The Throne of Broken Gods (Gods & Monsters, #2)

by Amber V. Nicole

I faced Roccurem, willing myself not to rip him to pieces and ruin everything we had built and worked for. Jealousy, hot, blinding, and violent, ripped through me. “Did you know? You said turning her would prevent that. Killing her fraudulent sister was to prevent that. Do you have any fucking idea⁠—”

“The mark is not on her finger. You overreact like a child would.” His eyes popped open, all six of them. “I have seen a multitude of possibilities, their bonding being...

I growled, fangs erupting from my gums. “If The Order cannot⁠—” “The Order will have what they wished for,” Roccurem interjected. “What you...

“If we can’t open the door, we can’t fix the cracks,” she mumbled as she painted, “and the world ends.”

I really wished I could have gone with him, but maybe I was just crazy. I’d lost Gabby. It was normal to fear losing him, yet some instinct insisted that it wasn’t just a dream but an omen. And a lock on a door in a house rattled.

The doorbell rang, and I smiled at her. “Well, that was fast.”

Foreshadow .... Not the food delivery guy

The Higher One sighed and rolled her eyes. “Roccurem was locked up for a reason. The fate is fickle.”

“You are asking the wrong questions. Your next one should be about your other siblings. Siblings that still exist, maiming and destroying beyond the barriers of the realms you hold sealed.” The Higher One stepped back and raised her hand, holding up three fingers. “Unir had three children long before you, god king.”

“Why would she? You are the only one born of flesh, god king.”

“Unir’s power far outreached even the gods closest to him. He saw a vision of the Great War. Only he didn’t realize he would be starting it when he made his precious children. The Great War happened because of them. Unir formed a plan, a way to build weapons to destroy any threat once and for all. Long before you were ever thought of, it seems. But to create life without sharing life is forbidden. He proceeded anyway. He cared for the realms, his people, and others so much that he made a choice, and it ended up costing him everything. The universe takes its debts very seriously. You cannot gain that much without balancing the scales.”

“Unir made children, creating gods by spontaneous creation. He made some of light so bright it could blind, and others he carved from darkness itself. Three of them were so strong that he lost control of them. Three born from blood—one that sheds it, one that bends it, and one that consumes it.”

In an attempt to bring peace, he sowed hatred and jealousy from those he’d created. Jealousy because true love came and bore fruit. A child so filled with light that it solidified their hate. You are that light. Your birth began the Gods War, and your death will unleash chaos itself.”

“Your amata. You know, this beautiful being,” she said, gesturing toward the facade of Dianna she wore. “You know, I really thought The Order killed her as an infant, but here we are. Kind of funny, huh? She’s definitely your type, though.”

I really thought they would separate you further, especially since fate works for the One True King.”

“Oh gods, no. Roccurem works for your father. The other two Moirai work for the One True King.” The other two Moirai? The fates. Roccurem’s siblings. “They’re still alive?” The Higher One nodded playfully, taking on more of Dianna’s mannerisms. “Yup.”

“I cannot tell you how excited I am. How excited everyone is that you are finally going to die. You see, I was merely a distraction to keep you immobile while The Order worked. Because once you’re dead, I am finally free. We all are. Your father locked a lot of us away, trying to preserve a future for every living being. All he ended up doing was creating a legion that would destroy everything he sought to protect.”

“Great. You’re awake. Now we can begin.” My head snapped up, and for the first time, I noticed Elianna and the rest of the council standing outside the circle.

“I know a lot of things, especially the guilt that eats away at your soul. Why do you think you aren’t good enough for him? You feel guilty for the family he lost, the sister he lost, but it wasn’t your fault. You only followed orders. Athos’s orders, right?”

My last thought was of him. It was always him.

“Yes, yes, I did. One thing about your forged adoption papers, they don’t tell you everything.” He looked toward the carved-out doorway, and a moment later, I heard two sets of heavy footsteps. “You were always a weapon, Dianna, just not mine.”

If Samkiel had true immortality, then there had to be a way to break the spell. His blood closed the realms, and the blood of his mate will open them. You know, it’s funny. Azrael thought he was saving you by hiding you here, but the fates lied, tricked even him. They work for the true king too. They convinced Unir that Samkiel’s mate was dead.

“Didn’t work in their favor, though, did it? As soon as we knew the truth of you, I was sent to Onuna to take you.” “You sent the plague?” He clicked his teeth. “No, how powerful do you think I am? I mean, the plague was a nice touch. Kill a bunch of mortals so we could find you easier. Then, of course, dear old Drake did what he did best, and here we are.”

