Skies of Fire

Gabe is in Samir’s clutches and Liv has no earthly idea how to find him.

She could kill Samir, but that’s only if she gets close enough to him and she can’t freaking do magic.

But, Gabe can escape, right?

Sure.

Except, Samir finds a way to threaten Liv from afar and now Gabe has to do everything Samir asks him to. Including killing goddesses.

Goddess Mothers terrified Lianna even more than Jinn.

Lianna tried to still her shaking hands. Isis and Natalia chatted casually with one another, but tension hung thick in the air, and Lianna didn’t like it. Nut kept them waiting. 

The old ones only invited Lianna to this meeting because of what happened with Olivia, but still. She’d never met a Goddess Mother before today, and now she was about to meet another one. At best they were terrifying. At worst, they’d ruin her. She wanted to make a good impression, because in all honesty, she wanted in to their crowd, to be one of the elites. 

Sure, Isis barely glanced at her, but that didn’t matter. Isis was here in Lianna’s office. She looked carefully around the room. They were all judging her. She’d never thought much about the way her office appeared before. Did they find her book collection lacking? Maybe they found the dark wood too masculine. She should’ve let the goddetts redecorate last year like they wanted to. She let out a sigh. Too late now. Besides, she liked the dark wood. 

But her office wasn’t the only thing they’d judge her by. The way she behaved would be huge. She could not let her nerves show. Though that was difficult because it’d been years since she’d been nervous at all.

 She could do this. If she played her cards right, maybe they’d include her in other things. Her assistant Mia poured jasmine tea for everyone and kept her eyes glued to the floor. She was even more timid than normal. But she shouldn’t be. She’d tell her grandkids this story. The day she met the Goddess Mothers. 

Nut appeared in a cloud of purple smoke. She stepped out with hands outstretched and a wide smile. The entrance wasn’t Lianna’s style, but she’d still pretend to be impressed. Nut was tall and dark skinned and absolutely stunning, although the clashing blue and orange fabric clung way too tightly to Nut’s body.  Nut looked around and approached Isis and kissed her on both cheeks, ignoring Lianna’s extended hand. Lianna swallowed her pride and watched the sisters interact. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Nut, whose six-inch thigh-high boots completed her outfit. Her stick-straight dark hair hung nearly to her toes. 

“Dear sister, what is the meaning of this?” Nut asked with a deep southern drawl. Everyone had said Nut was the crazy one, but Lianna had no idea if the stories were true. 

Isis frowned and flicked her eyes to Mia. “Nut, come, sit. Mia dear, it’s time to go. Please shut the door on your way out.”

Surprise crossed Mia’s face at being addressed directly. She gave a small bow and scurried from the room, closing the door behind her. No doubt to gossip with her friends. Or maybe to listen outside the door, though if she knew what was good for her, she’d leave. 

Nut zeroed in on Lianna and waved a dismissive hand. “What’s she doing here?”

Lianna’s face flushed. They couldn’t throw her out of her own office like a nosy student. Though she didn’t belong among them. Deep down she knew that. 

“Lianna witnessed Liv’s attempt to kill me,” Natalia growled.

Nut nodded and sat with a flourish. Lianna waited for the others to be seated before she took her own. She wouldn’t be included in the meeting. She’d be an observer, but at least they hadn’t kicked her out. That was enough. For now.

“How are we going to kill her?” Natalia asked as soon as everyone was comfortable. She spoke so easily of murder. Of Liv. Lianna hadn’t known Liv for long, but she held affection for her students. Liv deserved to be punished of course, but killed? That seemed extreme. Disgust curled in her stomach. Maybe she didn’t want to be part of this meeting. 

“The girl? Easy. Where is the sickle?” Isis leveled her gaze on Nut.

“Bast had it last. I have no idea.” Nut studied her three-inch red nails. The woman was a walking rainbow. 

“Damn. This is a problem. Why do our plans rest on her?” Isis asked. Lianna wracked her brain to try to remember all she could about Bast. She could create the Djinn, and she’d disappeared for thousands of years. Beyond that Lianna didn’t know much about the elusive goddess. 

Nut tapped her nails on the mahogany table. “Because Mother’s favored her. I wish she’d given us all the ability to get the elixir, but she didn’t. We’ve got exactly one month before the elixir appears, and then it’s another thousand years. How are we going to find her now?”

Lianna’s ears perked up. If they could get another elixir, they could create another Djinn. Bast didn’t have a monopoly on creating Djinn, but she was the only one who could obtain the elixir. Which would definitely make things easier. Trapping the Jinn was merely a band-aid. They needed a new Djinn. 

Natalia leaned forward. “But now we have the girl. She’s close to Bast, third or fourth generation. That means Bast’s been out recently.” 

Lianna swallowed. They might ask her questions. She had to have a good answer. Though she didn’t know any more about where Liv had come from than the rest of them. Maybe she could call on Lila to explain what she knew. Lila tested all the girls’ matronage when they were ready.  

Nut smiled. “Good. Maybe we’ll be able to finally move forward with the plan. I don’t think I can stand another thousand years of Jinn.”

“What plan?” Lianna asked without thinking. She’d been so enthralled with their conversation that she momentarily forgot she wasn’t one of them. Well, maybe not forgot, but certainly forgot her place. 

Isis narrowed her eyes, and Nut clucked. “We’re going to end the Jinn. Every last one of them. All we need is for Bast to create a new Djinn, then we’ll use him to kill all his brothers, and when he’s done, we’ll use the sickle to kill him. The time of Jinn is over. But first, we have to find Bast.”