My Soul to Take

by Amy Sumida

  “The loss of a loved one can be a consuming grief,” I offered gently. “Morpheus lived with his brothers for centuries. It was just the three of them really. His parents lived nearby but they rarely visited. Morph was closest to his brothers and Phantasus' death hurt him deeply.”

  “Phantasus talked about Morpheus often,” Eztli mused. “He had felt betrayed when Morpheus joined your Squad. At the time, I'd supported his anger but now that I've met all of you... well, a new perspective can change your point of view in so many ways.”

  “I'm relieved you got a new look at things,” Trevor gave her his lopsided grin. “Because my perspective at the battle included you and Blue, and I'd rather not go up against you two glowworms.”

  We all chuckled as new guests were announced.

  “Elena the Vampire Psychic and escort; Ajax Dimitriou...” Pinocchio stopped and turned to Elena to murmur, “Do I really have to say that?”

  Elena gave him an insistent look while Ajax simply looked like a man headed to the gallows.

  “Ajax Dimitriou,” Pinocchio went on in a slightly softer voice, “Vampire Sex God.”

  I choked on my Pan punch.

  As Elena smugly walked in with her date, the room went quiet enough that I was able to hear Re's exclamation as if he were standing right beside me.

  “Blast it all, that's my title!”

  “Re's the Vampire Sex God?” Trevor asked Kirill with a smirk.

  “He vants to suck your-”

  “Alright,” I cut Kirill off before he said what I suspected he was about to say. “That's not fair, you already have the Russian accent. You barely have to alter it to make it sound like Dracula.”

  “Hey all you party people!” Elena exclaimed to us as she walked up.

  “Hey, Vampire Psychic,” Trevor smiled and then looked at Ajax. “What's up, Vamp-”

  “Don't,” Ajax pointed his finger at Trevor.

  Ajax was a big guy. He looked as if Eztli had plucked him right out of a gladiatorial ring and turned him into a vamp because he was such a bad ass. He had long, dirty-blonde hair and almost as much muscles as Thor. Still, this wasn't enough to intimidate the Froekn Heir Apparent (and btw, I had no idea that was Trevor's full title).

  “Don't what, Sex God?” Trevor smirked.

  “Elena, must you embarrass us wherever we go?” Eztli cut in before Ajax could get angry.

  “I bring the fun,” Elena was not at all embarrassed.

  “Where's this psychic and her sex god?” Pan was practically jumping up and down with joy as he approached us. “Hello! Such a pleasure to meet you, Miss Psychic,” he shook Elena's hand vigorously before shaking Ajax's. “I'm a sex god too, you know? You've come to the right place.”

  “Really?” Elena frowned doubtfully. “Cause it looked like Peewee's Playhouse out there.”

  “Peewee?!” Pan huffed. “Are you insane? Did Peewee have a gigantic sand castle? Did he have a snow globe bouncy house? No! Peewee has nothing on the Pan!”

  “Darling,” I drawled to Pan, “Disney has nothing on the Pan.”

  “I love you, Vervain,” Pan threw himself at me and I caught him just in the nick of time. “Have I ever told you that?”

  Pan's face had conveniently landed between my breasts and he stared up at me with supreme satisfaction. His little pointed chin was tapping my sternum and his boyish face was framed by the violet velvet of my dress. He settled in against me as if he intended to stay there forever. Then came the growling.

  “Pan, I think you'd better run,” I whispered.

  He shifted his eyes side to side and caught the menacing leers of my husbands.

  “I gotta go handle something over there!” Pan leaped back and rushed off. “Way over there!”

  Trevor and Kirill stalked after him, tracking their prey through the maze of people slowly but steadily.

  A few moments later we heard Pan squeak, “I don't care what you do to me; it was worth it!”

  “Some sex god,” Ajax rolled his eyes.

  “You're Greek, right? Dimitriou sounds like a Greek name.” I asked Ajax as Odin sidled up to me.

  It was like my men could sense when there was a husband vacuum and one of them would immediately rush to fill it.

  “Yes,” Ajax looked at me warily.

  “Don't you know who that was?” I kept my tone casual.

