdain thrown my way if it were true. But what do I know?
The orange djinn—because I can recognize a djinn now—who looks a lot like Rafi did, steeples his fingers and rests his elbows on the round table in front of him.
“My brother, Rafi, was killed in cold blood by the mongrel in the corner. I think that’s all there is to it, really. She shouldn’t exist. I vote to execute.” He’s not mincing his words, is he?
Bastard.
“You cannot execute a goddess, Reilly, it is near-impossible. I vote for magical stasis.”
My eyes widen at my mother’s words. Like…really?
Panic is beginning to creep its way back in and not being able to move a muscle is making this incredibly difficult to handle.
“You’re her mother, Hekate. What the fuck?” Desdemon speaks up, slamming his palms down on the table.
“She killed a Dei, Desdemon. It is our law. Punishment is warranted.” She’s not looking at me, avoiding catching my eye at all cost.
I’m so confused. I thought I could trust her. Am I being screwed over by yet another mother?
“And what of the punishment for Rafi? He held my sister prisoner for months. He had her raped and tortured, all to try and break her mind so her visions would benefit him. Then, he kidnapped two of the demon Liege because they discovered what he was doing. And he would have killed Sage had she not protected herself. Rafi got what he deserved.” He huffs, his back straight as he sits tall in his chair.
“Rafi was weak.” The snake-woman is, surprisingly, on my side? Maybe…
“Yes. Dei Regina is right. Rafi was weak.” The troll-like creature with one eye nods his head, dirt falling to the floor around him with every movement.
“Several of our laws have been broken, beginning with what Rafi did to Princess Danika. She is the heir to the Velmore throne and should have been treated as such.” The cutest being in this whole room turns to me, her almost-transparent pink wings glittering behind her.
Something about her features is familiar…
the way her baby-pink hair falls over her shoulder, and then she winks and it hits me.
She has to be related to Saffron.
Oh, goddess…I hope she doesn’t hold that against me. If she even knows?
“I really couldn’t give any shits. Rafi was an asshole. Good riddance.” The blue man looks younger than the rest of them, his metallic-blue hair in loose waves flopping around his head.
“Elegant, as usual, Finnegan.” A man with a glowing bronze aura, similar to Hekate, rolls his eyes, his own curls a lot tighter than Finnegan’s. They’re blonde, too, instead of the beautiful blue of the other kyn.
“The question we should be asking is how does this being exist and why are you entertaining the idea of keeping it alive, Grandei Atlantis?” Zhang turns his golden eyes on me and grins.
It holds promises of pain, and if I could step backward, I absolutely would.
“Let me kill her now and we’ll be done with it.”