---
Behind them, Sofia muttered something deeply impolite under her breath. Natasha looked as though she would rather volunteer to be buried standing up than watch a family reunion happen in front of her.
For the first time since Alex's death, the future did not feel like a knife held to Sekhmet's throat.
It still felt dangerous.
It still felt tangled.
But there was something else in it now. Something stranger.
Answers. Or at least the possibility of them.
Sekhmet turned once more and looked at the ruined hall, the cracked pillars, the sealed enemies, the faint red stains drying across the stone, and the place where he had stood over a half-god corpse only minutes earlier. His chaos energy moved heavily under his skin. Rank two now. Stronger. Sharper. More awake than before.
And somewhere far away, in that hidden place no one spoke of lightly, his father got many secrets.
That thought hit harder than the battle had.
Elena stepped toward the exit.
Seraphiel followed.
