For the first time since our captivity, I stood in the home I had shared with Leif and his family since they took me in. When the Prophet of the Valley captured our people, they’d set fire to dozens of our homes. I was fortunate that this one survived, but it was not without damage.

The chief had wanted updated on everything and then to have time to think before discussing it further. So, I’d started from the beginning, during the time when I trained with the Prophet of my hometown to when I’d killed the villagers. I told the chief and commanders of my time at the Sacred School, the binding of my power, and finally of all I’d experienced and learned since captivity. While I did not attempt to explain the science of anything, I even shared that the gods had created our world to test their power on us, and that I had stolen control of our world from them.

I knelt down to pick up the broken brush off the floor that Rune always used to brush my hair before battle. Our home was small with only two rooms, separated by a thick curtain. The house was nestled into the hill with small windows that peeked out like eyes. In the summer, we kept the door open, but in the winter, we closed it and covered it with canvas to keep out the bitter cold. Before all this happened, we would have likely been home cooking this evening, preparing for the battles ahead as we defended our village from the Prophet. Today, our door was broken and the curtain separating the rooms torn.

“Max.” Beast stood in the doorway. “The Chief is ready for you.”

I held my breath for most of the short walk to the center of the village. I no longer recognized this place I had once loved with the homes burned and the ground blackened. It would take so much work to rebuild.

I met with the Chief in a home that had not been razed and sat down on the ground in front of where she also sat. From her expression, I could not guess at her thoughts.

“You have carried secrets far beyond my imagination,” she said.

Shame choked my throat. I nodded.

“I wish you’d trusted us enough to tell us. Though, I understand your fear for our safety, since this god threatened the safety of anyone who you told the truth to. In the end, it was your power that freed our people. You did what no one else could.”

My head lowered naturally, because I could not take praise when I had not accessed my power sooner. “I should have killed the Prophet long ago before he destroyed our homes and stole our people.”

“I understand why you weren’t honest and why you couldn’t defeat him until now. It has challenged me to see that some without power are not hungry for it like the Prophets or wicked like many demons we have encountered. You only want to protect us. So, you remain one of us, and you are free of any guilt or blame.”

My eyes closed tightly to cover the dampness spreading there. The chief could have banished me for simply having power and certainly for deceiving them.

“We knew when you came to us that you had secrets. We accepted your silence and we cannot blame you for what we willingly participated in. I know that wherever your battle leads you, you will fight for us.”

“Always.” I opened my eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t kill the Prophet that day. I couldn’t risk the child getting hurt.”

“I understand. It’s better this way. Once you kill the Prophet, there will be chaos. We need time to recover and prepare for the coming war.”

“I want to kill him now.” My voice deepened. “Piercey and his graduates voted no, but I am not bound to them. I could go to him now and finish what I started.”

“Then what?” The chief tilted her head. “You’ll have to kill the disciples. What about the one who takes their place?”

“I’ll kill anyone who threatens this valley and my people.”

“When will you have time to train and become strong enough to ensure the gods never take control of our world again?” The chief leaned forward. “You’re young and impatient. You’re used to charging into battles. I plan for wars. The Prophet is weak and humiliated right now. This is the perfect time for us to gain strength rather than replace him with someone strong.”

Was I really hearing this? Not only did Piercey want me to wait, but so did the chief? “What if he hurts people while we wait?”

“You won’t let him do that. Will you?”

My hands trembled. “How can you say this? He would have killed all of the children in this village.”

“Just like the Flatlander Prophet who will take his place if our Prophet falls. Use him, Max. Be smart. When you can kill your enemy at any time, you do not need to rush. I believe that you can stay stronger than he can. Right now, you told us you have preparation to do. So train.”

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I lowered my head, the tears that had threatened before now those of anger. No matter what anyone said, I could do it. I could defy them all to kill the Prophet. Nash would support me. There would be at least one person on my side.

“Max,” the chief said. “You’re powerful enough now to do what you want. You could take the village from me if you wanted.”

“I would never do that.”

“You could. Think with your mind and not just your might.” She rose, moved beside me, and knelt down. “A few days will not hurt. Give yourself time to think. We’ll speak again soon. Give us time to prepare. We’re not ready for a war, even if you are.” The chief clasped the back of my neck, looking at me with a warrior’s eyes now. “A commander and chief must know what her people need. Do not lower yourself to mere warrior or demon. Learn to lead. All of Skia Hellig will soon look to you to guide us and protect us. Are you ready to do that today?”

“Just because I’m strong doesn’t mean I can lead the whole peninsula.”

“It does and you can. Return to the Sacred School and become who we need you to be. You’re not ready yet.”

I dipped my head, unable to speak. Finally, I managed, “Yes, Chief.”

