“Do what?”
“This.” I gestured to him. “I can’t take this. Your mixed signals. One minute you kiss me, the other you run away from me. One minute you say something sweet, the other you yell at me.” I shook my head. “And it doesn’t matter. You can’t—”
“Why doesn’t it matter?”
I pressed my lips together, fighting back the tears burning in my eyes. “Because you’re a god. You’ll live forever and won’t settle for a mortal. Who cares if you’re sending me mixed signals? We both know you’re only playing. Oh, and let’s not forget the Soul Oath. You and I know that my living days are getting closer and closer to their expiration date.”
The muscles in his jaw tensed. “Nadine, I—”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m okay with it. It was my choice, and I would do it again.” I sounded like Ceris … crap. “Just please, stop it. Don’t lead me on, don’t stare at me, and don’t help me out with anything. You’re just gonna leave me anyway.”
“No—”
“I should go in,” I said, cutting him off. “I should help with dinner.”
Without looking at Micah, I walked around him, back to the cottage.
After dinner and after Keisha and I had straightened the kitchen, I wanted a nice shower and some sleep. I entered the room I shared with Izaera and Keisha, and halted. Izaera and Ceris stood in the middle of the room, talking in hushed tones.
They noticed my presence and shushed.
“Sorry,” I muttered, stepping out.
I was a little curious as to why they would be whispering, but I guessed being goddesses and living for thousands and thousands of years, they had lots in common. They trusted each other and were probably just talking, or discussing the next plans.
A tiny thread of jealousy swirled in my stomach. I remembered days with Cheryl and how easy it was to be with her, to talk with her. Just like Cheryl, uh, Ceris was now talking to Izaera.
I shook my head. Nonsense. Ceris meant nothing to me other than someone I had to put up with for the greater good. A powerful goddess who …
A goddess with a pretty scepter, topped by a pink orb—an orb I had seen something inside of before we left the compound. How could I have forgotten this?
I had seen the same thing inside Izaera’s scepter when we were in the forest.
Oh my God.
I rushed to the living room and almost threw myself at Morgan. He was mediating with Zelen in the center of the room.
“Morgan, I need to see some of your books,” I blurted, disturbing his concentration. They looked up at me, their expressions a little annoyed. “It’s important.”
Morgan pointed to a large duffel bag beside the couch. “That’s all I was able to save before we fled the bunker.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
They exchanged an irritated glance then went back to their meditation.
Not wanting to disturb them further, I grabbed the duffel’s straps and dragged it away. God, this damn thing weighed a ton.
“Let me help you,” Micah said, taking the straps from me and lifting the bag as if it was filled with cotton balls. I glanced around. Where had he come from? “Where do you want it?”
“The kitchen table,” I said, opening the kitchen door for him.
Keisha prepared coffee on the other side of the room. She arched her eyebrows at me, and I shook my head, not in the mood to explain anything.
Micah dropped the bag between two chairs.
“Thanks,” I said, taking a seat.
He sat beside me. “What are we looking for?”
I stared at him. He held my gaze, serious but not closed, not annoyed, not pushing me away, and not drawing me in. Just serious and here. With me.
My heart squeezed.
“I’m not sure,” I whispered, taking one of the books from the bag. “I want to see symbols, but I think there are too many of them.”
Micah grabbed one book from the bag. “Symbols it is.”
Later that day, when I was ready to disturb Ceris and call a meeting, she did before I could.
The sleeping bags were rolled up and thrown in a corner, Morgan and Keisha made coffee and sandwiches for everyone, and Ceris helped Victor to an armchair. I sat in another armchair, and Morgan took a stool by my side. Micah chose to stand by the wall to my left, and Keisha, Izaera, and Zelen squeezed on the couch.
We were ready. More than ready.
And I couldn’t wait to tell them what I had found.
“We need to plan a couple of things,” Ceris said, seated on the arm of Victor’s chair. “If we are discovered here, where we will go next, who will we try to contact next, and the most important, what is our next step in finding the scepters?”
“I kn—”
“Ceris and I think,” Victor started, not even noticing he had interrupted me, “that after this injury, my human body is much weaker than before. We believe it won’t hold on for much longer.”
“So we need to find the scepters now,” Morgan said, his voice quavering.
Victor nodded. “We do, but I’m not strong enough to go out yet. We can’t expect this to be simple. I need a few more days to rest and heal before we do anything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start planning.”
“I kn—”
“That’s why I asked for this meeting,” Ceris said. “Because once Levi feels better, we need to be on top of this matter.”
“We need to get our hands on our scepters,” Victor added.
“I kno—”
The door burst open, interrupting me. The Fates walked in.
Beside me, Morgan almost had a meltdown and knelt on the floor, his head low. Keisha lowered her head as if in a bow, and even Zelen showed them more respect than I did.
“Hello, child,” the one who entered first said with eyes on me. She halted behind the couch, while the other two remained a couple of steps back. “You don’t look happy to see us.”
“I never know what to expect from you,” I confessed.
She offered me a lifeless smile. “Have we ever deceived you?” Well, when she put it like that. I shook my head. “Good.”
Ceris stood. “Nay, can we help you with anything?”
“No, child. We are here to help you.” Nay extended her hand, showing us a small crystal vial with a bright turquoise liquid.
Ceris’s eyes bugged. “Is that what I think it is?”
Nay nodded.
Beside me, Morgan had another meltdown.
“Water from the Lake of Life,” Victor said.
Nay nodded. “As you suspect, your human body won’t hold for much longer. If we let it be, you would heal a little on your own and with Nadine’s touch, but that would take quite some time. However, you’ll need this right now.”
“What do you mean?” Ceris asked, eyes narrowed.
Nay looked at me. “Tell them, child.”
With the room’s attention on me, I took a deep breath and held my head high. “I think I know where the scepters are.”
28
Everyone spoke, or actually yelled, at me at the same time.
Everyone except Micah. He stared at me from his place along the wall with a deep frown.