Chapter Sixty
Evelyn
Gold ran through the marble of the Sun Goddess’s palace, shimmering under her namesake.
The grand stairs led to a floor of open rooms, billowing curtains, and monstrous columns that held up the three-story structure.
It sat on the edge of a rocky cliff. Beyond, a body of water with no current or tide lay still like a mirror, reflecting the jeweled-colored sky.
For a Goddess known for fertility, Evelyn failed to find life and vibrancy on the palace grounds.
In fact, the grass and golden-leaf trees stopped in a definitive line, leaving yards of kicked-up dirt between them.
Fountains flowed in rectangular pools, naked sculptures poured water from spotted pottery, but no birds visited, not even the sludge of mold was at the waterline.
Laughter, a kind that reminded Evelyn of the fighting rings in Drystan Castle, trickled from inside, grating against her resolve. Beside her, Aster’s smile had fallen into a straight line. Evelyn’d never once seen her friend so quiet.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
Her friend swallowed, brown eyes going wide. “Well . . .”
Evelyn stepped closer, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Aster, you know you can trust me.”
Aster eyed the palace, not meeting her stare. “The Sun Goddess isn’t what witches believe. You need to be prepared for anything, Evelyn.”
Trust with Aster went both ways, which left Evelyn wary as she considered her friend’s words. Her stomach churned, but she schooled her expression as they climbed the stairs and entered the palace’s grand foyer.
The columns stood on catlike paws, their claws digging into the marble floor for a ferocious effect. Above, a mural depicted the sun at the center with its fiery rays swirling into starry spirals to the west and a cloudless blue sky to the east.
Marble statues lined the walls—warriors in mid-battle, queens addressing their subjects, werewolves in their shifted form, witches casting their magic. Metal plaques detailed a name, but they moved too quickly for Evelyn to read them.
The Sun Goddess’s namesake, aside from the mural, continued to lack—the palace was sterile and cold.
Evelyn’s bare feet slapped against the marble, loud enough to hopefully drown out the racing of her anxious witch’s heart.
Her instinct screamed, Get in and get out, but the notion had her peering over at Aster, an ache forming in the pit of her belly. She’d only just reunited with her.
The distinct sounds of a party sharpened as they traversed farther into the palace. Glasses clanked. A harp thrummed. Someone recited poetry.
“Isn’t it marvelous,” a commanding voice called.
Evelyn quickened her gait.
For an insatiable tug compelled her forward.
Golden gates groaned as Evelyn and Aster turned the corner. With no moment to compose herself, they walked straight into a grand hall.
The crowd—gods or souls, Evelyn wasn’t sure—fell into an eerie silence.
A hundred eyes scraped across her skin, and a glint of hunger shined in each one.
They stared at Evelyn and Aster like they’d waltzed into the party on silver platters.
Evelyn feigned indifference with shoulders back, steps sure, and gaze alert.
Once deep in the throngs of those draped in silks or wearing nothing at all but gold body paint, the crowd parted to reveal a stunning female.
The Sun Goddess.
She needed no formal introduction—every inch of her shined with the likeness of golden light, and an aurora of power pulsed around her.
At the center of the gathering, she assessed Evelyn with hands clasped at her waist, waiting almost expectantly.
She was an ethereal, breathtaking beauty.
A petite nose, a bluish-green stare, and hair not red or blonde but perfectly in-between, like rose gold spun silk, piled high atop her head.
Her sheer white dress draped against her glowing yet palish skin, her nipples pebbled and piercing the thin fabric of her dress.
A lace undergarment covered her sex, but golden chains holding the piece in place followed the divots of her protruding hip bones, lines leaving little to the imagination.
The Sun Goddess smiled with no teeth, and Evelyn’s instinct flared. Not her magical kind, but a baser sense. That smile wasn’t real—it was posed. The twinkle in the goddess’s eye wasn’t delight either. It was the hint of knowing more than the other and feeling smug about it.
“Evelyn Carson, do not be frightened,” the Sun Goddess said, her voice tickling the back of Evelyn’s mind. “You are more than welcome in my hall. After all, this party was thrown in your name.”
The crowd chuckled. Evelyn’s guard hardened, and she searched the room for Kade, but found no sign of him.
Interest in Evelyn waned, and the crowd turned back to their festivities.
They drank, ate and conversed—and some continued activities tangled on chaises, moans and gasps echoing off the walls.
