War of Gods Box Set

by Ford, Lizzy

  “You’re a fool led by a fool. Go, brother,” Green-eyes said.

  Bianca held her breath and waited, able to feel the tension between them even with her eyes closed until he spoke again. “He’s gone, Bianca.”

  She opened one eye, then the other, confirming his words. She started crying again.

  “Jonny’s gonna die!”

  “You can save him.”

  “I can’t! I tried! I can’t!”

  “Listen, Bianca.” He took her arms and sat her in a chair, handed her a fistful of tissues, and knelt. She blew her nose loudly and looked at him through blurry eyes. His small smile was kind, his bright eyes unblinking. “You have a very special gift. No one else has one like you.”

  “But I’m too little to save Jonny.”

  “Nonsense. You can save Jonny. You hear his body speak of the death in him?”

  “It’s awful,” she whispered.

  “If you listen really hard to what his body tells you, you can save him. No one wants to die, and his body will tell you what it needs from you. You need to rest tonight, sleep as much as you can. In the morning, you’ll be able to heal him.”

  “But I’ve been trying for days!”

  He touched her again, his hand cool but the electricity that shot through her warm.

  “I’ve woken your gift completely,” he said. “You must promise to keep it a secret and to make Jonny keep it a secret.”

  She blinked rapidly, startled by the sensations going through her.

  “Do you promise?”

  “Yes.”

  “You must also never harm another. It is the way of ancient healers. Do you understand?” he asked.

  “Ancient healers?”

  “In time you’ll learn more. Do you understand what I ask of you?”

  “I don’t know. I think so,” she murmured.

  “Can you promise to keep Jonny safe?”

  “He’s my brother,” she said, sniffling again.

  “Good. Go to sleep, Bianca. I’ll watch over your brother tonight. In the morning, you’ll save him.”

  For the first time, she noticed he wasn’t wearing a doctor’s white coat. “You’re not a doctor, are you?” she ventured.

  “No, but I’m a friend here to watch over you and Jonny.”

  The memory—fuzzy for fifteen years—grew crisp, and surprise and hope went through her as she recalled the night that’d changed everything. Her hand went to her phone. She lay back down, hoping they hadn’t noticed, then rolled onto her other side.

  If he’s here, can you come here, too? She texted to the Watcher.

  I’ve broken enough Divine codes for the week. I told you not to leave Sofi, came the chiding reply. Is the Other there?

  Yes.

  This time, do as I say. When the portal opens, go with Czerno. Warn him about the Other, the Watcher instructed her.

  She reread the message, startled. Warn the Black God? A shadow crossed her screen, and she snapped the cell against her body. The Black God shoved her on her belly and pressed his knee in her spine.

  “Hand it over, or I’ll break you in half then feed you to Talon,” he ordered. She obliged quickly, tensing as she waited for him to finish with her phone. “Who is the other?”

  She hesitated, and pain spun through her as the pressure of his knee increased.

  “I don’t know who he is! He came to me when I was a little girl, and the Watcher ran him off. I just saw him with Talon!” she exclaimed.

  “Describe him.”

  “A man with purple eyes.”

  The Black God growled low in his chest, an inhuman sound. He clamped a hand around the back of her neck and yanked her to her feet.

  “Say anything to anyone else, and you’ll spend eternity in the greatest agony I can create.”

  She managed a nod at the eyes that had grown darker than the sky. He released her and tucked the phone in his pocket. Dismayed, she shuddered from cold and fear. He said nothing to Talon, gave no trace he knew something was wrong. Yet she knew when his fury unleashed, he’d be as merciless as Dusty was with vamps.

  I did it, Watcher. Not on purpose, but it’s done!

  “It’s time,” the Black God said over his shoulder.

  Talon hurried over. The Black God ignored him and turned to her, a cold smile crossing his face. He held out a hand. She shuddered to her core at the evil peering through his gaze, feeling very much like the devil was offering her a deal without telling her the price. Heart quickening, she crossed to him and accepted his hand. Talon looked from the Black God to her, fire in his gaze.

