Page 167 of Vengeance of the Gods

“Did you get any sleep last night?" Arlet asked. “Or are you afraid of the nightmares?” The second question wasn’t asked like she wanted to know the answer. Arlet asked like she was testing if Vega would lie to her again. “You think just because we don’t get to be inside your head like Bridger, we don’t know when you’re lying?”

Vega had wanted to keep the details from them, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. Arlet knew her too well.

“For all we know, it could have just been a one-time thing.” Vega decided to dig herself deeper into the hole she’d jumped in, certainly not ready to reveal all of the details she was hiding. “After all, Marlena’s favorite power would be the loudest if I were to guess.” But that was all it was… a guess.

“And you think the one she’s had honed to perfection since she was nine won’t be worse?” Arlet asked, although no one needed to answer.

Vega knew by her tone she was growing more agitated with Vega and her shenanigans by the second. “What other option do I have?” she asked, throwing her hands up and letting them fall back to her sides, smacking her thighs. “I didn’t trade my soul for nothing.”

Vega shrugged her shoulders when no one jumped to say anything. “I won’t apologize for it either.” Vega looked her best friends in the eyes and took a deep breath. “Enough, please. This isn’t about saving me. Not anymore. You did that already. You made sure I was here to fulfill this fucked-up destiny. It’s about saving our world now. I’m a small price to pay…”

The door to the office slammed open, and a blur of dark curls whizzed by Vega. Nora threw herself into Octavia’s arms, who held her tightly.

Vega’s heart constricted in her chest, and she had to look away. She stared into the fire until Octavia spoke again. “Fortis is next to lock down, followed by Fraus. The people of each territory were told to run while they still could.”

Things were about to get so much worse.

“You should get in touch with Quinley, Khort. It’s not safe for her to be out anymore,” Vega said, reaching for the door handle. “We need to prepare for an influx of arrivals into Vincere and Ardor.”

“Where are you going?” Arlet asked, taking a step towards Vega.

“I just need to get some fresh air. Clear my head a little. Don’t worry… I’m not going to run away and face Marlena alone.” Not yet anyway.

She left the room, passing by a group stumbling down the hall with a bottle of liquor being passed amongst them.

People were celebrating their win at the mines yesterday—time of day no longer mattered when no one was guaranteed to survive the night. People were learning to celebrate now, not save it for later.

While the rebel side of their army celebrated, Bridger’s soldiers mourned the loss of their beloved general.

It was easy to tell the groups apart when Vega passed them in the halls or when she walked through the large common area.

The rebels chatted, laughed, and for the first time in Vega had no idea how long, they looked happy.

Bridger’s soldiers, the few she’d seen at least, were somber, drinking alone or in small groups looking as sad as the others.

The tightening feeling in her chest intensified, turning out to be Death wrapping around her like a warm blanket when a soldier with red-rimmed eyes looked up from her glass of amber liquid.

Something about Vega startled her, and she backed her chair away as Vega passed.

She glanced down to see the veins in her arms clouded with a murky black hue.

Stop that. Vega no longer had to speak the words inside her mind for it to hear her.

Death grumbled and slowly disappeared.

Vega made it to the top just in time, inhaling a breath of Ardor’s hot and dry air to calm her racing heart. She found a tree to sit under, overlooking the outdoor training arena where a group of level fives sparred.

Tucking herself into the shadows, Vega rested her head on the trunk of a tall palm tree, its fronds creating the perfect shady spot for her to be alone.

Death seemed to have gotten the hint too, snaking out of her mind and hiding in the pit where Vega could truly get a moment's peace.

With her eyes closed, Vega felt the call of sleep, despite the sun being high in the sky. She had barely slept the night before, spending most of her time wrapped up in Bridger, completely oblivious to what the coming hours would have in store.

Last night, she didn’t sleep at all.

The rustle of the tree above her head acted as the soundtrack to a white-noise machine, begging her to let sleep take over. When she felt herself dozing off, whispers of the voices somewhere inside her jarred her awake… and not a moment too soon.

A dragon-shaped shadow shot overhead, and for one second, Vega thought Death was outside of her body… until it scurried from the pit and poked its head out.