Fallon lifted his chin and gave me a short nod, though his face was still twisted with displeasure at not getting to kill Vivien on the spot.
With that, I turned. Vivien stared up at me, her eyes round, genuine fear shining in them. I wouldn’t give Fallon a chance to change his mind. I picked Vivien up in my arms and sped off. I took a secret route around the back of the hotel to a door that was hidden from everyone else. I threw it open and led us to an elevator that would take us to the penthouse. I had to duck down to fit in the elevator. Once inside, I set Vivien down.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, allowing my body to calm back into human form. My shirt was gone, and my pants were tattered. As soon as my claws receded back to the normal pads of human fingertips, I smashed the top button.
Emotions crashed against each other inside me. I couldn’t think straight. Was it mere minutes ago we were in the pool splashing each other? Kissing each other until I’d damn near lost all control. I’d lost sight of the danger, and I was cursing myself for being so foolish. Hadn’t I learned that fun, as Vivien called it, led to nothing but trouble and chaos?
As for Vivien, I avoided meeting her gaze, reluctant to see her fear or disgust at having seen my beast form. We rode the elevator in silence. Thankfully, the few guests had all vacated the pool area when Vivien an I had our interlude, and didn’t witness the fight or my transformation. One less mess for Timothy to clean up.
Surprise registered on Vivien’s face when the doors opened into the library of my penthouse, parting the bookshelves. While the elevator I’d used to ferry Vivien from the lobby of Sinopolis up to my abode only made three stops, the third being my antechamber, the secret lift that opened to my library ran on a far more complex route. And there was absolutely no chance I would reveal that to Vivien. It was grating enough that I was forced to use the back entrance, revealing it to her at all.
I headed straight to my bathroom, grabbing a towel to dab off any remaining pool water. I hung the towel around my neck and went to my walk-in closet.
“So are you going to tell me?” Vivien asked, standing in my doorway.
“Tell you what?” I asked, my tone stiff, as I went about shifting through my clothes.
“What you are?” Her tone was soft, careful, as if she feared I would turn around and bite her head off. She should be worried.
“I’m Death. You know this,” I snapped. Anger and confusion writhed in me like live wires.
Why am I angry?I managed to count several reasons straight away.
Because I couldn’t tell Fallon the extent of the sekhor problems. I was doing my best to deal with the matter quickly and quietly, but if he got the others involved, it would become a mess of catastrophic proportions.
And now it appeared as though I was keeping secrets rather than protecting my family. I didn’t care about appearances, but I respected my brother and it seemed as though I chose a sekhor over him.
The next thought was far more disturbing. Ihadchosen Vivien over my brother. I needed Vivien so I could find the master, but it was more than that. I was no longer certain I could kill her.
The chilling realization came over me. No matter how I reminded myself of my duty, I had developed feelings for Vivien. I wanted her. I wanted to tear that bikini off with my teeth and work her from front to back until she forgot her name a second time. Even more so, she made me laugh. She was stubborn, rebellious, a loose cannon, while also observant, savvy, and unlike any one I had ever met. And I had encountered a staggering number of souls, yet she still stood out, a bright burning star amongst a billion meteors.
“If it doesn’t matter, then you can tell me,” Vivien said, a harder edge in her tone.
I turned to face her, emotions still boiling under the surface. There was hesitance in her eyes, yet she continued to push. It seemed to be her nature, the fool woman.
“You really want to know?” With all the deliberate menace of a predator, I closed in on her, yet she didn’t recoil or back away. Instead, Vivien lifted her chin, her eyes conveying that she could handle anything I threw her way.
Well, we’d find out.
“I am a god.”
25
Agod?
I laid a hand against the doorway of Grim’s massive closet to hold myself up, since my legs had magically been replaced by rubber. My stomach took an icy plunge as the gears in my brain did their best to turn faster. I imagined tiny people running around the pink matter in my skull yelling to each other in a panic.
How is she processing, Jenkins?
Doesn’t look good, sir.
Dammit, Jenkins, start pulling all the levers. But for god’s sake, keep away from the one that releases drool. We don’t need her looking any stupider as is.
I’ll try, sir, but we might have to give her all we’ve got.
Challenge simmered in Grim’s eyes. Before, he had been a buttoned-up, repressed kind of scary. What unnerved me was I knew he could change into a terrifying, powerful being any instant, but I didn’t know when or what would provoke it.
Now, he was entirely wild and primal. I preferred this unhinged, ferocious side of him. Like I was looking into the beast’s eyes, knowing exactly what I was facing.
