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She continued. “The baby was born, and I couldn’t cope.” Her expression turned blank, numbness guiding her tone. “I gave him to another family to look after, but Raiden’s beasts came in the night and they—” Pain filled her tone. “They killed that family and my son.”
My eyes glossed with tears. To lose a child. Even an unwanted one. A small part of me began to understand her insanity, to pity the woman she felt she’d had to become to survive.
“My father blamed me for his grandson dying and beat me. I couldn’t take it, so I hit him over the head with a rock, but I hit too hard, and so he was my first. Raiden found me. He didn’t know what his beasts had done. I wanted to hurt him for it, to destroy every man who had stolen parts of me I couldn’t get back, but I saw opportunity in him. Immortality. A way to get everything I wanted. So I let him fall in love with me. I shared his bed and gained his trust.”
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. They had been lovers? He loved her? My stomach swirled. He had certainly left out that nugget of information.
“He kept his beasts,” she explained after clearing her throat. “Said he needed them to protect himself because Lucius, his own father, was hunting them. Their family was more messed up than mine ever was, and that says a lot. Then there was his horrid sister, Leda. She clung to Raiden for everything, never letting me get too close… always saying spiteful things to me when he wasn’t around. She was selfish, manipulative, but he couldn’t see it.”
I suppressed a scoff. How could Freya, of all people, have the nerve to call someone else selfish?
She continued. “One night Raiden told me the truth, that Lucius planned on replacing his children. He said they’d become too dangerous, too sinful, and were leading Istinia into darkness and not into light as he’d intended. He said Lucius had sent knights to cut off his head, and the heads of his siblings, as to do so would kill them and replace them with whoever killed them. That or Lucius could do it, take the essence of that god or goddess and choose who to replace them with, but he liked watching men fight for the chance, to prove themselves worthy of such a position.”
The temperature dropped, and I hugged my jacket around my arms. Everything made sense now. Raiden had said it was his fault his sister had died. It was because he’d brought Freya into their lives and told her how to kill them. “Why didn’t you tell him what his beasts did?” I questioned. “You said he loved you. He would have killed them if you told him.”
She balled her fists, clenching her jaw. “Killing them would have done nothing to bring my son back. No. I saw a way to protect myself from letting anything happen to me again, and I would have lost my opportunity if I let myself fall for him.”
“So you cut his sister’s head off, then trapped them all in prison realms to stop them from hunting you,” I said, feeling sick to my stomach.
“Yes. I see he told you something then. Naturally it would be the part where I’m the villain. Trapping them wasn’t easy,” she explained. “I had to get you mortals on my side, which was easy. Once I was a goddess, I went after the men who hurt me, and I tore out their hearts, then after, the women who’d belittled me, and anyone who’d made me feel inferior, and I took their hearts for myself.”
I had to stop myself from speaking my little quip about how she had called them dramatic but she was worse. “You made them look like sacrifices.”
“A few ancient markings and people were ready to believe the deaths were the work of the gods. They wanted a reason to hate them. The king of that time despised them. It was easy to rally support because people are willing to believe a lie when it suits their needs. So the witches and warlocks who used dark magic banded together and created three realms, with three keys, and together, we banished them. I was safe. Until now.”
I already knew this part. Those with dark magic in their veins had helped Freya. Begrudgingly, I was going to have to do the same. “You didn’t need to kill everyone who hurt you. You didn’t have to kill Leda.”
She shrugged. “You still think I’m the villain after that? Fine. You mortals will never understand.” She grabbed my hand and tugged me along. “Storytime’s over. I need those keys.”
My heart cracked as we neared the house and my family. A foolish part of me hoped Raiden would have come back, having realized he’d been led on a false trail and would have heard us talking among the trees, but it was a fool’s dream, and I was out of time.
Maddox stood behind the window to the kitchen, and Dora stood behind him, probably arguing with him on some topic, their favorite pastime. She poured the teapot, then stirred her cup. I could almost taste the chamomile tea from memory.
Freya dragged me by my arm around the side of the house and away from the kitchen, over to the door. “You have twenty minutes to get those keys and bring them to me, or I’ll go in, happily kill everyone in there, and get them myself. Understand?”
I nodded, not wanting the tears in my eyes to fall. This was more convenient for her, as I assumed she didn’t want the council or the entire town after her, and by killing us all, they surely would. Even Raiden had said he couldn’t take on that many witches, but there was no way I could get anyone here within twenty minutes or make them believe me.
She walked away toward the garden, speeding to the edge and out of sight. With a deep breath, I turned the handle.
Dora came running down the corridor from the kitchen, her floral nightdress snagging on the coat holder. “Stupid thing,” she said, tugging the fabric, then looked at me. “Where have you been? It’s late. We’ve been worried sick. You look freezing. Let me make you some hot cocoa.”
I stared at her, taking in her worried frown and kind eyes, uncertain if I was ever going to see her again. “I’m okay.” I gulped. I was really coming to say good-bye. I already had the keys and would have no choice but to hand them over. None of us were a match for a goddess, and I couldn’t let them die alongside me.
“Good.” She hugged me. “I’m so proud of you for becoming keeper. I knew you could do it. I told everyone we had nothing to worry about.”
Maddox called from the kitchen. “Tell Elle to go see Viktor. He’s been moping in his room,” he said over a clatter of dishes dropping.
“You better not have broken my new pots. I swear you do it on purpose,” Dora said, hurrying back into the kitchen. I followed and put on the radio, which buzzed with jazz music. I couldn’t risk her overhearing, and I hoped the dishes dropping covered what he’d said. She did say, after all, that she had better hearing than anyone else.
“Viktor’s here?” I questioned once the music started playing.
Dora glanced at the staircase. “He’s in his room. Where else would he be?”
“You’ve seen him?” I asked, wanting to make sure.
“He came about an hour ago. Shortly after you left.”
I took off running for the stairs, following the hallway to his room. When I opened the door, I saw him. His hair had been curled from the drizzle, and his top clung to his muscles as he stood looking out the window. “You’re here.” I ran to him and wrapped my arms around him.
