Page 62 of Anarchy
“Yes, that’s the problem. Youallwant to kill Dorian Gray. He had Talvath tortured, hurt someone you all care about, and he plotted to kill my creations. Should we draw straws?” Lilith asked.
“I didn’t hurt the librarian!” Dorian yelled. “I was never going to hurt her. I was going to release her as soon as I got what I wanted.”
“I’d stop talking, you utter cunt,” Felix said. “I was there when you gassed the library. That shit hurt. And you put her in a cage.”
“For her protection! I had excellent reason to! Akul’s Hellhound tried to hurt her, but he wouldn’t have gotten past my blood lock. It was the only way to keep her safe from Akul and his Hellhounds!”
“Oh, shut it, Dorian. I was there, and I remember everything you said to me. Youare notthe hero in this story.”
Reyson just grunted and glared at Dorian.
“He took my witch, but he didn’t put her through what you went through, Talvath. He had you for much longer and tortured you. Of course, we all want to, but honestly, his death is yours.”
“Don’t I have any say in this?”
Balthazar smacked him on the back of the head.
“I’d shut up because people here hate youwaymore than someone who went viral getting recorded doing something shitty. So you’re getting permanently canceled, bro.”
Talvath stroked his goatee. He had every right to kill Dorian Gray, and none of us would judge him for it. He had just never been a violent person, and I didn’t think this experience changed him. I didn’t even think being tortured while two assholes tried to raise a god to kill him and all his friends were enough to make Talvath violent.
Talvath worked in soul collection, but his deals were fair. He never showed up to collect until someone had lived a full life. He gave Dorian Gray much longer than he should have, and look how he was repaid.
“I don’t think this human fears death so much as he fears growing old and losing his looks. Supernaturals live longer than humans do, but we still age and eventually die. Dorian not only wanted the lifespan of a supernatural, but he also didn’t want to age. He wanted to be frozen at that point in his life.
“That was only doable if I got creative. I did a magical painting of Dorian and tied his life to it. As long as the painting is intact, he couldn’t die and wouldn’t age. I channeled all of that into the portrait. It should be horrific to look upon by now. If you destroyed the painting, in a matter of hours, Dorian would age and die. My plan had always been to destroy the painting and make it quick, but no one says any ofyouhave to do that.”
Oh, shit. Talvath waspissed.I knew he’d never raise a finger to commit violence to Dorian’s person, but he’d always been a master at deals. He could get his revenge on Dorian Gray by just completing the contract he agreed on in the first place.
And based on the tantrum Dorian was throwing as he begged for a quick death, Talvath’s solution terrified the shit out of him.
“I like that idea, but is it going to stink up my house?” Lilith asked.
Dorian let out a wail and started weeping. I only knew two gods, but they seemed to worry about the strangest things. Dorian’s brains were all over what looked like a very expensive rug, as well as a good bit of blood. Dorian hadn’t showered since we grabbed him, and he was getting pretty ripe. I was pretty sure him slowly rotting in her basement wasdefinitelygoing to leave behind an odor you could smell even if you weren’t a Hellhound.
“I’ll take care of that part,” Reyson said with a wink and a smirk.
Oh, he was reveling in this. Remind me never to piss him off when I went to live at the library with them. I was still processing that bit but looking forwards to it. Reyson had already come up with his own revenge in his lizard god brain. He wouldn’t say a damned thing about it. Reyson was going to surprise us.
Still, I’ll bet it was going to be epic. Dorian hurt several people I cared about. I knew he wouldn’t, but if Talvath said he wanted me to shift and rip his head off, I would have happily done it.
Reyson rubbed his hands together with sadistic glee. We were all just ignoring Dorian as he cried and begged for a quick death. I was listening a little. It took himwaylonger than it should have, but he finally realized he played his hand and lost. He had no friends here.
Reyson got right in Dorian’s face and smashed his finger against his mouth.
“You wanted the God of Chaos, Dorian Gray. Your simple human brain thought taking someone I loved would get what you wanted, and you’d live through it. Did you know I once destroyed a man for kidnapping a king’s wife, and I couldn’t stand either of them? We created humans with one of the greatest gifts we had as gods. We gave you the ability to love and find soulmates.
“Theworstthing you can do with that gift and the gift of life is to steal someone’s soulmate for your own gain. You could have spent your additional years with a pretty face trying to find love. Instead, you manipulated women whothoughtthey were in love with you, and you tried to steal my soulmate. So, stop begging and sniveling. Youearnedthis.”
Whatever Reyson had planned, I imagined none of us were going to be able to conceive it until we saw it. Did I even want to watch?
Dorian Gray tortured Talvath and hurt Ripley. Yeah, I did.
43
Ripley
Reyson was sexy as fuck in my kitchen, wearing nothing but trousers and one of the ridiculous aprons my grandmother got me for Solstice. He was pretty sexy, ripping the head off a revenant because he didn’t like it looking at me. All that wasnothingcompared to him going full God of Chaos on the man who kidnapped me. Holy shit, this wasn’t even remotely the right time to get horny, but he looked magnificent in his rage.
