Wincing, I opened one of the cabinets and grabbed a bottle of Tylenol. I ached all over. Thankfully I had only a few scratches and exhaustion, which was better than Morgan and the open gash across his stomach. After cleaning the wound as best as he could, Victor stitched the cut. One of the perks of being a former medical resident.

Victor also checked on Keisha, but like me, she only had scratches. He tried looking me over, but I knew enough about cleaning scratches to do it on my own. Now, I needed painkillers. Lots of them.

I closed the cabinet, and the mirror on it showed Ceris behind me standing under the doorframe of one of the partitions in the infirmary, her hair tangled, her dress stained with blood and dirt, her expression tired.

I unscrewed the cap, took out three pills, put them in my mouth, and swallowed them.

Sighing, I turned and leaned against the counter, crossing my arms. “How are the others?”

“Morgan will be fine,” she said. “It’ll take him a while to heal, but he’ll survive. Keisha is camping in his bedroom tonight, to keep an eye on him.”

“What about Izaera and Zelen?”

“They are in shock, to say the least. They lost their forest and were forced into hiding. However, Zelen seems worse since he had no idea his nymphs had been corrupted.”

I still wondered about how that happened. “That was a shock to all of us.”

“It was.”

I hated seeing this side of her. Caring, compassionate, a true mother and guide to her herd. It made the rage I felt over all she had done to me seem unreal, misdirected. She had been evil, hadn’t she?

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Her brows slammed down. “Not really.”

“I should get some rest then,” I said, walking toward the door.

She stepped to the side, allowing me to pass. “Yes, you should. Everyone is in need of rest right now.”

I walked out, then one of my mental notes prickled in my mind and I couldn’t ignore it.

I stopped and turned, staring into her eyes. “Earlier today, Zelen mentioned I was different, that my aura is powerful but not strong.” How could something be powerful but not strong? “Imha said the same thing when I was with her, and the Fates said it too before. What does that mean?”

She held my gaze, and I wondered if she would lie to me. “I don’t know.” Even though I wanted to believe she was lying, I could see in her eyes that she wasn’t. “I honestly don’t know. Yes, you’re different. I can feel it too, but I don’t know what you are.”

“But I am something?”

“I don’t know.”

Great. More doubts and worries for me. I nodded and resumed my walk, thinking of what I could be. Apparently, not a hero, not a priest, not the vision girl.

“Nadine.” Once more, I turned and looked at her. “I’m sorry. For your family. I’m really sorry about that.”

My family. I tried not to think of them much. I tried to keep those feelings and memories bottled in a dark corner of my mind, where I wouldn’t stumble on them. However, when someone mentioned my family, the memories came rushing back to me.

Tears burned my eyes, and I blinked so I wouldn’t cry in front of her. “Me too,” I whispered.

* * *

Since our return from the forest, one thought had clouded my mind. So, after grabbing the Tylenol and bumping into Ceris, I went looking for Micah.

His bedroom door was closed. I knocked, hoping he was here so I wouldn’t have to search for him all over the shelter.

I raised my hand to knock again and the door opened.

Micah stood beside the half-open door, his hair unruly, his dark eyes curious, and his chest naked.

My throat felt dry, and my heart skipped a beat.

My gaze rummaged his fine torso. God, he was more than fine. The urge to graze my nails over the hard muscles of his chest and abdomen rushed through me, bringing a heat wave with it.

His muscles weren’t everything though. His tattoos drew me in too. He had a coiled snake on his left shoulder, four lines of Hebrew writing over his chest, and tribal drawings to the side of his abdomen, which spread onto his back.

To complete the package, he wore his mother’s necklace, which showed me that, even after finding out he was a god and his human parents had been nothing but vessels, he cared. It was much harder to stay immune to him and his charm when I knew he cared.

“Darling,” he said, breaking my daze. The heat in my body shifted to my cheeks when I forced my eyes to meet his. He offered me one of his devilish grins. “To what do I owe such a visit?”

“Uh,” I muttered, because I had completely forgotten what I had come here for. That was what I got for seeing him only in his dark jeans.

He chuckled and the heat on my cheeks became molten lava. “Cat got your tongue, darling? Or was it something else?” He raised one of eyebrows.

I could smack that cocky expression from his face. Focusing on that, I took a deep breath and finally spoke up. “I want to ask you a question about the Soul Oath.”

His expression hardened. After glancing to the sides of the corridor, he stepped aside. “Come in.”

I entered his room and was a little disappointed to find it was exactly like mine, exactly like all the rooms here. For some reason, I expected Micah to have a nice place, with a big bed, a comfy couch, fluffy rugs, and posters of Harleys and sport cars and naked women on the walls.

Crossing his arms, he leaned against the closed door. I almost drooled again because, hmm, that only made the muscles on his chest and arms and shoulders tauter.

