by Unknown
“Come on,” I ignored Horus and went up the little cement drive and right to the front door of the cute pink house with its manicured front lawn edged in flowers. Not exactly the kind of house you'd imagine a sorcerer living in.
I rolled my eyes at the welcome mat and tried the door. It was locked but that wasn't a big deal. I just pushed until it opened. We all piled into a cozy country themed living room with way too many doilies and Hummel figurines. I stood and gaped, truly horrified.
“Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my house?” A small, blonde woman with plain features and a slim body came barging into the living room, one hand fisted around what I assumed was a protection spell but could very likely be something worse.
I ran forward and grabbed her fist, wrenching it until the herbs she was holding fell harmlessly to the worn blue carpet. Then I took her other hand and pulled it behind her back.
“Someone find something to tie her hands with,” I said as she struggled against me.
“What do you want?” She screeched.
“I want my angel back,” I growled at her. “Where is he?”
She blanched and looked over the rest of our group with dawning horror. “Are you demons?”
“Do I look like a demon?” Thor scoffed.
“Kind of,” I tilted my head at him. “I mean, they can look pretty normal when not in character.”
“In character?” Pan asked. “You mean demon form? That's freaking fantastic. I'm so using that line. Wait till I see Luke again. I can't wait to ask him to get in character for me.”
“Who the fuck are you?!” The woman screamed as Horus handed me a length of twine he'd found in the kitchen.
“I'm the woman in love with that angel you just summoned,” I tied her hands quickly and then turned her around to face me.
“You're in love with Death?” Her watery blue eyes went round.
“His name is Azrael,” I rolled my eyes. “Death is just a job.”
“That's a hell of a job,” she muttered.
“Yes, quite literally,” Hades smirked and Persephone giggled. Those two loved hell jokes.
“Where is he?” I asked in a calm voice.
“You can't have him,” she smiled grimly. “I won't let him go until he vows to give me immortality.”
“Are you serious?” I laughed. “You summoned Death to give you eternal life?”
“Who better to prevent death than Death himself?” She huffed.
“You're a moron,” Artemis observed.
“Such a moron,” I agreed.
“Oh yeah?” She growled. “Well this moron has your boyfriend.”
“Not for long,” I pushed her down the cheery white hallway. “Where is he?”
“The cellar,” she chuckled. “It's right through that door.”
I opened the door she indicated and we all filed down a narrow staircase into a large cellar. It was brightly lit, with white walls and fluorescent overhead lights. Half of the room was covered by area rugs, the other half had heavy wood tables with witchcraft paraphernalia(bowls, stones, herbs and the like), and a circle drawn in chalk on the bare cement floor. Within that circle, standing over a chalk drawn image of his name in angelic script, was Azrael.
“Vervain,” he said with relief and stepped forward, only to stop himself before he left the edge of the script. “She's bound me with my own name,” he growled.
“Told you, you can't have him,” she laughed when I threw her into a recliner on the carpeted side of the room.
“Oh, honey,” I smiled wickedly, “he's already mine. It's just a small matter of location.”
“Well, you know what they say about location,” she growled, “it's everything.”
“Oh, she's quick, I almost like her,” I cocked my head at her.
“Um, Vervain?” Torrent frowned as he studied the air in front of Azrael. “I can't undo this.”
“Whatchu talkin' bout, Willis?” I went over to him.
“This magic isn't just bound to the circle or even the symbol, it's wound into Azrael,” he gestured toward the symbol on the floor. “If I unmake it, I risk hurting him.”
“How badly?” I glanced at Azrael and then back at Torrent.
“Fatally,” he said grimly. “I might unmake him.”
“Fuck,” I took a deep breath and looked over at the woman. “What's your name?”
“Rebecca,” she said with a little hesitation.
“Alright, Rebecca,” I went to stand in front of her. “I'm going to be straight with you. Azrael can't make you immortal. His job is to take souls to either Hell or Heaven. He has no control over the length of your life.”
“Bullshit,” she scoffed.
“Let me handle this,” Hades came forward and bent to look at the woman. He removed his glasses and I heard her inhale sharply. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
“You really look like a demon,” she swallowed hard.
“What's with this fascination you have for demons?” I frowned at her.
“It's what I do,” she glanced at me and then quickly back at Hades. “I summon them.”
“You summon them?” Hades stood up in surprise.
“People actually do that?” I asked.
“If they happen to have the information passed down to them,” she said with a measure of pride.
“Such a moron,” Artemis chuckled.
“What do you do with the demons?” I asked in a deceptively calm tone.
“Command them to bring me things or kill people for me,” she shrugged. “The usual.”
“And they do it?” I gaped at her.
“Sure,” she laughed. “They want me to free them.”
“That's why the wards are woven into the demon himself,” I shook my head. “I should just take you to Hell and have Luke deal with you. That's Luke as in Lucifer, Azrael's father.”
“The Devil is your dad?” She peered over at Azrael and he gave her a dumbfounded look.
“You summoned me without knowing who you were summoning?” He asked her.
“I know you're Death,” she said defensively.
