by Brey Willows
Petra coughed discreetly.
“Sorry, what?”
“I said I’m not immortal. That’s not the way it always works.”
Suddenly, she had Kera’s attention. “What do you mean? You were a goddess, right?”
Petra’s smile was slightly sad. “I was. In a beautiful temple, dedicated to myself and my consort. For hundreds of years, in fact. But things changed, the area around the temple was deserted, and eventually, people forgot about us. So I got out while I could.”
“Got out? How do you get out of being a goddess? And what does that mean?” Kera’s pulse quickened. New information meant new knowledge, and knowledge was always power.
“Tisera hasn’t told you?”
Kera thought about their conversations. “She told me there are things she can’t tell me. And to be fair, I haven’t been very open to the whole gods thing.”
Petra stared at the wall, her eyes darting side to side as though she were watching a tennis match. “Then perhaps it isn’t my place to tell you either. She must have had her reasons, and trust me when I say angering a fury isn’t a good way to keep mind and body together.”
“Petra, that’s absurd. Maybe she signed a confidentiality agreement or something, I don’t know. But I fucking hate being kept in the dark. At least tell me why you got out—if you tell me your story in particular, then she can’t be pissed at you for telling me stuff I shouldn’t know. I mean, you’re allowed to talk about yourself, right?” I’m getting good at this spin stuff.
Petra’s eyes narrowed. “If you’re wrong and someone comes for me, will you be able to save me?”
“Who the hell is going to come for you for telling me? Are all of you this paranoid?”
She sighed and sat back. “My story only. No questions about the bigger stuff. Draw what conclusions you will.”
Kera nodded, satisfied. “Done.”
Petra closed her eyes and started talking, her voice melodic and raspy. “As I said, I had a beautiful temple, carved from rock by followers who adored me and wanted a place for us that was special, truly unique. I watched over them for centuries, listening to prayers, understanding the ramifications of granting one prayer over another, helping all those I could. When it slowly ended, I began to fade. Literally, to simply cease to be. My consort, devastated by the betrayal and loneliness, faded before I did. I was there alone for some time, mourning him, nearly gone myself. Eventually, I made the choice to stay in the world, but to do so, I had to give up my status of goddess and live among the humans.” She opened her eyes and looked at Kera. “When I gave up being a goddess, it meant I wasn’t going to fade completely, that I would live. But I’m not immortal. The biggest difference is that, unlike the gods, I can die. I can be killed or have an accident. The gods may be able to kill one another, though they usually just maim each other when they’re throwing tantrums, but humans can’t kill them, nor can accidents.”
Kera had a million questions, though Petra’s story had given her more information than she’d ever had. They fade away if they don’t get enough attention. Interesting. She started to ask, and Petra held up her hand.
“Unless you’re changing the subject or asking something about me, then don’t.”
“What did you do, first thing, when you went out among the humans?”
Petra laughed. “I ate an apple. A green one, so tart it made my eyes water. My followers used to bring them to the temple, but I hadn’t had one in forever. I took all the money, jewels, and offerings from the temple with me. Much had been stolen, but there were still vast amounts hidden in vaults and in the caves. I had enough to start a new life, and I used it to see the world and figure out where I wanted to go, and who I wanted to become.”
Kera contemplated that. In a much smaller way, she’d done the same after her experience with Degrovesnik. “And here we are.”
“And here we are.”
“Ajan thinks you can be the next chief of GRADE. I’m disinclined to say a former goddess couldn’t handle the job, but at the same time, I don’t know if you can. But if Ajan believes in you…” She shrugged, hating the idea of such a massive change.
“If that’s your way of trying to hire me, your recruitment skills need work.” Petra stood to leave.
“Wait. I’m sorry. He’s been with me since the beginning, and I can’t imagine replacing him, that’s all.”
“You won’t be replacing him. I don’t know him as well as you do, but I don’t think he’s replaceable. All you’re doing is adding a new person to the team. I’m not him, and I never will be.”
