by Amy Sumida
“That was the plan, Dementor,” I said smugly and then blinked in surprise.
I had a feeling that was the old me coming through again.
“What the hell did you call me?” Demeter gaped at me as the lions around us—those who had shifted back to human—chuckled.
“It's a pop culture thing.” I waved it away. “Trust me; it's applicable.”
Demeter narrowed her gaze at me.
“Now, are there any clothes I can borrow?” I asked Kirill. “I don't want to free the slaves naked; I'm not the Mother of Dragons or anything.”
Alaric started laughing again.
Chapter Twelve
Kirill and I got the Intare—that was the name of my Pride—settled into their new relative freedom. I say “relative” because as much as I wanted to free them completely, I couldn't. I held the magic that kept them immortal, and they owed me their fealty if nothing else. But the Intare offered me much more than that. They wanted me to lead them; to truly be their Tima. Kirill explained that this was necessary for their wellbeing; that without my guidance and control, the Intare would regress into their beast natures and become true lions forever. So, I performed a bonding ceremony with them; involving a lot of sniffing and rubbing. Nothing sexual; it was just a Pride tradition. They basically scent-marked me like the cats they are.
When the Pride felt secure in their new roles, Kirill and I bid them goodbye and escorted Demeter to her territory. I held Demeter's hand while we traced; I didn't want her slipping away somehow. Greek goddesses are tricky.
Demeter led us up to the central temple and into its little room. There was an elevator inside; hovering over a shaft in the ground. We took it down to a small room and then used a tunnel to access a vast cavern. Demeter strode ahead of us, but I could have led the way; I already knew the way through Demeter's underground gardens.
And I knew just where to find the prison.
It didn't look like a prison; more like an upscale barracks. It was a long, rectangular building with one central hall and rooms branching off both sides. Demeter tried to walk by it, but I grabbed her arm and shoved her toward the building. She hesitated at the door.
“Go on,” I said. “Open the doors; all of them.”
Demeter huffed angrily and went into the building. We followed her down the hallway as she opened each door. I heard muffled sounds coming from the rooms; all but one. I left Kirill the task of explaining to the men that they were free—I thought it might be good for him—and went to the silent cell. I opened the door and stared at an empty room.
“Who was in this room?” I asked Demeter with a growl; like, a real growl.
Demeter paled and cleared her throat. Her prisoners were starting to fill the hallway; shoulders hunched as if they weren't sure if this were a trick and they were about to be attacked. Demeter looked back at them and narrowed her eyes. The men shrank away from her.
“Don't fucking look at them!” I snapped; a little relieved that I was able to swear again. “You don't deserve to look at them. You look at me, Demeter, and you tell me who was in this room.”
“Griffin,” Demeter said as she lifted her chin. “The man you named; he was in this room.”
“Where is he now?” I stalked up to her, and even though I was shorter than she, I felt as if I loomed above her.
“He died,” she said simply.
I punched Demeter in the face, and she crumpled to the floor. As I stared at my fist in surprise, the freedmen cheered and started hugging each other. I guess that punch had proved my intentions toward them.
“Watch that bitch,” I said to all of them as I pointed at Demeter.
“Yes, Ma'am,” one of the men said as they all gathered around Demeter.
Demeter had a bloody nose, but she already groaning and getting to her feet. She cringed when she saw the men closing in around her while more of them pouring out into the hall from the opened cells. I ignored her and went to the last door on the right. I opened it warily and peered around the door frame. I knew that Emma had spunk.
Sure enough, she came barreling at me; fists up, with a sheet wrapped around her naked body like a toga. Oh yeah; they were all naked, but the lioness in me wasn't bothered by it, and the men were too happy with their freedom to be concerned with a lack of clothes.
“We come in peace!” I shouted as I grabbed Emma's wrists.
Emma blinked her big, hazel eyes at me and then looked at the men filling the hallway.
