by Amy Sumida
“How were you able to do that?” Demeter gaped at me.
“I lied,” I said simply. “I told him that I saw Nyx watching Persephone and me when we were out shopping the day before she was murdered.”
“I like your spirit, Vervain,” Niyarvirezi said. “Perhaps after the battle, you can join Demeter and me for a private celebration.”
“If you mean with your lions; I'm married, but thank you,” I said.
“Your husband doesn't have to know,” Niyarvirezi said with a smirk. “My men are very discreet. They're slaves, really; they won't say a thing. And most of them haven't had a woman in years; they'll be clawing at each other for the chance to have you. It does wonders for the ego.”
“I love my husband.” I shook my head. “And I'm a one-man kind of woman.”
Alaric's laughter filled my head, and I grimaced.
“A shame.” Niyarvirezi sighed. “My lions could have changed your whole world.”
“Sorry to interrupt this awkward conversation, but do you have a restroom I could use?” I asked.
“Of course,” Niyarvirezi said. Then she shouted, “Darius!”
The blond man returned nearly instantly. He must have been standing guard outside the door.
“Show our guest to a bathroom,” Niyarvirezi commanded.
Darius bowed and waved his arm out of the door. I got up and followed him from the room. As soon as we were far enough away to not be overheard, I stopped and turned to him.
“You have a broken lion here, right?” I asked him.
Darius' eyes widened, and he whispered, “Insane; yes.”
“What's his name?”
“What? Why are you—”
“Tell me his name!” I hissed as I grabbed Darius' shirt.
“Kirill,” Darius said as he drew back. “His name is Kirill.”
“Kirill,” I whispered as I let him go.
Instantly, my eyes filled with tears, and my heart blossomed with love. I saw Kirill as if he stood before me; a muscular man with hair blacker and longer than mine; it flowed past his hips in a straight, silky cape. His eyes were bluer than the clearest, freshwater lake, and his smile had been hard to win, but once I'd seen it, I couldn't live without it.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered. “Why didn't you tell me?”
“I just did,” Darius said in confusion.
“Not you,” I said distractedly.
I couldn't tell you, Al said. But I knew you'd find him. He is bound to you as well.
“What about Odin?”
“Are you still talking to me?” Darius asked.
“Give me a second, Dare,” I growled as if I knew him.
Then we blinked at each other in shock.
“Tima?” Darius whispered as his eyes went round.
“Holy hand-grenades,” I murmured.
He's one of yours too, but not in the way you think; he's family, Al said. Just find Kirill, Vervain.
“Take me to him,” I said to Darius. “I need to see Kirill immediately.”
Chapter Ten
Darius rushed me through the hallways; we wouldn't have much time before Niyarvirezi started wondering where we were. I didn't care, but he was completely cowed by her. He explained to me that they were all tied to Niyarvirezi; they existed because of her magic. If she commanded them to do something, they had to obey, and if she cut them off from her magic, they died. But she rarely killed them in such a quick manner; Niyarvirezi preferred to make them kill each other.
Which means that you need them to skedaddle when you kill her, Al concluded.
When I what?
Don't act shocked; you know that you have to take Niyarvirezi's magic. You must save them, Vervain, and to do that, you must become their goddess.
But I already have the Aztec magic, I protested. Thor says that I could die if I take any more.
Thor's wrong; I assure you.
“Here he is.” Darius opened a small panel in a solid, wood door. “But you can't go in, Godhunter. Kirill's lost his sanity; he will tear you apart as soon as you get within reach. He doesn't even recognize his brother lions anymore.”
I looked through the opening and saw a sleeping lion. He was black; his fur so shiny that it shone blue in the light filtering in through a narrow window set high in the wall behind him. There were no light fixtures in the room, only a dirty pallet in the corner, a door-less bathroom, and a chain that was welded to a metal plate in the floor. The other end of the chain was stuck through the lion's ankle; through it.
