Page 38 of Call of the Ride
The occultist swiped a hand down his face in frustration. “Oh, something about flames and twins…she was speaking in riddles, per usual.”
Jarilo faintly moaned, and Marena ran to the foot of the bed, with Veles close behind. “I don’t understand,” the goddess sobbed. “I’m his twin, yes, but I can’t command any flames…” She was shaking with distress, crystals of icy frost sparkling at her fingertips, sky blue horns momentarily flickering into view atop her head as her control faltered. “How can I save him? I don’t know what to do!”
“Wewill figure this out,” Veles murmured, his tone surprisingly gentle. “And I won’t leave your side until we do.” Then he pulled Marena tightly against him, causing a shocked hush to instantly fall over the room.
“What…what are you doing?” Marena rasped, twisting her body to stare up at the god in astonishment.
Veles looked decidedly uncomfortable under the collective scrutiny. “It’s called ahug,Rena. Apparently people do this to comfort each other.”
And now, the Nav truly has frozen over.
Our attention was brought back to Jarilo as he began murmuring under his breath, his brow furrowed, as if he were experiencing something upsetting in his dreamlike state. Anthia set the washcloth aside and leaned closer to better hear his words. The instant her face hovered over his, Jarilo’s arms suddenly wrapped around her, pulled her down on top of him before crushing his lips to hers.
At first, the shifter melted into the kiss before remembering herself and attempting to pull away. Green vines suddenly sprouted from Jarilo’s skin, coiling around Anthia, tightly binding her to stop her escape.
“LET ME GO!” She screamed, and I gasped at the sheer terror in her violet eyes as she tried to shift, but couldn’t because of her restraints.
I leaped onto the bed, clawing at the vines to free my friend. Jarilo’s eyes shot open, confusion clouding his expression at the chaotic scene he found himself in. The vines immediately crumbled into dust and Anthia fell to the floor before scrambling to a far corner, her body uncontrollably shaking as she sobbed.
The god of spring sat up, clutching his chest as he choked out, “Wha…what happened? Anthia, are you all right?!” He stumbled off of the bed, tangling in the sheets as he stood before taking a shaky step in her direction. When she flinched at his approach, he stopped and turned to me with desperation in his golden eyes.
His concern seemed genuine, and while I didn’t believe he’d consciously used his powers on Anthia, I still firmly shook my head. “It would be best if you left her alone right now. Your vines may have triggered something…” I didn’t elaborate, but exchanged a glance with Nox, remembering the abusive harness she’d been kept in while a prisoner at the Facility.
Jarilo was still clutching his chest, his expression anguished, even as he nodded in understanding. Harbison had already rushed to Anthia’s side and Tan handed the occultist a room key so he could take her to our suite.
“I suppose that was the fire you needed!” Marena chuckled, even as tears of relief flowed down her freckled face. She gently led her twin back to the bed before questioning him. “Now tell us, what happened at the lab, Jar? What did they do to you?”
He allowed his sister to lay him back against the pillows, swallowing hard as his gaze tracked the swan leaving the room. “I’m not exactly sure, Rena. The dead had been cleared away, along with any obvious clues, but I assumedIcould find something they’d missed. After a bit of wandering, I discovered a cold storage room, shut tight. The instant I stepped inside, I realized someone had attempted to destroy the evidence—there was broken glass everywhere and the smell of...electricity and something...familiar. Whatever it was made me incredibly lightheaded, and I knew I needed to get the fuck out of there. Somehow, I made it outside, but I was fading fast, so I hailed a cab, like a lowlyhuman.But at that point, I didn’t give a shit. I just needed to get back to Anth…to this hotel before I passed out.”
Why was his first instinct to reach Anthia?
Asa stepped forward. “Yes, I remember the cold storage. When I delivered a package there, Mr. Liu had me follow him to that room and I…I was sure he was about to kill me and put me on ice.” My Beautiful Sun met Tan’s shocked gaze with a pained expression, remorse heavy in our bond. “I didn't see what they were working on inside, but a technician emerged wearing a hazmat suit, so clearly whatever it involved was potent.”
Nox pulled his gun out of its holster, popping it open to remove one of the oddly shaped bullets. “I realized something when Ace and I were on surveillance,” he spoke calmly, although I sensed anger simmering beneath the surface. “When my father tried to shoot me during our escape from the Facility, he did so with one ofthesebullets. Even then, he was using me as a lab rat—seeing what would kill me. But I wonder...what do you think makes these bullets special? What exactly is mixed in with the gunpowder?” He addressed the room, although I sensed the question was rhetorical.
I thought back to the horrors I’d witnessed in the restricted area of the Facility. The faint smell of electricity and the listless shifters packed in tiny cages like cargo—nothing more than test subjects to be experimented on. Ever since I’d entered Matthew’s office, littered with the skins of dead shifters, I’d realized the man thought he could play god.
So what’s stopping him from targeting the gods themselves?
Marena watched me closely, no doubt picking up on my memories. “How can we stop him?” She growled, turning her tear-stained face toward my Riders. “I want to kill that man myself.”
“You’re not the only one,” I growled, my claws elongating at the delicious thought of tearing out Matthew’s throat. “But we need to find where he’s hiding first.”
We stood in silence for a few minutes, each of us lost in our own thoughts, until Veles suddenly spoke. “Let’s return to the Nav. Some scrying ought to point you in the right direction.”
“But how will you and I find Matthew in the lapis lazuli, Vel?” Marena sighed, carefully helping Jarilo to his feet. “Neither one of us has a close enough connection to the human to track him to anunknownlocation.”
The god of the Nav solemnly nodded, but his expression brightened when his fiery gaze fell upon Tan. “No, but we know someone who can help with that.”
Chapter 30
Taneer
Apparently, discovering I was his long-lost son didn’t mean Veles would stop torturing me. Rather, he’d simply be inspired to switch methods by adding public humiliation to his arsenal. Yes, mum had the sight, butI’dnever experienced divine visions, so the god volun-telling me to scry in front of everyone felt like a test I was destined to fail.
He may as well claw-punch my guts out again while he’s at it.
I kept my concerns to myself, as the others were focused on checking in with Anthia before transporting Jarilo to the Nav. It was strange enough that Nox and Ace were actually half brothers, but to consider that I was siblings with actual gods made me wish for a stiff drink.
