Sanctuary (Roman’s Chronicles, #1)

by Ilona Andrews

Roman surveyed the front yard. He’d rolled the unwelcome mat out. Now all he had to do was wait.

Roman petted the dog’s head. “Congratulations. You’re evil enough.” The dog stared at him, puzzled. Evil in the pagan world was a relative term. Evil in the human world was not.

“People don’t like death. It scares them, so they call Chernobog evil. Winter is hard, so they call Morena evil. Disease and sickness are cruel and unforgiving, so they call Troyan the Healer, a Nav god, evil because sometimes no matter how much you pray to him, he doesn’t answer. But we are crops, Finn. We must grow, thrive, flourish, and die, to make room for other living creatures. Such is life.

“Brace yourself,” Roman told Finn. “I think we’re about to get attacked with some goodness and light.”

“Invoking is when you beg your god to cover that really big check your fool mouth just wrote.”

“Hang on. I stuffed all my feelings down like a proper man, and it takes some effort to bring them back up.”