  She had no choice but to trust the devil.

  It’s time, his sister told him.

  Dusty didn’t remember dozing off but snapped awake. His sister’s warning came an hour after he last remembered looking at the clock. He pushed himself out of bed and stood for a long moment, gazing out the window at the fields of winter wheat glowing in the moonlight. His light was off, a sign he’d been sleeping too hard to notice someone come in.

  Two hours before dawn. He replaced his weapons and washed his face, feeling very much like this was to be his last day alive. His jaw clenched as he thought again of Bianca. He felt the loss already, a pain similar to the loss of his sister so many years ago. He stepped into a hall with streams of Guardians preparing for the dawn raid. The warm farmhouse smelled of gun oil and breakfast. A form loitering against one wall straightened as he started towards the stairs.

  “Dustin!”

  He turned to see Jonny. The youth’s eyes were wide and bright, his skin flushed with health. Jonny stopped in front of him and stared. Dusty turned around and kept walking.

  “Dusty, wait, I’m s…sorry. I just … is B okay?” Jonny asked anxiously.

  “For now,” Dusty replied.

  “For now?” came the uneasy reply. “I thought she was here with you but when I got here, I didn’t see her. I started asking around, but no one would tell me, so I—”

  “Jonny!” he barked.

  “She’s my sister!”

  He turned to see the young man’s face flushed this time with anger, his eyes glittering. The Guardians moved around them in the hall, and Dusty studied the young god-slayer. If the man before him was who the Watcher said he was …

  “I have a right to know,” Jonny said less forcefully.

  “Come with me.” Dusty spun again and continued walking, aware of the anxious young man at his heels. He found Speck on the back porch, smoking a cigar while gazing at the glowing wheat fields. The dark sky stretched far overhead, no sign of morning yet visible.

  “You don’t leave my side,” Dusty ordered Jonny. “Got it?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Shut up,” Dusty growled. Jonny fidgeted but fell silent. “Any word from Darian?”

  “Nada,” Speck replied. “You think he’ll pull it off?”

  “He’s gotta be good for something.”

  “Heya, Jonny.” At the husky female voice, Dusty turned to see Jenn fluff Jonny’s hair as she passed. She stopped beside him and indicated the youth with her thumb. “He’s here. Wanna tell me what you’re thinking, boss?”

  “I’m thinking Talon wants him real bad and will have to take me out to get to him,” Dusty replied.

  “This kid?” Speck asked, looking Jonny over critically. “Can he even carry a gun?”

  “I can shoot!” Jonny replied. “Real well. Any weapon I come across, I can master without even trying!”

  “Good you have a talent, or your skinny hide would be in trouble,” Speck replied, amused.

  “It’s a byproduct of his talent,” Dusty said. “Jonny is a god-slayer, which means he can kill Damian, Czerno, Darian, as well as Jule or me. Talon made him into a vamp. Bianca turned him human again, but she can’t make him mortal. You’re looking at the only known god-slayer in existence.”

  Speck stared, and Jenn frowned. Jonny looked apprehensive yet resigned, as if he’d known this was coming.

  Dusty glanc
ed at his watch. “Everything set for tonight in Florida?”

  “As much as we can. Will start evacs for our skeleton crew at noon. Most everyone has been evac’d by the state. The storm is swallowing up the levies, and we sent folks north. Dusty, there are more vamps than we expected.”

  “Not for long,” he said. “I don’t know when Talon and the Black God will reappear, but we need to be ready. Evac our folks out of HQ and southern Florida at dawn.”

  “Got it.”

  “Speck, check in on Iggy. Jonny, come with me.” Dusty held out a hand. The young man took it hesitantly, and Dusty Traveled with him to the town, utilizing his god-powers to locate Darian. His skin and senses crawled with the sensations of being surrounded by vamps. He stayed his urge to unleash the hand cannons on them all and stood stiffly.

  Darian sensed him and whirled, his eyes lighting up before he looked down. He was surrounded by the half-vamp, half-human creatures of the town and waded through them to where Dusty stood.

