“I go in with the fang and try to end this quickly and quietly with Galina,” I said, casting Grim a glance. That was the best-case scenario. “Things are even worse than we thought,” I added, then explained to my friends about the vampires.
Miranda’s cheeks grew more drawn as I described the naked vampires in chains, while Aaron listened with open disgust on his face.
“Who knows how many other gods are out snatching up vampires to be their sex slaves and worse,” I finished, still hugging my brutalized jacket.
“Yes, cleaning this up will be quite the task,” Grim said, his thumb rubbing up and down my spine.
I turned to look up at him. “Wait, what do you mean clean up?”
His whiskey-colored eyes dipped down to meet mine. “We have to kill them, Vivien. All of them.”
He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. My stomach dropped, like the two-hundred-foot plunge of an amusement park ride.
“No, what? We can’t kill them,” I said, hearing the panic rise in my voice.
Grim used a gentle yet firm tone. “Vivien, we have to. It’s the only way to preserve the balance. As it is, all of those souls will never gain entry into the afterlife. They are lost.”
I took a step back. “They aren’t lost.I’mnot lost. My soul may not travel to heaven, but I’m willing to stick out this immortality business. I bet my left boob most of those who were turned also don’t want to forfeit their life just because this was forced on them. No, screw that. I bet my right boob, too.”
Grim closed his eyes and for a moment I thought I’d bored him to sleep, but on closer inspection, he seemed to be warring with himself. Ozone permeated the air, and I realized his power was spiking.
“How about you two take a minute to go get changed,” Miranda offered, seeing as we were half dressed, and covered in blood, and clearly about to have a fight. I nodded and dragged Grim off to our bedroom.
Grim got control enough to speak. “Vivien, this is exactly what happened in ancient times. The vampires did not take kindly to the hierarchy. They too will turn on my brethren, and eventually humanity itself will be at stake.”
I couldn’t believe he was saying this after all we’d been through. “Stop. Just stop judging for one second. It’s your job, not who you are.”
A muscle in his jaw jumped. “That’s where you are wrong. I am the god of death, and I am tasked with keeping the balance.”
I poked his chest. “Bullshit. If you were still in the cradle, Fallon would be the one in charge.”
His eyes flashed this time. “And you regret bringing me back? Because he would know how to use the power better than me?”
“No.” I clutched at my heart, searching for the invisible knife he ran through it. “I want you here, with me. You know how much I love you. But that doesn’t mean I will ignore what’s right. And if you start killing vampires”—I took a step back, drawing a line in the sand—“you might as well kill me, too.”
Grim turned and stalked to the other end of the room, before walking back and stopping in front of me again. Power whipped wildly in his eyes, but I wouldn’t back down.
“What would you have me do?” he demanded.
“This is what I was afraid of,” I said softly. “That love would mean I have to sacrifice my character if I want to be with you.”
“That’s not what I’m asking you to do,” he argued.
“It is,” I shot back. “You want me to stand by your side and help you kill innocent people, vampires? You are making me choose you or my race!”
“And what about you? You would have me choose between you and keeping the entire world in balance.” It came out on a roar as his death mask flickered.
Anyone else would have backed up from his unstable power state. So of course, I took a couple of steps closer to get in his face.
“Well, your idea of balance sucks, and it isn’t balance at all. It’s time to change that. And yes, I may continue to love you, but I can’t stay with you if you plan to uphold this bullshit simply because you are too ancient and stuck in your ways to think outside the box.”
Silence fell over us in a smothering blanket.
I couldn’t let it go. My intensity wasn’t optional, and if he wanted me, he had to know by now, it was the rule, not an exception.
My vision swam from unshed tears as I vibrated with feeling. I took a moment to steady myself before I spoke in an even tone. “If you could have seen that girl before she died. How scared she was…She wasn’t the enemy. She didn’t have grand plans to overthrow the gods or drink all of your blood. She was a woman with a life. And she had her choice ripped away from her when Sekhmet turned her. I learned to want this new existence. Why shouldn’t she get the chance? Just because I’m dating someone who can protect me, and she doesn’t have a godly ally?”
This time his words came out low and raspy as if from the effort it took to keep his magic in check. “You want me to change the entire world order? You want me to defy the decree of Osiris?”
