Chapter Seventeen

Aliana’s POV

“WHAT?!”

My voice cracked through the chamber, echoing off the onyx stone. I scrambled upright, clutching the sheets around me, and stared at him in horror.

Did he just say “prisoner of war”?!

But Ani only looked at me, entirely at ease. His crimson eyes glowing faintly with some secret fire, as though nothing he had said was shocking at all…

For a long time, I just stared at him.

The words echoed in my mind, colliding with everything I believed in. Prisoner of war! Wasn’t that an outdated and barbaric concept? Hell, I didn’t even know where to begin with that. What the hell did I even say when I’d just slept with a horned primordial being who kept the Goddess of Night on a leash?

It was just absurd!

Although he didn’t seem all that bothered about it, he still must have seen the swirl of confusion on my face because his expression softened ever so slightly. He sat up slowly, the sheets sliding down his chest, revealing the sculpted lines of muscle that looked carved by something divine.

“It--- complicated. And a very long time ago,” he said quietly, his eyes burning into my soul as if he already knew the answer to the question I hadn’t even thought of yet. “Even gods forgive and forget.”

I blinked up at him.

Forgive and forget?

Did he seriously just downplay “prisoner of war” to a “forgive and forget”?!

“You seriously want me to believe that the Goddess of Night, the very goddess that even Zeus feared, just forgave you after you took her prisoner?” I asked indignantly, narrowing my eyes at him.

Hell, if the stories had told me anything, it was that everyone feared and revered the Goddess of Darkness. She was considered one of the most powerful deities, one of the first to emerge from Chaos. Among all the gods, and even the titans, her fundamental nature as one of the original forces of creation even considered necessary for life. Without her, there would be no day, as she was the one who gave birth to Hemera, the Primordial Goddess of Day...

“It’s not like that,” he explained, his lips curved ever so faintly. “In the beginning, she hated my guts, and I took great pleasure in tormenting her. Both her and her lover---!”

“Lover?!” I cut in, my voice screeched so high with shock, I was sure it could shatter glass. “How many people do you have here?”

Now he was downright struggling not to laugh...

“Just the two of them,” he quickly reassured me, reaching up and way too easily, I gave in and leaned into his touch, as if there was something magical about it. “I was a young and impulsive god once. Too prideful and--- with many flaws. Arrogant even! Nyx knows I’m not that man anymore, and she’s not the same either. But we’re bonded in a way that no power on heaven or earth can break so we decided to go and make the best of it. Now, she and Erebus are--- well, I consider them friends.”

Well--- damn!

If I were ever in that situation, I could never see myself getting home-buddy with my captors. But then again, the gods lived for a very long time, well beyond human understanding since--- you know!

They were immortal and all!

Who was to say that feelings couldn’t change over that long a time?

Still...

Why did it feel like he’d given me the answer, yet not given me anything at all? He spoke in that vague, evasive tone that made me want to shake him and demand answers, but I didn’t know what question to ask. It honestly frightened me that the power imbalance between us was this vast. Then again, what the hell did I expect fucking a god? A god so old he didn’t even exist in any scripts or texts...

“But,” I asked in the hopes of getting more clarity, but only felt myself fumbling around in a fog that just seemed to get thicker and denser the more I tried. “She serves you?”

“It was a mutual agreement,” he replied--- and then frowned as if he just realized something, turning to see the point where the goddess had disappeared. “But now that you mention it, I have some questions for her too.”

“Questions?” I echoed, arching a brow. “You have questions?”

For some reason, that seemed ridiculous! That a god who could rip out people’s souls, talk to ravens, and had a pet dragon, wasn’t also somewhat all-knowing. But then again, if he was, he’d be truly terrifying…

He looked at me then, and something ancient and heavy flickered behind his crimson eyes.

“They’re all gone, aren’t they?” he asked softly, a strange vulnerability in his voice that I’d never heard before. The question hit me like a stone dropped into still water, ripping through me as if his pain and longing were my own...

“Who?” I whispered, even though I had a sinking feeling already knew who he was talking about.

“The other gods,” he said, his voice was almost reverent, but it carried a weight that made my skin prickle. “They’re all gone.”