Page 174 of Vengeance of the Gods

Hearing him again…

All of it swarmed her head.

Vega rubbed her jaw, flexing it open and closed. “Fuck.” She held her hand out, stopping Leo. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Nice hit.”

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Leo said with a sigh.

“Why? Because you hit me? I’ve been hit harder,” Vega said, trying to reassure him.

He squinted his eyes, mouth opening a few seconds before he said anything. “I don’t know what I hate worse now. Hitting you and knowing Bridger might kill me if he finds out or the fact that you told me I hit like a wimp.”

Oh, now he’s worried about Bridger killing him?

Vega rolled her eyes, the pain in her jaw almost gone completely. “I didn’t say that, and Bridger won’t get mad. We’re training.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Leo went to grab his things, but Vega ran around him, blocking him from his bag in the corner. “What are you doing?”

“What are you doing?” she retorted.

“We’re done for the day.” He stared at her with serious eyes, the crimson flecks in them catching Vega’s attention as they usually did.

“No, we aren’t. You’re going in the big ring with me,” Vega told him, pointing across the room, where a few people from the mines trained. “Leo, please.” She stuck out her bottom lip, slouching her shoulders.

“Not gonna work, Princess,” he responded with a sly grin and a boop to the nose. Vega swatted him away, but that didn’t stop him. “I bet you can con one of them into fighting you. I’m sure they’d love to land a blow to Marlena’s sister.”

Even the mention of her name made Vega pause, reeling her back into her head and all the questions she had.

Another that kept popping up was, Is this what Marlena feels? The power?

Death growled, its shadows melting from the dragon form, reaching for Vega.

Her lightning sprang to life, zapping it back in shape. It bared its teeth, snapping.

I have to know. It wasn’t Death who wanted others’ powers. How much control did the gods have of her?

Vega watched as Leo saw himself out. She huffed a breath, grumbling as she watched him walk away. With Leo gone, she slipped out of the current ring and made her way to the group of freed miners waiting for their turn on the big mat.

A girl who couldn’t have been more than sixteen or seventeen turned, eyes lighting with excitement when they landed on Vega.

Vega waved politely at the group, introducing herself as she always did. “How are you all settling in?” Really, she did hope they were feeling at home here in Vincere, but her current motivations weren’t for the sake of being welcoming.

The young girl with the bouncy blonde bob answered. “This place is insane. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.” Her hair fluttered over her cheek as she looked at the people around her.

Most of them were fire-wielders. Vega knew without having to ask. She could feel it.

“We can’t thank you enough for⁠—”

Vega shook her head with a polite smile. “Please, don’t thank me. I wish I could apologize for what my sister put you all through, but it won’t change anything.” She had spent too much time apologizing for Marlena. Vega couldn’t do it for the rest of her life.

The blonde, to Vega’s surprise, laughed. “I mean, I burned down my community viewing center… I knew what would happen to me even before doing it.”

“You were fourteen, Ro. The mines weren’t a place for children,” Helena said, making her presence known as she walked up from behind Vega.

Ro shrugged her shoulders. “I took a stance, and Marlena didn’t like it. You’re lucky she didn’t come after you as punishment.”

Vega noticed the resemblance then. Their flawless dark-olive skin, the slight uptilt in their noses. If they weren’t sisters, they had to be related closely somewhere else in their lineage.

“I was untouchable in my position,” Helena said with a smile.