“She's telling the truth, Em,” one of the men said. “We're free.”
“We are?” She asked and then crumpled.
“Whoa now.” I caught Emma.
I became stronger when I took Huitzilopochtli's magic, and now it looked as if the lion magic had compounded that. I caught Emma's much larger frame with ease and held her until the man who had spoken earlier came over and took her from me.
“It's all right, sweetheart,” the man whispered to Emma.
Emma nestled in against him and sighed. It was sweet, but something inside me wasn't happy about it. This wasn't right; Emma was meant to be with...
“Fenrir,” I whispered.
Emma flinched when I said the name, and then she lifted her head to stare at me.
“What did you say?” She asked.
“I... I'm sorry; it's been a strange day,” I stuttered.
“No shit,” Demeter snapped.
“That name.” Emma disengaged herself from the man and stepped over to me. “Please; say it again.”
“Fenrir,” I repeated.
Emma's eyes filled with love as she inhaled sharply. “Who is he?”
“He's the Wolf God,” I said in surprise. “Do you know him?”
“Not yet,” she whispered. “But I think that I will. Will you take me to him?”
“I don't know the guy, but uh”—I glanced at Kirill, and he shrugged—“I think we can work something out.”
“Thank you.” She hugged me.
“Emma?” The man was baffled.
“I'm sorry, Clay,” Emma said to him. “I've had these dreams recently and they're all centered around this man named Fenrir. I think I'm meant to be with him.”
“Dreams?” The guy gaped at her. “We're finally free, and you want to find some guy your drug-induced mind created?”
“We're going to get all of you back to where you belong,” I said gently. “Don't worry about the little things right now, okay?”
The man looked from Emma to me and then nodded. “Okay. Fine.”
“Pathetic,” Demeter huffed. “You think that you love her because I made you fuck her? Ridiculous. You bonded over a shared, sexual experience; nothing more.”
The freedmen closed in tighter.
“Hold!” I said, and they froze. “I can't let you kill her. I need her for a battle, and then I get to kill her.”
“As long as she dies, I'm okay with that,” one of the men said, and the others nodded in agreement.
Demeter rolled her eyes.
Chapter Thirteen
Demeter led us to her palace and—at my insistence—found some clothing for the freed prisoners. She wanted to do some research in her library while we were there, but I was getting nervous. I knew that Thor would be worried, and I started pacing the library while she read. Kirill had taken the humans to the kitchen to find them something to eat, but he returned with a mug of coffee for me; fixed precisely the way I liked it.
I smiled and shook my head in wonder as I lowered the mug. “You're, like, the perfect man.”
“Hardly,” Kirill whispered as he glanced at Demeter. “I'm a bit worn.”
“No; you're not.” I took his hand and squeezed it. “You are not the sum of things that have been done to you. Instead, measure yourself by your own actions.”
Kirill smiled softly at me. “How did I know you vere going to say zat?”
I stared up at him and let out a shaky, sad breath.
“Vhat is it?” He asked softly.
�
��She's married,” Demeter looked up from her book to announce gleefully. “So, don't get your hopes up, pretty boy. You can't have her.”
“Shut up, Dementor,” I snapped.
“What happened to being a one-man woman?” She asked.
I started to growl, but Demeter just smirked and went back to reading.
“You're married?” Kirill asked in shock.
“Yes,” I admitted.
Kirill seemed to think about it, and then shrugged. “I don't care.”
“My husband will,” I said. “Look; you know that there's something between us that has been there for awhile. I can't explain this all to you, but I need you to trust me. This will work itself out; we just need to give it time. I can't tell Thor about you yet.”
“I understand,” Kirill said steadily.
“Time,” Demeter huffed, and then her eyes narrowed. “We're dealing with a god of time.” She lifted her stare to mine. “What aren't you telling me, Vervain?”
Go on, Al said, explain it to the rapist.
“I believe that Aion and Nyx have changed the past,” I said.
