Read Online Harvest of the Gods by Amy Sumida - Free Book Online

killed me.”
    “ That took courage.”
    “ Even a mouse will fight back when cornered,” I scoffed. “I snuck into their homes in the dead of night and cut off their heads while they laid sleeping. Where is the heroism in that?”
    “ You're right,” he sighed and I took a deep breath, wondering if he'd still love me when the conversation was over. “That's not heroic. That's survival, that was an act of desperation, but there was courage in it too.”
    “ Look,” I stretched my neck in a vain attempt to get the knot out before it started forming. “I've worked out my issues, I don't blame myself anymore for those deaths. Arach helped me through that, believe it or not, but I will never view my life as heroic.”
    “ I do believe it,” Azrael smiled. “I see the good in Arach too. What I can't believe is how you've focused on the way you started and not the way you've evolved. You spared Trevor's life after he had just tried to kill you.”
    “ He was a wolf at the time,” I shrugged. “I don't like hurting animals.”
    “ You changed Fenrir, helped him become a better, stronger, and much happier man.”
    “ In order to keep him from killing me,” I laughed, “and the same goes for Blue so don't even bother suggesting him.”
    “ You saved the Intare, all seventy-seven of them.”
    “ Once again,” I smiled grimly, “I did it to save myself. Saving them was a bonus.”
    “ You brought Kirill back from insanity.”
    “ I couldn't let one of them die, right after we'd gone through such hell to free them all. That's just being practical.”
    “ You freed thousands of trapped souls from Eris.”
    “ Because she was trying to kill me at the time,” I chuckled. “Are you sensing a theme yet?”
    “ No one was trying to kill you when you found afterlives for them all. Or how about when Tlaloc was killing those children? He wasn't trying to kill you then either.”
    “ They were children, I'd have to be a monster to ignore that. Hell, one of them was the son of a friend of mine. I end up being a danger to the people I love, not a savior.” An old dream flashed through my head, hanging corpses, all pointing at me in accusation.
    “ Vervain, stop this right now,” he stared down at me with angry eyes. It was the first time I'd seen him look at me like that and it made me wince. “How can you see only the bad, when the good you've done far exceeds it?”
    “ But does that make the bad things okay?” I asked quietly. “Does it make me a hero when I save a child who was in danger because of me in the first place?”
    “ Yes,” he took my face in his hands and a sweet feeling of peace enveloped me. “You are responsible only for the decisions you make and you can tell me you make them for selfish reasons all you want but I know the truth. You would die for any of your lions, for any of the Froekn, or for any of your lovers. You can't hide your heart from the Angel of Death, not when he's held it in his hands.”
    “ I'm not a hero,” I swallowed past the lump in my throat, “I don't even want to be one.”
    “ Sorry, babe,” he kissed my forehead. “Too late.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
    “What did you mean when you said Gaudi could have used my touch in his life?” I'd decided to let Azrael believe whatever he wished to believe about me. I knew how important delusions could be. I had a few of my own.
    “ Ah, yes,” he bit his lip. “I know you've been busy lately but I saw the way you lit up when Fenrir found his mate today.”
    “ Yeah, that was pretty great.”
    “ That was your love magic at work.”
    “ Uh huh.”
    “ You're a goddess now.”
    “ Yeah.”
    “ Well, originally, there were certain expectations that came with the magic,” he looked at me like I should be coming to a conclusion on my own.
    “ Yeah, I know. Aphrodite abused it and took it to a bad place. She hurt people instead of