War of Gods Box Set

by Ford, Lizzy

  “You’re not here this early to bitch at me about that,” she said with some of the moodiness he’d come to expect from her since learning of her pregnancy.

  “I want to kill Watchers,” he said. “Give me a reason not to, and I won’t.”

  “They freak me out.”

  “Is that a yes, go ahead?”

  She hesitated. “You don’t need my permission.”

  “I need what insight an Oracle can give me about something that might just cause the end of the world,” he pointed out.

  “I hate the Watchers right now. I want them all dead. But I think your focus should be on the Others.” Her eyes swirled, and he felt her cool power surround him.

  “Just give me any indication I’m not going to ruin everything,” he added.

  “As long as you do your duty, you won’t,” she replied after a pause. “If Watchers and Others are allowed to do their will here, they’ll destroy both worlds. Darian, you can’t let that happen.”

  “I just need to discourage them both from coming,” he said. “Even if I can’t close the gateways between worlds.”

  “You can’t close the gateway. You will have some very difficult choices soon,” she said. “I don’t see your job getting any easier, Darian.”

  “Sofi, tell me about Jenn.”

  “Darian, I can’t—“

  “Sofi, please. I know you’ve done so much for me already, but I need to know. I can’t go through what I did before. I can’t lose her like I did Claire,” Darian said quietly. “Could you live through losing Damian?”

  “You’re not playing fair!” she snapped.

  “I don’t play fair. That’s Damian’s job.”

  Sofi was silent. He felt her grappling with his question and willed her to help him.

  “You both have choices to make,” she said carefully. “How you handle this is important, Darian.”

  “What the fuck does that mean? How I handle what?”

  “I mean, you need her. She doesn’t know she needs you. If she pursues the course she’s on, well, it’s not good, from what I can See.”

  “What course, Sofi?”

  “The one that takes her away from you. She has some serious decisions to make. Yours are probably already made, if you’re half as stubborn as Damian,” Sofi replied.

  “You think I should leave her alone to decide?”

  “I think you need to be careful to keep from driving her away. I also know her—and our—danger increases every day. It’s not something she can fight.”

  “I can,” Darian said, thinking of the Black God and the Others. “So I have to give her space and protect her. Then everything will work out okay.”

  “Not exactly. It’ll only work out okay if she takes her place at your side. Every other path ends very badly.” Sofi’s voice took on a dark note.

  “This is one shitty fortune cookie,” he said with a frown. “I can’t make her choose me.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  Darian scowled. It wasn’t the answer he wanted. The way things were going, Jenn would probably choose her own death over being with him. In her mind, she’d probably be protecting him. But she was his mate. There were no limits to what he’d do to protect her. There was a lot Sofi wasn’t saying, this much he sensed. He wondered what it was.

  “Earlier today, you all acted really weird,” he said.

  “I’ll tell you why next week.”

  “After whatever happens, happens?”

  “Exactly.”

  “You’re in danger, too,” he said.

  “We all are, Darian. There’s a lot riding on the choices you make as the Grey God.”

  “I’m not sure I like how that sounds.”

  “You shouldn’t. But you can do it. Trust your instincts, no matter what,” Sofi added. “Now, I have a question for you.”

  “Shoot.”

  “How does time work in the immortal world?”

  He studied her. “What do you mean?”

  “What happens to people who move between worlds?”

  “Why are you asking this?”

  “Please answer the question.”

  “Nothing happens to those who pass between worlds. At least, from what I remember, nothing did. The only time something happens is when you’ve been in one world more than twenty-four hours. Then you’ll become what you were, what you would have been had you been in that world your whole life. Mortals will age faster in the immortal world and immortals age very, very slowly in the mortal world.”

  “Do those who cross over have increased powers?”

  “Yes, if you’ve been there a day and until you get back to your own world for a full day. Sofi, you aren’t thinking of going to the immortal world, are you? You’re a powerful enough Oracle,” he said.

  “Sometimes it seems like it’d be nice to have a bit clearer vision,” she admitted. “But I know it’s not worth running into Others.”

  “Promise me you won’t go,” he urged. “There are ancient laws that forbid it.”

  “I wouldn’t know how to get there,” she said. “Don’t worry, Darian. I have a good head on my shoulders.”

  “I know.” He was about to press her to make an actual vow when she sighed.

  “Now, get out of my room. I’m exhausted.”

  “You have to tell me if you’re in any sort of danger, Sofi.”

  “You’ll know soon enough. We’ll be fine, Darian. Just do what you were brought back to do.”

  Darian rose, not wanting to leave when his family was in danger. Sofi waved him away before sinking into the bed again and pulling the covers up. Darian hesitated one moment longer before he located a small group of Others near Jonny’s lair. He Traveled to them, wanting to blow off some of the emotional build-up and kill those that threatened everyone around him.

  When he’d gone, Sofi flung off the blankets. She got dressed and looked at the time, her heart pounding harder and harder as she moved towards the door. She’d had dreams of Damian, Jule and Dusty being picked off one-by-one by the Wathers. And now, it was her turn. She’d almost made it when she heard the voice.

