Chapter 21
Julian De León
“Idon’t think she likes me,” Tore mused as Effie’s blue cat Misty narrowly avoided the hand he’d extended for her. Instead she laid down on my feet, and I offered him a triumphant smile. I didn’t really think that Misty didn’t like him, but I did find it funny as fuck.
“To be fair, there are five strangers in her bedroom, so she may be a tad defensive,” Dakota added, taking a long sip of his drink.
The five of us were relaxing while we waited for Effie to get ready for tonight, all of us already dressed in dark formal wear that had been delivered to us.
I wasn’t nearly as good at passing the time as my pack mates, though, and instead I found myself randomly shifting and adjusting my position, ready to get tonight over with.
And I wasn’t alone.
For once Coffin and I were perfectly aligned in wanting to get our mate out of here as soon as fucking possible.
There wasn’t a specific problem I could pin down as being the reason why I felt so uncomfortable here, but I knew it derived from the intense sense of possessiveness I had over Effie.
I wouldn’t let them take our mate from us—it didn’t matter to me if they were her parents or not. I could give a shit about that.
And I believed that Effie had no intention of staying here. If she wanted to, I would stay as well, but as it stood she seemed perfectly happy with our plans to leave tomorrow. And maybe that’s where my paranoid thoughts were coming from.
For the past few weeks we’d been dealing with people who didn’t care what we wanted or what Effie wanted, and I was worried her parents would follow suit, even if I had no reason to think that.
I just didn’t trust them. And while I wouldn’t allow them to take her, I also didn’t fully know what I was getting into when it came to literal fucking gods.
Which is exactly what they were, for the record.
Their power saturated every element of this space, even the bedroom suite, making it feel like they had constant eyes on us.
It also didn’t help that Coffin was extremely uncomfortable with their ability to recognize him and the familiarity with which they spoke about him.
Apparently he hadn’t interacted with them nearly as much as they made it seem.
Their knowledge of him had surprised me, but didn’t really make me super uncomfortable—well, except that it showcased how powerful they were.
I knew how powerful they were, but seeing it in action was a different story.
Essentially, I was finding it hard to balance the reality of them being both Effie’s parents and the creators of the universe.
“I actually think this is Effie’s old bedroom, not Misty’s bedroom,” Ryder pointed out, pulling me back into the conversation.
I tried to see what he was seeing, but nothing particularly stood out to me—there were no personal elements or items left behind.
It was expensive and clearly luxurious, but past that it looked like any other guest suite.
“Why do you say that?” Caedmon asked. For the first time ever, Caedmon almost seemed relaxed. I knew it had to do with his father being gone, and I couldn’t blame him—I was glad Dakota had killed the bastard.
“Because of how comfortable she is in it. Didn’t you notice she knew where everything was?
” Ryder asked. A chuckle left my lips because he wasn’t wrong.
Upon arriving, when she was sorting through the dresses delivered by a castle staff member, I noticed that she carried her choice in the bathroom and began to pull things out of drawers.
Like she had lived here her entire life.
Hell, there were four doors attached to the suite as it was—two for closets, one for a bathroom, and the other I hadn’t looked into yet—but Effie hadn’t even hesitated. She immediately knew which one was the bathroom.
“You’re right,” I agreed, leaning down to pet Misty, who purred and hopped onto my lap.
“Right about what?” Effie asked, stepping into the room.
She held her dress up with one hand and used the other to brace against the door of the bathroom as she slipped into her heels.
My heart nearly came to a stop in my chest as I stared at her, wide-eyed, wondering how it was possible that she was this fucking perfect—this beautiful.
It was impossible, right? It had to be. It was painful to look at her, but I couldn’t fucking stop.
Effie’s perfect form was wrapped in lavender and pink silk that hugged her curves, thin diamond straps holding the dress up.
Her hair was brushed out and long, her makeup light and barely noticeable so that it highlighted the beauty she naturally exhibited.
On top of her head was a diamond headband that almost looked like a crown… which I’m sure was the point.
