Page 38 of Gods of Prey
But even that feels wrong to say. Itis. At least, on my end.
She lifts her head to look at me, and for a moment, I see something in her eyes that takes my breath away. Hope. Fear. Longing. All the emotions she keeps buried during her waking hours.
“Revel,” she whispers, and the way she says my name makes my heart race.
“What?”
“When you wake up, will you remember this? Will you remember how this felt?”
“How could I forget?” I cup her face in my hands, sadness spreading through my chest with an ache. She won’t, though. “Dream or not, this is real. What I feel for you is real.”
She leans into my touch, closing her eyes. “I wish we could stay here forever. In this moment, where nothing else matters.”
“So do I,” I admit. “But we can’t hide from our responsibilities forever.”
“I know.” She opens her eyes, looking at me with such tenderness it makes my chest ache. “But for now, can we just...exist? Without the weight of everything else?”
I nod, pulling her close again. We settle back against the couch, her head on my naked shoulder, my fingers running through her hair. The rain continues outside, a gentle rhythm that seems to match our breathing. I lean down, pressing my lips to hers in a kiss that’s soft and gentle and full of everything we can’t say. When we break apart, she settles back against my chest, and I feel her breathing gradually slow as she drifts toward sleep. The last thing I’m aware of is the feeling of herin my arms, solid and warm, before the dream begins to fade around the edges.
12
Revel
Sienna floats in her favorite spot near the window of my apartment, her form translucent in the morning light.
She doesn’t realize I’m observing while pretending to watch the television. For Death, she has a surprising softness when she thinks no one is looking. The way she watches the raindrops trace patterns on the glass reminds me of how she used to stand at the borders of Aurelys, gazing into my realm with an expression I could never quite decipher.
She has no idea that she had an audience through those vulnerable moments, either. If I have my way, she never will. Not after the way she’s reacted to me admitting to watching her as a mortal from Aurelys.
The past week cooped up in this apartment with her after our trip to New York has been confusing and torturous. Living in a mortal body has gotten far more restricting than I ever imagined, and she’s a lot more distracting than I anticipated, especially since we’ve decided on somewhat of a truce. We still bicker constantly, about everything. There’s not a singlemove I make in this realm that she agrees with and she’s so unpredictable, it makes me crazy.
And then I had that dream of her that complicated everything even more.
It’s incredibly polarizing, honestly. The Goddess of Death can’t take anything seriously. And while my eyes are sore from rolling them every minute and my head aches from the constant anger I feel toward her for not keeping this simple, her presence is becoming quite refreshing. A break from the monotony.
Everything in Aurelys is sunshine and rainbows, but there’s an underlying darkness to it all. It’s so predictable.
Nothing about Sienna is predictable. I think I’m enjoying that a little more than I’d like to admit.
“He’s getting close,” I say, breaking the silence.
Sienna turns, her spectral form rippling slightly. “What?”
“Sebastian.” I turn off the TV, too irritated with the constant hum of mortal news buzzing in my ear. “The background check he ran on me came back empty yesterday. His assistant called me three times, asking for interviews I never agreed to.” Shifting in my seat, I roll my eyes. “Mortals apparently have no regard for privacy.”
I’ve made it a point to run into Sebastian and Jovie every day this week. It’s aggressive, but we simply don’t have the time to sit back and wait for them to come to us. Unfortunately, that means my friend’s suspicions of me have only grown.
She drifts closer, her green eyes narrowing. “That’s to be expected. Sebastian has always been thorough.”
I’m not shocked that she doesn’t have a rebuttal for my other comment. She’s been on this plane so long, it’s probably normal for her to have her personal effects violated. The realization forms a guilty pit in my stomach, and I can’t identify why.
“Thorough is one thing. Obsessed is another.” I stand and move to the kitchen, needing distance from her. Even as a spirit,her presence is overwhelming. “He cornered me at the coffee shop this morning. Asked how I knew you in New York. Said my timeline of things didn’t add up. He’s quite testy in this realm. And scary.”
At one point, I thought he may drag me out of there and kill me. An odd feeling, considering I’ve only ever known him as the God of Life. Although nothing about Sebastian seems on-brand anymore.
My plan to gain his trust through Sienna has backfired tremendously.
“And what did you tell him?” There’s an edge to her voice.
