her eyes, but I knew better than to truly trust her. It was possible she was just feeling me out for weaknesses.
“It hasn’t been easy,” I admitted cautiously. “But I have things under control now.”
Venus swirled the wine in her glass as she stared into it. “It’s always going to be a struggle. That’s why so many of us choose to sleep, because sometimes it’s easy to just become the power instead of the person.”
“How did you become a goddess?” I asked curiously.
Venus smiled at me. “Haven’t you heard all the stories of how the goddess of love and beauty came into this world? I think I like the Greek version best.”
I shrugged and gathered the magic I needed for a gateway, but Venus stopped me.
“Your mates will help,” she murmured. “As long as you continue to share your power with them, they’ll remain immortal and keep you anchored to who you used to be. Don’t let yourself forget, or you might never get it back.”
“Thank you,” I told her honestly.
Venus gave me a sad smile and sat down her cup. “Just don’t trust Drake.” With those last words, she disappeared into a gateway.
After one last glance at the splendor of Olympus, I made my own gateway back home. There was a lot to do to prepare for the battle for our world, but I really just wanted to enjoy the small moments that I could with my mates. There was no telling how all of this would end, and I wasn’t going to leave this world with any regrets.
Chapter 29
Anna
A week later, we had all of our plans in place. We didn’t have as many allies as we wanted, but we had no choice but to go forward. Very few packs were willing to fight alongside us, not willing to risk leaving their territory unprotected. Arminius had a small army of lamia who were ready to battle the fae. However, not many witches were willing to risk their lives for a cause they didn’t wholly believe in.
As for the humans? They saw us as an enemy like the Morrigan was. They wouldn’t fight on our side, but they would be coming for the survivors on both sides. I hoped the hate would start to fade once the Morrigan was no longer influencing them, but the underlying prejudice wouldn’t just disappear. It was going to take more work to smooth things over.
We were going into this fight with far fewer fighters than the Morrigan had – and that was without considering the fae of Winter. Our only advantage was going to be surprise. She’d set up her palace of shadows in the center of the country, far from any human outposts. That meant we could attack without fear of harming innocents.
We were betting that once we attacked, the Morrigan would stay to feed off the battle. I would attack her directly with the other gods at my side while her army was otherwise occupied. I wasn’t naïve enough to think everyone on our side was going to survive this. There were going to be casualties on both sides. It made me sick to wonder who would live and who would die. To picture friends lying dead on a battleground. Even more nerve-wracking was the thought that we might lose. If we fell, there would be no one who cared to oppose the Morrigan.
Austin had already made his inspiring speech to rile up the wolves that had come to fight on our side. The rally had turned into a bonfire party on the beach. I watched them drink and laugh, slap each other on the back, sing war songs, and toast to going out in a blaze of glory. I admired their comradery and bravery in the face of terrible odds. Still, I hated that they were planning on throwing themselves wholeheartedly into a fight I wasn’t sure we could win.
My mates and I had gathered off to one side. We stood around one of the smaller fires, a little way from the rest of the pack. We were close enough to be seen, but not heard by the others. We had been drawn together through our bonds, and there was nowhere I’d rather be right now.
I gazed up at the stars, shining bright in the dark night sky and wondered if this would be the last time I saw them. The moon shone over the horizon, making the dark ocean waves glimmer with its light. The night sky and the