Both Demeter and Kirill's eyes went wide.
“And it has altered our present,” I finished.
“Our present,” Demeter murmured as she began to look unsettled. “I have the oddest feeling that I'm not supposed to have a present.”
And you're right, Al said.
I really did kill her, didn't I? I asked him.
You really did, he confirmed. Boy, did you.
“And ve are supposed to be together,” Kirill said as he pulled me against his chest. “Aren't ve, Tima?”
“I think so,” I whispered. “You and...”
“Your other husbands.” Kirill nodded. “I know zat I don't get to have you to myself; I can feel it. But it doesn't bother me. I love you, Vervain; if I have to share you, I am content vith zat.”
“How sweet,” Demeter muttered.
“One more word from you, and I'll roast you now instead of later,” I growled.
“Roast?” Demeter's eyes went round and distant. Then she whispered, “You're the reason I'm afraid of fire.”
“Yeah, well; I don't have that ability this time around,” I admitted. “So, that's not what you have to fear.”
“No; you'll just drain my magic,” she said bitterly.
“Do you really think that you're innocent?” I asked her. “That you don't deserve to die?”
“I behave just as I was taught to,” she said flippantly. “I am a product of my race; a being of magic and power. This is the way of the Gods.”
“Not all gods,” I corrected.
“Whatever.” Demeter rolled her eyes. “You may be interested to know that I found some information on Aion.”
“What? Will it help us kill him?” I asked as I went over to her desk.
I glanced at a framed picture of Persephone as a little girl that was set facing Demeter. An ache took hold of my chest, and I knew for certain that just as Demeter should be dead, my friend should be alive. I looked down at the book Demeter held; vowing to myself that I would fix things.
“Aion can only change an aspect of history once.” Demeter tapped the page. “So, whatever he's done; if we undo it, he cannot go back and try again.”
“That's reassuring,” I said as I scanned the page. “An hourglass? Really?”
“Vhat about hourglass?” Kirill asked.
“It's his weakness,” Demeter said with a vicious smile. “Aion is the God of Cyclical Time. An hourglass is the perfect representation of that; the way you can turn it over and over. Break one and cast the sands over Aion, and he freezes; as if his time has been stopped.”
“How long does it last?” Kirill asked.
“An hour,” I said as I looked up at him. “The same amount of time that is cast upon him.”
“More zan enough time to kill him,” Kirill pointed out.
“Or deal with his murdering cohort before we deal with him,” Demeter said.
“We'd better get a few hourglasses just in case,” I added.
“We'll take a whole bag full of hours with us,” Demeter said as she stood. “Those gods will never know what hit them.”
Chapter Fourteen
Kirill, Demeter, the humans, and I traced to Bilskinir Hall to find my husband pacing anxiously before the tracing room.
“Vervain!” Thor shouted in relief and hugged me.
Then he saw the others.
“Who are these people?” Thor scowled. “You've been gone for hours and you come home with a group of strangers?”
“This is Kirill,” I introduced Kirill first. “I met him when I freed the Intare from their nasty goddess, Niyarvirezi.”
“You what?” Thor gaped at me.
“Hold on to your leather trousers, Viking,” Demeter said, “things are about to get crazy.”
I gave Demeter a silencing look, and she held up her hands in surrender.
“She was hurting them, Thor,” I said. “Kirill was chained to the floor; as in a bolt through his ankle.”
“You were bolted to the floor?” Thor asked in horror.
“And I thought we had it bad,” one of the humans muttered.
“You know nothing of true pain,” Kirill said to him. “I vas tortured for years and zen I lost my mind.”
“And yet here you stand—seemingly sane—beside my wife.” Thor narrowed his eyes at Kirill.
“She's my Tima now,” Kirill said, “ze Goddess zat gives me immortality. You vill have to accept zat Vervain is no longer completely yours.”
“The fuck I will,” Thor growled as he started forward.