Kera looked at her speculatively. “Would you want to work for me?”
“No.”
“Well, then—”
“But I’m interested in working for GRADE. I find you remote, dismissive, stubborn, and shallow. But what you’ve created in the company and what you do for the world, suggests you’re more than you seem. I’d like to be part of making the world better, and I like the way GRADE does that.” Her smile was small, but there. “And if that means occasionally saving your difficult ass, then I can do that too.”
Kera stared at her for a moment before beginning to laugh. If there was going to be someone to take Ajan’s place, someone to be forthright and tell her what she needed to hear, it looked like Petra was going to be the right choice after all.
“We’re heading out on our next project when I get back from Haiti. I’ll ask Ajan to get you started so you can learn protocols and get caught up with the details of the project itself.” She paused, thinking. “And that means I’ll need another investigator, so if you know of any, I’d appreciate it. Do you have any further information on that other issue?”
“Degrovesnik and his crew landed in Cuba two weeks ago. Beyond the airport, I haven’t been able to find where they went. You want me to keep on it?”
Kera thought about Ajan and about Tisera. If she kept on this road, there was only one end to it. Would she lose them both if she did what she knew she needed to do? Her skin crawled at the memory of the four-by-four cell… “Yeah. Keep searching. If you haven’t found anything more by the time we head out on the project, we’ll see what the options are then.”
“Fine. How are your bodyguards working out?”
In truth, Kera had barely noticed them. They were burly women, meant for protection, and although attractive, they weren’t her type. “They’re fine, thanks. They keep their distance so I’m not smothered, and I appreciate that.”
“Good. Take them with you to Haiti.”
Kera started to protest.
“You think because you leave the country you’re safe? You think you’d be fine in a country where people disappear every day without a trace?”
Kera held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll take them with me. Tisera is going with me, you know. You think those bodyguards are more capable than she is?”
Petra laughed, the first time Kera had ever really heard her do so. “The only creatures as terrifying and capable as Tisera are her sisters. But she might not be with you twenty-four hours a day, so just do it, okay?”
“Yeah, I hear you.”
Petra nodded, apparently satisfied. “Good. I’ll be in touch if I learn anything.” She looked over her shoulder as she stepped out the door. “See you later, boss.”
Kera heard her laughing again as she walked down the hall. A goddess just called me boss. Guess I’m moving up in the world. Speaking of which…
She grabbed her phone and pressed Tis’s number.
“Hey there.”
The incredibly sexy smoothness of Tis’s voice made her stomach flip like she was seventeen and talking to her first crush. “Hey. I don’t suppose you’re free for dinner?” There was a slight hesitation, and Kera heard another woman’s voice in the background. “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t realize you had company. I’ll let you go.” She was about to hang up, irritated with how distraught she felt, when Tis stopped her.
“I would love dinne
r, but I’ve got a friend over. Would you like to join us? We’re most of the way through our second, or fifth, bottle of wine. I’ll order out rather than cook, so I don’t burn the house down.”
Relief made Kera dizzy, and the fact it meant so much to her that Tis wasn’t actually with someone else was something she needed to think about. “I’d really like that, if I won’t be intruding. Can I bring anything?”
She heard a voice call out from the background, “Peanut butter ice cream!”
Kera laughed. “Peanut butter ice cream and wine? That’s interesting.”
Tis laughed, and Kera hadn’t heard her sound so carefree in some time. “Bring anything you like. Sweet is better, though. I’ll get pizza.”
“Sounds like a plan. See you soon.”
Kera hung up and smiled. She liked the feeling of anticipation buzzing through her, and she really liked how excited Tis was that she’d called. She grabbed her car keys and told her burly new bodyguards to bring something to entertain themselves while she played with beautiful women. They barely acknowledged her, and she decided she’d work harder to get a rise out of them. In the meantime, she had women waiting for her.
It may not be forever, but for now, I’ll take it.
