I was ready to leave the Fates’ cottage and go directly to Nasya.

However, I had a duty to my creed, so I transported back to New York to talk to Levi, Ceris, and Izaera. Besides, I already missed Nadine. I could use one of her smiles before leaving to face the mysterious test.

Fuck. She probably wouldn’t smile at me since I sneaked out of her bed before she was awake. Or maybe she would smile, glad I had been gone.

She complained about my mixed feelings more than once, but she also sent me mixed signals. One minute she was allowing me to get close, and the next minute she was clipping my wings. I knew I shouldn’t advance on her, but whenever I threw caution out the window and tried to get close to her, her mood was hard to read.

Before entering the apartment, I sensed Nadine and Keisha training in the improvised gym. Damn. I would never get past them unnoticed, and I needed to talk to the other gods first.

I sent a quick mental message to Levi. “Arriving. Meet me in your room with Ceris and Izaera. No one else.”

“You aren’t in trouble, are you?” he asked, invading my mind.

“Not yet.”

“By the Everlast.” Then he was gone.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the apartment. As I suspected, the gym’s door was open. Nadine—in tight yoga pants and a cropped blue bra top that did nothing to hide her gorgeous curves—and Keisha sparred with wooden swords. I stopped for a second, admiring the view. Nadine was getting better at combat, her movements fluid and sure, her posture and footwork nearly perfect. Her hair, pulled up in a ponytail, swished around her back, a wave accompanying her elegant moves. She was a vision.

And I was wasting time.

Shaking my head, I silently closed the front door behind me and started walking to the corridor.

Zelen appeared from the kitchen. “Morning, Lord Mitrus.”

Oh fuck.

Nadine’s arm went slack, her eyes shifting from her opponent to me, and Keisha almost hit her on the chest with her sword.

“What the—?” Keisha followed Nadine’s line of sight. Her eyes widened and she bowed. “Lord Mitrus.”

I groaned on the inside. How I hated these formalities. “Morning,” I said, nodding at them.

Nadine didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to. I saw the hurt flashing in her gaze before she put on a steel mask. She held my stare, trying to prove to me she didn’t care.

“Mitrus,” Levi called me from the corridor. “We’re waiting.”

“Right,” I said, averting my eyes. I followed him down the corridor and entered his bedroom.

Ceris sat on the edge of the mattress, and Izaera took the chair in front of the vanity.

“What is it?” Ceris asked, always to the point.

Well, how to start it? What the hell, I was wasting time. “A month ago or so, I made a deal with Nadine,” I blurted out.

“A deal?” Levi asked, sitting beside Ceris.

I took a deep breath. “A Soul Oath.”

“What?” Levi shouted.

“So that’s the deal I heard you two talking about at the volcano.”

Levi turned to her. “You knew about this?”

Izaera shook her head. “No. I heard Nadine and Mitrus talking about a deal. I never thought it could be a Soul Oath.”

“What did you promise her?” Ceris asked. “And what did she promise you?” Her face was deadpan, but her tone betrayed. She was worried.

“After ... after her family died, Nadine didn’t want to live anymore. She even asked me in a teasing manner if I could kill her. But she wasn’t teasing. She needed a reason to live, and she found one. She would learn how to fight and help us defeated Imha because she wanted a better world. Her motivation? After we win the war, I’ll bring her family back to life in this better world.” I paused, finding it hard to continue. “And she offered me her soul in exchange for theirs.”

Levi cursed, Izaera puffed, and Ceris looked at me with hard eyes. “You did what? No, you’re not that stupid. You didn’t accept it, right?”

“I told you I made a deal with her. Yes, I accepted, but I thought I could find a way around it, you know, being the god of the dead and death and all.” I sighed. “But it isn’t that simple. I went to see the Fates this morning.”

“By the Everlast, this keeps getting better and better,” Levi muttered.

I told them everything the Fates told me. About how I couldn’t undo what the Soul Oath had done, how the water of the Lake of Life wouldn’t cure her, and about the legend of the Cup of Life.

“I’m going to Nasya’s island,” I said.

“Wait a minute,” Levi said. “I don’t think I heard you right. You’re gonna risk your life for a human?”

I frowned at him. “I thought you were all about humans.”

