Damian's Assassin

"Hesitating for a woman," he muttered.

The sense of ill-boding returned. He expected these days to be his last, but he'd give the order to decimate the entire state if it meant humanity as a whole survived. He pulled his phone free, realizing neither Toni nor Darian had checked in for a couple of hours. The Grey God might have realized his suicidal wish and was lying on the bottom of the ocean by now.

"Dusty." The Grey God's hoarse, broken voice made Dusty tense as he turned to face him. Darian was in the shadows, dressed in his workout gear, splattered with blood. His golden eyes blazed like two candles. "Dusty …"

Dusty saw his mouth working, the glint of moonlight off the tears on the Grey God's face. His air was beyond agitated. Moonlight and darkness alike bent and danced around him, surrounding him in a hazy metallic shimmer.

"What'd you do, Darian?" Dusty asked, a knot forming in his stomach.

"I don't know!"

"Where are the girls?" he asked in a low, level growl.

"Sofi … she's safe," Darian said and stepped from the shadows to pace. "I did something bad, Dusty."

"Where's Bianca?"

Darian hesitated, and fury filled Dusty. He closed the distance between them, his own tightly controlled god-power unfurling. His power hit Darian at the same time he did, and the Grey God crumpled, pinned to the wooden deck.

"Safe!" Darian gasped. "Dusty, she's safe!"

"You have sixty seconds to tell me what happened, Darian. I'll kill you here. I don't give a fuck what you are if you hurt either!" He paused, bristling with lightning and rage at the thought of Darian betraying their family. "Now you've got fifty seconds!"

Darian spoke in hoarse, sob-punctuated words. Dusty was prepared for the worst, but Darian's story left him speechless. His rage simmered, yet he couldn't maintain the rage when faced with the sudden need to think.

"You broke two divine codes!" he shouted. "You left Sofi and Bianca to fend for themselves!" Furious, he shoved himself up from the crying god and paced.

"But they're safe, Dusty, I promise. Sofi is in the netherworld, and Czerno knows he can't hurt Bianca or-- "

"You left Bianca with the Black God! On what fucked up planet have you been living, Darian? Have you learned-- no, do you remember nothing about loyalty, integrity, and family? I knew you were fucked up, but this, this-- " He blew out a breath. "You're no brother of mine, Darian. I don't know what the fuck you are."

"I can fix it, Dusty. I can fix it," the Grey God swore, his large body seated and hunched as he held his head. "I promise."