Page 84 of Midnight Auto Parts

A rustle of leaves drew my head up, and I found a pair of golden eyes peering out at me from the trees.

As my heart attempted to climb out of my throat, my calves tensing to run, Kierce returned at my elbow.

“Kierce,” I hissed, trembling in the knowledge I was being hunted, and he followed my line of sight.

“We beg your forgiveness, Anunit, Eater of Moons, Mother of Darkness. We sought only to collect what was taken and return them to their rightful places.” He knelt, extending his arms toward the beast. “We offer you this meat—” and he held a dripping side of raw beef across his forearms, “—as apology for our trespass.” He dipped his head, never making eye contact. “Please, if this offering is not enough to sate your righteous anger, I ask that the pound of flesh you take be from me.”

“You’re out of your mind.” I dug my nails into his shoulder. “Why aren’t you running?”

There was a lot more than one pound of flesh on a corpse, and she was gulping them down in bulk.

“You cannot outrun me,”a feminine voice purred in my head.“He is wise not to tempt me.”

“You can talk.”I switched my grip on Kierce to hold me upright.“Did you kill?—?”

“I do not answer to you, and you would be wise to remember this.”She hummed as the wind shifted, blowing the scent of raw, bloody meat to her.“Tell your consort I will accept his offering.”

Almost choking on the title she had given him, that of my consort, I coughed to clear my throat.

“Which one?”I stepped forward, placing myself between them.“The cow or him?”

“I am not so cruel as you suppose.”She prowled forward, as translucent as a spirit, but Kierce had been right. Her fur was black, and stars glinted among the strands. The creature she most resembled was a gryphon. Her body reminded me of a panther, but her head was that of a fox, and her stubby horns belonged on a goat. Her tail was a sweep of feathers, and one of her wings was absent. Her smooth back, rippling with muscle, convinced me she had been born without it, not lost it.“He has shown me the proper respect, and I will allow this…cow…to purchase my goodwill.”

Tension radiated from Kierce, and he made to stand, to protect me, but I pressed down on him.

“Frankie,” he questioned, searching my face.

“She agreed to accept your offering.” I held him steady. “Let’s just hold still and let her take it.”

Concern shrouded his features. “How do you know?”

“She just said…” I became acutely aware of moving my lips, of the gentle vibration of my vocal cords. Neither of which had been present during our exchange. “You didn’t hear her.”

His already pale cheeks blanched in a rush, leaving his complexion bone white. “She spoke to you.”

“You didn’t hear me either,” I realized, deciding that meant I had addressed Anunit in my head.

“You are godspawn. He is godmade,”Anunit saw fit to inform me.“Your power outstrips his.”

“Um,” I said intelligently, shriveling at the idea of being more powerful than the Viduus.

No.

ThanKierce.

I had to stop romanticizing his role as a myth and accept him as the man before me. There was no use in untangling legends from one Viduus to the next. I would have to see him as Kierce,just Kierce, to make a relationship of equals possible. And that was what we had to be for this to work.

If I possessed more raw power than him, including private conversations with deities we were bribing not to eat us, Kierce surpassed me in his working knowledge of our shared powers, divine politics, and life experience.

“Tell him to hold still.”She had the nerve to sound amused.“I would not want to nip his fingers.”

“I’ll do it.” I hefted the meat out of his arms and knelt to meet her. “Just in case.”

As her whiskers tickled my wrist, she jerked back with an ear-splitting yowl.“Who are you?”

“Frankie Talbot.”I curled my fingers into my palm like that might protect them.“Nice to meet you?”

“Who is your sire? Your dame? From whence did you come?”

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