  “Hello, ikira,” the Watcher said. “I know you’ve Seen this moment.”

  “I have,” she whispered. “I was going to get Bianca.”

  “We already got her.”

  Sofi turned, clenching her fists. “Damian.”

  “They are safe for now. The Others can’t find them.”

  She wasn’t sure whether to trust him or not but nodded, praying he was telling the truth. The Watcher extended his hand. Sofi grudgingly took it, terrified of what was to come. Her visions were all over the place this night, and she wasn’t sure what she’d initially thought was the right path would actually turn out well.

  “You know where we’re going?” the Watcher asked.

  “The immortal world,” she answered. “Part of your plan to manipulate Darian.”

  “Seems we have the same plan, if you didn’t tell him.”

  Sofi ground her teeth. They Traveled to a place where it was cold and dark but didn’t stay long. The Watcher led her to a hole in the back of a tunnel, and they emerged in a sunny, warm world. As if a shaken bottle of soda had been uncorked within her, her magic swelled and burst from her body. She staggered at the sensation, taking in the crumbled world around her.

  The Watcher steadied her. Several of his guardsmen stood nearby, their uniforms emblazoned with green cuneiform symbols. He waved them away.

  “You know this is for your own good,” the Watcher said, leading her towards one of the only standing buildings she saw.

  “I don’t know that,” she answered. “My vision isn’t strong enough to See that. I do know the alternative will see us all killed.”

  “A full day after you’ve been here in the immortal world, your vision will clear. You will see as you never have before.”

  “I will become as if I’d lived here my whole life, isn’t that right?”

  “In a sense, yes.
The most powerful Oracle in millennia.”

  “What of my child?” she asked, hand going to her stomach.

  “It depends on how long you are here.” The Watcher glanced at her belly. “A full day will make you powerful and probably, a mother.”

  Sofi concentrated on stepping through the rubble of what looked like a once-great city. The woman in her screamed for her to leave, to find Damian and have their son in the place they’d planned in a few months. The Oracle side of her knew there was more at stake, that there was no guarantee they’d make it out of the immortal world, if Darian didn’t do what he needed to.

  “You’ll be safe here,” the Watcher said, not unkindly. “You did everything you could. We were impressed by your sight and sacrifice.”

  “It’s only a sacrifice if they don’t live through this!” she snapped. “I have faith in Darian, not you. We are here because I saw this as the only chance we really had.”

  “If this ends as it should, I’d gladly help him hunt down the remaining Others.”

  “When this is over, I’ll encourage Darian to hunt your kind as well.”

  “We mean no lasting harm to humanity or to your family. We are protecting you the only way we know how.”

  Sofi bit back her response. Already, she could feel her body changing in the immortal world. While she welcomed the feeling of newfound power, she was terrified for her son.

  “The guardsman will show you to your room,” the Watcher said as they reached the building. “Good luck, ikira.”

  If nothing else, she’d have a much better vision of what was to come after a full day in the immortal world. Resigned to a fate she couldn’t determine, Sofi obeyed the Watcher and followed the guardsman through the building.

  Chapter Eight

  “Just me.” Darian’s voice was low.

  Jenn lowered her weapons. She’d heard the crunch of snow beneath boots indicating someone had appeared without her seeing anyone. Darian was only a few feet away, a testament to his stealthy magic. She looked around, the prey she’d been stalking in the forest before dawn now lost. She’d found Darian instead. Warmly dressed and well-armed, Jenn nonetheless felt the predawn chill tickle her neck.

  “What’re you doing here, Darian?” she asked.

  “Tracking Others. You?”

  “You’re certain they were Others?”

  “You really need me to answer that question?” Darian snorted in amusement, though she heard the note of tension in his voice.

  “I followed Jonny.”

  His sudden disappearances without her made more sense. If Darian tracked Others here, she tracked Jonny, and neither was there … they’d gone somewhere together.

  “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Darian asked.

  “Why would he be working with them? What would he have to gain?”

  “There’s no telling with a Black God.”

  “He’s not like Czerno. He has some level of restraint.”

  “Keep telling yourself that, Jenn. It sounds like he’s the one manipulating you.”

  “My magic no longer works on him, but I’d know if he was messing with my head,” she replied coldly.

  “Then you’re deluding yourself.” Darian’s voice carried a dark note, one that made her uncomfortable alone with him in the dark forest. “A Black God does not know restraint.”

  “What god does?”

  “Is that for me? Cuz you started this mess.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Can you track where they went?”

  “Gone. Immortal world is my guess.”

  Darian’s boots crunched snow as he moved closer. Jenn resisted the urge to leave, wanting to pretend things were as normal as possible between them. Running from a man like Darian would only make him chase her; this much she knew.

  “Funny thing is he asked me if I knew where the portal was last night,” she said. “I thought he needed to know for his own purposes.”

  “Maybe they blindfold him. What did you tell him?”

  “I lied.”

  “Speaking of lying, manipulating females,” Darian said, tone lighter. “I brought you something. Hold out your hand.”

  “Better be a cheeseburger,” she grunted. She held out a hand. “I haven’t eaten a decent meal in weeks.”

