Page 55 of Feline Good

“What. Did. You. Do?” She screeched, the sound shrill, her tone fiery.

Maya just smirked, her question proof enough.

“Made sure you can’t ever fuck up the timeline, or anyone else’s destiny. You’re mortal now.”

Sekhmet stood suddenly, a loud, frustrated cry bursting from her lips. “You bitch!”

And then she charged, ripping the bottom of her dress away for freer movement.

Maya immediately sank into a defensive stance, her hands raised in fists, one foot tucked back for support.

But it did little good, because instead of facing her head on, Sekhmet went low and tackled Maya to the ground. Her breath exploded out of her in a rush as her back met the hard marble beneath her. Sekhmet reared back a fist and before Maya could bring up an arm to block, a fist met the side of her face and Maya grunted as her head jerked to the right. Hands wrapped around Maya’s neck, Sekhmet’s stupidly sharp nails digging in and cutting deep. Struggling, Maya bent her left leg outside of Sekhmet’s and used that leverage to roll them over, putting Maya on top. She returned the favor and gave Sekhmet a hit of her own, hopefully giving the goddess a black eye. Ex goddess. She smirked at the thought, a flicker of light in the darkness she’d been wallowing in since August had first looked at her so wrong.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amir stop August and Asher from rushing forward.

“No, our girl’s got this.” His low, deep voice spoke the words with such confidence, and his belief in her kindled the fire of determination that blazed within her.

Sekhmet’s cry of fierce outrage was nothing compared to the emotions brewing under the surface in Maya. After all the broken bones and ugly words spewed like spittle, tearing her down day after day, Maya had come out on top. A successful, strong as fuck woman, when she could have easily laid down and let her life end with a sad excuse for true love. Such bullshit. Now that Maya knew what it was like to connect with another person in a way that went soul deep, she refused to let go. Her newfound vigor for life and love— for her men, fueled her.

Damn right, I’m their girl.

And not even a damned goddess was going to take her men from her. Especially not to alter some ancient past and fuck over everything she knew. With a new determination, Maya tried to capture Sekhmet’s flailing fists in her hands, planning to pin them over her head to get control of her. Instead, by opening herself up when she reached for Sekhmet’s left hand, Maya’s breath got knocked from her lungs when Sekhmet somehow got her foot between them and kicked her off. Maya grunted with the pain of the impact on her stomach, but caught herself on hands and knees skidding across the marble floor.

Jerking her head up, she kept Sekhmet in her line of sight, slowly standing and balancing herself in an offensive position.

Maya knew that with her training she could easily take down the goddess, despite Sekhmet seeming to hold her own so far. From her amateur stance and perfect manicure, she probably didn’t know how to fight without her powers to back her up. Maya didn’t want to kill her, but she knew that she needed to at least subdue her in order for them to escape. Sekhmet was a mortal now, it wouldn’t be too hard to bring her down. That in itself would be a challenge though, because sometimes pulling your punches required more control, which meant Maya needed to get her emotions under wraps.

“You made me mortal!” Sekhmet glared from across the small space they’d made their battlefield.

“Nice of you to notice,” she drawled sarcastically. Way to rein in that emotion, Maya.

Sekhmet seemed to take a deep breath as well. “I just wanted to right what was done to me.”

We are in serious danger of monologuing here, Maya thought with a grimace. But… she was curious to understand the goddess’s way of thinking. How had they come to this?

Was it really just a few days ago that Maya was moaning and groaning over a boring night in the bar?

“What was done to you?” Maya turned her gaze to her guys in disbelief, sarcasm heavy in her voice as she spoke to Sekhmet. “Didn’t you… oh, I don’t know, murder hundreds of people for disrespecting you?”

“It was Ra’s idea! If he hadn’t asked me to, I would never have done it, but instead of taking responsibility for his own words, he left me here,” she paused and threw her hands up in exasperation. “Here, alone, to learn my lesson.” Now, it was Sekhmet who scoffed. “Well, I’ve learned all right.”

Her eyes flitted to Kyril, her features softening for a split second before she masked her expression. “Learned that if you want something done right, you have to make it happen for yourself. And I. Want. My. Fucking. Happily. Ever. After.”

With her final words, she charged, but Maya almost felt sorry for her. Kyril had already betrayed her. As of this moment, Maya didn’t see a happily ever after for her. When she came within range, Maya waited until she was right in her reach, then stretched forward and cupped the back of her neck, using her own momentum to side step and push her in the same direction she’d been traveling.

“Does your happily ever after have to include going back in time and fucking up the world as we know it?”

Sekhmet seemed to hesitate for the smallest second as she spun to face Maya with a huff.

“To be honest, I’m perfectly fine with finding my own damned island and disappearing for another few thousand years. Things didn’t turn out that way.”

Maya would have questioned why, but Sekhmet rushed forward again, and Maya almost rolled her eyes. She had to give the goddess props though, she was persistent.

Sekhmet surprised her with an immediate attack, and Maya reacted out of instinct. When she was within the perfect range, Maya stepped, pivoted, and kicked, at the last second pulling her hit so she impacted with the ball of her foot instead of her heel. Still, the attack had the desired effect… until suddenly it didn’t. Sekhmet gasped as the breath was forced from her lungs, and she stumbled back. When Maya blinked, she almost couldn’t comprehend the sight. A blade protruded from Sekhmet’s stomach where she had fallen against Kyril.

Her own lover had stabbed her.

Maya gaped at the raw agony on Sekhmet’s face, not only from the pain in her body, but it was as if Maya watched her heart break before her very eyes. Her eyes widened, and she gripped the arm that wrapped around her chest and held her to him, as if she didn’t know whether to hold him closer or push him away from her.