“What is it?” he asked.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. “While we were fighting in the forest, I worried about dying. I mean, what if I die before you and I can honor the Soul Oath? What if I’m killed during one of our battles during the war? What will happen then? I’ll just die, and my family will stay in the underworld?”

“Your soul is mine regardless of how and when you die. If you die tomorrow …” He paused, his expression pained. “The Soul Oath will be honored even if you die tomorrow. Your soul will be mine, and I’ll bring back your family once the war is over.”

Relief filled me. “Thank God. That was all I needed to know.” I stepped toward the door, toward him, but he didn’t move. His eyes were hard on me, and I felt my cheeks warming again. “I’ll leave you be now,” I said. He didn’t move though, and he didn’t stop staring at me. The heat spread from my cheeks to my body, even though I couldn’t tell if he was staring at me because he was mad or because of some other reason. “Micah, let me open the door, please.”

I counted the seconds, until he finally moved aside and opened the door for me. “Good night, Nadine,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Good night,” I whispered as I walked past him, feeling the weight of his gaze on me.

As soon as I stepped out, he closed the door, and I hurried back to my bedroom.

* * *

The night was horrible.

The same nightmare with my family populated my mind, and when I tried to focus on something else and fall back asleep, I would remember what happened in the forest. The nymphs turning into demons, more demons surrounding us, Omi provoking me, the fight, the claws, the blood, the gore. I didn’t know how I went through all that without breaking down because right now all I wanted to do was hold Pinky and hide under my pillow.

To calm my mind, I hummed a lullaby. It did relax me, but it also brought tears to my eyes. My pillow had a wet blotch when I finally drifted to sleep again.

“Hey, Nad.” Someone shook my shoulder, the one with the bandage.

“Ow,” I complained, recoiling farther into the bed. Yawning, I opened my eyes. “Hey, Keisha.”

“Morning, sleeping beauty. Lady Ceris is calling everyone for a meeting.”

“Now?”

She smiled. “It’s almost noon!”

Really? Well, at least I did get some sleep. After too many nights dealing with nightmares, sleeping in late was a nice change.

I sat up. “Okay, okay. I’ll be there in about … thirty minutes.”

“Lady Ceris said now.”

“I need a shower, clean clothes, and food. Only then will I be able to sit through a meeting.”

“Suit yourself.” Keisha marched to the door. She paused, her hand over the knob. “You did well yesterday, you know.” I raised my eyebrows. Was she talking to me? “I mean it. You fought well, and you didn’t give in when Omi tried to bait you.”

The memory of Omi provoking me came back to my mind, bringing rage and hatred with it.

“Oh, I wanted to smack that smirk from his face.”

“I know you did. But you didn’t.” She tilted her head. “I confess I was a little skeptical when we began training because you were a novice, but now I’m happy you asked me.”

“Me too,” I whispered.

She nodded and left my room. I reluctantly jumped out of bed and got ready for said meeting. Shower; put on jeans, red sweater, black boots; stop by the cafeteria; make a sandwich and black coffee; eat and drink while walking to the conference room.

Twenty-seven minutes later, I entered the conference room holding half a sandwich and a coffee mug.

Keisha, Victor, and Micah sat in the same places as last time, and Zelen took the seat Morgan had taken before.

I sat on my chair. “Where are Ceris and Izaera?”

Victor rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. “They were here until a few minutes ago. They wanted to discuss something in private.”

Silence reigned for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, I finished my sandwich. But not my coffee.

I sipped from my mug and noticed Micah staring at me. I held his dark gaze long enough to spread heat through my cheeks, and then focused on my mug.

I didn’t understand him. Not at all. Was it just me, or was he sending me mixed signals all the time?

As much as I tried fighting it, I couldn’t help but feel something for him. Irritation? Curiosity? I didn’t know. When he looked at me like that, all I wanted was to … do what? Slap him. Kiss him. Maybe both. Then kiss him some more, until the air around us went up fifty degrees.

I shook my head, ashamed of thinking such things. We were at war, I needed to focus on that only. Finding the scepters and winning the war. No room for hate and love drama.

The door opened, and Izaera and Ceris, carrying what looked like a long scroll, stepped into the room. Izaera sat beside Micah, and Ceris took the seat beside her and Victor.

“I see we are all here,” Ceris said, pinning me with her annoyed gaze. I offered her an equally annoyed smile. “As we suspected, the forest is gone. Somehow, Omi was able to lure some nymphs and enchant them to turn into demons prior to our arrival. When the right time came, they struck.”

I tried to hold my tongue because I knew Keisha and me—and Morgan, when he could come—were more like guests in these meetings than anything else, but I couldn’t stay quiet. “And the other nymphs?”

