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

by Amber V. Nicole

him. “And how does the World Ender look at her, Brother?” “Like I looked at Seraphine all those years ago, and how you look at Naomi.” Ethan met my stare. “As if the world doesn’t exist without her.”

I held that brutal, chaotic gaze steadily. “Of course not. The way I care for you is vastly different. The lengths I will go to for you are unfathomable. I refuse to let you hurt yourself, no matter how vile or mean you are to me. I know you’re in pain. You are mourning, and someone like you will grieve just as hard and deeply as you love.”

“I can’t lose her.” My voice broke this time. “You won’t.” I glanced up at him. “What do you mean?” “I saw it when she first stepped out of the forest, a flicker in her eyes, as if a part of her tried to crawl to the surface for you. I thought Gabby was the last tether, but you are. You are her only link to whatever mortality she has left. So, don’t let Kaden win, no matter what she says or does. Trust me. You are the only thing she cares about now.”

Drake turned back to me. “Dianna is stronger now. Every Otherworld creature felt it when Gabby died. The world shifted—but she is still Dianna. She is still the girl I saved in the desert who cared so much about others that she followed a stranger into a terrible world. She is still the girl who likes flowers and pretty gifts from overbearing god kings. She is sweet, kind, funny, and loves with her entire being. That’s why she’s like this. She’s hurt. She’s in pain. If you love her—truly love her—don’t give up. True love is worth it. It’s worth fighting for. Remember that.”

“For the record,” my voice cut through their laughter as I gazed at the cards in my hand, “I never fucked the World Ender—and I’ve fingered myself more times than he ever did.”

Because there are no boundaries I will not cross if it means keeping her safe, especially after everything you all have taken from her. It is the highest law not to touch anyone in my court or what I consider mine. That act alone is punishable by death—and she is mine.

fast. I tried to block her, but another slash hit the back of my knee, dropping me. Heels clicked across the floor as she walked around me, stopping in front of me. A smile graced her lips as she forced my chin up with the flat of her blade. “Look at that. Gods do know how to bow.” “If you wanted me on my knees, Dianna, all you had to do was ask. You know that.”

I spun. “How many times do I have to set you on fire, drop a building on you, or stab you before you leave me alone?” “After what you just did?” He didn’t even look fazed as he shrugged a single shoulder. “At this point, I’m starting to think the violence is foreplay for you.”

She saw me—all of me. Just as I have seen her. She is strong and selfless. I’ve seen her run headfirst into danger for those she cares for without a single thought for herself. She’s funny and smart and beautiful, so beautiful. She’s a fighter, a warrior stronger than any I’ve ever trained. Above all, she is a woman who had no choice in the life thrust upon her. Dianna survived against all odds for Gabby, and Kaden ripped her away. Dianna is not a monster. She never was. She loves, cares, and feels, and right now, all she feels is grief, pain, and loss. I’m not. . . I won’t give up on her. Who would I be if I did?”

“That’s why you knew at the cafe that it wasn’t Dianna.” “Yes, but also, I know her.” His gaze clouded, as if a memory ripped through him as he spoke. “She could never deceive me, no matter how hard she may try. I could spot her in a crowd of millions.”

“That’s your plan?” Imogen sneered below me. I had landed to protect her in case the building fell next. It was not her fault, nor would I let anyone in my family get hurt for me. Never again. “Lie and piss her off about us?” “I needed to see.” “See what? Pure, blinding rage?” Imogen asked. I lifted off of her and stood, offering her my hand. “If she is still my girl.” Imogen’s face softened, a corner of her lips curving up. “That was the most insane way to test that theory.”

I took a few deep breaths, willing the pain to ease, and bumped my head against the floor. “Smart, Samkiel, so fucking smart. Teach her how powerful her legs are, so she can kick your ass.”

“You ruin everything,” Dianna hissed, her lithe form landing in a crouch before me. “You have to be more specific, akrai, on what exactly I ruined. Your mood?” I taunted her. “Your panties, perhaps?” Her brow furrowed, and I saw the shock in her eyes at hearing me call her “my heart” in Eorian. Satisfaction filled me and made the time spent learning the ancient language worth it.

“How many do I have to kill for you to give up on me?” There it was, a final split in the armor she had built so diligently around herself. Her expression twisted, and I could see that she hadn’t meant to respond, the words slipping out. “You could make a river of blood run down these streets, and I would still try, because I know you—the real you, not this version he created.”

We can do this dance until this world burns and the next takes its place, but I will still choose you.”

“I’ll carve that damned heart from your body,” she said breathlessly. “Then you’ll leave me alone.” But she stopped a fraction from my chest, her hands and arms trembling as she panted. “Do it.” I angled the tip of her blade above my heart. “If you are truly gone, I refuse to live in a world without you, so you’ll have to angle it further to the right. That’s where a god’s heart lies, and mine already belongs to you, so do with it what you will.”

The mark on my finger was still there, but I checked for it compulsively. It meant she was still alive. If I were honest, it was the only thing that kept me going.

