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When I frowned at his nonchalant demeanor, he sighed. "As troubling as this all is, I know a part of you feels alive," he added. It took me a minute to realize he was speaking to the Goddess. "We've lived for so long, seen so much, experienced so much, but you gods won't admit that this war is the most fun you've had in ages."
I couldn't see the Goddess's face to judge her reaction, but could it possibly be true? Was some part of her, Zeus, Hekate, and the others, finding entertainment from all of this?
Perhaps not the Goddess. She'd spent centuries battling the vampire plague instead of sitting on a throne above the City of Souls. But what of the other gods? I didn't consider myself a goddess by any stretch, even though I now shared many of their traits. I didn’t need to sleep, and never felt hunger or thirst. Like the gods, food gradually became not as important to me. I knew sustenance was essential from memory, but now it was below me.
I tried to imagine what it would be like to live for millenniums. How many other things would eventually become boring? Would I one day enjoy a fight that could kill me, just to see if it might happen?
The Demon King turned to face us, a wound on his face healed, but the scar remained, as did the other scars he’d suffered from my attack. “If you ever return to this realm, I'll kill you."
“I don’t intend to return,” the Goddess replied.
He ran his hand over the scar on his right cheek, but instead of being upset, he smiled.
"As for you, Natalie, I'm looking forward to meeting you again." His hand fell from his face, and he narrowed his eyes at Skye.
His eyes hollowed into black holes, and she fisted her dress over her heart. Cyrus held her shoulders and Skye’s eyes changed to crimson, like Will's, and then black. I figured that if his father was hurting her, Cyrus surely wouldn't be so calm. In fact, he was rubbing Skye's back to comfort her.
When her head fell back, and she sighed, smiling, Cyrus hugged her.
"You're cured of the vampire venom," the Demon King grumbled. For a second, he looked sad.
His expression was so odd, that I started to wonder if keeping Cyrus and Skye trapped here had been just a game for his entertainment.
“Take the Legion, Cyrus,” he mumbled. “Do what you wish. I want all of you out of my realm.”
Then, all of a sudden, he vanished. I wasn't sure what to make of everything that had just happened. It hadn’t turned out the way I’d expected, and the Demon King wasn't at all like I’d thought he would be.
Not entirely.
“Hi,” I said, greeting Cyrus and Skye. "I'm Natalie. Well, at this point, you already know that.”
Skye placed her fist over her heart, and I did the same. "It's nice to meet you, Natalie." Cyrus nodded in greeting, and Skye looked up at him with love. "Thank you for what you just did."
"We've waited for this for so long," Cyrus cupped her cheek, and I basked in their joy and newfound freedom.
“I’m just glad that’s over with. No one deserves what's happened to either of you,” I replied.
The Goddess laid a hand on Skye’s shoulder. "I can't go to the Mortal Realm without a vessel. You two should go, take the Legion and prepare," she said. "I have a few people in mind to send you as backup."
“Okay,” Cyrus replied and nodded at me. “Now I’ve seen what we’re up against, we can prepare.”
“Goddess,” Skye called softly, her head bowed. “Forgive me for not being able to defend you as I should have.”
"There's no need for that, Skye. You're cured, and that's what matters. Now you're free, both of you." The Goddess's hand fell away, and she moved to stand by my side. "We should head back to the God Realm.”
"We should," I said. "When I left the City of Souls, the sky had just turned blood red. Another attack is coming. I can teleport us out of here."
The Goddess took my hand. "You did well, Natalie. Rumir would be proud.”
"He will be when we tell him together," I squeezed her hand, and Skye waved at us.
“You know,” she began to say. “There was an Enchanted in the Blackmoon Pack during our time, and you look so much like her."
I nodded. "I know. I had a vision of her just before the war. I wasn't sure what her message meant then or who she was, but I figured it out. I hope to meet you both again, under better circumstances."
“You will,” Cyrus replied. “Say hi to Elinor & Will for us, and tell them we’re free.”
"Oh, we will," the Goddess replied. "We will."
