I left Nadine’s warm, soft body—and her bed—before she was awake. In fact, I got dressed and exited the apartment before anyone was awake.

I hurried to the border of the wards, careful not to slip on the new snow.

“Damn cold,” I muttered, zipping up my leather jacket. I should have gotten something thicker and maybe some gloves and a hat too.

Fuck that. Where I was going should be warm.

Once outside the shield, I transported to a forest. The scent of moss and wet leaves invaded my nose even before I could process it was pitch black here. Wrinkling my nose because I hated those smells, I cast a flame of light over my palm and looked around. Tall, thick trees surrounded me, but they were still green, which meant I was in the right place.

I darted, weaving between trees, roots, and bushes. I slowed right before reaching the clearing. I stepped onto it, gawking at the cottage identical to the one on the Croatian island. I hadn’t been here in decades, maybe a century.

Seeing light through the windows, I hurried to the door. It opened before I could knock. Hesitantly, I entered the tiny living space and found the Fates in front of the fireplace.

“Hello, Mitrus,” they said in unison.

“We need to talk.”

The three of them turned to me in a choreographed movement. They looked as if they were made of pure magic. Their faces lacked wrinkles, but they still appeared old and wise with their silver hair, gray eyes, and too pale skin. I had always thought of them as witches since I first heard the term thousands of years ago.

“We cannot help you,” Lavni said, Witch Number Three of the Future.

“I know.” I took a few steps forward. “But I need to try.”

“You cannot alter the past,” Mani said, sitting down on the ragged brown love seat. She was Witch Number One of the Past.

Changing the Soul Oath would be the best option, but also an impossible one. “I-I don’t want to alter the past, I want to guarantee a future,” I said, staring at Lavni.

She shook her head. “I’m afraid you wasted your trip, for we cannot help you.”

Frustration laced my muscles, and I grunted. “Please, hear me out. Talk to me if you can, but if you can’t, just hear me.”

The three women exchanged deadpan glances; it got on my nerves. After a moment, they looked at me and nodded.

“We’ll hear you,” said Nay, Witch Number Two of the Present, sitting on a short stool in front of the fireplace. “But we can’t promise to do more than that.”

“It’s okay.” I stood at the edge of the living room, afraid if I got too close they would shut me down. I was a god all right, but the Fates were the ones who oversaw it all, who knew it all. They might not create the future, but they could change it if they wanted. If they saw fit. “I’ll take what I can.”

“Speak,” Mani said.

I took a deep breath. “I’ve made a deal with a human. A Soul Oath. She offered her life, her soul, in exchange for her wish. I plan on bringing her back to life after it’s done.”

“You can’t,” Nay said. “The Soul Oath won’t allow you to alter or break the deal, not even after it’s done.”

I started pacing. All right. I had thought as much, but I needed confirmation. I hoped I was wrong. Seeing as I wasn’t, I told them about plan B. “The water of the Lake of Life heals deities, right? So it should do more for humans, like grant eternal life? If I give her the water of the Lake of Life, she should be able to cheat death.”

“No,” Lavni said. “That water is made for deities only. If a human drinks it, she’ll die.”

“Wait. But Levi drank it.”

“For one, he drank a small amount, just enough to give him a little strength. Second, his body was human but not his soul.”

There went my plan B along with any hope I had.

“There must be something I can do,” I muttered. Keeping my cool in front of the witches was harder than I thought it would be.

“You shouldn’t have accepted Nadine’s deal,” Mani said. “Now it’s too late.”

Determination was a beautiful thing. I halted and stared at them. “No. There must be something I can do.” They looked at each other, and I knew I was getting somewhere. “Please. Nadine can’t die. Not now, not ever.”

“Why?” Lavni asked.

Why? The question caught me by surprise.

I thought of her. I thought of Nadine, how beautiful she was, how her touch wreaked havoc inside me, how her kisses set me on fire. However, there was more to her than just the physical stuff. She was loyal, just, kind, dedicated, strong, and completely selfless. To me, she was perfect.

