Storm Gods - G. Bailey Page 0,11
silky woman’s voice replies to Ruby, and I turn to see a woman sitting a few feet away in the waves. Her skin shines in the sun, covered in scales, and a white, mostly see-through lace dress flows from her neck. Her white hair looks so soft as it falls down her back, and her blue eyes remind me of the sea as she meets my gaze. “You are Karma Kismet, correct?”
“How do you know that?”
“A friend of yours sent word to the world. They are looking for you, and I recognised you in the water. I felt I must save your life, even when I witnessed what you did to my home city,” she responds, and I can tell she does not like me. Guilt burns in my chest as I try to block out what I did, desperately trying to make myself not break down right now. “I am taking this as payment.” Heaven holds up the tiara, and I nod, happy for her to have it.
“Thank you,” I whisper to her.
“You can thank our friend.” She nods her head behind me, and I turn to see Seth walking right for me. Ruby climbs off my lap as I nudge her, standing to my feet and running to him without a care in the world if he even wants me anymore. Seth has a white shirt on, a few buttons loose, and it is tucked into his classic black trousers. His sleeves are rolled up, and his blond hair is slightly messier, making him look almost like Killian. We crash into each other, and he holds me tightly, fixing my soul with his embrace. His lips press against the side of my head as I breathe in how he smells like home. He kisses the side of my cheek and then finally my lips, taking them in a sweeping embrace.
Gods, I’ve missed kissing Seth.
“Ewww.” Ruby breaks up our moment with her protest, and Seth chuckles, leaning back, his face soft.
“You okay?” he asks, and I shake my head, because that is the best answer I have. Ruby comes to my side and offers Seth her hand.
“Which one of Karma’s boyfriends are you? She told me about three,” she bluntly asks, and I want to die in a hole of embarrassment.
Seth coughs out an amused laugh. “Seth, god of justice to your rescue, kid.”
“I’m not a kid, I’m Ruby. Karma’s sister,” she says, her hands on her hips to prove her point. I smile at her, not able to help it, and Seth shakes her tiny hand.
“Nice to meet you, Ruby,” he tells her as Heaven walks over to us, still standing near the waves.
“Seth, it has been too long,” Heaven murmurs. They look at each other with fondness, and I can’t help the jealousy that burns in my chest as Seth thanks her.
“We should be leaving,” Seth eventually suggests. “We aren’t safe out here for long.”
“Thank you for saving me and my sister. I owe you more than a tiara,” I tell Heaven, and she ponders on it.
“Promise me you will never return to my city. If you break this promise, I will drown you with my people,” she asks, narrowing her eyes on me.
“Heaven, why would you—”
“I promise,” I tell her, interrupting Seth. I don’t want him to know what I did, but there will be no hiding it soon. The world will soon have to know what I did. They will have to know how bad the powers under my skin really are. Heaven waves us goodbye before running into the sea and disappearing from view.
“Are you going to tell me what has happened?” Seth asks me, and I shake my head.
“Please just take me home, Seth,” I whisper to him. Without another word, he wraps me in his arms, holds onto Ruby, and takes us home.
Chapter 9
Gold dust sprinkles the floor near our feet, and as I slowly look up, I see my home I have longed to see for so long. The house I grew up in, the home my family lives in and somewhere I’ve dreamed of coming back to for what seems like a long time. I never expected to have the chance again to see the white picket fence or smell the flowers from the potted plants lining the path.
“Where are we?” Ruby asks us as Seth drops his hand from her shoulder. His gold eyes stay fixed on me like he is waiting for me to fall apart so he