Page 122 of Courting War
“I'm still a member of the Pantheon,” Theo croaked, her voice hollow, “I still receive a vote.”
“And yet you will still lose.”
Theo needed one more god to join them. A simple majority was all it took. But none of the rest even acknowledged the vote. Trickery nibbled on his matcha cookie; a dark eyebrow raised. Harvest averted his gaze altogether, Poison laughed, and Fire burned with vengeance. Theo would find no support from them, but she had to try.
“If one of you supports the vote, I will give you five unbound Favors of War.”
The crowd gasped. It was a massive offer. Three kings’ randoms.
“Tempting.” A chomp on the cookie and a spark in Trickery’s eyes let her know she’d get nowhere with him. “But alas, this is far too enjoyable even to take that deal.”
“Silas, I’ll unbind you,” Theo said.
Fire flinched but remained firm, shrugging. “What is power save a way to hang oneself?” She hated it when he talked in riddles that were frequent enough to be immensely irritating.
“Accept that you have lost, daughter, and stop being so pathetic,” Nefeli said, and slowly—as if a lion stalking a gazelle—moved toward Kellyn.
A lightning bolt hit the center of the marble, and from it, Night emerged. “I would cast a vote to abolish the law.”
“Lesser gods do not receive a vote,” Nefeli said, gritting her teeth, clearly over the spectacle. The moment was slowly unraveling from her, and she hated it.
“Perhaps we should,” Gallagher said in her typical singsong voice as she held Cecile’s hand in a slightly comforting, slightly possessive way.
The veins in Nefeli’s face bulged and showed gold through her skin. “I’ve had enough of this. Know your place. Andromache, deal with your underling before I'm forced to, and Destruction if you know what’s good for you, you will not speak another word.”
Gallagher snorted, caring very little for demands.
“Why should you be the arbiter of all things?” Night scoffed, equally as defiant as Gallagher.
Andromache stepped between Night and Nefeli. “Marguerite, please don’t.”
“No, Mother, someone needs to stand up to her.”
Mother? The room collectively inhaled, the statement hitting with the force of a tidal wave. Even Nefeli seemed surprised by the revelation. Everyone vibrated with surprise except Havyn, whose face twisted into a giddy smile.
Mother? Devereaux and Andromache had a child?
Theo sucked in a breath as it all hit her. The spell she cast long ago split in two and a flood of memories poured in.I need you to shield my daughter and all her future descendants from the eyes of the Pantheon . . . I need you to shield her from yourself, too, Thee.It was the promise Theo had made Andromache during her punishment for falling in love with Devereaux.
Night was Andromache’s daughter which meant . . . oh holy fuck—
“You killed mymortalfather because of your hatred for their kind,” Night said. “It cannot stand.”
Andromache stepped in front of her daughter, shielding her from Nefeli’s wrath. “Mother, she didn’t mean anything by it. Margo’s always been hot-tempered and spirited. She’s like a dying star.”
“Daughter?” Nefeli cracked her neck, a tell-tale sign she was unsettled. The ground cracked, too, and a thick lava-filled gap emerged from the center of the ballroom floor.Oh, Nefeli was furious. At the lies, and that she was discovering it all before the eyes of the world.
“Is my existence truly a crime? Isn’t that why you have the law?” Night said, her words coated with disappointment that mingled with fear. “I have done nothing to upset the balance of the gods. I’ve been a deeply loyal servant to my mother and, therefore, to you my entire life. Why must War’s love be punishable by death?”
Night’s eyes wandered until she met Cecile’s, and they shared an intense but bright moment.
“I’ve had enough,” Nefeli seethed. Her attention shifted to Night and Light, holding hands, a united front. “I’ll deal with your insolence later, Night, and with your deceit, Daughter.”
The ground rumbled again, and the walls started bleeding molten lava. The palace responded to Nefeli’s terrible mood. “The vote has been cast, and the boy will begin his punishment tomorrow.”
Chapter Forty-One
THEODRA
