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I hope I’m wrong about that.Damien poured a tall glass of scotch and went to sit on his private balcony with the view of his decimated backyard. A pile of dead coals sat where his meditation garden once stood. The pristinely manicured grass now had a black ring in the middle.
Funny. He didn’t even care. The world he’d created, along with all its comforts, had shifted. His shop was still important, but that was about it.
“You’ve been quiet.” Sky’s hazy form stood in front of him, leaning against the balcony’s railing.
“Not much to say.”
“Was Elenore able to keep the rest of the immortal creatures away?”
He threw back his scotch and set the glass on the table beside him. “She texted. The power never came back, and the event holders called it quits around noon. She and her gang followed them all home. They’re probably snacks by now.”
“That’s good news.”
“Yes.”
She crouched in front of him, taking his hand. “Damien, tell me what’s wrong. I can feel you’re holding something back.”
He gently slid his hand away and studied the night sky off in the distance. He didn’t even know the time. Two? Three? Who-the-hell-cares a.m. in the morning? “How did you learn to do this?”
“Do what?”
“Appear. Fuck. Drive. Text,” he said calmly. “Someone had to teach you.”
Sky blinked her warm brown eyes and stood again. “I don’t know what you mean, Damien.” Suddenly her form began to fade.
“Don’t you dare run away, Sky.” His voice was firm. “You answer my question honestly, or we are done. I will find a way to detach you from my life.”
Her faded form flickered as she looked away.
“Tell me,” he demanded.
Sky sighed with regret. “You’ll find out eventually, so I guess it should be me to tell you; Cimil said she could bring me back in another body. All I had to do was convince you to take the job.”
Bring her back? How? And… “What job?” he growled in a low voice.
“I don’t know. Something about you being a sort of enforcer? It sounded like a big role, making sure any remaining immortals didn’t cause problems while the gods are away.”
How had she hidden this from him?
She added, “This whole thing is one big job interview.”
This had been Cimil’s plan all along? Make him run around, flipping over rocks, looking for clues, all so they could corner him into a job he had no interest in?
“And the tortured immortals? The trafficking of humans? Were those part of this fucking interview?” he snarled.
Sky shook her head. “I really don’t know. Cimil just said I had to trust her and have faith.”
Faith. Faith! Faith?Faith that the gods would lie to him, manipulate him, play with his life? Not to mention everyone else who was involved.
“Well, tell her and her brethren that they can go fuck themselves. I will not play immortal babysitter or sheriff to whatever is left of the immortal world.”
“I can’t hold my form much longer. But just know…” Sky swallowed and stared down at the floor. “If you pass the interview and take the role, the gods won’t just give me back my life. They’ll give Willa back hers, too.”
Damien felt his heart skip a beat. “Willa?” Damien jerked to his feet and stepped away from Sky.
“I figured,” Sky muttered, looking away.
“Figured what?”
