The Golden Prodigies

Chapter 46

"Get everyone inside," Jacota said, not knowing what else he could do to keep his friends and family safe. "We have to find the other Gods. They have to help us."

"We will make that happen," William said, not knowing if that would be possible, but his brother needed the support. "They are risking their lives if they don't help you. Whatever grudge they've got against you, I'm sure they're not prepared to die to keep it."

"People die while trying to protect their pride," Hunter grumbled, staring at his parents until they looked away with shame. "The fire God sounds like he's embarrassed to have a leader. The only way I reckon he'll back off is if he loses a fight with Jay. He's under the impression that he's stronger than Jay, but we all know that's not true."

"I'm not really in the fighting mood right now." Jacota looked up at the sky, feeling like a black hole was swallowing him up from the inside.

"It's not you who I want to fight." Everyone turned in the direction of the voice. The God of fire stood ten meters away with a woman holding his hand. "I want Hunter to fight. I want him to fight my mate."

Hunter eyed the woman with a storm brewing in his eyes. Her gaze held confidence and her shoulders held years of training, defining the muscles in her arms. "Fine," Hunter said. "And when I win, you and the other God will help Jacota close the tear."

"When you win?" Bren scoffed. "And what other God? I'm the only one who doesn't agree with who our leader is."

Jacota looked around. He knew what power each God held, and there was only one God missing. "The God of Wisdom."

"Nobody has seen her. Well her reincarnation. I believe the last person to see the God of wisdom was Jacota's father, the night his mate was killed, and Cordelia's mother slaughtered the other Gods all those years ago." Vale glanced at Cordelia from the corner of his eye, watching her head lower from the loss of dignity. "Though of course, that is forgiven now, yes, Jacota?"

"Of course. Cordelia is not her mother." Jacota turned to find his father, but Bren continued.

"So fight her Hunter. My mate will win, and when she does, I will be the new leader of the Gods. all agree?"

"Too afraid to fight Jacota?" Hunter crossed his arms and glared like his life depended on it.

"Oh please, he's the weakest of us all which is why I'm challenging his leadership-"

"That's not how it looked when he threw you into the forest yesterday."

Bren opened his mouth to retaliate, but Duke stepped between them. "Enough," the vampire boomed. "In case you haven't noticed, we have a bigger problem to focus on other than your pride. Either fight or talk it out like adults. Just make it quick. Our home is getting destroyed. We don't have time to waste."

Bren's mate lured Hunter closer with a finger, her crooked smirk taunting him. She knew Hunter could be wound up with ease. Alpha's do almost anything to protect their dominance.

"You want to determine the outcome of a war with more fighting?" Jacota said. "Hunter won't do it." He held his mate's arm, feeling an opportunity slipping through his fingers, but an opportunity that had a cost whether he accepted or not.

"Because he'll lose and you can't bear the embarrassment-"

Hunter pulled his arm from Jacota's grip and marched up to Bren's mate. "Fight me if you want to fight me. Let's get this over and done with because like Duke said, we don't have time for this."

Bren's eyes dimmed with hesitation, but he concealed it behind the tough shell of his ego. "Fight until one of you is unconscious." He turned to his mate and nodded. "Clare, crack his skull."