“And I am Hades,” Hades came forward again. “So in this room alone, you have two gods who can take you straight to Hell. You might want to rethink your stance on this.”
“He can't take me anywhere,” she nodded towards Azrael. “Not at the moment.”
“I can make you immortal,” Blue stalked forward and smiled, revealing his fangs.
“Are you a vampire?” She gasped. “You don't look like one of them.”
“No, darling,” he said sweetly, “I'm their god.”
“No way,” she shook her head vigorously. “I don't want to drink blood. Just make me immortal without turning me into the undead, and I'll let your demon go.”
“Azrael is an archangel,” I grabbed her throat and growled into her face. “The only demon in this room is you and I'm going to send you back to Hell if you don't release him right now.”
“Um, Vervain?” Torrent asked hesitantly.
“What?!” I snapped and looked over to him.
“Another word?” He jerked his head toward the stairs.
“Ugh!” I dropped her back and followed him up the stairs. “Okay, what is it, Torr?”
“If you kill her, the ward will backlash into Azrael,” he whispered. “Just like it would if I unmade it. It's very delicate work and the only way to undo it without harming him, is through her. So don't kill her, okay?”
“Okay,” I sighed and ran a hand over my face. My stomach was in knots and so were my shoulders. How the hell did I free him?
“You can torture her and make her think you're going to kill her though,” Torrent added in a small voice. “That might work.”
“Torture,” I whispered as a chill spread through my veins.
Could I really become that person? Killing someone seemed more human than torturing them. At least death would be an end to pain. Torture? Not so much. I'd done horrible thing
s before, in my dragon form I'd even enjoyed them, but I'd never considered any of it torture. Garuda had been about justice, so had that kelpie I'd hunted. They had deserved their pain but it had ended with their death. In my mind, that meant justice but perhaps that was just semantics. Maybe I was already that person.
It didn't matter. This was about Azrael and in that moment I realized that I would sink to the most evil lows to save him. I would do anything, become anything, to get him out of that circle alive. I looked up at Torrent and his jaw dropped.
“Okay,” he swallowed hard. “I can help you. I've seen it done enough times. I know how to keep her alive.”
“No,” I hugged him and kissed his cheek. “I never want you to have to see that again. You're better than that, you always have been, no matter what Iktomi forced you to do. I want you to stay up here. Go into the living and turn on the television really loud.”
“But, V,” he blinked his wide green eyes.
“I know what to do too,” I patted his shoulder. “I may have just a little experience from the other end of it.”
“Right,” his shoulders fell. “I'm so sorry.”
“That was never your fault,” I smiled sadly. “I'm going to send Artemis up to be with you. You just sit tight.”
“I'll be okay on my own,” he suddenly looked more like a man than I'd ever seen him. He reached out and squeezed my hand and then turned to walk back into the living room. Within seconds, I heard the television go on.
I went back down the steps and walked over to Artemis. “Can you go up and keep Torrent company?” I asked her casually.
“Sure,” she glanced at the sorceress. “Are you positive you don't want me to stay here? I'm good in... sticky situations.”
“I'm sure you are but yeah,” I nodded, “I'm good.”
She left and I turned to my men. “I need you all to go upstairs too.”
“What?” Trevor frowned and started to protest but Kirill stopped him.
“You don't vant to see zis,” Kirill gave me a grim look and nodded his approval. “I trust you vill do vhatever is necessary and if you need us, you call.”
“I will,” I nodded.
“Minn Elska,” Trevor came over to me. “I can help you. I'm a wolf, I'm not squeamish.”
“I don't want you to see me like this,” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Please go upstairs, Honey-Eyes.”
“Come on,” Odin grabbed Trevor's shoulder, shooting me a proud look over his shoulder. “She's got this.”
“Alright,” Trevor sighed and the three of them trudged up the stairs.
“If any of you want to leave,” I looked pointedly at Teharon. “Please go now.”
“I should stay,” Teharon said, his jaw clenching. “You may need my magic to revive her.”
“Oh,” I blinked. “I hadn't thought of that. Are you sure you're up for this?”
“He's my friend,” Teharon nodded. “I'm up for it.”
“We're staying as well,” Hades added. “I'll be happy to take over if you feel the need for a break at any time. This is kinda my thing.”
“Thank you,” I smiled softly at him.
“Don't!” Azrael shouted suddenly and we all looked over at him in shock. “Don't do this, Vervain. It will twist you, turn you into something dark. We'll find another way.”
“What are you all talking about?” Rebecca shot panicked looks around the room.
“There is no other way,” I shook my head. “I'll be damned if I give this woman immortality.”
“I knew you could do it!” She cried triumphantly but then her face fell when I set my hard gaze on her. “Why won't you do it?”
“There's enough immortal bitches walking around the realms,” I snarled. “We don't need any more.”
“I won't tell anyone,” she whispered. “I just don't want to die. Is that so evil?”
“No, the evil part was when you started abducting demons and forcing them to kill for you. The stupid part was when you then abducted an angel to force him into granting you eternal life,” I cocked my head. “My angel. Now I'm going to give you one last chance to come out of this unharmed. Release him and we'll all leave.”