The woman looked like a legitimate goddess, and the best fucking part is that I could tell she felt good, a light pink blush stealing over her cheeks as the others rained compliments on her.
I couldn’t speak though. I stood, gently removing Misty from my lap, before approaching my mate and cupping her jaw.
“You look magnificent, preciosa.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, raising to her toes and pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “I’m excited for tonight…I just don’t want it ruined.”
“Ruined?” I asked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
“I want to enjoy being back here, even if it’s only for a small amount of time. I just hope they understand why I want to leave. Of course I would love to return every now and then to visit and see Misty…I just don’t want them to be offended or hurt that I don’t want to stay.”
I absolutely loved the compassion and softness Effie had for those around her, even if I don’t think they deserved it, but in this case I didn’t want her to second-guess herself.
“If they really want to reconnect then they will let you set those boundaries. They’ll accept what that means for the future, even if they would prefer more from you,” I told her honestly. “And if they don’t like it—fuck them.”
Effie giggled, her eyes widening at my curse before she melted into me and nodded. “You’re right. I know you’re right—I’m just nervous.”
Before I could reassure her more, a knock on the door interrupted our moment. Ryder dragged open the door to reveal an attendant who’d come to gather us for the feast. Effie bent down to pick up Misty and place a kiss on top of her head before asking, “Oh, what was Ryder right about?”
“Everything.” He flashed a smile as Caedmon scoffed, causing me to chuckle.
“Just that you seem familiar with this room. Was it yours before?” Tore asked, slipping a shawl over her shoulders.
She looked around thoughtfully. “It doesn’t look super familiar, but you’re right. I sort of know where everything is…”
“They probably put your things away or packed them up for you. Maybe ask,” Dakota suggested. “Wouldn’t hurt to bring some things back with you, if you want—we can put them in the London house.”
Effie’s eyes lit up at that idea as she led the way to the door where the attendant waited patiently.
I tried to not find it annoying that there were people expecting us because I knew that we would have to share Effie’s attention tonight…
but I still found it frustrating. I had a feeling that this was going to be much more than some small feast.
Moments later it was obvious that I was absolutely right. While the guardians were on Earth exacting justice, many of the other gods were in attendance, the party already in full swing as we approached the dining hall.
I kept Effie tucked between myself and Dakota, Coffin trying to stay relaxed to not alert our mate to how much he hated this, but I think she could feel everything through our bond.
I loved and hated that because it would mean she knew exactly how much I fucking loved her, but also would let her know when I wasn’t comfortable with something.
“Wow,” Effie whispered as people parted for us.
We stepped into a festive space that looked like it belonged right in a painting of Mt.
Olympus. Open with large white columns that allowed the evening light in, the sunset turned everything on the right side into shades of gold and bright red, making it seem like it was a flickering live flame.
The other side was bathed in twilight, the line down the center an almost exact split.
Her parents’ thrones were perched on either of their respective sides, showcasing their powers to the truest extent.
I couldn’t deny it was quite the scene, and I even noticed there was a long dining table out in front of them with a chair right in the center—one I had to assume was for Effie.
“We should go up there—” I started to say, but I came to a hard stop, surprised at the vision in front of us.
Effie looked up at me and then followed my gaze to the right, a squeak leaving her lips. “Ruby? Aanya?”
What the hell were they doing here?
Effie Harlow
“Effie!” Aanya appeared in front of me in a flash, hugging me tightly. “You did it—you opened the gate!”
“Of course she did.” Ruby appeared next to her, both of them looking thrilled at my success. “I didn’t doubt it for a minute—plus, you couldn’t really ignore the results.”
I was guessing she was referring to what was going on Earth, but I would ask about that later.
I briefly noticed their mates were with them, dressed similarly to mine, and instantly my gaze scanned for Reaper to see if he’d been welcomed in the divine realm…
but I didn’t see him. That didn’t sit well with me.
Then again, I didn’t even understand how my friends had gotten here in the first place.
“How are you here?” I asked. “When did you arrive?”