“Why is he chained like that?” I growled.
The lion woke at my words and started to growl. He got to his feet and roared. Then he charged us, but he reached the end of his chain and fell with a whimper. Despite what must have been horrendous pain, he got back to his feet and swiped at the door; he was just shy of reaching it.
“Because he shifts back and forth between human and lion,” Darius said sadly. “And we can't chain him any other way.”
“So, don't chain him,” I sounded as violent as the snarling lion.
“Without the chain, he breaks through the door.” Darius shrugged.
“Open the door,” I said calmly.
“Are you insane?” Darius asked. “Look at him.”
Kirill was jerking at the chain again; blood seeping around the metal in his ankle. He paid it no mind, though; he was too intent on reaching us. His claws raked through the air, and he bared his teeth savagely. When I focused beyond him, I saw that the walls were gouged with claw marks.
“Kirill!” I snapped. “Stop that this instant!”
The lion shuddered at the sound of his name and cocked his head at me. A small whine left his lips as his stare connected with mine. That's when I knew that I wouldn't be leaving Niyarvirezi's territory without him.
“Now, open the door,” I said to Darius.
Darius gaped at me for a second before lunging for a key that hung beside the door. He fumbled with the lock, opened the door, and got out of my way.
“I'll need a wrench and a bowl of warm water,” I said as I went into the room.
Darius ran off.
The lion just sat down and stared at me.
“Do you remember me, Kirill?” I asked softly. “I remember you. You're not supposed to be here; not like this. You're meant to be with me, and I'm going to remedy that right now.”
A low sound came from the lion; part growl and part purr. He couldn't decide what to believe.
“I know you're in the dark right now, baby,” I said gently. “But I'm going show you the way out. All you have to do is trust me. Can you do that?”
Kirill laid down and stretched his leg out to me; the one with the chain through it.
Wow; this is going so much better than the last time.
“Because there's something already between us this time,” I answered Alaric out loud. “Something between our... souls.”
Kirill sighed deeply, in what sounded like relief.
“Here.” Darius came in with a wrench, a towel, and a bowl of warm water. “Whatever you're going to do, hurry. Niyarvirezi already has lions looking for you.”
“Tell everyone to hide,” I said to Darius. “I'm not leaving any of you like this; by tonight, you'll all be free.”
Darius gaped at me and then joy filled his features. “Yes, Tima!”
As soon as that bitch shows her face, you take her magic, Vervain, Al said. Don't give her a chance to attack you. When you have all of it, you'll shift into a lioness. You'll claim this territory and the Pride, but then you must remember your true form in order to become human again.
Remember my true form? I asked as fear shot through me. I'm going to be a lion?
You've done this hundreds of times before, V; you got this.
“Okay,” I said determinedly as I knelt beside Kirill. “I'm going to soak your leg with water to try and loosen the blood.”
You should have thought of that the first time.
I didn't? I asked in ho
rror. Did I just yank it out?
Yep; that was hard to watch.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “What a moron I was.”
Kirill's head shifted to look at me.
“Just give it a minute to loosen the metal,” I said to him. “It looks as if your flesh has fused to it. I'm going to undo the screw first.”
Kirill huffed and laid his head back down as if he trusted me completely.
“I can't believe this is happening,” I whispered.
I loosened the bolt, and when the flesh around the metal had softened a bit, I gave it an experimental tug. Kirill growled and lifted his head again.
“Yeah; it's still going to hurt,” I said. “But I don't think we have enough time to let this soak longer.”
Kirill seemed to be listening to something, and then he turned to me and nodded. I yanked the bolt out before he could prepare himself, and he yipped in pain; curling up in a fetal position as he shifted to human. And then, there he was; my beautiful Kirill. His long hair gleamed like spilled oil over the curves of his muscles, and when he opened his eyes, their intense blue gleamed through that silky, black curtain.
“Tima,” Kirill said roughly as he reached for me.