“I love you. I do. In my own twisted way. I tried to push you away for centuries, but I can’t get you out of my head, my flesh, my soul as damaged and dark as it is. You can look at me with hate and loathing, but I love you, Dianna. I always have.”

Knew ittttt

Kaden looked up at the blood-red moon above. With a flick of the dark bracelet on his wrist, horned armor, thick, spiked, and reminiscent of his wyvern form, took hold of his body. Red eyes glared at me from the depths of his helmet. The Irvikuva started to howl and yip, their screeches and hoots echoing through the cavern.

My head rolled weakly toward Kaden. “I know who you are,” I whispered. His clawed, gloved hand swept the hair from my face. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“We didn’t betray him. We were never for him or you. Your council died with Rashearim and was replaced by half of The Order.” “The Order?” I shook my head. “I’ve heard of no such thing.” “Of course not. The Order predates you, but we don’t have time for a history lesson.” She waved her hand, and Jiraiya stepped forward.

“The fates serve the one true king, I am afraid. It is a law governed by your father and his fathers before him and cannot be broken.” I nodded with effort, hurting more than I would let them know. “Kaden.” Roccurem shook his head slowly. “No.” “Then who?”

Nismera.

Of course.

“Wait. D, the realms aren’t just open. Someone came back. Someone old, angry, and violent.” “Who?” She gulped. “Nismera.”

Now I understood the broadcast and why Vincent had tried to get us to ignore it. Logan had been right. When Kaden took Gabby’s life, it wasn’t just watched by the entire world. It was to send a message to Nismera.

The room exploded in a milky white burst, stars and dust scattering in every direction, shielding Dianna and me. Roccurem.

A thunderous roar ripped through the room, Nismera voicing her rage. Roccurem cried out in pain, and the flare of white light was nearly blinding. The room came rushing back, blinded generals bumping into each other.

I’d overused my power again and summoned a portal, trying to get as far away from them as possible. I couldn’t think about Roccurem and what he had done. He had saved us. For once, someone had betrayed for me, and it meant more than I could say.

“The first step in the ritual is blood.” Our blood deal. Blood of my blood.

“The second step is body.” Sex. I want you.

“Last, and most important, is the soul. That is all the Mark of Dhihsin truly is. It is a sealing of a soul split. Your power becomes their power.” “Soul?” “Love is the purest expression of a soul you can share, and the words spoken seal the mark. It is the final step. I thought it would be spoken sooner, but you are both damaged, stubborn creatures.”

Hope flared in my chest. “Samkiel told me he loved me before… If I say i...

“Even if it does, it will require a sacrifice of some magnitude. Resurrection has a cost.” Hope flared in my chest. “I don’t care.”

Gathrriel was a powerful warrior wounded in battle and on the edge of death when Vvive found him. She swore on her blood, body, and soul, praying to the Formless Ones, the ones before creation, to save him. That was when the mark appeared. It was the first soul tie, and it sealed them together in every way possible. She saved him that day, saved the world, really.

“If Roccurem is wrong, and I am truly out of time, if this doesn’t work, I want you to know that I am nothing like your father, Samkiel. I refuse to live without you. There will be no peace in this realm or the next. I will burn this universe down to embers for you. I will leave nothing untouched, taking apart anyone that’s ever hurt you piece by piece. So when you hear the screams from however far away you are from me. When you feel the very stars shake from the rage you aren’t here to pull me back from, when you hear them beg and plead for mercy, I need you to remember that it’s because you and your stupid, annoying persevering ways got to me. I want you to remember that you got under my skin when I hated you. I want you to remember that you made me happy and made me feel when no one else could. I want you to remember that you saved me in every way possible and never once gave up on me. So when the very fabric of the universe burns, I want you to remember that I love you.”

Pain radiated through my left hand. I hissed and glanced down. A reddish-orange glow burned beneath my skin, etching intricate whorls around my third finger. The laser-like beam cooled, leaving behind a jet-black brand, but it was so much more and went so much deeper. A seal. The Mark of Dhihsin.

“How deeply you must love someone that death itself fears taking them?”

I didn’t respond, the weight of the last day finally settling on me. “Resurrection has a cost. I assume you paid yours.”

I glanced at my bare, smooth finger, trying to forget what that mark had felt and looked like. “I guess.”

“Nismera does not know he still lives. Since the realms are completely open, no one will suspect.” “Good. I want it kept that way.”

I rested my hand on his chest, unable to keep myself from checking my finger, our mark nowhere in sight. But the steady beat of his heart matched mine, and that was enough.

Resurrection has a cost. Dread filled my being, and I wondered as sleep claimed me if I had paid with more than just the mark.