Page 81 of Vengeance of the Gods

Khort choked on the air he inhaled. “You what?”

Diana, the dead goddess of the hunt and wild animals. The goddess of Khort’s people.

“To kill Romulus, I had to bring him through the portal. It was where Death would be waiting to collect my soul at the end of my curse.” Vega could see that blackness again, the sinking feeling in her stomach returning like she was back inside. “It didn’t matter that I'd brought Romulus in place of myself.” He didn’t want Romulus.

The echo of a snarl vibrated up the dark pit inside her mind.

Vega couldn’t gaslight herself hard enough to believe what she’d done was a dream. Not with this thing inside her mind.

“I was in Death’s arms, and I wasn’t ready to go yet. I wasn’t ready to let the people I love die because of me.” She spoke with a surety she was relieved to feel. “So, I promised to deliver my sister and the gods inside her for the power to save our people.” Vega bit her tongue, holding the rest inside.

For now.

She would tell them later…

Arlet stared into the shadows of the dark cave. “I saw a piece of her. The real Marlena. For just a second.” Arlet’s body racked with an unexpected sob, and she slid to the floor.

Vega was down with her in seconds, wrapping her in a hug as scooted back to use the cave’s wall as a backrest. Arlet sank into her as Khort plopped down on the other side, smoothing her dirty hair.

“Before she told me about the deal with Bridger… she came in, covered in blood, babbling about killing everyone who’d witnessed the acolyte admit she wasn’t the only god.”

Khort shushed her. “Most here still don’t know.” They quietly filled Vega in. Her hand covered her mouth by the time they were done.

Tolevarre knew Vega was a god… But what kind had she come back as?

“You said the gods are inside her?” Arlet asked, a nervous energy coming from her shared connection making Vega tense.

That was what… he—Gods, Vega, just say his fucking name! She battled with herself too much to form words. Vega nodded, unable to admit how she knew.

“She told me they were. She said ‘they killed’ everyone when referring to the massacre in Stella. I saw her fight to keep control against them in her head. Marlena’s getting messy.” Arlet shook as she recalled the memory.

They sat in silence, mulling over what this all meant.

“I have to tell you both something,” Arlet said against Vega’s chest, still wrapped inside Vega’s arms. “And I’m so sorry I kept it a secret this long, but I couldn’t figure out how to approach it, not after what happened… and then the longer time went on, I didn’t even know if it mattered anymore.” She laughed a sad sound. “But it does matter. It does.”

Khort continued to smooth her hair against her head, catching Vega’s gaze over the top. His wide eyes mirrored the dread Vega felt.

“It matters,” Arlet repeated, but this time it felt like she was saying it to herself and not her friends. “Marlena and I…”

No.

“I fell in love with Marlena before all of this happened. We were in a secret relationship, sneaking around for about a year.”

Vega stiffened, and Khort’s hand froze in place.

Time paused while Arlet fidgeted under their touch. She didn’t pull away, staying curled up against Vega’s chest.

My best friend and my sister were together, and I never knew.

Vega didn’t know what it was she felt. It was a mixture of complete shock, of being totally blindsided, with a hint of hurt Arlet felt she could only now come clean about this.

What if she would have told them in her first life? Where would they be today with this knowledge?

The only noises in the cave were the echoes of other conversations happening around the main room. Enough silence passed where Arlet finally decided to continue.

“I ended things the Saturnalia before her induction, after she attacked your parents. I was there that day. I saw her almost kill the guard. I saw the person she was becoming, and instead of standing by, instead of helping her through, I left her. What if I⁠—”

“No, no, Arlet, this isn’t your fault.” Vega wrapped her sobbing best friend tighter, resting her hand against Arlet’s head and smoothing her hair like Khort had been. His hands were in his lap, his eyes glazed over as he processed what they’d learned. “A butterfly caught in the web of a deadly spider,” Vega said, using the same analogy Arlet had told her in more than one life.