I have no idea what came over me; I just went into his arms and started making out with the naked man on that bloody, worn floor. His lips tasted like home to me, and his arms felt perfect around my body. Kirill's hands held my face as if I were the most precious thing he'd ever touched, and when I laid my hands to his chest, I could feel his heart beating rapidly.
“I've dreamed of you,” he said in a Russian accent as he drew back. “Tell me your name.”
“Vervain,” I whispered.
“Vervain,” he repeated as he closed his eyes and sighed. When Kirill opened his eyes again, he was smiling peacefully. “You drew me out of my madness slowly—in my dreams—and zen you came and freed me. I feel as if I've known you forever.”
“I feel it too,” I said as I laid my hand on his cheek.
Kirill covered my hand with his and said urgently, “Tell me you're taking me vith you. Vherever you go, I vill follow.”
“I am,” I said immediately. “I'm claiming the Pride and then we're going home.”
Kirill smiled brilliantly.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Niyarvirezi screeched.
I didn't even hesitate; I just latched onto Niyarvirezi's magic and pulled for all I was worth.
Chapter Eleven
I was lost to the lioness at first. Once I had all of Niyarvirezi's magic and had shifted, I killed Niyarvirezi with a quick swipe of claws to her throat. That would have been enough for me, but it wasn't for the lioness. We could feel all of our lions; their relief, their deep gratitude, and the echo of the pain they'd suffered at the hands of their goddess.
It was too much to take in one blow. I roared with fury and tore into Niyarvirezi's chest. I felt my Pride gathering around me—filling the room and the hallways beyond—and their need for satisfaction consumed me. I knew it was to be either sex or violence, and there was no way that I was going to have sex with all of those men.
So, blood would have to quench their desires.
I tore out Niyarvirezi's heart and consumed it before the Pride; a physical representation of what I had taken from her and what I had become. I was their heart now, and I would protect them from people like her. Then I stood back and let the lions feast.
As I watched, I had another memory; a memory of a memory, actually. I was standing over Niyarvirezi's corpse—about to eat her—when I remembered what a man had said to me; about how the Froekn don't feed on human flesh. I frowned and pushed it away. The Froekn were children of the Viking Wolf God, Fenrir—and they killed for money. Yep; they were werewolf assassins. Why their practices would have any influence over me was baffling.
Kirill—still in human form—laid his hand on my lion head and leaned against my side. He had no need for blood; he'd already found satisfaction within our bond. So, we stood together and watched our family take their vengeance. That in itself was satisfying.
“Niyarvirezi?” Demeter's frantic shout echoed down the hallway toward me.
No doubt, she couldn't get past all of the lions who were waiting their turn to get their pound of flesh from the dead goddess.
“I zink it's time you returned to your true body, Tima,” Kirill said gently. “Do you know how?”
I nodded; I had to remember my body. I brought up an image of myself; concentrating on as much detail as possible. As an artist, details came easily to me; I was used to noticing things. And the shift came surprisingly easy as well. I was a lioness one second and then a woman the next. I stood beside Kirill—both of us naked now—and went straight into his embrace. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to be held by him. The Pride slid against us as they moved through the room; setting their scent and approval on my skin. I felt nearly complete.
“Nearly?” I frowned.
There is so much more that you need to find before you can be complete again, Vervain, Al said.
“Vhat's wrong?” Kirill smoothed my hair back.
“I'm just processing.”
“Niyarvirezi?!” Demeter's call came again.
I saw Kirill flinch, and I narrowed my eyes at him. He glanced away from my penetrating stare, and as he did, his voice echoed in my mind. I heard him telling me about the horrors he'd endured under Niyarvirezi's rule, and those horrors included being raped by Demeter. I felt my body go cold and start to shake.
“Tima,” Kirill whispered. “It's over now.”
“No, sweetheart,” I said gently. “It isn't, but it will be very soon.”
