Page 97 of The Arcane God

He was just as large and intimidating as she remembered—his dark eyes and hair giving him an air of danger. And, of course, he was dangerous. He was stronger and faster than both of them, but while his Power might make them both want to fuck like rabbits, she had to remind herself that her Gift was deadlier, and she was prepared to use it if he made any sudden moves. Not that she didn’t want to trust him—she knew he was Ty and Ena’s friend, and he’d been helpful relaying messages of daemons’ whereabouts over the last few months, but still…you never knew with daemons.

“Greya,” he greeted in return, stepping into the ring of light cast by their fire. “I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced,” he said, looking at her husband beside her.

“Perse,” he said welcomingly, extending his hand to shake. “Nice to meet you—not in battle, that is.”

“Perse is my husband,” Greya explained.

“I see,” Steig said, accepting Perse’s offered hand cautiously and shaking it.

Everyone was silent for a beat, the awkwardness palpable. It wasn’t often witches and daemons met at all, let alone under attempted friendly circumstances.

“Thank you for coming,” Greya began, breaking the ice. “I assume you got my message?”

“I did,” Steig said shortly.

Gaia, she’d forgotten how tight-lipped the man was. She took a deep breath. This sell was likely to be just as hard as the one to Northe, but she had to try—for Ena. For everyone.

“Well, I’m sure it was a leap of faith for you to come here, especially given that we so recently held you captive,” she acknowledged, slipping into her role as matriarch as easily as breathing, and gesturing for him to join her around the fire.

“Yes, well, you also released me,” Steig said as he sat on a downed log, herself and Perse sitting opposite him. “So that garnered some good will. Plus, I need to know what you know about Ty. Is it true?”

The eagerness in his voice was unavoidable, and Greya gave him a warm smile. “Yes, it’s true what my message said. He is alive, and he is on his way back to our side of the Chasm Mountains. They all are.”

“All?” Steig asked.

“Him, Ena, your friend Turner, and…the stryx,” Greya added.

“The stryx?” Steig asked, as confused by the term as she had been.

Greya briefly explained what Ena had told him—how they’d found the stryx, a welcoming group of people who were struggling to survive due to a decline in their food source, so they were coming back to relocate, and had agreed to help oust the King of the Underworld, once and for all.

“That’s good news,” Steig said. He was a stoic man, and gave little away, but she Knew hearing that his friends were alive and finally returning to oust the king brought him relief. It made her trust him that much more.

“I agree,” Greya said evenly. “But now, I have an important job to do. One that requires your help.”

Steig’s eyebrow raised in surprise, but he nodded all the same, indicating that she should continue, so she did.

“Ena and I agree that it is time for a new era for witches and daemons. One of cooperation and coexistence, rather than conflict. So, to that end, my sister wants me to recruit the other Covens to support the ousting of the king, and the installation of a new, witch-friendly one.”

“Ty, you mean?” Steig asked, his brow furrowed.

“She didn’t specify,” Greya said, a bit thrown off by that question. “Is Ty the only choice for king?”

“Well, he is the heir to the Underworld,” Steig responded, as if this were obvious, but his statement was met by Greya’s blank stare. “It means he’s next in line for the throne,” he explained.

A hint of concern went through her. Steig had mentioned counting on Ty to be king in the past, but Ena hadn’t mentioned that, and she was unsure what to do with the information. Last she’d heard, Ty had abandoned the Underworld so that he could be with Ena, so she didn’t want to assume without checking with them first. But it sounded like, according to Steig, Ty was expected to assume the role.

“Well, either way,” Greya said, putting that issue aside for now, “I’m here in Aquilo to do just that—to explain to Northe that daemons want a new alliance and entreat her to join us.”

“Okay,” Steig said, looking at her suspiciously. “And you wanted me to join you because…?”

“I want you to come talk to them with me. Northe, the Aquilo matriarch, and then Syrelle, the Occidens matriarch.”

Steig’s eyebrows shot up in shock. “Are you insane?” he growled.

Greya stared at him in challenge. “No, why do you ask?”

“Because you want me to openly walk into the Covens, declare that I’m a daemon, and you just expect that they will be okay with that? That they won’t seize me or kill me where I stand as retribution for all daemons have done?”