“Not a chance,” she set her shoulders. “I'm dying anyway. I have breast cancer. Go ahead and kill me.”
“No, no, no, you've misunderstood,” I smiled but it was an wicked smile and she blanched. “I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to keep you alive until you beg for death.”
“Vervain!” Azrael shouted but I ignored him.
“Have you ever been in love?” I asked Rebecca in a casual, conversational way.
“Yes, of course,” she said quietly.
“Good,” I nodded. “I want you to picture that person, remember what it felt like to love him,” I paused to look at her consideringly. “ Or her. Have you got it, the memory?”
“Sure,” she exhaled a shaky breath.
“Good,” I nodded again. “Now know that whatever pathetic emotion you felt for that person isn't even a sliver of what I feel for that angel,” I pointed towards Azrael. “I have drunk the wine of Heaven from his lips and walked the path of Hell beside him. He has literally, and I do mean literally, touched my soul. Held it in his hands. There is nothing I wouldn't do or suffer for him and there are very few people I wouldn't hurt to see him safe. You are not one of those people.”
She blanched and I crouched down before her. Azrael had gone silent but I could feel his attention like fire on my skin. Normally, that would be a good thing, warm and comfortable for me, but not at the moment. Azrael's look burned with the intensity of acid, not my element, and I knew that all those words professing my love for him had only made him more angry.
“I will do whatever it takes to free him,” I concentrated on Rebecca. “Even go against his own wishes. That being said, I've been tortured numerous times myself and not only do I know all the great tricks of the trade but I know exactly how they all feel. So I know just how to break you.”
“No,” she whispered.
“You have one last chance to free him. Do it now and we all leave in peace.” I waited but she just lifted her chin. “You may think you're being brave but you'll soon see that it's not bravery at all. It's stupidity. Shall we begin?”
I stood and extended the claws from my fingers. I sank them slowly into the little divots on the sides of her kneecaps and started to push them forward. She began to scream.
Chapter Twenty-Five
It actually didn't take very long to get Rebecca to release Azrael but it was long enough to scar my mind and damage Azrael's opinion of me. He couldn't even look at me when he finally stepped free of the circle. He didn't say anything either, just nodded to all of us and traced away.
My heart hurt but I was okay with that. So long as he was safe, I could deal with his disappointment in me. I'm only human after all. Well, partially. The heartache felt almost sweet in that moment, a reminder that I wasn't evil. I wasn't the cold monster I'd had to emulate in order to torture Rebecca.
Teharon healed Rebecca and she huddled whimpering on the floor while we searched her books for the ones with the summoning spells. We found four of them and we burned them all. Then I advised her against trying to summon any demons in the future and her only response was a rapid nodding of her head.
I walked up those cellar stairs with heavy feet and a heavy heart but I felt no guilt over what I'd done to that woman. I would have done it all over again to save Az. A hundred times. A hundred times a hundred times. If he couldn't understand that, then it was his problem. I was good with it.
My men came rushing over to me when I emerged and at least there was no judgment from them. They surrounded me and hugged me till I felt much better over Azrael's desertion. He'd come around, I just needed to give him some time.
“Where's Az?” Trevor asked as he looked over my shoulder.
“He's upset,” I shook my head. “But he's okay. It'll be fine, don't worry about it.”
“Are you okay?” Odin asked as he ran a hand down the side of my face.
“Yeah, I'm good. Are you okay?” I asked him suddenly. “You look different somehow.”
“Different?” He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I don't know,” I looked him over. “Your hair looks blonder than usual.”
“Blonder?” He laughed. “I think we need to get you home, Vervain.”
“You're probably right,” I sighed. “I'm glad none of you were there. I probably would have disappointed you too.”
“No way,” Odin shook his head. “I couldn't be prouder. You stepped up and made the hard decision. Every battle has them, decisions that break weaker people. You don't break though, do you?”
“Not when one of your lives depends upon it,” I smiled at him.
“Touching, really,” Horus sighed. “Can we go now? This place is giving me the creeps.”
“Thank you for staying with me, Horus,” I went over and hugged him. He sputtered for a moment before giving in and hugging me back. “I love you.”
“Yes, well,” he cleared his throat and dropped his voice to a whisper. “You've become rather important to me as well.”
“Well roll me in sprinkles and call me an ice cream cone,” I laughed. “You do have feelings.”
“Katie says I need to express myself more,” he said gruffly, his bi-colored metallic eyes shining a moment before he stepped back.
“You can hug me too,” Pan stepped over and I hugged him amid relieved laughter. Then we left the evil summoning sorceress' house of doom and I hoped I'd never return.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“No, no, no,” Trevor chided as I plopped down on the couch in our little entertainment area. “Get up and come over here.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“You're not going to sit there and pout while you try to watch TV all night,” he shook his head.
“Nyet,” Kirill pulled off his shirt and went to stand beside Trevor. “Come here.”
“Um,” I cast a look at Odin, who was sitting on the edge of our super-sized bed.
“Go ahead,” he grinned. “I'm good with watching for awhile.”
“You're what?” I gaped at him.
