Chapter forty-five
ANUBIS
Iliana hesitated. “They said I have to burn.”
Anubis could tell something was wrong. Iliana was too quiet. The way she shifted under their stares gave her away. She was holding something back.
“They are cryptic. I doubt they meant it literally,” Anubis said, even though a storm churned inside him.He turned her hand over. A scrape still bled, the skin raw. Anubis swallowed at the sight. Another wound. Another sign of her fragility.
He summoned a first-aid kit. His movements were gentle as he cleaned the wound. His eyes never left her face as he watched for any sign of pain. She nodded, but it didn’t seem like an agreement. Instead, it was as if she was trying to distract herself from wherever her thoughts had been.
“What else?” Thanatos prompted.
Iliana inhaled slowly before saying, “They warned me about some darkness.”
They’d known Iliana was important. The Fates didn’t give warnings to just anyone. Although the word ‘darkness’ made him uneasy, the lack of specifics kept his concern at bay.
But that wasn’t what caught his attention. She was still keeping something from them.
“They wouldn’t have summoned you just to give you a warning,” Hypnos said in a clipped tone. “What was the prophecy?”
Iliana glared at the god.
Thanatos softened the demand before she could snap at his brother. “We may be able to interpret it.”
She swallowed, her throat working. She looked toward the cave, checking each possible escape route. Her posture was guarded. Defensive.
Iliana was afraid.
“I just…I need time to think. To figure out the right way to handle this before I say something I can’t take back.” Her eyes lifted to his. Pleading. “Please.”
Anubis searched her eyes. He despised lies. Deception created an acrid taste that irritated him, but this wasn’t the same. Iliana wasn’t hiding something out of malice or manipulation. There was no hint of selfishness in her behavior. No calculation in her fear.
She was terrified, yes, but not for herself. For them.And that made it both easier and harder to accept. Anubis understood the instinct to protect, but he couldn’t protect her from a threat he couldn’t identify. The uncertainty made his hands itch to take action. But she was asking for their trust. After everything, didn’t she deserve that from him?
“Are you able to tell us anything?” Anubis asked carefully.
Her lips parted, but she only shrugged.After a moment, he squeezed her hand. Her omission stung, but he respected her enough to give her space.
Hypnos didn’t share his patience. “How do you expect us to help you if you’re going to keep secrets?”
Iliana flinched.
Anubis’ teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. Heat burned inside him, the familiar feeling of his divine power responding to his anger, wanting to protect Iliana by striking Hypnos.It wasn’t the questions that set him off. It was the way Hypnos’ words made Iliana draw in on herself—as if she deserved the guilt.
Instead of reacting to those feelings, Anubis kept his hands busy, smoothing the bandage over her wound, using the task to keep his tumultuous emotions from escaping.
She lifted her chin stubbornly. “I told you what was relevant. The rest couldchangethings.”
“Change what?” Thanatos asked.
Iliana shook her head. “If I told you, it could influence your decisions, and I’m not willing to risk that.” Her hand trembled in his.
Anubis’ shoulders relaxed even more, knowing his initial understanding was confirmed by her words. She was shielding them. Misguided perhaps, since they were gods and could take care of themselves, but brave.
If he forced her to speak before she was ready, he’d be taking that choice to protect them from her.She’d lost her parents, her home, and everything she knew. She’d been thrust into the world of gods and curses with no preparation; no choice. Everything that had happened to her had been forced upon her by others. Keeping the prophecy to herself was the one thing she could still control. The one decision that was hers alone.
He couldn’t take that from her. Not even to protect her.
