Page 129 of Vengeance of the Gods

“Where do you think you’re going?” Khort asked like some lifelong authoritarian.

Octavia paused, giving Khort a sideways glance. “Um, one. Chill. Two, to get the children out of Demuto.”

Khort scoffed. “No, you’re definitely not going alone. Delori wouldn’t want⁠—”

Octavia interrupted. “With all due respect, you have no fucking clue what my mother would want.”

Khort’s jaw dropped, and Bridger’s lips pulled at the corners. Arlet stared at her like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

“To no fault of your own, you’ve missed out on the woman she is today, and you don’t get to tell me what she would want of me. I know what she’d want.” Octavia pushed forward, Tilie weaving through her legs as she walked. “What she would want is for me to go get the shifter children who have been stuck in the confines of a single territory their whole lives and take them somewhere safe.”

She nodded towards the cave. “Which isn’t here…”

The sound of footsteps echoed from the cave, and Octavia’s younger sister came barreling out with Halo slinking behind her, sticking close to the shadows and out of Khort’s direct line of vision.

“I’m coming with you!” Nora proclaimed, throwing a small bag over her shoulder.

Octavia shook her head. “Negative. You’re staying here.”

“But—”

She didn’t let her finish. “No. You’re not trained. You’re not ready. Stay with them.” She nodded to the bonded.

Avi took off into the sky, alerting Arlet of movement to the south. “We need to get out of the open. Better yet, we need to get out of the caves. We’re not safe here. We’ve never been safe here.” She turned to Bridger. “Is Vincere still an option?”

A muscle ticked in his tight jaw, a movement Vega knew she had been the only one to see. “It needs to be cleared out. Marlena killed everyone who stayed behind.”

Arlet closed her eyes and shook her head, silently mourning all the people they’d lost.

“I’ll go.” Halo stepped forward, the bags under his eyes a clear indicator the boy hadn’t been sleeping worth a shit—not even behind the safe walls of Vincere. “I’ll take Nora, make sure she’s safe.” He stole a glance at her and Octavia, then looked back to Bridger.

“Thank you.” Octavia gave him a soft smile and kissed her sister on the cheek. “Be good. Be nice.”

“Leave your boots on.” Nora didn’t let tears spill over.

A part of Vega hurt at the memory of what she and her sister had once been.

“And don’t sleep with my back to the road.” Octavia winked at her sister. “I know.” She looked at Vega and Bridger. “Marlena doesn’t know we exist. My mom would like to keep it that way. I’ll get to Vincere as quickly and safely as I possibly can. I’ll have Tilie send a message if we run into anyone who can deliver one.”

She waited for them both to nod, understanding what targets they would be if Marlena did, before slipping into the Vates forest and disappearing with Tilie by her side.

When she was gone, it was back to business. “You can’t clear all the bodies by yourself, Halo.” Bridger hadn’t mentioned how many had died, but if they needed more than a few people to clear the dead, it must be a big number.

“You should go with them,” Vega told him.

“I’m staying with you” was his quick response. Out loud. For everyone to know his stance.

“I’ll go.” Leo came forward.

Fuck, how long had he been standing there? Vega was losing it. She needed sleep.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve stepped foot in Ardor. I’m sure my fire would love the heat.” He smiled, glowing at the prospect of going home.

“I can help,” Nora offered.

Bridger and Halo both answered at the same time. “No.”

Oh, it was bad bad then.