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And that was worth fighting for.
The demon hybrid had also tried to help, but Paul had ordered him to guide the humans to safety and protect them instead. The fight had been intense, and it had been clear that Paul was no match for the gods. Thinking he was going to die anyway, he had sacrificed himself, taking a lethal blow that had been meant to strike the reaper in the back. Thankfully, taking the hit in his much larger wolf form had helped Paul survive, and he had ended up losing his left arm in the attack instead of his life.
The reaper had been an ancient with powerful magic and far stronger than the group of gods had anticipated. He had managed to kill most of his attackers, but some of them had teleported away before he could deal with them, including the one who had injured Paul. As formidable as the reaper was, there had been nothing he could do about Paul’s missing arm.
Some of the strongest magic required some sort of sacrifice, and since Paul’s actions had saved the reaper’s life, that loss couldn’t be undone.
For a shifter, losing an arm was an especially bitter blow. It had taken him years to adjust to shifting, running, and fighting with three limbs, but he had managed it. Even with his injury, he was still a formidable opponent to those who tried to mess with the pack. He could be an unyielding adversary who would fight until his very last breath for those under his protection, and the loyalty his followers gave him meant he essentially had an army at his back.
No matter how difficult the loss of his arm had been, Paul had always said it had been well worth it since that injury had brought Rachel into his life. Who knows how long it would have taken him to find his mate if he hadn’t ventured into the village she had been working in.
Autumn felt an unfamiliar rage building inside of her as she thought about those gods who had attacked Paul and the reaper. Thinking about it had always made her angry in the past, but she had never felt this volatile before. Paul was her father in every way but blood, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do for him. If she truly had the power for revenge, she would love to pay the bastard who had hurt Paul back in kind.
Too bad she had no idea who that god was.
Before Autumn could rise to greet him, Paul’s smile faded, and he let out a strangled shout as he suddenly dropped to the floor. Glass shattered as Huxley dropped the wine glass he’d been holding. He vaulted over the bar, then sprinted across the room and fell to his knees beside his fallen father at the same time his mother teleported into the room.
Rachel was carrying a pink box of baked goods from The Sweet Spot, indicating they had stopped by the bakery to drop off the apples before heading home. Now, she dropped the box, smashing the corner as she collapsed next to her mate.
“What’s wrong? What is happening to him?” Huxley growled. “Fuck, is it a heart attack or something?”
“No, it’s…I don’t know. I can’t get an accurate read since he is blocking me. But he’s in pain. So much pain.” Rachel’s voice was trembling with worry for her mate as she held her hands over Paul’s body, then she jerked them back with a yelp of pain. “By the gods! It feels like something is killing him!”
Autumn surged to her feet, but before she could move toward them, a large hand wrapped around her throat and slammed her back against the wall. Her assailant lifted her so that her feet were dangling in the air. She fought to breathe, but it did no good. Her airway was completely cut off by the powerful grip slowly squeezing her neck.
Fear filled her as her gaze met a pair of pure black eyes set in a flawless face of raw masculine beauty. She’d never thought black eyes could actually glow, but those frightening orbs were backlit like twin eclipses. His dark perfection and handsome visage couldn’t mask his terrifying power, though. He had the same intimidating vibe that she’d sensed from Keo when she’d met him, but with this new male, it was so much worse.
It was like staring at the devil himself.
As if he could hear her thoughts, his lips curved into a cold smile.
“Celestial, you will pay for harming Paul. I have made it very clear he is off limits for your petty games.” He had a deep, melodic voice that would have been pleasant if he wasn’t so damn terrifying, and his chilling words pierced through her like shards of ice. “And what have you done with the young human whose skin you are wearing?”
That was just gross.
Even though she was on the verge of being choked to death, she scrunched up her nose and felt like gagging at his disturbing question. She clawed and pulled at his hand, but she couldn’t free herself from his grasp. Since she couldn’t speak out loud, she concentrated on sending her thoughts straight to the dark god trying to kill her.
“I don’t know what the hell I did, but I would never hurt Paul on purpose. I love him like a father. And I was taken to the Celestial Realm and turned into a high god today. Without my consent, I might add. I’m certainly not wearing some sort of fucked up skinsuit, you freaking psycho! Now, let me go!”
“No need to shout,” he rebuked blandly as he continued to hold her in place without the slightest hint of strain or effort.
“Devlin,” Paul gritted out through clenched teeth. “Don’t hurt my girl. Let her go, please.”
“Not yet.” Devlin cocked his head to the side as he studied her, searching for something only he knew. “You passed the Merit of Godhood Trials?”
“No, my ass was dropped straight into the Pool of Whatever, and I came out the freaking Goddess of Revenge.”
The dark god abruptly released her, stepping back so she didn’t land on his perfectly polished Oxfords. She dropped to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. She knew that Devlin was the name of the reaper Paul had saved, but she’d never thought she’d actually meet him. And she definitely didn’t think the dark god would show up in a bespoke, dark blue three-piece suit, crisp white shirt, and a silver tie, looking like an uptight business mogul instead of an ancient reaper.
“Uptight? Really?” Devlin asked dryly. “Relax, drama queen. As a god, you weren’t in any jeopardy of suffocating.”
As Autumn fought to draw air in through her damaged throat, she realized he was right. While her neck hurt, her lungs didn’t burn like they normally would have. She was still thinking like a mortal, so she’d thought she had been in desperate need of air, but in reality, she’d felt just fine without it.
Adding to the strangeness, the pain in her neck faded almost instantly. Being able to heal herself was a bonus, but she didn’t know how she felt about not needing to breathe air. Like what the actual fuck was she supposed to think about that? Did that mean she didn’t need air at all? Did it only apply in the Human Realm, or did it hold true in all six realms?
Devlin let out a long sigh. “You need to breathe, just not as much as other supernaturals.”
Okay, that was a little less bizarre, but it still didn’t make her feel better about the whole situation. Pushing breathing issues into the growing pile of shit to freak out about later, she focused on the real priority at hand.