I took Kirill's hand and led him calmly through the tide of lions even though rage was filling me to bursting. It took everything I had to keep the lioness at bay, but I wanted to confront Demeter as a person; there were things I needed to say to her. We rounded a corner, and there she was; standing a few feet back from the moving Pride. Demeter took in my state, and that of Kirill, and just gaped at us.
“I'm sorry, Demeter,” I said as we reached her, “but there's been a change of plans.”
“Where's Niyarvirezi?” Demeter whispered.
“Dead; I killed her,” I said as I released Kirill's hand. “Do you remember Kirill? I believe you were telling me about him on our way here. Now, I know exactly what you and that twisted sham of a goddess did to him; to Kirill and his brothers.”
“I... I just enjoyed what was offered. I thought they enjoyed it too,” Demeter stuttered.
“Ve did not,” Kirill growled, “and you know it. Ve had to be drugged to be able to perform.”
Demeter went pale. “I didn't know,” she whispered. “Niyarvirezi told me that she didn't have time to bed all of you and that you'd be delighted to have some female attention.”
“She told me zat she loved me,” Kirill said coldly, “and zen she cast me to you like I vas nothing. Do you really zink I enjoyed zat?”
“I'm sorry,” Demeter whispered. “I... I would never have...”
But then I remembered the vision I'd had of Demeter's home—the slaves within it; Emma—and I knew she was playing us.
“You would never have what, Demeter?” I asked her as my anger went from cold to raging hot. “Raped them like you rape those slaves you have hidden in your territory? Emma and Griffin; what about them? Do you drug them too?”
“How do you...?” Demeter's jaw dropped.
“I know more than you think,” I growled.
Demeter exhaled a long, annoyed breath and rolled her eyes as her whole demeanor changed. “The strong enslave the weak, Vervain; that's how it works. If you want something, and you have the ability to take it, you take it.”
I growled and started to move forward, but Alaric stopped me.
You'll need her in Tartarus! Think, Vervain!
“Son of a seahorse!” I cursed and then frowned at my own choice of words. I wasn't exactly foul-mouthed, but I didn't shy a
way from expletives either.
“Tima?” Kirill took my hand again.
“We're going to have to wait on your justice, honey,” I said gently. “There's another life that must be avenged first.”
Demeter scowled at me. “If you want to try to kill me, Godhunter; take your best shot.”
“Oh, I will,” I promised. “Make no mistake; I will see you dead for what you've done. But first, we're going to kill Nyx and Aion; the gods who murdered Persephone.”
“Aion?” Demeter frowned. “I never said anything about him.”
“I told you; I know more than you.” I smirked.
“Be that as it may”—she frowned thoughtfully—“Aion is an obstacle I wasn't aware we'd be facing.”
“Are you backing out?” I asked in shock.
“No; never,” Demeter growled. “But we'll need to be careful in our approach. Do you know that he's a god of time?”
“I kind of got it from his name,” I said.
“And this is why I've never liked you.” Demeter grimaced. “You're disrespectful and snarky.”
“When I find someone worthy of respect, I give it to them,” I said pointedly.
“Fine; our alliance still stands, Godhunter,” Demeter said. “But I need to return home and conduct some research before we go after Nyx and Aion.”
“Hades will need time to build his army as well,” I said. “But you're not going anywhere alone, Demeter.”
“Excuse me?” She huffed.
“We're going with you.” I nodded to Kirill. “And you're going to release those prisoners.”
“Now, Vervain...”
“Or I could kill you now.” I held up a hand to stop her threats. “You know that I can; stop kidding yourself. I just took Niyarvirezi's magic, just as I took Huitzilopochtli's, and that means that I can take even more. I could drain away your magic within minutes, and there would be nothing you could do to stop me.”
Demeter went pale. “Fine; I'll release the prisoners on one condition.”
“What?”
“You don't try to kill me until after Nyx is dead.” Demeter lifted her chin.