* * *
Tis lay on the ground, her wings fully spread beneath her and her head resting on Kera’s lap. Kera, her eyes closed, reclined against the enormous tree on the deck just below Tis’s house. Aulis hung upside down in the tree above them, trying to eat her ice cream from the tub before it dripped onto Tis and Kera below her. More often than not, she missed a drop. However, neither Tis nor Kera noticed. The night breeze was warm, the sky a mass of pinpoint eyes staring down at them.
They were all very, very drunk.
“I miss the old days.” Aulis hiccupped. “No, I don’t. That’s not true; it was a stinking mass of sewage and filth covered in plague. I miss little bits of the old days, though. Like when we chased stupid humans through the forest and drove them insane, but they could redeem themselves, so we were doing good stuff.” She hiccupped again. “Now, we just drive them insane because we know they’re not redeemable.” She waved the dripping spoon at Kera. “No offense.”
A splatter of peanut butter ice cream hit Kera in the forehead, and she scraped it off with her finger, which she then pressed to Tis’s mouth. She made an appreciative sound when Tis sucked it clean. “None taken. I think it’s probably true.”
Aulis watched as Tis sucked Kera’s finger. “That’s hot. You’re hot. I’ve always loved Tis, but she’s not my type. You know, two deadly people in a bed is a bad combination, generally speaking. But you’re hot, and I could definitely sleep with Tis if you were between us.”
Tis shook her head and tried to speak around Kera’s finger in her mouth before Kera removed it. “I’m not having sex with you again. Ever. The last time we tried a threesome, it was disastrous. Have you forgotten?”
Aulis started laughing so hard she snorted. “Oh gods. I had forgotten. That poor serving wench in the fifteen hundreds.”
Tis nodded, her eyes barely open. “You and I came at the same time while we were both inside her…”
Kera waited for the rest, but it didn’t seem to be forthcoming. “And?”
Tis opened her eyes and looked up at her. “Ashes to ashes…”
“And boy, did she turn to dust. I didn’t know humans could combust that way. Good lesson, though.” Aulis nodded sagely. “We didn’t make that mistake again.”
“You exploded a woman by having sex with her?” Though the idea of a threesome had caught her attention when Aulis suggested it, the idea quickly lost its charm.
“Not exploded, exactly. Just…” Aulis waved the ice cream spoon, sending raindrops of peanut butter all over. “Poof.”
“Poof,” Kera whispered as she drifted to sleep, one hand in Tis’s hair, the other resting on her breast. Thoughts of beautiful, immortal women writhing beneath her, around her, all over her, accompanied her throughout the night.
When she woke, the warmth of the sun on her face was quickly accompanied by a blinding, throbbing headache. Her stomach lurched, but when she tried to sit up, she realized she was pinned. She squinted past the pain to see why she couldn’t move. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Aulis lay curled against one side of her, Tis lay curled against the other, and both were asleep with their heads on her chest.
And all three of them were newborn naked in Tis’s bed.
Kera closed her eyes again, trying desperately to remember what had happened the night before. They’d been outside, against the tree…
“She’s panicking,” Aulis murmured.
“It’s cute, isn’t it?” Tis sounded sleepy, but amused.
“I’m not sure. I think I might feel insulted.”
Kera vaguely remembered something about someone going poof and hurried to stall any such explosive feelings. “I’d just be damn sad not to remember something so extraordinary, that’s all.”
“Psh.” Aulis sat up and stretched. “Nice try. You fell asleep while I was just talking about sex. Actually getting you to do anything would’ve been like trying to get a tree to perform CPR on a snail.”
The pounding in Kera’s head was slowly making its way to her stomach. She kissed Tis’s forehead and said, “Baby, I really think you should let me up. Unless you’re into bodily fluid kind of games.”
“Ew.” Tis rolled over, and Kera bolted for the bathroom.