Evelyn hadn’t envisioned attending some lavish party while in Sorin witches and werewolves fought demons, scáths, and the Void—a darkness destined to destroy them if they didn’t break the Blood Goddess’s curse, one of their own.
It wasn’t for a lack of power—it vibrated in the palace, the marble turning porous and absorbing the immense energy like a sponge.
The Sun Goddess approached closer, her bare toes dipped in golden paint shimmering against the marble floor.
She circled Evelyn and Aster and paused at her friend’s side, who dipped her head in respect.
The Goddess laughed, patting—patting—Aster on the head.
Like some pet. Evelyn fisted her hands at her sides, knuckles popping, but the Goddess didn’t seem to notice as she smiled, flashing—
Fucking flames, the goddess possessed fangs.
The paler complexion, the beauty beholding her.
The Blood Goddess made us in her likeness.
Tovi’s words from weeks ago filtered through Evelyn’s mind. She eyed the goblets and other sets of fangs flashing in their direction. Blood dribbling down their chins. Red staining their teeth. Crimson stains on their garments. The many, many bite marks on Aster’s neck. Evelyn’s own blood ran cold.
“Where’s my mate?” she said, tone bold and demanding.
Aster winced, and gods that lingered close ceased conversation.
The Sun Goddess stepped closer, peering down her nose at Evelyn. Nothing witches had prayed to the Goddess for shined in her eyes.
“You’re one stubborn witch, aren’t you? Placing your magic in the bloodstone was unexpected, even for me.” She bent lower, but Evelyn didn’t move. She didn’t cower under the Goddess’s perusal or power.
“I was left with no other choice.”
But what choice did these gods have? While those of Sorin suffered at the hands of the Blood Goddess, they were partying—drinking and fucking as if their demise was something the celebrate.
The Sun Goddess leaned back, humming to herself.
“True. If the prince had succeeded, I fear the alternative dawn that would’ve arisen.
What an interesting thing, fate, is it not?
You, a young witch, single-handedly shifted the tides of the fight to come.
I must say, your resilience is a treat for us all. ”
Evelyn blinked. A treat. Like she was entertainment.
“Indeed,” a god said, sauntering over from a lingering group.
His dark curls intertwined with a crown made of stars.
Tattoos, the phases of the moon in fact, lined his inner forearm.
His midnight gaze roamed her up and down, brimming with interest and a dangerous hunger.
“You’re a marvel to watch. Forgive me, but I’ve fantasied about meeting you too many times. ”
Evelyn snapped her shoulders straighter. “And you are?”
He wasn’t the Moon God, despite the tattooed moons, Evelyn was sure of it. There was no likeness to her fated, and she felt that truth deep in her bones.
“I’m the God of Night.” He flashed a fang. “Slumber, pleasure, and dreams are my affinities. It’s a pity you’re mated to such a delightful male, for I’d take such care in showing you my talents—“
“Step away from my mate, or I’ll fucking gut you.”
Sheer immense power radiated with those words, and Evelyn shivered.
The party ceased. The music died, and the gods stilled. Attention swiveled to the main entrance where two newcomers stood—Kade and a sharp-edged god.
But Kade was anew. Himself, but more. His golden stare flared with power. His walk radiated unmatched strength. It rippled off him in waves. Alluring, deadly.
Kade stood before Evelyn in room of gods a god himself.
The magic within his soul weaved into something anew.
Yet, there was still that goodness in him—the kindness that had shined from his eyes since the day Evelyn met him.
“Odin,” the God of Night said, but his hungry gaze lingered far too long on Kade. “Not only have you graced us with your presence after centuries, but you’ve also brought us such a delectable specimen.”
Evelyn stepped closer to the God of Night. He swiveled towards her, a predatorial smile cracking his far too beautiful face.
“My, my—“
“Call my mate anything but his name, and it’s me who will gut you,“ Evelyn hissed.
Both the Sun Goddess and the God of Night blinked, and then tipped their heads back, roaring with laughter.
Murmurs of more laughter rose on a wave through the hall, but Evelyn ignored it all, locking eyes with Kade.
She didn’t miss how they were separated by mere feet, but the god and goddess before her had blocked his path.
Beside him, the Moon God stood tall, proud, and eyed those in the hall like one regarded pests.
Fucking flames, he looked like a werewolf, like those he’d gifted his power to.
“Now, my treat”—oh, how Evelyn hated that term the Sun Goddess used—“with what powers do you plan to fight a god with?”