  “A pervert?” He offered.

  Odin and Blue both looked away and muffled their laughter.

  “That was the Pan,” I took great joy in announcing. “The Greek God of the Wilds.”

  “The one with the caves for temples and all the gorgeous women flocking around? Nymphs and pipes and hooves; that Pan?” Ajax gaped at me.

  “That's the Pan,” I nodded.

  “Ba! I just met Pan!” Ajax turned to Elena in shock.

  “I get the joke but Pan's affiliated with goats, not sheep,” Re said as he joined us.

  “Well, flocks,” I offered.

  “Oh yes, you're right,” Re kissed me on the cheek and then looked back to Ajax. “Go ahead and baa all you wish.”

  “Ba is a Greek expression of amazement,” Elena explained while she chuckled. “Lighten up, big guy,” she elbowed the glowering Ajax. “That was funny. I told you, you shouldn't use that word around non-Greeks. What did I say?”

  “That I would sound like a little lamb,” he recounted in a petulant tone. “And you would have to rename yourself Mary.”

  “Exactly,” she nodded smugly. Then she leaned forward towards me, held her hand up to her mouth to block Ajax, and whispered, “That's why I gotta tell everybody how good he is in bed. Not too bright, this one.”

  “Elena, I can hear you,” Ajax growled.

  She winked at me and then straightened, “Hear what, sweetie?”

  Ajax sighed deeply and looked to Re, “She's amazing in bed too, which is why I put up with all of this...,” he waved his hand generally at Elena, “nonsense.”

  “Nonsense am I?” Elena scowled at Ajax.

  “My friend,” Re laid a hand on Ajax's shoulder sympathetically. “Might I recommend bondage?”

  I choked on Pan punch again.

  “We've already done that,” Elena said smugly. “It was fantastic.”

  I gaped at her as I wiped my wet chin.

  “And a ball gag,” Re added thoughtfully.

  “Hmm,” Ajax nodded while Elena sputtered. “Good idea.”

  “Just a suggestion from one sex god to another,” Re smiled.

  “Is this room full of sex gods?” Ajax lifted his brows.

  “Nope, just this group,” I rolled my eyes and then looked consideringly at Odin. “Actually, that's pretty accurate.”

  “It helps to have magic hands,” Odin chuckled.

  “And tongues,” I agreed.

  “I'm sorry,” Elena stopped sputtering and honed in on me. “Did you just say tongues... plural?”

  “Magic is a marvelous thing,” I waggled my brows at her.

  “Do you have any brothers?” She asked Odin in complete seriousness.

  Ajax pulled her away to the dance floor as we laughed.

  “So marriage is working well for all of you?” Blue asked.

  “All but one of us,” Re said before I could answer.

  “Yes, it's wonderful actually,” I gave Re a quelling glance.

  “And your new sons are well?” Eztli asked.

  “Um,” I shared a look with Odin, “yeah, they're great. Exhausting but great.”

  “Children,” she mused. “We've been discussing the possibility.”

  “Can vampires have children?” Odin asked politely.

  “No,” Eztli sent a sympathetic look towards her friend. “But I'm more than a vampire now.”

  “Children,” I thought about the future I'd been to and couldn't remember Blue mentioning them. But that didn't mean he didn't have them or that he couldn't have them in this new timeline. “Yes, I think you'd make an excellent father.”

  “That's
quite a different opinion from the one you had before,” Blue teased me.

  “You're quite a different man than the one you were before,” I shot back and then noticed Eztli's sharp gaze. “And now you're finally with the woman who was meant to be mother to your children.”

  Eztli gave a grim laugh and shook her head. “It's rather ironic to hear you say that, after our history together.”

  “Blue isn't the only one who's changed,” I offered. “And from what I understand, you've already played the role of mother to your vampires. Stepping into the role of biological mother shouldn't be too hard for you.”

  “I hadn't thought of it like that,” she gave me a soft smile and then transferred the look to Blue. “Perhaps we should try.”

  Blue's face lit up with a radiant smile as he pulled her into his side. “I didn't think I could be any happier than I already was,” he kissed her temple.

