13. Raven

Raven

A splash cut through the silent dark, and my eyes shot open. A large, cloth canopy hung over me where the sweltering sun should have been, and my back was pressed up against the cushion of a chaise lounge.

Somehow, I was still alive. Or maybe I was dead, and this was the other side of death? I wasn’t sure I’d be one who ended up in a heaven….

I turned, seeing the large pitcher at my side, water droplets sliding down the sides of it, mesmerizing me. Condensation clung to the glass too, citrus and ice floating inside in equal proportions.

Was this…real? A hallucination of the desert?

I took a deep breath and the smell of ice-cold water called to me, a siren song.

I grabbed the cup and brought it to my lips, gulping the liquid down. Not sweet enough to be lemonade or juice, too sweet to be water, more refreshing than anything I’d ever drank.

Perhaps that was my state of mind, to be fair which could focus on nothing but quenching the burning thirst in me.

The liquid wasn’t blood, but it was damned close. The flavor and consistency of it was so very close to blood, but cold without being coagulated.

Some sort of magic to be sure, but I couldn’t care in that moment—I’d have drunk it regardless of how much magic it contained.

As my body absorbed the drink, my memories came rushing back in, slamming into me like a ton of sand.

We’d been walking through a desert. Me and?—

A rush of panic shot through me, and I jumped to my feet, dropping the pitcher and cup not caring that they spilled. “Diana?!”

“Raven. We’re all here.” Her voice reached me first, soothing me like the drink had soothed my throat.

Her long, dark hair came into view as she sat up and turned, flashing me a worried smile as she rose from the cushion she’d been seated on. I dropped back against the lounge, relief flooding through me as she approached.

“Welcome back, pal,” Myrr said, opening her mouth to accept a grape from Theo’s outstretched hand.

“Are we dead?”

“Not yet.” Myrr chuckled as she chewed her grape open mouthed.

A loud bark pierced the air, and I stared past Myrr, Diana and Theo to see Nicholas cannonballing through the air, landing in a pool of crystalline blue water, Kevin following close behind him.

That was the noise that had woken me up. So different than the howling winds of the desert that I’d passed out hearing. The sound of sand filling my ears and heat baking my skin, crackling it like I’d been put into an oven.

Maverick waded through the pool, shielding his glass from the splash as he made his way closer to the edge.

After the hell of the desert, I might’ve thought we were in heaven, if I believed in such things. How had we survived? What the hell had happened?

Diana moved to my side and crouched next to my lounger, eyes widening as she looked me up and down. “How are your burns?”

“Pretty good, compared to how they felt before.” I took a closer look at my hands to find the skin was totally normal, not a blister or red patch in sight. Not even a tender spot left to remind me how close I’d come to being cooked alive. Realization struck, and I fixed my gaze on Diana, my eyes straying to that flawless neck.

“Did you have me drink from you?” Blood rushed to my cock at the thought. I sucked on my cheek and tongue, trying to pull out any lingering taste as I cursed myself for being asleep when it had happened.

Her hand curled around the armrest. “No. I woke up a few hours ago. Myrr had gotten some of that water into you. The burns didn’t go away instantly, but your breathing went back to normal. By the time I woke, I could tell you were going to be alright. Same for me.”

“Magic water, huh?” I grabbed the pitcher of the stuff, taking a deep inhale from the top of it.

No scent of anything but the lemons. But the flavor said it was something else.

She looked around before leaning closer to whisper, “There is a man here, he has golden eyes. You will want to meet him.”

I couldn’t tell if she was worried, scared or excited. Maybe all three.

“You sure about that?”

“Yes, I am quite sure we all should meet.” The warm voice was almost melodic, and I turned my head to see a smiling male walking towards us, hands lifted in a sign of peace. Tall, with features that in one breath made me think he was fae, and in the next demon, and the next vampire, then werewolf, then angel, even human. As if each step his face morphed a little, shifting so slightly that if I hadn’t been watching closely, I might have missed the changes.

Undoubtedly, he was not like any of us, though. An energy of relaxation and contentment radiated from him, which made me instantly suspicious.

“You’re no demon, so what are you?”

His smile was too easy, too kind. “My name is Nefir, and I can assure you that you are safe with me.”

Despite my natural wariness, in a way, he had proven that—so far. We’d been unconscious and at his mercy for hours, yet here we all were. Alive, and better than when he’d found us out in the desert. Kevin charged up to him, tail wagging as he stared, entranced. The man patted him, but his eyes were fixed on Nicholas as he walked over, rubbing a towel over his shirtless chest.

Diana shifted her focus to the strange, golden-eyed man. “While we all appreciate what you’ve done, can you at least tell me why you’re helping us?”

Nefir cocked his head in thought, as if considering it for the first time. “I’m not sure, I guess I find you interesting…unusual. You’re all mortals despite your seeming longevity, yet you risk your lives struggling against a goddess. Frankly, I find it fascinating.”

Diana frowned, and she slowly rose to stand. “How do you know about any of that? What do you know about Lilis?”

I stood next to her angling my body to get between them if need be.

He glanced from me to Diana and back again. “Lilis is my sister.”

The words sucked all the air out of the space. Fuck. The ramifications were…immense.

I stared at him, my muscles tensing as I moved to pull Diana back, but he shook his head as he added, “I’m not on her side, to be clear. She’s actually quite mad.”

“So, you’re a god, then?” Diana asked.

“That is one name by which we are known.” There was a bit of dance in his step as he strode forward, seating himself on the nearest cushion with a satisfied sigh. “Look, I’m not sure if giving you hope that you can best my sister is a kindness, but I’m intrigued enough to give you what little help I can, if that’s the path you choose. Your little wish on a coin certainly was interesting enough…”

“A voice told us to come here. A voice we’ve heard before,” Diana said. “Do you know Elhimna? I think it was him.”

