Sin & Salvation (Demigod of San Francisco #3)(92)

“Is it done, sir?” Boman asked.

Kieran looked at the shimmering surface of water, also calming, erasing the evidence of the enormous whirlpool and hard-fought battle. “Yes. It’s over. His body is below.”

“Will you leave it there?” Zorn asked.

Kieran shook his head and returned his gaze to Alexis. “It’s tolerated, maybe even expected, for Demigods to fight one another for territory, but still, some may mourn him. I’ll give him a proper burial so the people of San Francisco, and the world, can pay their respects, such as they are. But that can wait. My people below will guard the body, and his people have probably already taken off. Let’s get home.”

The boats started to move, propelled by Jack’s Kraken form. He hadn’t had much to do but swim. He’d be the only one with energy to spare when they got back.

Kieran sagged against the side of the boat, sitting on the bottom. He settled Alexis a little more firmly in his lap and sighed in relief when she curled up into his arms.

Earlier, when he’d felt her draw near, he’d been both scared she was in danger and incredibly relieved. His father had been too much for him. If she hadn’t risked her life to save him, his body would be floating down deep instead of his father’s. He had so much to be thankful for, and so much to apologize for, that he didn’t know where to start. So he met her entrancing eyes, and said the first thing that came to his mind. “Will you marry me?”





40





Alexis





“There she is, the little heart breaker. My girl!” Bria put up her fist as I entered the kitchen. “Finally found sense.”

Daisy and Mordecai looked up from their bowls of cereal. Thane sat at the island next to Bria, the only one of the Six who’d physically battled from start to finish, helping Bria, Dara, and the wolves clear the parking lot and the beach. He and Bria had gotten the week off to recuperate, like I had.

Kieran, the one who’d been beaten on the most, hadn’t even allowed himself an hour off. The moment we’d gotten back to the beach, he’d stripped off his bloody shirt, tossed it to the side, and started to clean up the carnage. He hadn’t done it to look good, either, like Valens might’ve done. There were no photo ops, and he refused to even let the news crews onto the premises. He was doing the right thing—cleaning up a mess he had created. The same mess he was now working tirelessly to set to rights at the magical government office.

With Dara’s help to keep order, he hired and promoted people to fill all the holes he’d created in the magical hierarchy. He then created new holes, by firing those he’d found incompetent or untrustworthy before the battle. He was cleaning everything up and making things run smoother again.

And the people loved him for it. His levelheadedness, and kindness, and desire to honestly make a good change went a helluva long way toward garnering respect and goodwill. The people wanted to give him a job for it. The job. They didn’t want the matter to be decided for them at the next Magical Summit.

He was adamant about not taking it, however. Donovan tried to bet Jack a hundred bucks that Kieran eventually would, but Jack knew better than to accept those odds.

I grimaced and trudged over to the coffee pot, my legs and arms finally not aching a full week after the battle to take down Valens.

“Soul Stealer?” Thane said, grinning at Bria and joining in the fun. He shook his head. “More like soul crusher. You are so cold.”

I’d heard these jokes every day since the showdown. I guess I kind of deserved them. I may have accidentally blurted out “no” when Kieran had proposed. But honestly, he hadn’t been in his right mind. You don’t just accept the proposal of someone who was sitting in a small wooden boat covered in his own blood. We’d all had more than our quota of drama for the day, and no way was I going to start Round Two by accepting a proposal he hadn’t thought through and didn’t really mean. Besides, we needed to date and live together for a while before we decided on anything so legally binding. He might end up the Demigod of San Francisco. He’d need someone who was a little less of a shit show to help him run things.

“What’s on the schedule today?” I asked the room at large. “Same as yesterday? And the day before that?”

“You mean, hiding out from the masses because Kieran doesn’t want to make that mark public?” Bria lifted her eyebrows.

“That’s not what he is doing, and she knows it,” Thane said. “He just made the official announcement at the government building yesterday that the rumors were true, and there was indeed a Soul—sorry, a Spirit Walker at the battle. And that said Spirit Walker has been living in the dual-society zone, hiding from persecution, for years. He said it clear as day: she only used that side of her magic to save Kieran’s life. He also said they’re in a relationship.” Thane nodded at me with a smug smile. “The most eligible bachelor in the city has thrown in the towel, and the girls are pissed.”

I poured myself a cup of coffee. Kieran had told me all about his announcement. He hadn’t said so, but I knew people were freaked out beyond belief. They were scared I would be let loose on the city, ripping out souls wherever I went.

I was quite happy to hide from the magical world, just like I’d done all my life. The reasons might’ve changed, but the benefits stayed the same.