Page 34 of Vengeance of the Gods

“Not a lick of credit.”

Marlena twitched, fighting the urge to rip her own skin off. The gods’ voices and insults grated against her mind like nails on a chalkboard.

Sometimes they treated her like she was less than… like she hadn’t been strong enough to withstand summoning all twelve and their powers at the same time.

Marlena reminded the gods of her strength with a zap of Vulcan’s flames through her mind.

He was always the loudest, his powers the first to rise when it was time to fight.

While all of the gods were with Marlena, some were quieter than others, never saying much. It usually took her by surprise if a few of them spoke at all.

Or if they gave her a peek inside the power they somehow wouldn’t let her have full control over… Apollo was the worst.

Marlena had never tasted what the Videri line was known for—she’d never experienced anything remotely close to that of a seer.

The future was unknown—more so now than it’d ever been.

She fucking hated it.

People continued to kneel until there was no one left standing but a woman dressed in an emerald robe.

Marlena’s jaw ticked. “Is the robe for show?” The religious members of Oro spent a lot of time in Stella—they’d always claimed it was as close as they could get to the gods.

She couldn’t be any closer to the gods right now if she tried…

The pretty young girl couldn’t be more than twenty. She had an entire life ahead of her. Her deep-blue doe eyes were seconds from spilling tears. “I cannot bow when I’ve yet to devote my life to one god.”

An older woman kneeling next to the girl made a smart move. She stood and grabbed the acolyte by the arm. “Bow,” she whispered, thinking Marlena couldn’t hear. “Before she kills you.”

“I told you,” Marlena droned as the girl started to fight the older woman’s hand, “the old gods are gone. I am your⁠—”

“I cannot bow to her! She isn’t the only new god! She’s not the only choice I have.” The words were out before Marlena could react. “Her sister and the bon⁠—”

It only took one step for her to jump from where she’d been to where she was—behind the acolyte, hands on either side of her head.

The crack of her neck sent everyone into pandemonium, scrambling to get as far away as they could.

Marlena had traveled without thinking. The only thing on her mind was shutting her up before she finished her sentence.

Calmly, Marlena turned to face the camera, noticing the small red light blinking a live signal.

One easy gust of wind sent the device crashing against the stone wall behind her. Its pieces became ricochet shrapnel with Marlena’s control, whizzing through the air with a hiss before lodging into a body.

Screams echoed through the dark sky. No one could exit the square.

They were all sealed by a shield. The one Marlena controlled because of Mars, Bridger’s bloodline.

Marlena pulled a sword from the invisible sheath between her shoulders. The metal shimmered under the bright moon, appearing from thin air.

Another ability she’d had before the gods… one she’d nearly perfected before age ten.

Her eyes met the terrified gaze of a screaming woman limping on what looked to be a broken ankle.

Marlena killed her first.

Then she cleared the rest of the square.

“Marlena.”