“Because—”

“You love her,” Nay said.

Did I? I hadn’t loved anyone in so long. In fact, other than my human parents, I hadn’t loved anyone ever. Did I love Nadine? Maybe. Probably.

“I just ... can’t bear to think of living forever when she can’t. My existence won’t mean anything without her.”

Mani narrowed her eyes at me. “And that’s not love?”

“Perhaps,” I said. Why was it so hard to admit what I was feeling?

“What if she doesn’t want to live forever?” Lavni asked.

Oh. Oh. I hadn’t actually thought of that. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live forever? Nadine, attached to her family the way she was, wouldn’t.

My shoulders sagged. Here I was, trying to find a solution for a problem that didn’t exist. Damn it.

But ... but if I found a way of making her immortal, I could tell her about it. I could show it to her and ask her if she wanted it. Of course, I would try to sell immortality to her, even though I already told her it was lonely at times—but it wouldn’t be lonely because we would be together. In the end, it would be her decision.

“I promise I won’t force her,” I said. Her rejection would hurt like the pit of fire in the underworld, but I would never force her into a life she didn’t want.

“You shouldn’t interfere with this,” Lavni said.

“I don’t care,” I said, hearing too well the begging tone in my voice. “Please, tell me there is an alternative. Tell me Nadine doesn’t have to die.”

The Fates looked at each other again. Mani and Nay rose from their seats, and the three of them joined hands, closing their eyes. They were communicating, seeing the future, or whatever else they did before reaching a decision.

They opened their eyes and stared at me.

“There is a legend,” Nay said. My heart raced at her simple words.

“Thousands of years ago,” Mani started, “a human found the Lake of Life. She was about to drink from the water, expecting to find immortality, when a lesser god, one of the Lake of Life protectors, entered the cave and saw the woman. He told her the truth: she was a simple human, and because of that she would die after drinking the water meant for gods. However, the protector became instantly enchanted by the beautiful woman and promised her he would find a way to make her immortal. He took a golden cup and filled it with the water from the Lake of Life. He went on a difficult series of quests. In the end, he was able to the turn the water from the lake into an immortality elixir for humans.”

A glimmer of hope bloomed in my chest. “Wait. What was this difficult quest? What did he do?”

“The details of his quests aren’t to be known, for this action is not to be repeated,” Lavni said, sounding exactly like an evil witch.

“But if I don’t find out about his quests, how I am supposed to—?”

“The story isn’t finished,” Nay said. “Listen.”

I shut my mouth, impatience and anger rolling in my stomach. I blinked, focusing on my hope instead.

“The protector brought the cup back to the woman. She drank from it and became immortal. However, immortality didn’t go well with her personality. She also wanted power. So it was her turn to go on a quest and strike a Soul Oath with Imha.”

I gaped. “What?”

“The woman promised the protector’s life in return for powers. Imha accepted. The woman fulfilled her part of the deal and received powers from Imha.”

“But ... I don’t understand.”

“The woman didn’t drink all of the elixir. It is said she still has the cup and the immortality elixir. She calls it the Cup of Life, and she offers it to whoever wants it.”

The glimmer of hope became a bright light inside me. “So, it’s simple. I only need to find her.”

“Yes and no,” Lavni said, ripping at my hope. “There’s a price. The woman, Nasya, only gives a sip of her water to those who pass her test.”

The balloon of hope in my chest deflated a life. “What kind of test?”

“She chooses the test after meeting with the one who wants the cup,” Mani said. “She tailors it accordingly.”

I inhaled and exhaled, trying to remain calm. “I must meet her. I must find out what kind of test she’ll ask of me. But ...” I raked my hand through my hair. I grimaced, still not used to how long my hair was now. I dropped my arms and sighed. “I have to find her first.”

“We know where she is,” Nay said.

I froze. The ribbons of hope in me grew again. “Then tell me.”