He leaned forward, arms on the table. He wanted to comfort her, but didn’t want to scare her.Instead, he tried to learn more about her.
“I do not know what may have caused you to believe you needed to end your life—”
She slammed a palm on the table. “Don’t you dare suggest that! I never wanted that. Never!”
Her outrage confirmed what Anubis needed to know. She wasn’t suicidal.
He raised his hands. “I was not there. I know only what I was told, but my friend believes a curse may have been placed on you.” He watched her. “Do you have any idea who might have done that?”
Shock crossed her face. Her eyes went wide, mouth parted, before anger sparked hot and sharp.
“Curse?” She shook her head. “You must be crazy. Curses aren’t real.”
She shook her head again, but too much had happened to explain away.
“I am not crazy. And curses are very real.”
Fear pinched her features. She tensed, eyes moving toward the door. Then, she locked eyes with him. “What are you?”
Before Anubis could answer, the air in the room changed, and his entire body tensed. A powerful being was about to appear. Though unaware of the magic at play, the hairs on Iliana’s arms stood on end, her pupils dilating.
In the next moment, a figure was standing next to them, white wings spread wide.
Iliana screamed, the sound piercing Anubis’ sensitive ears. Her terrified eyes focused on Thanatos. She quickly stood, pointing a shaking finger at him. “You!”
Thanatos raised his hands, speaking in a soothing voice. “You remember me?”
Iliana shook her head. “No. No, this can’t be happening.” Her breathing turned erratic, as if she were about to hyperventilate.Then she glared at both of them. “Are you two trying to gaslight me?”
Anubis frowned. Gaslight? What did fire have to do with lying?
Before he could ask, Thanatos sighed. “No, we are not. Please sit down.” He stepped back and made his wings disappear. “Let us explain what is going on,” he offered. “If you still want to leave after, we will not stop you.”
Anubis stiffened. What was Thanatos thinking? How did he plan to keep her safe if she wasn’t near one of them?
Iliana’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Thanatos, surprise crossing her face before skepticism set in. She folded her arms tightly, her posture becoming defensive.Her legs trembled with exhaustion and fear, worse than when she’d gotten out of bed earlier.
He needed to calm her. “I know it is hard to trust us. But you are safe here.”
She scoffed. “Safe? You call this safe?” She pointed at the empty bowl. “That’s the first thing I’ve eaten, and I’ve been drugged. You really need to learn the definition of safe.”
“Ani?” Thanatos asked.
“Hypnos failed to feed her and give her water. And he kept her unconscious against her will.” Through their mental link, Anubis added, “I think he forgot humans cannot survive on sleep alone. Or maybe he did not want to deal with her fear and questions.”
Thanatos’ expression grew dark. “Is this true?” he asked aloud.
When Iliana nodded, his stance grew rigid. “I am sorry for the way my brother treated you. He hasn’t been around humans in a long time.”
Her eyes became guarded. Haunted. “What are you?” she asked again.
“Iliana, we are gods.”
Chapter thirteen
THANATOS
She looked exhausted and terrified, but her eyes were full of life.