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After returning to the Sacred School, I dedicated myself even further to training myself, not just to hone my power, but to learn how to lead Skia Hellig. Two months had passed since we arrived here at the Sacred School and vengeance still pumped through my veins every day. I learned patience I hadn’t thought possible.

On a day when I’d tirelessly trained on controlling my time-slips, I finally quit for the night to be with Nash. I spent the last hour of daylight with him and Elsie, before he tucked her into her bed in Trish's suite while I waited in his. Traveling had taken it out of me, especially having to face my people. Chief Kaid's acceptance of me stood and no one would dare defy her, but I hadn't been honest. That wouldn't just disappear. Besides, even if people pretended to be okay with the fact that I was a demon, not everyone would be. Should I ever make it back home permanently, it would take time to rebuild trust.

When Nash walked in to his room where I waited, I moaned about the long day I had, but he raised a brow at the bag I'd left on the foot of the bed.

"Hm." He crawled onto the bed over me. "I thought you desperately needed to keep your bag in that lonely room of yours."

My breath caught as he lowered over me. "It's only here for the night."

"And you?"

"For the night."

He pushed off of me and flopped onto his back. When I rolled over, he pushed me back with his hand. "No. You stay on your side. You have your own room, your own side of the bed, your own sad little bag."

"I'm not allowed to be near you because I won't move in? You think your tricks will work eventually but they won’t."

“It’s a mistake to challenge me. I’m going to prove you wrong now.”

I groaned. "You know not to start a competition with me. Last time, we broke the bench Piercey made. He was so upset."

"And I won that sparring match."

"I won. Nash. Don't antagonize me." I reached for him, but he pushed away again. "This isn't even funny. It's our day. Elsie is with Trish.”

He folded his arms beneath his head, gazing at me, exactly how he knew would make my heart melt.

We'd grown so close. It hit me then, clearly, as he teased me. The smile fell from my face. I couldn't hold myself back from him, and yet still I tried, even now that I knew better. So with Nash looking into my eyes, I didn't want to hold back anymore, even if I thought I should.

"I have to tell you something."

He rolled onto his side, the joking, the annoyance beneath the joking, gone just like that. "What's wrong?"

My mouth refused to form the words. He'd be so angry with me. I owed him the truth, though, so I finally forced myself to speak. "Piercey is helping me learn to control my slips. I'm going to travel on purpose and relive my death until I learn how to escape our world to go beyond to the gods."

Nash's breathing froze. He stared. Silent.

"It's our only hope. Dr. Henderson has already reset our world twice. She's helping Prophets conquer our land. As long as she's in control, we die over and over without end. What will she do next? I have to stop her. And I didn't tell you because I'm a coward. I couldn't stand to hurt you."

Nash blinked, looked down, and then sat up, back turned to me as he slid his legs off the bed. He sat that way for torturous minutes until his hands gripped the sheets in a fist and the muscles in his arms tightened. Nash glanced over his shoulder and the pain in his eyes sucker punched me. "You just didn't want me to get in your way."

"That's not it."

I tried to explain, but he rose to his feet and raised his voice over mine. "It's insane to torture yourself like this. You're doing it to punish yourself."

"I'm not, Nash. I really believe this will help me reach beyond Dr. Henderson."

"It's dangerous. Do you care about your life?"

We both yelled over each other, neither of us listening, neither of us able to stop as we spoke in circles at one another. Until finally, Nash sat back on the bed and hurt filled in the spaces anger had burned into minutes before.

"I don't want you to hide things from me like I'm a child,” Nash said. “Even if you know I'll fight you, show me the respect of being honest."

"I said I was sorry." I scratched the back of my neck. "This is my decision, though."

"What if it were me? You would stop at nothing to keep me from doing it."

"And you would do it anyway."

We wouldn't agree. The more we talked, the clearer it was, until I curled up on my side, stomach tied in knots.

Nash settled beside me and twined his fingers with mine. We lay in tense silence, close, angry, together.

The chief had told me to prepare myself but I still was acting like a frightened girl. I rose, grabbed my bag, and dropped it in his closet. He watched me quietly.

I crawled back in bed beside him, heart pounding. "My bag can stay from now on."

He drew his arm around me. "You never leave your weapons behind."

A smile tempted me. "Never."

"I'm still mad," he said.

"Me too."

Nash smirked, but it faded as he eyed me, until he whispered in a husky voice. "I love you, Max." His mouth was on mine before I could respond. "Fuck. I love you."

I whispered the words between his kisses. "I love you too."

I took the happiness, not minding the hurt and anger that twisted in with it, and for once, I didn't push any of it away. It was just us, together, like one soul in two bodies that had been born and reborn, tangled together, in a thread between worlds.