  “You and I are probably the only people who consider cheeseburgers a food group.”

  He placed something small in her palm. Jenn’s cold hand closed around it as she struggled to identify it. She finally recognized the shape of the necklace she’d given Darian the day before.

  “I thought you had to return this,” she said in a hushed voice.

  “I did.”

  “And … what?” she asked when he said no more.

  “It’s taken care of.”

  Jenn tucked her knife and gun away and replaced the necklace around her neck with clumsy hands. The metal was cold against her warm skin, and she pulled her scarf on tighter once the necklace was where it belonged.

  “Thanks, Darian,” she said. “I hope it didn’t cause you too much trouble.”

  “More than you realize.”

  Jenn gazed in his direction for a long moment, unable to place the dry humor in his voice. Whatever the inside joke was, he wasn’t about to share it and she didn’t ask. The silence grew awkward, and she found herself thinking of the last time they were together. Her blood warmed at the idea of seducing Darian again. Alarmed by emotions Dusty had warned her were permanent, she took a step away.

  “I can’t risk being caught not in my assigned spot,” she said.

  “Jonny didn’t threaten you, did he?” The dark note was back, the one she didn’t like.

  “Not directly. Just made it clear I’m not allowed to leave.”

  Darian growled, sounding more animal than human. Jenn started away from him.

  “I’ll be fine, Darian,” she called over her shoulder. “Twelve days left. Enough time for me to figure out what Jonny’s doing with the Others. I’m in no danger.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “If I don’t figure out his plans before the truce is up with Ikir Damian, every Guardian on the planet is fucked. They still don’t have their powers back,” she said. “I can’t have you distract me from my mission right now.”

  “Interesting choice of words. In any case, considering I’m the one that broke the balance between good and evil, immortal and mortal, you aren’t the one with the fates of the Guardians on your shoulders.”

  “I can help fix it.”

  “It’s not your personal responsibility to make this right.”

  “Would you do differently?” she demanded, facing him. He’d been following her, this time silently, and she was surprised at how close he was.

  “No,” he said. “But I wouldn’t try to do it alone, either.”

  “This coming from the man who drops into secret meetings of Others?”

  “Don’t make me pull rank,” he warned. “Because the Grey God’s orders trump your better judgment every time.”

  Jenn grated her teeth. He wasn’t going to be dissuaded. That he remained so calm when she felt ready to explode again only made her tenser. It was too dark for her to see his features, but she heard his resolve.

  “We can talk about the fact you’d have no issue working with any other Guardian but me if you want,” he offered. “I’m giving you an easy out. Just say yes, no more secrets about this mission, we’ll work together from here on out, yadda yadda, and we can move on.”

  “Very well. You can help me, so long as you don’t get in the way,” she replied. Jenn turned and walked towards the fortress again.

  “Thank you, ikira.”

  She bit her tongue and marched back to the lair, just as snow began to fall again. Vamps awaited her in the foyer. She readied herself for a fight, making certain none of them had orders to jump her yet, and then continued to the panoramic window. Snow fell heavily outside. Jenn brushed flakes from her jacket and sat, changing boots. She found a supply room and ac
quired several pairs of boots, fully knowing she’d come back with wet feet every time she left.

  A glance towards Darian showed his intense gaze on her, not the vamps surrounding them. He looked away and turned his back to her, stance guarded as he paced short distances back and forth, like a caged panther. Jenn couldn’t help feeling more comfortable here than in the forest, when it was just the two of them. He ceased pacing and cocked his head to the side.

  “I’ve got three,” Darian said for her ears only.

  “Maybe they’re with Jonny.”

  “I’ll check it out.”

  Before she could ask to go with him, he Traveled. Jenn tied her boots quickly and swapped out jackets. She darted to the door and whipped it open, trying hard to sense if Darian reappeared close enough for her to follow. A moment passed, and her frozen breath drifted upwards.

  “I know you’re not paying room and board, but you’re running up the bill,” the Black God said from inside the fortress.

  Jenn turned and closed the door. The Black God looked around him, disoriented, as if he’d been dropped into the foyer and not Traveled there himself. She wondered if Darian was right about the Others blindfolding him somehow.

  “Darian was here. Said he found some Others nearby,” she said, watching Jonny carefully.

  “I need more heads for my collection,” the Black God said with vehemence. “I’m losing vamps right and left to them.”

  “They’ve started attacking?” she asked, unable to detect any duplicity in the anger he directed at the Others.

  “Yesterday. It’s another reason I was so harsh with you last night,” he explained. “If you go back to Damian, I have no leverage to get him to help me.”

  After her discovery in the forest, Jenn wasn’t certain what to believe. The Black God didn’t give off any of the signs she knew would mean he was lying. His anger looked too real to be faked. If he wasn’t working with Others, then what was going on?

  “Something isn’t right,” she voiced.

  “More than you know,” he replied. “How do I fight an enemy I can’t see until it’s wiped out a few dozen of my vamps?”

  “Darian can.”

  “Until you leave.” The flash of darkness crossed Jonny’s face again. “Then where am I?”