Chapter 33
Ihadn’t dragged my feet when electing the council members, but I took my time.
Partially, it was out of care and partially because what came next would be so much more difficult.
I knew there was no way I could move forward with dress fittings and finalising details for the coronation when I hadn’t spoken to everyone back on Earth, including Cassidy.
Telling the lab had been smoother than I expected.
James glowed with pride, knowing he’d had a major role to play in things going our way.
Gareth had been awkward, but it was nothing more than I expected.
He was the most devout of all of us on the project and my new position amongst the Gods humbled him.
“Let us know what you need from us,” Gareth told me as I got ready to leave the building for the last time. “We’ll follow your lead.”
That was something that was going to take some getting used to. My idea of leading had been my lab, and the plan was to move to a bigger team. But now leading had a slightly different meaning with many more followers.
“As soon as I know what we want to do, I’ll be back to let you know,” I’d assured him.
The hugs with Charlie had almost broken me. She let the tears fall freely, and I swallowed mine, letting her know I would be back for the wedding. If Elysia couldn’t afford me a weekend, then what perks were there to being their leader?
“It smells good,” Gray said as I pulled the lasagne out of the oven.
The kitchen table was already laden with garlic bread, salad, and wine. The decision to break the news over dinner was an easy one. Family dinners had always been sacred. It was where Mum and Dad had told us big news and shared information. It was a tradition I wanted to keep while I could.
There was a heavy knock on the front door, and Gray scraped his chair back.
“I’ll get it,” he told me before leaving the room.
I placed the oven mitts back on the counter and waited before Gray returned with Sophie and Cass in tow. My big brother strode across the room and scooped me into a bear hug.
“You did it,” he said, squeezing me tighter. “You really did it.”
“Why don’t we sit down?” Gray suggested, pulling out a chair for Sophie.
Cass slowly let me go and sat at the table. There was a tightness in my throat as I took a seat, and I was grateful when Gray took the lead and served everyone.
“So,” Sophie started. “Hunter?”
“My brother is no more.” Gray stated it like a fact. No upset. No regret. “It is better for all of Elysia that way.”
“Oh, I didn’t… I thought maybe… Do Gods have a prison?”
“They have cells,” I answered, pushing the food around my plate with a fork. “A trial would have been for the best, but it’s… happened.”
“There’s barely anyone who is sad about it,” Gray chimed in.
Cass lifted his head and gave me a quizzical look.
He couldn’t understand why Grayson would be so nonchalant about his brother dying.
But there was too much lore to explain, and I didn’t want to dive into the specifics of what had happened with Larkin and Archer and the rest of Elysia.
We’d already been through it all once for the heavens, and it was time to let it rest now.
“There are always casualties in war,” I reminded him. “We should be grateful it wasn’t more.”
He hummed quietly before we lapsed into silence. The only sound was that of cutlery against plates and glasses being filled.
“Without Hunter,” Sophie eventually said, “what happens? It’ll mean fewer issues for you and Gray, right?”
“Something like that,” Gray muttered under his breath, and I pinched his thigh under the table.
Cass put his knife and fork down. “What’s going on, duck? I know you didn’t set this dinner up because you just wanted to celebrate a win.”
“You’re right.” I mirrored his actions and sat back in my chair. “There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
“Go ahead.”
“After the war, after everything with Hunter, there was an opening on the council.”
“You’re on the council?” Cass prompted.
As I struggled to find the words, Gray took my hand under the table and squeezed it gently. I had no doubt he could sense the swell of emotion that was threatening to pull me under. The levity of the situation was settling on me again and making it difficult to breathe.
“The role of leader was left vacant,” Gray said, sounding very matter-of-fact. “The council needed to be built from scratch again in order to work towards peace.”
“Quen, that’s amazing.” Sophie was grinning at me. “Does that mean you get to split your time between here and Elysia as a council member?”
I squeezed Gray’s hand even tighter. The conversation about my residence had been one that had been brought to me by various Gods and Goddesses.