  “I figured it out,” he said before Dusty could speak. “But it’ll take awhile. I can only heal them one by one, but Dusty, if I don’t do it, then you’ll kill everyone, and it’s not fair when they’re just innocent people. Please, please, please don’t—”

  “Show me,” he said.

  “The ones I fixed are all over there.” Darian waved an elderly woman over. “This is Hazel. She’s volunteered to help me round up the people and knows, like, everyone in town.” Hazel was human, and Dusty followed Darian’s pointing finger to a hotel ablaze with light.

  “You’re taking care of the pets, too?” he asked.

  “Yes, everything. I’m killing the rats and stuff. Maybe … if you want to send in someone to help, then they can help me kill the bugs and rats? Oh, and I found where I think the lab was. Iggy asked about it. She said we have to destroy it, too.”

  Dusty looked from Darian’s hopeful face to Jonny’s pale features. As if noticing him for the first time, Darian stared at Bianca’s brother, an odd look crossing his face.

  “I can leave Jonny,” Dusty said.

  “No,” Darian said in a low growl. The Grey God had tensed, his suspicious gaze on Jonny. Jonny looked confused and uneasy, while Darian looked like he was ready to pounce.

  For a moment, Dusty was reminded again of the strong, confident leader Darian had been, long ago.

  “God-slayer,” Darian added. “He has to stay with you. It must be so.”

  “Very well. I’ll send others,” Dusty said. “But I want you to move the cured people out of here and then level the city and the lab. I’m not taking chances that mosquitoes or whatever remain.”

  “I saved everyone?” he asked, hopeful once more.

  “We’ll know when everything’s done,” Dusty replied.

  “You won’t destroy the people?”

  “No. You’re in charge of this operation,” Dusty said with some effort.

  “Oh my god! Really?”

  “You’ll be held accountable if anything bad happens,” he reminded him. “Clear the people, wipe out the town.”

  “Do I get minions?”

  “I’ll send a team to help you. They’re not minions, Darian, they’re Guardians. Treat them with respect and take care of them. You need to learn a few more things on your own. I’m entrusting you with this operation.” Dusty gritted his teeth, feeling much like he was setting a child with a credit card free in a candy store.

  “I can do it, Dusty!” Darian’s eyes glowed. He straightened.

  Dusty responded with a curt nod, hoping the Grey God was right. His gaze turned to the east, where yellow lined the horizon.

  It’s time, his sister said again.

  “You remember what I told you about family?” he asked.

  “I won’t fail again, Dusty, I promise. I tried to make it right.” Darian’s face fell.

  “I’ve gotta return to Florida. If you fail, I’ll send Jonny here after you.”

  Darian glared at the confused young man and said, “I promise, Dusty, I’ll take care of the girls even after the Black God kills you.”

  Jonny gasped, but Dusty nodded, aware his fate was sealed.

  Some strange poison ran through the Black God’s body. It was familiar to her, but too much a part of him to heal. She glanced up, troubled. If she didn’t know better, she’d say whatever the poison was, it felt like what lingered in Jonny’s body. Talon was glaring at her, ready to attack, when the Black God launched them through the portal.

  Raindrops splattered against her head. Startled, she looked up. The clouds far above were starting to swirl with hypnotic slowness, the rain beginning to fall again, and the sea beneath their feet rippling and shifting beneath the rubbery surface.

  The Black God ignored Talon as the vamp snatched his arm to retain his balance, instead wrapping his free arm around her and clamping a hand around her forearm. His skin was colder than snow, the power radiating off him like an arctic breeze. His eyes turned black, fathomless, and she knew whatever creature possessed the human body was loosening its grip on its powers.

  Despite her fear, she wrapped her arms around him. Thunder roared. Lightning exploded in the sky. Rain pelted her. The wind snapped free of its bonds, nearly tearing her from his grip with its first gust. The world exploded into life, sucking the air from her lungs and drenching her.

  And then the sea swallowed them. She breathed in nothing but water and panicked, clawing at the arm wrapped around her.

