“They think a lot of you, for what you gave up for them. They treat you like their savior.”
His lips peeled back from his teeth. “They’re all idiots.”
“But you did save them.”
“In symbol alone. I died, Miranda. I didn’t beat Aten. He killed me. And even after death he managed to contort my existence into a personal hell. They think I can save them again,but what does that mean? I need to die for them to get off their asses and do whatever it was they did the last time to put him away?”
The dance ended and I stepped back, putting distance between us. “Thank you, Xander, but I need to show them all I can stand on my own. I need you to keep your distance.” That last part was hard to get out because I didn’t want that at all. The deepest parts of me wanted him glued to my side, touching some part of me to share his strength. But this was how it needed to be.
He nodded, a complex emotion crossing his face. “Understood. But just know I'm here if you need me.” Then he couldn’t help but add with a smirk, “Sweetheart.”
“Thank you for coming,” I whispered.
He turned and stalked away but not without a little wink.
The gods gave me a considerable berth after that, only a few bold enough to pass by me to drop a scathing insult and even fewer who would stop to ask me a genuine question. Even the hostess of the party, Isis, approached me. The wife of Osiris and the matron of the gods. A goddess who appeared to be in her forties, she wore a pearlescent dress and exuded energy in a way that tingled my skin like a thousand raindrops.
I barely remembered anything of our interchange, other than she blessed me with luck in my endeavors.
Xander sipped on something that suspiciously looked like a Shirly Temple as a crowd of gods hung around him, flapping their mouths and fawning all over him. Even from across the room I could see something in him I’d never seen before—his eyes were cold and dead.
I thought if… when he rejoined the ranks he would feel like he belonged and he would allow himself out of his self-imposed shackles to embrace his new life, but my heart cracked like a rock under too much pressure as I saw him dying in front of me.
I wanted to go to him. I wanted to save him, but I knew I would cause more problems than I would solve. Instead, I explored until I found a set of stairs to a balcony that overlooked the ballroom.
This ballroom made Buckingham Palace look like a budget motel. If I weren’t so busy being so in awe of its beauty, I'd be calculating how many lifetimes it would take to dust this place.
Note to self:if reincarnation is real, do not come back as an immortal housekeeper.
“So this is where our guest of honor is hiding,” a male voice came from behind me.
I turned to find myself facing a god I didn’t know. He was tall and imposing with piercing pale eyes that seemed to see right through me. There was an air of arrogance about him, a sense of superiority that made my skin crawl.
His silver hair cascaded down his back in intricate braids and his cloak shimmered with a strange purple iridescence.
“I don't hide,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady despite the unease creeping up my spine. “I simply wanted a new view of things.”
The god's lip curled in a smirk and my blood ran cold. “A brave mortal, aren't you? To speak so boldly to a god.” His voice was like velvet over steel, smooth yet dangerous. I resisted the urge to step back, holding my ground even though every instinct told me to flee.
He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. “Do you think it’s wise to be alone up here? Where no one can protect you?”
Danger flashed in my mind like a big neon sign.
I was feeling very out of my depth. But if he pushed me, I’d do what I had to. “I don’t need anyone to protect me,” I assured him.
“And she’s not alone,” another voice answered.
Chapter 27
The Beast
Icame upon Miranda cornered by the god Min and every part of me wanted to rip him into shreds once I saw his threatening body language.
The god’s face eased into a smile. “Nun, so glad you are back. Now you can help me teach a lesson to this dirty little mortal.”
Lifetimes ago we had been friends. We drank, we partied, we even got involved in some sexual exploits that were worth their weight in gold. But I wasn’t the same god Min knew. And he’d fucked with the wrong human.
“Don’t… don’t talk about her like that.” My tone was airy, a half-smile pulling at my lips as a finger wagged in the air. One ofthose hysterical yelping laughs vibrated at the base of my spine, threatening to bubble up. If it arose and popped, so would the thin hold on my self-control.
