Page 199 of Season Warriors & Wolves

“If you had a little bit of faith in everyone around you, my love, you would not feel so alone in this war.” His hands travelled up and down my arms. “You are not alone, I hope you remember this.”

“It doesn’t comfort me. If I have to keep looking over my shoulder for the rest of you, I might not be able to keep fighting.”

“I’ll make sure to keep you inside darkness for as long as I can, so you don’t have to look over your shoulder.”

“So unfunny,” I gritted out, slapping his chest.

“Alright, my hellcat,” he said, bumping his knuckles on my chin. “I’ll come get you in a moment. Stay here while I talk to Visha for a moment. Her craft is starting to itch.”

Golgotha leaned back onto a tree stump, he had watched us all through the training. Particularly Kilian and I. It was always us he watched from the day he stepped in Fernfoss. Both of us had yet to reach our limits, but we’d tapped so much of our power to contain one another that Visha and Penelope both had to be present in order to make sure we didn’t harm anything or anyone around us. However, the fallen God looked unimpressed.

“You look like you wish to bless me with some wisdom,” I said, collecting my jacket.

“You are trying too hard.”

“We all should sometimes. Try it.”

“But you don’t have to try so hard. And you know it.” He pushed off and sauntered to me. “You don’t strike me as someone who…limits herself.”

“So many words that you use to come to one simple conclusion.”

“You’re a monster,” the God of Demons said. “Be a monster.”

“You also slabber like a dog,” Mal said, strutting in and throwing an arm around my shoulders. “Yet, no one tells you to bark. How about we stick to moaning about the injustice of gods and the inferiority complex it has given you to reside among us poor piss humans, rather than giving the advice you were not asked to give?”

“You also know that I am right,” Golgotha said, pointing a finger at him. “Wouldn’t this senseless war never have a start if she just did what she truly wants to do?” He turned to me. “I might be humbled, but I did not turn into a fool. You’ve thought about it—about destroying the obstacle before the obstacle destroys you. Why not do it? Why not free your power and rain down hell on all of Isjord? Turn it all to crumbs.”

By becoming the prophecy, he forgot to add. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I asked. “A world seeped in despair, suddenly destroyed by a monster, chaos for skies and ruins for a sun. And who would people begin praying again to? You, of course.” I clicked my tongue. “Why are you throwing checker stones when I clearly set up a chess game? Must you be so hungry when hunger was what drove you realmless?”

He was very little offended by my words. “How long do you think you can starve for?”

“Long enough.”

He cocked his head back, studying me. Those terrifying eyes of his thinned in their middle, almost resembling those of a serpent. “How calm you are. Facing what no other man has faced.”

“I am no man.”

“But you can still die like one.” He nodded when I remained quiet, backing away, those eyes glowing as they bore into me. “I see now. Everything is becoming so much clearer. When did the reaper visit you?”

Shit.

Mal’s hand tightened around my shoulder and shadows suddenly grew with life. “I’ll say this one more time. No one wants to hear your crap.”

Golgotha raised both hands and grinned. “Only stating what I see.”

“What was he talking about?” Mal asked once the two of us were left alone.

“Thought you didn’t care for his crap?”

“Yeah, but I care about you, and something is telling me that maybe I should have let him shit all of it out.” He crossed his arms, pinning a cold look on me. “I can call him back. Maybe Kilian will want to hear some of it, too. He’s dealt with a lot of shit, he’ll know if this one will matter or not.”

“Mal, it is nothing.”

“It is one thing to not want to tell me and quite the other to lie to me.” He tilted his head to the side. “Is this how we are going to be now?”

“Are you trying to manipulate me?”

“Yes.”