Their concerns and desires. It was clear they expected me to be there in order to rebuild the heavens.
Trust only came if I was accessible to them and hiding down here, continuing my life as if I was more mortal than Goddess, would do me no favours.
“Quen isn’t a council member,” Gray told them.
That was enough for me to find my voice. “They’ve elected me to lead the council.”
After a moment of deafening silence, Cassidy, with a furrowed brow, asked, “You’re leading them?”
“Yep.”
“Right.”
“Do you think we can have a conversation in private?”
“Sure.”
I untangled my hand from Gray’s and shot an apologetic smile to Sophie before walking out of the kitchen. Cass followed me, closing the door behind him before sinking down into a chair.
“How have you got yourself in this situation?” Cass asked, but there was a sliver of humour in the comment that helped ease my nerves.
“Apparently, getting into a relationship with the God of chaos has some consequences.”
Cass snorted, and I broke into a smile.
It wasn’t long before Cass switched into protective big brother mode. “How are you feeling about all of this?”
“It’s not what I expected.” I perched on the arm of the sofa. “If I’m honest, if I think about it too much, it makes me panic.”
“Like becoming prime minister when you weren’t even running for it?”
“Yeah, but with even bigger responsibilities.”
He nodded his head slowly. “I believe in you. There’s nothing you haven’t been able to do in your life.”
“I appreciate the confidence you have in me.”
“I’m assuming that means you won’t be here much.”
My throat tightened. “I will probably be back while we finish the project.”
“That’s still going ahead?”
“I… I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe. We haven’t discussed it. There’s been a lot of things that need to be resolved, but it’s on the agenda.”
“I moved back home because it felt weird to have so much distance between us,” Cass told me, picking a stray thread on the arm of the chair.
“I know—”
“But I understand that a lot of things have changed in your life, duck.” He looked up and gave me a sad smile. “You were always destined for great things. We all knew it. We just clearly underestimated how great.”
“I hope you know that it’s not a straightforward choice, Cass. You’re my big brother. You’re the only family I have.”
“That’s not quite true. What about Elva?”
My eyes flicked to the door to make sure it was shut. “She’s wonderful, but it’s not the same. I didn’t grow up with her. Don’t make it sound like I’m choosing her over you.”
“I’m not saying that.” His tone was gentle. “But you should enjoy it, Quen. You have more family than you thought. A life most people couldn’t have even dreamed of. I don’t resent you for it. You need to live your life, and I am unbelievably proud of you the way I always have been.”
A few tears spilled over, forcing Cass out of his chair before he pulled me up and into a hug.
“Do you think Mum and Dad would be proud of me?” The question came out as a choked sob.
“I don’t think Dad would have been able to stop himself from announcing it to every patient he saw.”
We both laughed and when we broke apart, I wiped away my tears.
“Can I do anything?” Cass asked. “I’m not a God, but if there is anything I can do to make it easier…”
“Just be here,” I told him. “I’ll come back to visit when I can.”
I didn’t know if it would be possible just yet, but there was a chance I could speak it into existence.
“I’ll be here whenever you need me.” Cass clapped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Try not to worry, okay? This will just be like when I moved to the States. We will need to adjust to our new normal, but I’ll always have your back.”
And I believed him. Cass had been a constant in my life from the moment we were introduced to each other. Thinking about it, like when he moved for his training, made the whole situation seem more manageable.
“Come on,” he said, jerking his head towards the kitchen. “Let’s join the rest of the family.”
“Probably not the best idea to leave those two alone for too long. Who knows what Sophie would ask for,” I teased.
“Don’t even joke. She’s been on about Jenna at work, and I’m almost certain she’s muttered a prayer or two to Gray.”
We walked back into the kitchen and as we settled back into dinner, I felt lighter.
There were a lot of changes on the horizon, but I needed to take it in my stride.
Knowing that Cass wasn’t upset with me, knowing that I had his support, made everything a lot easier.
Now all I needed to do was get through the pomp and circumstance before I could officially start the job.