“Thor!” I pushed him back. “It's been a rough day. Do you want to hear all of it, or are you just going to beat on a man who's already been beaten too much to care?”
Thor's shoulders dropped, and his expression softened. He closed his eyes and sighed.
“You're right,” Thor said. “My apologies, Kirill. I trust my wife; I shouldn't be questioning her motives for bringing you here.”
“Thank you.” I hugged the big lug.
“Now, who are the rest of these people?” Thor asked.
“Demeter's ex-prisoners,” I said.
Thor looked at Demeter with wide eyes.
“Oh, don't act as if your people have never owned slaves, Viking,” Demeter hissed. “Freedom is a modern concept, and even then, it isn't worldwide; not for any world.”
Thor grimaced but nodded.
“You agree with her?” I gaped at him.
“I agree that she speaks the truth,” Thor corrected. “The Vikings were slavers; most of the conquering races were.”
“Well, I'm an American, and we don't...” I trailed off as I realized how wrong that statement would have been.
“You don't what?” Thor smirked at me.
“Yeah, okay; let it go,” I huffed. “I freed these people, and they're going to be staying with us until we can get them settled back into their lives.”
“Your wife is a hero, Sir,” one of the men said. “We're all very grateful to her.”
“Thank you,” Thor said. “And yes; she is valiant. Vervain has always been so.” He leaned down to kiss me softly. “It's the reason I first noticed her.”
“I noticed you because you put me on a table and tried to intimidate me,” I teased him. “With your big hammer.”
“And then you kicked me in my manhood,” Thor added.
“Ah; sweet romance,” Demeter said scathingly.
“Don't push me, woman,” I growled at her.
Demeter piped down, and Thor lifted a brow at me.
“I'll explain it later,” I said.
“No, darling”—Thor shook his head at me—“you promised to talk to me when you returned. You're going to explain it now.”
I glanced at Demeter warily.
“Oh, I'm not going anywhere,” Demeter huffed. “You know that I want vengeance as much as you.”
“Ull!” Thor shout
ed.
The sound of running feet preceded Ull down the hallway, and then my stepson came into sight. He stopped before us and bowed.
“You rang?” He asked Thor in his Lurch impression.
“No; I shouted,” Thor corrected with a frown.
“Why are you with this culturally inept idiot?” Ull asked me.
She shouldn't be.
Shut up, I hissed at Al.
They can't hear me. Come on; this is fun.
I ignored Al to say to Ull, “I love this culturally inept idiot.”
“Hey,” Thor growled. “I'm standing right here.”
“What did you want, Dad?” Ull was completely unfazed.
“Can you find some rooms for our guests?” Thor asked Ull. “I have to speak with Vervain privately.”
“Again?” Ull smirked. “How many times do you two 'speak privately' in a day? I'm starting to feel inadequate.”
“Amusing,” Thor said dryly. “Just see to our guests, please.”
“Any friends of yours.” Ull shrugged. “Come on, people; let's get you some rooms.” Then he jerked to a stop and looked them over. “Are you guys human?”
“All but Kirill.” I waved a hand at Kirill. “And we'll need to get the humans home. If you can help them locate any family or friends, I'd appreciate it.”
“Except for me,” Emma said urgently. “Remember that you said you'd introduce me to Fenrir.”
“Emma, please,” Clay whispered, but she ignored him.
“The Wolf?” Ull's eyes went wide. “You want to meet the Great Wolf? Why?”
“You're looking at the future Rouva of the Froekn,” I said without thinking.
“How do you even know that title?” Thor asked me in shock.
“Uh...”
“I told her,” Kirill covered for me. “Emma had dreams of Fenrir; ve believe zey are fated.”
What the fuck is going on today?” Ull asked with a laugh. “First those weird visions and now this. We need to figure this shit out.”
“I'm trying to,” I huffed.
“Well, if you really think this human should meet Fenrir, I'll give him a call,” Ull said.