  “It may not happen,” she warned him.

  “And that's fine too,” he said. “For now, let's not worry about it, let's simply dance.” He stepped back and held his hand out to her.

  “Just steer us away from Elena,” Eztli said as she took his hand and let him lead her out to the dance floor.

  A tinkling sound caught our attention and we all looked toward the high table where Pan was standing, striking his crystal goblet with a spoon.

  “Everyone! Hey!” Pan called and the room went silent. “Thank you. I just wanted to make a toast to the happy couple,” he waved his hand towards Hekate, who looked beautiful in a Victorian inspired black lace dress, and Horus who was wearing a tailored tuxedo with a black bow tie... and a wary expression. “Horus and I have been friends for a long time. We have an odd relationship; a sort of comedic antipathy, but as anyone who truly knows us is aware; Horus is the best friend I've ever had.” Pan went serious and stopped to give Horus a sweet smile. Miracle of miracles, Horus smiled back. “He's a great guy, don't let his Horus persona fool you,” we all chuckled at the face Horus made. “And he's always been there for me; whether I needed a kick in the ass or a helping hand up after he kicked me in the ass. I...” he swallowed hard. “I couldn't have picked a better woman for him than Hekate. She's brought my friend back to life and put a smile on his face again... something I've been trying to do for centuries. But evidently, I didn't have the right equipment for the job,” another pause was filled with laughter and much Horus scowling. “But in all seriousness, I'd like to make this toast,” Pan lifted his glass and the room mimicked him. “To Horus and Hekate, may they always make each other smile.”

  “To Horus and Hekate!” The room echoed and we all drank.

  I looked around me and saw that my husbands had closed in and our little group was complete again. Even Re was standing within the circle, accepted, at least for the moment. I regarded each man, noting that they all made me smile as Hekate did for Horus, but they each had their own way of doing so. It was truly the secret to a lasting relationship. Pan had shown his brilliance with that toast. Love lasted as long as you made each other smile.

  I lifted my glass to my men and they seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. I suppose four out of the five of them did. They lifted their glasses to mine and we had our own private toast. No words needed to be said, real happiness doesn't need to boast, we just clicked our glasses, drank deeply, and smiled.

  Grammar Giggles

  And just for a little giggle, here are some grammar mistakes found by me and my editor Michelle Hoffman, during the editing of this book

  The correct line: Then, around the edges, were several beds of all different styles, all of them full of naked, writhing couples.

  The mistake: Then, around the edges, were several beds of all different styles, all of them full of naked, writing couples.

  The correct line: I ran my hand down the slick wall.

  The mistake: I ran man hand down the slick wall.

  The correct line: “I'm not the most knowledgeable about the Jehovah religions but I thought I'd heard that there were four?”

  The mistake: “I'm not the most knowledgeable about the Jehovah religions but I thought I'd heart that there were four?”

  The correct line: “Everywhere I look something unusual pops up... even the sand,”

  The mistake: “Everywhere I look something usual pops up... even the sand,”

  The correct line: “Vervain told us how Dexter didn't leave Arach's side after she died in that wrong future?”

  The mistake: “Vervain told us how Dexter didn't left Arach's side after she died in that wrong future?”

  The correct line: She was wily, that one.

  The mistake: She was willy, that one. (Evidently Nefertari was a willy)

  The correct line: Except instead of phone calls passing through the vein, it's souls.”

  The mistake: Except instead of phone calls passing through the vein, it's souls.”014 (Michelle wrote in her notes, “I'm not sure what this number is for.” Neither am I, Michelle, neither am I.)

  And please feel free to write me at vervainlavine@yahoo.com if you spot any grammar errors yourself. I'm a poor self-published author who must rely on the kindness of my super-smart friends for help in editing. Please have mercy on my writing.

  Keep reading for a sneak peek into the next book in the Godhunter Series:

  As the Crow Flies

  Chapter One

  So many of my friends were getting married. It was wonderful, really it was. I had thoroughly enjoyed Blue and Eztli's wedding, despite the nasty looks Morvran had given me. He was dead now anyway, so it didn't matter. Oh damn, I probably shouldn't be thinking about death at a faerie wedding, and a royal one at that.