“I am, but you aren’t. Weren’t. What is it?”

A knowing smile adorned Ceris’s face. “Oh, but Nadine isn’t any human to you, is she?”

I closed my mouth and held her stare. “No, she isn’t. Besides, I’m a god. I can’t die.”

“That’s not true and you’re proof of it,” Izaera said.

“Yeah, but I came back to life.”

“At what cost?” Izaera shifted her gaze to the dark world outside the window. “We don’t have another thirty years to wait for you. Moreover, the Fates confirmed your soul was lucky for awakening inside a human body. Next time you might not be lucky, and your soul could be lost forever.”

“She’s right,” Levi said. “You know that in order to have a well-balanced world, we need all of us. Together. Alive.”

“I know, I know. But I can’t let her die. I just ... can’t.”

“I’m not sure about this,” Levi said, shaking his head.

Irritation swam where hope had been a couple of hours ago. “What is your problem? You’re against it because you had a thing for her? Now that she kicked your ass and you went back to Ceris, you want her dead? Is that it?”

“Mitrus,” Ceris called, a warning in her voice.

“You’re taking things too far.” Levi raised his hands, palms to me as if offering peace. Peace my ass. “I don’t wish anything but the best for her, but it was her wish. She wants to die. You should respect that.”

“If it was four, five months ago, if she still cared about you the same way she did then, would you respect her wish?”

He stared at me, but I could see the conflicted emotions in his eyes.

Izaera spoke up. “Let’s say you go to Nasya. You pass her test, and receive the Cup of Life. What will you do? Just show up here, open Nadine’s mouth, and make her drink it? You have to consider she might not want it.”

The same thing the Fates said. What was this? A sign I shouldn’t even try? Fuck that.

“I know,” I said. “I’ll bring her the Cup of Life and tell her what it is. I’ll tell her she’ll be able to live while her family is alive, and—”

“But after her family has died, of old age or sickness,” Ceris said. “Do you think she’ll still want to live then?”

“I don’t know!” I shouted. Remembering the others could possibly hear us, I lowered my voice again. “I guess I’ll talk to her about all the possibilities and hope she chooses to drink from the cup.”

“Meaning, you’re hoping she chooses you,” Levi added.

I glared at him, ready to jump at his throat.

Ceris rose. “You’ve changed, Mitrus. These past few months you have changed a lot. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it is a good change. I attribute that change to two things: your human family and Nadine. If she can touch your heart like that, make you a better god, a more just and kind god, then you have my support. Go forth, bring the Cup of Life back, and convince her of joining us in eternal life.”

We all stared at her. Along with my bugged eyes, my mouth hung open.

“Everyone is surprising me today,” Levi said.

Ceris had her half-smile back. “After knowing Nadine for over a year, I can attest she’s a good person. A great person. It saddens me she and I aren’t friends anymore, and she only puts up with me for the war’s sake. Hopefully, she’ll accept the elixir from the Cup of Life, and I’ll have more time to earn her forgiveness.”

Holy fuck. I almost asked Ceris to repeat all that so I could record it and play it back to Nadine. If I was surprised, she would have a heart attack.

“It’s not a question of who she is,” Izaera said. “She seems like a great person, yes, but is she worth Mitrus risking his life?”

No hesitation here. “Yes.”

“His mind is set, my sister,” Ceris said, her eyes on me. “He’s telling us out of courtesy, just so we know where he’ll disappear to. He’s going no matter what. We better support him now.”

Wow. Way to leave me speechless, and here I thought Ceris could be as evil as Imha sometimes. Perhaps I was wrong.

Levi sighed. “When are you going?”

“Now?” I said. “As soon as I leave this room and say goodbye to Nadine.”

Izaera stood and patted my shoulder. “I’m not against this adventure, but I’m not in favor of it either. Just make sure to come back in one piece.”

I nodded.

Levi grabbed my hand and shook it. “If this is what you want, then I’ll respect your choice. Good luck, my brother.”

My brother.

I hadn’t heard that in centuries.

With a small smile, I shook his hand back. I looked at the three of them, relieved they understood me and energized they supported my decision, even if they didn’t agree with it.

As odd as it was, they were my family and their support did matter.