“Many. But almost all of them were unpaired or abandoned.” I was reluctant to share any of it, but I wouldn’t be continuing that work. Somebody should know about what I’dfound, since I intended to retire from that mission and focus solely on protecting Cyciciah going forward. Maybe it could help another goddess in the future.
“Look, I know we have our disagreements.” He shifted forward and rested his elbows on the table. “But if you tell me where they are I can send people to monitor them. We can prevent the capturing of more goddesses. The construction of more factories. We can get ahead of the spread. It could save lives. That’s what you’re about these days right? Saving lives instead of ending them.”
He was playing my moral code, and it made me sick. Where was that understanding when I’d confronted him before? “I’ll tell you everything, but I need a favor in return.”
“You don’t need to use information as leverage, Theo. You need only ask and I’d be happy to help you with anything you need. I thought they told you that when you left all those years ago. We gave you a fuckingcarwithout question. You know how expensive those are?”
There was some truth to that; when I’d left, they hadn’t skimped on the severance package. I’d been told I could always come back.
Their generosity wasn’t a total surprise. In addition to having been their prized killer, there was once a time where Arne was my closest friend. Before Graysen. Before Mykie. Long before Vivian. I was his right-hand man. We were carnage unleashed on the world together. We’d killed. We’d kept each other alive. But I wastryingto wash my hands of it all, and I wasn’t sure what kind of a bond would remain without all the sticky gore acting as glue.
At the very least, I was confident that Arne truly wanted to protect the goddesses. He was dedicated to this side of the war. So, I carried on with my bargain.
“There’s one field I’ve found with a goddess living in it. Cyciciah. I’ve chosen her as my mate and will be spending the rest of my days guarding her field. She has a mother figure in Drifael that needs protection through association. I want two people stationed there to keep an eye on her and the town so my female can enjoy her life peacefully.”
Arne’s expression shifted serious; he understood the stakes of my situation. Before he founded G.P.O., he’d been in love with a goddess himself. She’d lost her life fighting capture. He’d confided in me years ago, and I suspected I was still the only one who held that information about him.
“You want two of our team permanently stationed in Drifael?” His lips pursed.
“In exchange for the information I have, yes.”
This was why I needed leverage. There would be little for them to accomplish there if all went well. I was essentially requesting two paid employees do nothing but chill in a small town and keep an eye on things in perpetuity. It was a big ask of already limited resources.
He sighed, pinching the skin between his horns, wrinkled from years of stress and overthinking. “You sure I can’t just torture all the knowledge out of you instead?”
It was a joke—I was pretty sure—but I didn’t laugh. “I want one of them to be non-G.P.O. I have someone in mind.”
“Fucks sake, Theo. I don’t see you for twelve gods damned years and then you show up, ask me tohiresomeone for you,and take another member of my team with them to live in the countryside for the rest of their careers?”
“Do you want the information on the fields I’ve discovered, or not? I’ve found seventeen of them and documented everything.”
He groaned. “Who do you want?”
“Mykie.”
“That’s gonna be a hard ‘fuck no’ from me. She’s the best I’ve got since you left,” he groaned. “Besides, if she goes, Ragen will leave too. You’d be taking my best assassin, security, and intelligence to go retire inRainvilleand watch over some female who isn’t even a goddess.”
I didn’t know Mykie and Ragen had something going on. Truthfully, I didn’t know much about Ragen, and Mykie would sooner die than chat crushes with me. “Then give me Erith.”
Erith was from the same task force as Mykie. Although far younger than his peers, he would share their work ethic and skills. Most importantly, I considered him to be a very patient, gentle, and calm male from the few times we’d interacted. Traits that weren’t particularly common in this field. Traits that would be important if he would be living with theotherperson I had in mind.
“Erith,” he hummed. “Still a deep cut.”
“I don’t have a third pick.”
He rolled his eyes and tossed his head side to side. “Sure. Take Erith. Now, who is the outsider you’re partnering him with?”
“His name is Mitus.” I swallowed, emotions boiling as I named him. My biggest regret.
His eyes grew wide. “The kid youorphaned?!”
My jaw clenched.
I knew what I’d done. That night, as I screamed at Arne, all I could think about was the fear in the child’s eyes. A child I didn’t know existed—much less was standing in the doorway—until I’d slit his father’s throat. “Dad? What’s happening? Dad, I’m scared.” I’d heard his small voice through the blood in my ear—an injury from his father’s attempt to claw himself free from my hold—as I climbed out the window.Burdening me with my most painful scar. The memory haunted me.
“He isn’t a kid anymore.” I swallowed my rage. “I want him taken care of for life.Comfortably.”
I’d given him a job last year, the moment he turned twenty. Legal drinking age. It was the least I could do after his guardian—the sister of his late father—passed away. I guaranteed he made enough money to survive, and tolerated his shitty attitude. He was young to be dealing with so much loss—mood shifts were to be expected. I was confident he was a good kid at his core.
