Chapter 40
Lumi
Tears flood my eyes as I’m ripped from the earth. The guys’ eyes were fixed on the blood traveling toward us. Focused on which of us was going to get the ‘privilege’ of speaking to a god. Mine was solely focused on who would be the sacrifice.
Hitting the ground harder than I’ve ever hit the ground before is the only thing to shake me from my grief and focus me on the task at hand.
I don’t know where I am. I don’t know if I’ve really been transported to the place of the gods, or if this is another trick of Isolde’s. But I know wherever I am, I’m in danger.
I rise quickly, letting my magic surge like a charged current through my body. I don’t know how to wield it yet, but I’m going to have to figure it out fast if I’m going to survive.
“Put away your magic, foolish girl,” a deep, rumbling voice says.
I don’t.
I refuse to cower or be unable to protect myself.
I consider shifting. My wolf body feels stronger, more in control than this newfound magic. But something buried deep inside me says my magic is more powerful.
A chuckle replaces the voice, echoing around me. I turn, locating the man standing behind me.
But he’s no ordinary man—he towers over seven feet, broad and powerfully built. Tight cut-off shorts are the only thing covering his body. His eyes burn a piercing gold, and his hair gleams like moonlight itself. Yet it’s not only his size that commands attention. Something in him hums with a power I can’t quite understand. An ancient magic that demands respect. The kind that could crush me before I even realized what the threat was.
“Who are you?” I ask, my voice unwavering.
He grins. “You know exactly who I am, marked one.”
I stare at him again. “You’re Luan, the wolf shifter god.”
“Very good, marked one.”
“Why? Why am I marked? Who is my mate?”
He chuckles. “So impatient. But as you summoned us using the combined blood of a wolf shifter, a witch, and a vampire, we must wait to speak until the other two gods have arrived.”
I frown. “And how long will that take?”
He glances up, and I see a bright light flickering above where he’s standing. The ceiling stretches ridiculously high with a chandelier holding what appears to be thousands of candles reflecting pure light. Arched windows bring in even more light until I’m almost blinded by it. I could study the details of the place for years—tapestries, paintings, and intricate details tell a story that I’ve never heard of before. Of a place, a palace that belongs to the gods.
The light grows brighter, then bursts into flame. I close my eyes for a single second. When I open, the flame has shifted into a beautiful red-haired woman who is standing next to Luan. A foot shorter, with a fabric akin to white lace hugging her body in such a way that accentuates every curve of her body that it covers. I’ve never met a woman with such perfect curves.
She glances at Luan and then huffs. “Where is Nizal? Late as usual.”
“You only just arrived, Hestia,” Luan says.
She huffs and then looks at me. “I don’t have time for this. I have far more important things to deal with.”
“Like the fact that you’re about to lose our bet?” Luan taunts.
“Hush,” she responds.
With a whoosh, a black shadow sprints into the room. And then a man with shadowed skin, white fangs, and piercing red eyes appears. Somehow, he’s even taller than Luan, but that is where the similarities end. I can barely make out any clear features on him as he blends into the shadows that seem to be emanating from him.
The vampire god—Nizal.
He studies me with quiet curiosity, a knowing glint in his gaze that makes it clear his power runs far deeper than anything I’ve ever imagined.
“Now, we are all here. Are you ready to proceed?” Luan asks me.