  He’s going to kill me.

  She kicked and fought, unable to escape his grip when the cold in-between world swallowed her. The world dumped her on top of a pile of sand near the boardwalk with the angry black sea roaring behind her. Her body strained to heal itself and the Black God, whose touch sucked her healing power fast. He released her, and she rolled, coughing. Water, sand, and hair stung her vision and lungs. Through blurred eyes, she saw the ocean poised above them and to either side, angry waves kept at bay by whatever magic the Black God employed.

  He was the first to his feet and dragged her up the beach. His own body told her he was spent. He shouted at her, fury on his face, but his words were lost to the storm. She struggled to get her feet beneath her before she finally found her footing in the sand. He refused to release her, instead pushing her into a painful run up the beach, over the sandbags, and out of immediate danger.

  She dropped, exhausted. It was then she noticed Talon wasn’t with them.

  Fury was on the Black God’s face as he stared down the storm, ignoring the gale tearing at his clothing. She dared not stand on her own with the winds strong enough to knock her over.

  The Black God moved at last, turning to her with his fathomless eyes. She looked away, wanting nothing more than to disappear. He snatched her arm. She felt another drain as he took another swig of her power, and coldness, then silence.

  She fell when he released her. They were in someone’s living room. The Black God knelt before her, phone outstretched. His eyes were closer to normal, swirling black spheres.

  “Call him, love.”

  She inched away at the inhuman tone. He snatched her neck and shoved the phone at her.

  “Now.”

  “Who?” she gasped.

  “Your Watcher.”

  Confused, she concentrated on gripping the phone. He released her. She hit the speed dial button. The Black God snatched the phone back and straightened.

  “It wouldn’t be fitting for the Black God to call you,” he said.

  “No, it wouldn’t,” the Watcher said in a tone more subdued than any she’d heard. He’d appeared near the doorway to the bedrooms.

  “You know what I can do, Watcher,” the Black God warned.

  Bianca was even more unsettled to see the Watcher’s reluctant nod. The creature’s emerald eyes stopped sparkling, and his face grew long.

  “There must be a Black God,” the Watcher said. “Only one.”

  “My time isn’t up!”

  “You started down th
is path when you enlisted the help of the Others. When you forsake divine code, it has a way of forsaking you.”

  “Yet you warned me,” the Black God stated.

  “I did.”

  “It wasn’t you influencing Talon.”

  “The Others betrayed you and chose Talon to replace you. I cannot let that happen, lest the balance sway permanently, and all is lost,” the Watcher said.

  “No one will replace me!” The Black God was bristling with checked power that made her inch away from him. The Watcher looked at her.

  “Then keep the healer with you,” he said with resignation. “She has the power of ancient healers to return to life that which otherwise wouldn’t live. What’s been set into motion can’t be stopped, but you at least have a chance if you have her.”

  “Get outta here!”

  Bianca’s mouth was slack as she watched the Watcher disappear in a wink of light. She’d wanted to yell at him to save her, and he’d all but guaranteed the Black God would enslave her!

  “Stay here,” the Black God ordered and disappeared. She sagged, horrified and fatigued. Looking around, she realized why the tiny living room was so familiar.

  It was her father’s.

  She pushed herself up, cold inside and out. Without even asking where she lived, the Black God brought her home. The apartment was identical to when she’d left it a week before yet seemed somehow foreign. She couldn’t explain the sense that she didn’t belong despite the pictures of her and Jonny on the walls and all her things sprinkled around the room.

  She made her way to the notebook near the desk phone.

  Aaron. Her eyes went to the wall clock. She was supposed to meet him in a few hours. Such a normal thing seemed … weird.

  With a frown, she wondered why she’d never seen it before, why she wasted seven years trying to make things work with someone who couldn’t hold a candle to the man she was meant to be with.

  Her hand went to her throat, where Dusty’s necklace dangled. She belonged with him, even if she was second rung to his war against bad guys or even if he was never able to devote himself to any one woman at all. She was doomed to fall for men unable to commit to her!