“Well, Logan, not everyone is six-foot-twelve.”

Why not just say seven foot, this has annoyed me

“What?” He shook his head as if he was in a daze. “Nothing, I’ve just never heard you laugh before.” I brushed my hair back and shrugged before leaving the booth. Samkiel followed. “Sorry, it was just funny.” “Don’t apologize,” he said as I reached for the pictures that the photo booth produced. “It’s a pleasant sound.”

By the time Samkiel woke up, I would be long gone. I didn’t know why, and I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t keep from pressing my lips to his. It was a soft, quick goodbye kiss for the man who, regardless of everything, kept trying to save me. “Maybe in another life,” I whispered before pulling away.

Yet this woman with a fiery attitude has burned me to my very core. I let her in during the worst part of my existence, and now she is in my bones. My every thought, every dream, is of her, and I can’t eat or sleep.

but she’s burned into my soul, my very being. And I hate it. I hate that it’s not simple anymore. I hate feeling so strongly for someone who does not feel the same. Every time a door opens, or I hear heels on the floor, I look for her, and I hate that, too. I hate that I think every dark-haired woman I see is her. She made me smile, made me laugh, and I hate it. I hate that she made me feel alive and whole for once. Dianna saw me for who I am, not a ruler or king. She made me feel normal—and then she left me. Abandoned me like it meant nothing.”

My eyes narrowed into slits, and I shoved Logan into the river. I watched with satisfaction as he hit the water and went under, but I sighed when I could still see the blue glow beneath the current. When he surfaced, he looked up at me and flipped me off. For the first time in months, I smiled.

scoffed. “You’re right that I don’t get to dictate how you heal, but gods, Dianna, you could’ve used me. I would have let you, and you know it. Anything you desired, whenever you wanted, any way you wished. All you have to do is ask.”

“So, I’m a prisoner, then?” I folded my arms. “Are you going to bring out handcuffs next?” “Is that something you would like?” he asked.

Samkiel glanced at me over his shoulder, a small glow of silver dancing behind his storm-filled eyes. “You’re a fool if you think I would be happy in a world where you did not exist.”

“There are other forms of cardio, if you’re interested.” The smile he flashed at me made my cheeks heat. Even covered in sweat, he was so damn handsome, it was sickening. All I could think about was how jealous I was that it got to touch every dip and ridge of muscle. Yes, I absolutely hated him.

We cannot be selfish—but I fear that with you, it is not something I can control. When Vincent told me what was happening, I knew I would rip Onuna to pieces for you. If Kaden had taken you, I would have turned mountains to sand to find you. I’ve reduced worlds to desolate wastes before, and I’d do it again for you.”

“Your smile, Dianna, is only one of the most beautiful things about you.” Beautiful. It was such a stupid word, and one I had heard plenty of times before. Yet he said it, and I damn near melted. I cleared my throat, but my voice still sounded husky. “Do you always flirt with homicidal killers?” His smile was bright, making him impossibly more gorgeous, and a part of me ached. “Only the really pretty ones.”

“No one comes here. It’s yours, if you wish it.” “A whole beach?” I shook my head. “You’d give me a whole beach?” “The world, if you wish.”

“I promise not to wake you up with my mouth in the morning. You obviously need your beauty sleep.” The muffled laugh he let out was downright devious. “I assure you if you’re ever feeling generous, you always have my permission.”

He kept his finger interlocked with mine under the pillow between us. My eyes closed, and for the first time in a really long while, I fell asleep without fear of what dreams I would have. I just slept and rested, but I could have sworn that in the middle of the night, we moved, could have sworn his hands wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me to him, my body fitting against his as if I were made for him. I could have sworn he held me, and for once, it didn’t feel like my entire world was broken.

“Sure. You may deliver your final blow once I am done with him. I’ll make sure I’ve incapacitated him enough that he cannot hurt you if your powers are not back. Will that suffice?” My lips twisted in a smirk. “You’re cute when you’re homicidal.” He made a noise low in his throat. “Do not be mean, then flirt with me.” “Why? It’s our whole dynamic.”

“I need you to understand what you’re doing, what you are asking for. I know what I said before about you using me, but I lied. The second I touch you, once I take you completely, there will be no other. I will not share you. There will be no other lovers. I am not Kaden. I will demand you and only you. Do you understand? You mean too much to me. If we do this, you are mine, and I will not share you.”

Maybe it was my imagination, but I swore I could feel flickers of emotion from him, from intense male satisfaction to his own shocked wonder at our joining and a deep, unfathomable wellspring of caring.

“You are very special to me. No one feels like you. No one else can ruin me so completely. I know without a doubt that if I had an amata, even if they were alive today, I’d still choose you. It will always be you, Dianna.” I felt tears prick my eyes. “Destiny be damned?” “You are better than any destiny.”

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.”

Being with you, I finally felt what I wanted and had searched forever for. You woke me up and gave me reason. You made me feel like I was enough. I never felt like the World Ender with you. I never felt less. You are what I’ve been searching for my entire life. You, Dianna, had my heart long before I ever touched yours.”