  I looked around the crowded ballroom of Castle Under, called so because it was in the city of Under, twin city to Water, which was of course located in the Faerie Sea, above Under. Castle Under was actually only half a castle. The other half of the castle was Castle Water, in the city of Water which was significantly wetter than Under. The Water King was a close friend of mine and he was marrying another friend of mine, Nora, who had once been a fire phooka. Now, thanks to Faerie, she's a water phooka but she's still a bit uncomfortable in the water. So the royal wedding was taking place in the dry Castle Under instead of Castle Water.

  There had been a lot of concern over this since traditionally water royals were married in Castle Water. But Guirmean had got around this tradition by blaming the High King. It was my suggestion. He didn't want his fey to think less of their new queen for not having the fish balls to get married in water, literally in water. So I suggested that Guirmean tell them all he was holding the ceremony in Under for the comfort of the High King. This worked amazingly well since no one wanted to make the High King of Faerie uncomfortable.

  Personally, I was grateful to not have to attend an underwater wedding, just an Under wedding. Even with my breathing pearl, I just wasn't comfortable in the water. Probably because I was a dragon-sidhe and we were fire fey. It was bad enough that we'd had to tromp through the sandy crystal tubes all the way to Under, which was in the heart of the Faerie Ocean, under billions of tons of water. This was the exact opposite of a no pressure situation; there was literally tons of pressure pushing on Under's stone sky.

  Actually, now that I was in the city, it wasn't so bad. It was the getting there that had been traumatizing. Walking through the tubes felt like being in a surreal world where the roles of fish and humans had been reversed. We were in the bowl and the fish were outside. Except our bowl was a long tube which the fish could swim along the outside of and watch me to their heart's content. Scary, monstrous fish with human faces.

  Ugh! Forget about the fish, Vervain. I focused on the beautiful room with its pearl-studded walls and mosaic shell floor. Swaths of fabric in shimmering pale blue ran the length of the room, draped between columns of glass. Within the glass, fish swam, so there went the whole forgetting about fishes thing. I rolled my eyes in despair.

  “The hollow columns run all the
way up to Castle Water,” Arach whispered to me when he saw where my attention laid. “It's a way of uniting the castles.”

  “Great,” I grimaced. “So if one of those things were to break, the entire Faerie Sea would come rushing in.”

  “That's fey crystal, it won't break, A Thaisce,” he chuckled as he gently rocked the sleeping Rian. “Just a little longer, and then we can leave.”

  We'd decided to bring the babies along for their first royal event. So instead of his usual outfit of a simple fey diaper, Rian was wearing an elaborate green velvet tunic which matched the scales at his temples. It wasn't that we didn't like dressing him up, he just tended to shift into his dragon shape so much that it became a waste of good clothing. Brevyn, on the other hand, was used to wearing finery. He was perfectly comfortable in his baby blue silk tunic and white leather pants. He looked like a miniature knight and he was the perfect thing to distract me from the fish. I lifted him closer and nuzzled the soft blonde halo of hair on his head.

  “Just a little longer my patootie,” I whispered in my sing-song mommy voice. “We haven't even got to the ceremony yet.”

  “It will be fast,” Arach assured me. “Recall our own ceremony, it was less than ten minutes.”

  “Alright,” I grumbled. “That's one thing I'll give the Fey, they know how to make events short and sweet.”

  “Sometimes,” he leaned in and kissed me. “But sometimes we like to take our time.”

  Music started before I could respond and everyone turned to look down the aisle. Arach and I were with the other royals at the front of the room, right before the dais where Guirmean stood. He looked very majestic in his faerie raiments; his deep blue skin was complimented by the rusty pumpkin color of his tunic and the dark brown leather of his pants. Over his shoulders, a long cape of water was laid. Yep, water. Frickin' faeries loved using magic to make elements into pieces of clothing. So Guirmean's cape fell in literal liquid glory around him. Basically he was wearing a waterfall and his pastel green hair laid across it like seaweed on the surf.