Page 44 of Rotanev
“Ah, my darling, there is still so much for you to learn about me.” I licked her lower lip and adored the way she shuddered in a breath in response. “Mmm, how about we start with an introduction to how I deal justice?”
Kailiani shivered, her interest palpable. “Okay.”
“Then let’s get dressed. We have a demigod to drown.”
12
Liani
Gods are real.
Those three words kept repeating through my mind. Each time, I glanced at Nero. Then at Morpheus. One was a god of the seas, the other a god of dreams who could apparently tap into the memories of unconscious minds.
Both appeared normal, apart from their uncanny good looks and dominant personas. But they fit right in on the streets of New York City with their tailored suits and long strides.
The early sun rained down upon them just as it did everyone else. No bright golds or halos or mists of power. Only two men with faces carved from the heavens above. Or the cosmos. Or whatever they called it.
Did Nero even have a father? “Is Cronus real? What about Zeus?” I blurted out, eliciting a low laugh from Morpheus.
“I love the human tales,” the dream walker mused. “It’s Chaos they should fear, but you rarely hear about her in this realm.”
Nero cut him a look. “The concept of Chaos is too difficult for humans to understand.” He glanced down at me and gave my hand a squeeze. “And yes, Zeus and Cronus are real, but not in the same way as your textbooks describe them.”
“Oh.” I wanted to ask him to elaborate, but we were almost to Corban’s building.
I still wasn’t entirely convinced this was real. It all seemed too fantastical. But I sincerely questioned my brain’s ability to manufacture such an elaborate dream. Between the memory, Nero’s revelation about being Poseidon, and the golden-haired dream walker beside me, my mind was thoroughly blown. Add in Corban, also known as Dolos, to the mix, and yeah, this had to be happening.
Which brought me back to the wordsGods are realas we reached our destination.
A chill slithered down my spine, causing me to shiver. “We’re here,” I whispered.
“Excellent.” Morpheus tugged on the lapels of his jacket and glanced knowingly at Nero. “After you, Your Waterness.”
Nero snorted. “Thanks, you jackass.”
Their bickering, while mildly entertaining, did nothing to cool the unease growing inside me. If what Nero had said about Corban was true, then we were about to face a man—no, abeing—who had tormented me for centuries. And I had no idea what I’d done to deserve such a fate, no idea how to even accept that history.
I stepped through the threshold, behind Nero, noting the familiar staff waiting on the lobby level. I’d already warned Nero that they worked for Corban and that more would be stationed on the upper levels.
“Good morning,” Nero greeted them, his voice bored. “We have a meeting with Corban.”
Two burly men stepped forward wearing matching expressions of doubt. “Name?” one of them asked.
“Irrelevant,” Nero replied. “Because you’ll be allowing us up to see him. Now.”
“Is that right?” The bald man slid his jacket open in a suave manner to reveal his gun beneath. “I think you should reconsider.”
Morpheus draped his arm over my shoulders, tugging me back a few steps. “Let’s give him some room to perform, little dove,” he whispered. His intimate touch should have been unnerving, but oddly, it lent me a bit of strength instead. Maybe because it indicated a manner of protection I wasn’t expecting, one that rivaled Nero’s presence.
Definitely friends, I thought, already lucidly aware of that fact. It’d been written in their easy camaraderie and in the fact that Morpheus had ventured to New York City to help Nero.
I wondered at their history as both of the bulky men fell to their knees. Three more appeared from the shadows, guns drawn, and almost immediately collapsed as Nero sighed. “Up to sixty percent of the human body is water, with the lungs being composed of over eighty percent. It makes your kind so very, very weak.”
Gurgling sounds echoed through the lobby.
He’s drowning them, I realized, a mixture of shock and awe swimming through my veins.
The one who showed off the pistol on his belt passed out first, followed swiftly by goon number two. Then the three from the shadows joined their fate.