As she knelt, ridding herself of what seemed like a zillion bottles of wine and God knew what else, she heard them talking in the other room. She pictured them—Aulis’s small, olive skinned curvaceous body, and Tis’s long, pale, beautiful form. And I don’t remember being in bed with them. Jackass.
She rinsed out her mouth and splashed cold water on her face. When she came out, she gave Tis a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that.”
Tis, wearing a loose fitting black satin robe, shook her head and handed over a cup of coffee. “It’s our fault. We know better than to allow a human to try to keep up with us.”
Aulis read a message on her phone and sighed. “Sorry, work calls. Something going on back East.” She shrugged into her light summer dress and kissed Tis on the cheek before turning to Kera. “Next time, we’ll keep you sober enough to give it a try. Who knows, maybe you won’t explode on us.” She stood on her tiptoes and gave her a lingering kiss before grinning and heading outside. She opened wings that looked falcon-like and leapt into the air.
Kera turned to Tis, totally bemused.
Tis grinned at her. “And that is my best friend, Aulis. I think she likes you.”
“Do you two have threesomes with unsuspecting humans often?” Kera hoped her tone sounded lighter than she felt. The idea of Tis with other people made her twitch inside.
“Goodness, no. Not since that unfortunate situation we told you about.” Tis sipped her coffee, looking at Kera over the top of the mug. “Jealous?”
Kera looked away, unsure how much she wanted to share. “Maybe a little, yeah.”
Tis led the way to the outside terrace, and they sat in the mid-morning sun. “Cute.” She put her hand over Kera’s. “You understand that being jealous is unreasonable, given the situation, right?”
Kera thought about it. “Okay, yeah. Being jealous of anyone’s past is stupid. It’s just that there’s a lot more of your past than I usually have to deal with, and as extraordinary as I am, I’m willing to admit you may have met some people equally so before me.” She traced Tis’s fingers with her own. “Do you get jealous?”
Tis winced slightly. “I’ve never been close enough to someone to bother about who else they were, or are, with.” She shrugged. “When you live so long, sex is…functional, sometimes. And fun, and sensual, and cathartic. All the things you want it to be. But I suppose it’s also less, well, less serious, I guess. When you live such a short time, sex is part of love, and you hold tightly to it because you know it’s finite. When you live forever, you can experience so m
uch more, and it loses its…”
Tis trailed off, and Kera knew it was because she couldn’t find a word that wouldn’t sting. “Meaning?”
“Yeah, in a way. It means something, and it can be intense. When you have limited time, it becomes a way to hold on to someone. When you live forever, it’s simply a way to get close, to enjoy one another, before you move on.” She gave Kera a sad smile. “When you’re immortal, the word ‘forever’ means something else entirely.”
“So, this thing between us?” Kera hated that she’d asked the question. As if the pounding in her head wasn’t enough, she was about to take one to her heart.
“It’s interesting. And fun. And I like being with you. Who knows where it will lead?”
Kera pulled her hand away gently and stood. “Except we know it won’t lead to forever.”
Tis looked at her seriously. “Your forever and mine are very different. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be wonderful while it’s available to us.”
Kera felt like someone had kicked the backs of her knees, and she was going to drop. But she nodded and tried to smile. “Sure. I get it.” She backed toward the house. “I’m going to head back to work. Thanks for the evening…I think.”
Tis smiled slightly, but Kera knew she wasn’t fooled. She dressed as quickly as she could without needing to empty her stomach again and called from the French doors, “I’m off. I’ll call you about our plans for next week, okay?”
Tis nodded but stayed curled up on the chair, her knees pulled to her chest. “Sure.”
Kera got in her car and closed her eyes. She considered the vast differences between them and felt absurd for not having given it real thought before. What the hell am I doing?
Chapter Fifteen
The days flew past as Tis got ready to go to Haiti with Kera. Though their texts and short conversations had been cooler and more distant than they’d been before, Kera wasn’t walking away, and Tis hoped that meant things would be okay.