Nefir tipped his head. “I know him. But it was not him this time, it was me.”

He was the reason we were here? The reason we’d come to the desert? Fuck, what if this was all a game to him and Jade wasn’t here at all?

Diana moved to sit across from him, keeping her eyes fixed on him the entire time. “There is no choice. We must defeat her. All the realms are at risk.”

Nefir frowned at that, cocking his head. “Why not find a remote place to live out your days in leisure, rather than all this? You can eat, drink” —his eyes strayed to Nicholas again— “fuck your days away.”

Nicholas blushed and wrapped his towel around his shoulders.

“The Veil is torn,” I cut in, snapping my fingers and drawing the supposed god’s eyes back to me. “It’s bad news for everyone, from those in the Alpha Territories to those in the human realm.”

He nodded sagely. “Ah, the Veil… I had forgotten about that situation. It’s been a few months since it fell now, yes?”

Irritation pricked at the edges of my consciousness, deafened by the aura of calm that surrounded him. “Try fifteen years ago.”

“Hmmm.” His forehead furrowed at that, but then he shrugged. “Time is a construct. But I suppose the Veil being down will make things somewhat difficult for everyone to survive. I still wonder why you don’t spend this time trying to find a safe place for you and yours to relax, though.”

Diana raised an exasperated hand to her temple. “And just wait for our demise? Allow everyone to suffer and die? No. Your sister has gone too far. I’m going to take her down if it’s the last thing I do.”

The god leaned forward, grinning as he locked his sparkling gold eyes on hers. “That’s exactly the spirit that intrigues me so much about you lot. Fire. Determination against hopeless odds. It’s the most entertainment I’ve had in years!”

I positioned myself between Diana and him, taking a seat on a nearby chair, his lackadaisical attitude rubbing me the wrong way. “Are you powerful enough to match her directly?”

He chuckled, taking a swig out of a flask that was tied to his belt. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m not really a fighting god. I’m more of a ‘relax and watch the world unfold’ kind of god. But, if I had to guess, I’d assume she is the stronger of the two of us. She’s had far more practice tapping into her power and pursuing violence. And I don’t quite have the gut for it, you see.”

I scowled, but Diana spoke before I could comment. “What do you know about her and her plan? What is her goal, just to…wipe us all out?”

Nefir was quiet a moment, his eyes thoughtful as he swirled his flask. “I know that there was a time when she was quite normal. Still willful and bold, but with none of this hatred she has in her now. I know not why–perhaps it was some falling out with our parents…they can be difficult–but at some point, things changed. She disappeared for a long while, and when she returned, she’d become unhinged. There was no talking to her, the family dinners were terrible…” He took another long pull from his flask. “I probably should’ve reached out, but I’d fallen madly in love with this handsome artist and his wife and matters of the heart must come first, you know. By the time that relationship had run its course, Lilis had hidden herself away again and concocted some plan to start fresh. Everything and everyone in our world except those she could indoctrinate to her new ‘religion’ were the scourge. I hoped it would fizzle out once she grew bored. Seems she’s only gotten more bloodthirsty in my years away.”

I tried to hide the disgust over his apathy. Surely, having a god on our side would even the playing field a bit, but with the way our new ally was behaving, I wasn’t sure that was the case at all. “Is she truly invincible or does she have a weakness we can exploit?”

“She’s quite powerful, but there are limits, as I’m sure you’ve seen.” He swirled his hand and an image of Malach appeared, made out of sand at his feet. “It takes a lot of strength to pull something like she has with the demon king, as strong-willed and independent as he is. I don’t like your chances in a straight up fight, but if what you say about Elhimna speaking to you before…that is our father. Well, if that is true, then your best shot is to gather more people like that Sienna girl.”

Diana shot a hand forward to grab his arm, accidentally knocking the flask out of his hand. “How do you know Sienna?”

He rolled his wrist, and another flask appeared in his palm. “I felt her when she unlocked her power. It doesn’t compare to my sister’s, but the threads of fate were re-woven, ever so slightly, in that moment. The strands of the Veil were scattered when it was shattered, and your Sienna carries one of them.”

I looked at Diana and could see she understood as well. The gem we sought. Could it be a piece of the Veil itself?

Diana nodded, then leaned forward. “I believe that’s exactly what we’re looking to do. There’s a girl we need to find. You know it…you sent us here.”

Nefir yawned as if this whole conversation was suddenly too much for him. “Eat and drink your fill for tonight. It may be some time before you have another chance to rest. Tomorrow, I will lead you to what you seek and send you on your way from there. It is best that you do not stay in any one place too long. Lilis has eyes everywhere, but her powers wane as the time-of-day passes. She tends to be more active during the daylight hours, and…reinvigorates herself at night.” He stood without waiting for a response and faded from our vision with a wave and a shimmer.

Maverick strode over, his teeth sinking into a crisp apple. “Well, that was fucking crazy.”

And, for once, I agreed with him, even if he was a chickenshit.

Diana inhaled deeply, reaching for a nearby plate of fruit. “We’re lucky to have his help, as strange as it—and he—might be. Let’s take this time to get as rested as we can so we can put our best foot forward tomorrow and get him fully on our side. Who knows when we’ll have another chance like this?”

I nodded, knowing full well that I wouldn’t be doing any resting. He’d been good to us so far, but he was as unpredictable as he was cowardly, and that was a bad combination.

As far as I was concerned, none of these ‘gods’ or ‘goddesses’ could be trusted.