Page 53 of Detonation
Logan leans in towards her, lifting her chin to meet his eyes. “Lana needs them orshe’llbe the one we lose. This is much worse than we originally thought.”
“I don’t know…” She trails off, uncertain for the first time since I’ve met her. Knowing that we can’t rush her, I let her sit in silence. Leo looks like he’s frothing at the mouth but Luke keeps his quiet.
Finally, a single tear rolls down Serenity’s cheek and she sighs. “Okay. But I will go with them."
Leo lets out a huge sigh of relief. Hopefully, he can calm down enough to think rationally now that he knows we're going to her. We don’t need him flying off the handles and doing something stupid on his own.
Seth quickly chimes in, “We’re all going with them.”
As her other two mates open their mouths to pipe up, Serenity raises a hand to silence them. “No. I need you all to stay here. Watch over the dark witch and ensure the safety of our people. We don’t know how many of them are in our realm.”
Derrick huffs. “Can’t two of us stay behind and one go with you? There’s no need for us all to stay.”
Serenity smiles softly at him, a rare tenderness on her face. “Der, I say this with all my love, but it’s going to take all of you to protect our people if she escapes or if another shows up. We cannot put my life above those of everyone in our realm who count on us to keep them safe.”
Logan pleads with her, fear in his eyes. “Serenity ... the last time one of us went to that realm alone, he didn’t come back.”
She shakes her head. “I am not Reese and this is not the same battle. Believe in me, my mates.”
They sit with that, the men conversing with their eyes, before they all nod in unison, trusting that she’s doing what’s best. The way they work together and understand each other so deeply is admirable. I can't help but wonder where her fourth mate fit into their dynamic? They seem so complete as it is.
Lost in my thoughts, I miss what she says to her unit but when I zone back in, they're pushing back from their chairs and leaving the house.
I toss a goodbye towards them and take in my brother's faces. Luke has a light smile on his face, a spark in his eyes, while Leo’s is more sinister. Hale just looks ... lost.
What’s going on with him?
Serenity breaks me from that train of thought before I can launch into an interrogation.
She sits up straight in her chair, folding her hands in her lap. "How much do you know about the gods and goddesses?"
All heads turn to me, not surprising since I'm the bookworm here. I shake my head slightly. "I never got far into the mythological books I had but from what I remember, Chaos is where all Greek gods and goddesses descended from. I know a few of their names and powers but honestly, it's a bit confusing with all the incest to track their pecking order."
Serenity laughs. "Yeah, it’s a bit of a headache to remember who fucked who."
Leo cuts in, "So, who is Erebus and where does he fit into all of that?"
I take in a deep breath and let it out before responding, "Well, if I remember correctly, Erebus is the direct offspring of Chaos. He’s considered the personification of darkness."
Leo's eyes widen, his fear showing for a moment before his mask falls back into place.
Serenity takes over, which I'm very grateful for, because that’s about it for my knowledge. "It's time for a little history lesson, kiddos."
We all focus on her, intent to hear more about our potential enemies.
"Zedd is correct. Erebus was born from the void of Chaos. His siblings are Eros, Nyx, and Gaia. He rules over Tartarus, which is described to be as far below hell as heaven is above earth."
"Fuck me sideways," Luke breathes out, scratching his head.
"Have you ever met any of them, besides Gaia?" I ask Serenity.
"I did meet Eros once, when he blessed my mating union," she admits with a sad twinge to her voice. She quickly moves on. "The gods and goddesses have never caused strife in my lifetime so I admit I haven't thought of them in some time. I need to try to connect with Gaia tonight to see if she knows anything about what’s going on."
Hale contributes for the first time since the rest of the guys left. "Highly unlikely that Gaia will give us information. She refused to even tell us that Anshar was in Ash's body because she was afraid to change the course of the future. She said she has a balance to keep."
Serenity sighs. "I understand that she isn't allowed to openly choose sides in normal circumstances. But these aren’t normal circumstances. The situation has evolved and if there’s a god actively plotting against us, maybe she'll have more leeway."
Leo chuckles. "I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."
