His skin shimmered like liquid gold, adorned with intricate patterns of hieroglyphs that seemed to writhe and shift with a life of their own. Beauty and fear melded inside me in an impossible collision of desire and revulsion.
A god stood before me, and everything inside me trembled before him.
“You think you can reject me?" His voice boomed, no longer Michael's but something otherworldly and powerful. “I am the greatest. I am the best. I am Aten.”
Heinz's barking crescendoed, a desperate attempt to warn, to protect. But it was too late. Aten's transformation was complete, his figure now a beacon of light that filled the room, casting long, ominous shadows.
The room seemed to shrink in his presence, every corner touched by his incandescent glow. His voice returned to a more natural timber, but it somehow sent a shiver up my spine. “You will learn to worship me, Miranda. Either by choice or by force.”
Chapter 30
The Badass
The air was thick in the charged silence following Aten's reveal and declaration, electric with the tension of a brewing storm. Heinz's barking had subsided into a low warning growl, his body tense and ready. He put himself between Aten and my family, guarding them.
Bob's presence in my mind was a cold comfort, a reminder that I wasn't entirely alone in facing the god before me.
“So you’re the big bad,” I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me. “The one who has everyone shaking in their boots.”
I might be too if I were wearing them, but I wore sandals and a bodysuit, like some kind of ancient gladiator.
“I am more than a god,” he replied in a silky voice.
There was a reason I was innately drawn to my neighbor. Divinity was wildly attractive to humans. I should know. I felt it whenever I was around Grim, Timothy, or any other god. I’d been so stupid not to recognize it only a couple feet from my door.
“I am your helpful, handsome, knight in shining armor just next door.” He swept a hand out in the direction of his house. “Stable, pleasant, strong, and supportive. Everything you’ve ever wanted, Miranda.”
They were things I’d told myself I wished Xander was, or claimed to have wanted in the past, but aside from that divine glimmer I felt from “Michael,” everything fell flat.
“Why waste your time pretending to be my neighbor?” It didn’t make any sense.
“Because we were falling in love. I wanted you to love me as a man, not just blindly fall for the brilliant god I am.” His lips tilted up in a half smile that screamed,aw shucks, didn’t we just?
But we didn’t, and what an absolutely deluded creep.
“You think a couple interactions would have me falling at your feet?” Disgust filled my words.
His smile slipped and despite his near-blinding glow, his eyes went flat and cold.
“We’ve barely spoken or interacted. You know nothing about me.” I stiffened, my hand anticipating slicing the sword at him.
In less than a blink, Michael—Aten—was right there beside me. “I’d wait to hear what I have to say before you try slashing me down,” he cautioned. “If not for the sake of your family, then because there is the very real possibility of you and I talking this out to a reasonable solution.”
His warm breath puffed over my skin, and warmth seeped into that side of my face and body. Knowing it was a trick of his power made it easier to compartmentalize now.
“You are special, Miranda. You wield the Blade of Bane. You’re a mortal knowingly walking amongst gods, knowing how undeserving and how entitled they are. Whether you realize it or not, we are perfect for each other.”
Aten moved to stand behind me, his presence radiating heat that seemed to seep into my bones. It was tempting to give in to the comfort he offered, like a warm blanket on a cold night.
But my disgust for his lies and presumption kept me glued to my senses.
Not to mention, here he was, all shiny and godly, making his pitch while Mama Jean and Jamal were tied up like it was some twisted hostage negotiation.
“Together we can bring order to a world that needs direction and unquestionable leadership.”
“You mean a despot,” I corrected.
Aten's laughter filled the room, a sound that seemed to vibrate with power. “I prefer to think of myself as a necessary ruler. One who brings order. Humans already ordain so many to manage themselves, from presidents to prime ministers down to managers at the local fast food restaurant. I can effortlessly become part of this natural order to give humans what they need.”