“A great number of my dear nymphs died during our fight, but some were smart and took advantage of the distraction to escape,” Zelen said. “Where they are hiding, I don’t know.” He stared at Ceris. “I owe you my life and that of my nymphs. With my forest gone I’m weaker, but you can count on me. I’ll do whatever I can to help you win this war.”

A relieved smile appeared on Ceris’s beautiful face. “That’s good to hear.”

“Me too,” Izaera mumbled. All eyes turned to her. She sighed. “I mean, I’m weak too. With almost all green gone, almost all clean water gone, no blue sky, and polluted air, my powers are weakening. I can feel my energy draining out of me … into oblivion.”

Ceris rested her hand over Izaera’s. “You’re strong, sister. No matter what. Hang on. We will win this war, and the green will come back.”

Lowering her gaze, Izaera patted Ceris’s hand.

“One thing is bothering me,” Micah said, drawing the room’s attention to him. “How Omi knew we were going to be there?”

“I was wondering the same thing,” Ceris said.

“It could be a coincidence,” Victor said. “Being one of the only green spots on Earth, Omi and Imha must have had their eyes on the forest for a while.”

Ceris tapped her chin. “It could be, but it’s hard to believe.”

“Are you suggesting someone here told Omi and Imha of our plans?” I asked. All gazes fell on me. “If we have a mole, how did this person communicated with Omi? We could check everyone’s phones, but I doubt you’ll find anything. And nobody left the bunker. Except you, Ceris.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you suggesting I told them?”

I raised my hands in a peace offering. “Of course not. I’m just saying it doesn’t make sense.”

“It could be a coincidence,” Zelen repeated Victor’s words. “I know demons were close to us. They had an eye on us for a while, probably getting ready to attack.”

“True,” Izaera said. “Demons were getting closer and closer to us.”

“That’s an unfortunate coincidence then,” Victor said.

Micah yawned loudly, raising his hands above his head and lifting his shirt a tiny bit—enough to show half an inch of his glorious six-pack. Everyone stopped and watched him. Ceris and Victor gave him an annoyed look, Zelen and Izaera shook their heads, and after gawking for a few seconds, Keisha lowered her gaze.

Unaffected, Micah knotted his hands behind his head. “So. What’s the next step?”

“Finding the scepters?” I said, sounding a little too righteous. Oops.

Victor unclasped his hands and folded his arms over the table. “Well, that isn’t going too well, is it?”

“But it should be priority.”

“It should,” Ceris said. “Unfortunately, as Levi pointed out, it isn’t going well. So, I propose we try to find another one of the creed gods.”

Unbelievable.

Micah cleared his throat. “Izaera, during all these years, you never had any contact with Sol, Lua, Ronen, or Maho?”

For sake of the discussion, I assumed those were the names of the other gods and goddesses.

“No,” Izaera said. “Never. All I know is they went into hiding, like I did, and I never heard from them again.”

“You were hiding where your powers were strongest,” Victor said. “So probably they are too.”

“That’s a good point,” Ceris said, her gaze distant. “We should try to find them. Having all of us together against Imha and Omi will make a huge difference. The odds might change in our favor then.”

Leaning back in his chair, Micah crossed his arms. “But once again, we’ll search for them with only a vague idea of where they are, just like the scepters. We’ll waste time.”

“What do you suggest we do?” Ceris sounded annoyed again. “Sit here and wait for a miracle?”

Micah stared at her, his eyes with a resolute shine. “You know what I suggest.”

Ceris tsked. “You also don’t know where they are.”

“But it’s easier to find them,” Micah said. Were they talking about the Death Lords again? “Find dead people, and you’ll find one of them. Talk to him, pass the word of a meeting, and done. We’ll get them all together, and we’ll have them on board.”

“What makes you so sure they will be willing to help?” Victor asked.

“What made you so sure Zelen would help?” Micah retorted. “What makes you so sure anyone you want to go after will help?”

“He’s got a point,” Zelen said.

Micah continued, “Well, I can tell you that besides what the Death Lords and I did, what they still do, we were a team. I knew I could count on them for anything, and I know that hasn’t changed. If they find out I’m alive, if we tell them of our quests, I’m sure they will join us.”

Ceris sighed. “I don’t know.”

Izaera squeezed Ceris’s hand. “You took a chance with Zelen, and you would have taken chances with other deities. I know you have issues with Mitrus, we all do”—she glanced at Micah, making her point. He shrugged—“but I believe he’s on your side, our side, this time. Give him a chance.”

A long minute passed. Ceris seemed to mull the options over in her mind. To me, there was no question. Come on, she was willing to go after anyone, why not Micah’s guys? It was only fair.

Her gaze met Victor’s. He nodded at her, assuring her it was the right thing.

“All right,” she said, sounding defeated. “I’ll find them and set up a meeting.”