by Amy Sumida
But let's move on. Beside the Native Americans sat a couple of single men; Morpheus, the Greek God of Sleep, and Finn, a Celtic swan-shifter. They're both strikingly handsome men; Morpheus with his star-sprinkled midnight wings and misty-blue eyes, and Finn with his smiling, Irish-green eyes and ebony hair. But, at least in my opinion, they paled in comparison to the men who sat beside them. My men.
Trevor is my alpha husband, the firstborn son of Fenrir, Wolf God of the Vikings, but I have five other husbands and a new boyfriend in addition to Trevor. It's a lion goddess thing; the magic compels me to take multiple lovers, and I'm damn grateful for that. Because looking at my men, sitting there together, made my knees go weak.
Kirill, my black lion and Ganza—basically the enforcer of the Pride—had his hip-length raven hair braided back from his striking face, and his eyes—bluer than the deepest sea—gazed at me with so much love it made the ache of Toby's abandonment disappear.
Azrael, the retired Angel of Death, had his magnificent wings put away, but he was no less glorious for it. His pale blue eyes sparkled over his high cheekbones and his dark hair was an opposite length to Kirill's; a short, military cut.
Re, the Egyptian God of the Sun and Head of his pantheon, was the most sensual of the bunch, almost too pretty for me. He had ancient Egyptian features, but a golden sheen coated his dark skin, making it appear much lighter than it was. His eyes were golden as well, gleaming metallic beneath long, thick lashes. The overall effect was more Ziggy Stardust than Ancient Egyptian. Or perhaps male stripper was a better description; Re had been mistaken for one before.
Beside Re sat Viper, adding his blatant masculinity to Re's blatant sexuality. Together, the men were enough to make me quiver. Viper's pale-oak tan went well with Re's complexion and his vivid eyes were just as startling as the Sun God's. But, when it came down to it, Odin had the most beautiful eyes of the bunch, even more stunning than Trevor's honey-gold.
Odin, with his massive Viking physique, dominated his space like a warrior and a king. His nut-brown, shoulder-length hair was strewn with golden highlights and now that he had shaved his beard, his gorgeous face was out on full display, making him look much younger. But, as I said, it was Odin's eyes that really made him stand out. I called the color peacock, but I don't mean blue or green. They're a shimmering blue, green, and purple that shift through all three colors whenever they feel like it.
My last husband, Arach, wasn't there. He was busy in the Fire Kingdom of Faerie with our twin sons, Rian and Brevyn. I'd have to visit them soon. Not because they'd miss me but rather because I missed them. With my Ring of Remembrance, I could go back in time within the realms so that I was pretty much in the God Realm and the Faerie Realm constantly. That was great for my loved ones, but I still experienced the separation normally and with children involved, it made it all the harder.
Trevor held a chair out for me, the one to Odin's right, then took the seat between Viper and me.
“Thank you all for coming,” Odin said once we were seated. “We've had some news.”
“Obviously,” Horus drawled. “Or we wouldn't be here. Now, what fresh hell is this?”
“Hey, that's my line,” I whined.
“He's just upset because he and Katie are trying to get knocked up and you interrupted,” Pan divulged gleefully. “Every time I go over to their place, they're—”
“If you finish that sentence, I shall murder you and cut you into tiny pieces to feed to Vervain's lions. Starting with your penis.”
“Lions von't eat zat,” Kirill murmured.
“Ha! The joke's on you; my penis is tiny already,” Pan shot back at Horus.
“This is so much better than the meetings we used to have.” Viper flashed me a grin.
“You mean the meetings you'd have to discuss strategies for Vervain to take over the world?” Horus lifted a disdainful eyebrow at Viper.
“Yep; those are the ones,” Viper said brightly.
“Oh, he's fun,” Pan declared.
“Wonderful; another playmate for Pan.” Horus rolled his eyes.
“If we could just begin this meeting?” Mrs. E gave Horus a chiding look.
“Why are you using your mother-face on me?” Horus asked in shock. “Aim it at the children.” He waved a hand imperiously from Pan to Viper.
“Don't you have a comeback for that?” Re asked Viper.
“Well, I'm technically four months old,” Viper said. “It's hard to argue with the truth.”
“You're sleeping with an infant?” Finn smirked at me.
I just gave him my keep-messing-with-me-and-you'll-see-why-they-call-me-the-Godhunter look. It did the trick; Finn glanced away and shut up.
“The Mesopotamians are hunting Vervain,” Odin announced.
That put a damper on the festivities. The entire table went silent and somber.
“I thought you wiped everyone's memories when you were the Evil Queen?” Morpheus asked me.
“Apparently only the humans,” I grumbled. “Also, I was the Death Star and I didn't wipe memories away until after I had recovered, get it right.”
“Well, feck,” Finn cursed in his sexy, Irish accent.
“That about sums it up,” Odin agreed.
“So, what now?” Torrent asked.
“We'll need to do some reconnaissance,” Hades suggested. “Find out where they are and what they're up to.”
“There are like a thousand of them, right?” Pan looked around the table for confirmation.
“I'm not fighting them,” I declared, and everyone went quiet again.
Trevor cleared his throat. “We're having a little disagreement about that.”
“Vervain, if you don't fight, what will you do?” Persephone asked gently. “Hide here forever?”
“Just until this dies down,” I said reasonably. “Their anger will fade eventually.”
“You tried to enslave the Gods and take over the world,” Brahma said dryly. “It may take awhile for them to get over it.”
“Then it'll take awhile.” I shrugged.
“And you expect all of us to put our lives on hold too?” Artemis asked with a scowl.
I blinked. “What are you talking about?”
“Who do you think they'll come after when they can't find you?” She asked more pointedly.
I sighed deeply and then whispered, “I don't know what to do.”
That really threw them. They just sat there, gaping at me. Which surprised me. I wouldn't consider myself to be the best strategist in the bunch. Generally, we had these meetings so someone else could come up with a good idea. But I suppose even when I didn't have an idea, I still had something to say.
“Well, call the Hermes Herald,” Horus drawled. “The Godhunter doesn't know what to do.”
“Hey, watch it,” Viper growled.
“You watch yourself, pit snake,” Horus snapped back. “I've been a part of this group since long before your sugar mama pulled you from the Void and announced; it's a boy! I have every right to speak my mind.”
“Not when you speak it like that to my woman, you don't.” Viper leaned across the table toward Horus. “I may be young, but I've taken down greater gods than you, worm-breath.”
“Viper!” I chided.
“I highly doubt that.” Horus stared down his beakish nose disdainfully.
“Enough!” Odin roared and slammed his fist down on the table. “Why must we always bicker? Horus, your frustration is noted and shared, but Vervain doesn't need one of your jibes to startle her out of her funk. She needs all of us to help her think of the best way to handle this.”
Viper nodded smugly.
“And you.” Odin settled his piercing stare on Viper. “Horus is right; this is your first meeting. Perhaps you should settle in before you start a fight.”
Viper grimaced but muttered to Horus, “I'm sorry for threatening you.”
“I'm sorry for the jibe, Vervain,” Horus shocked me by adding. “Odin's right; I was merely
trying to goad you into action.”
“I know, Horus.” I grinned at him. “We've been friends long enough for me to have learned your tricks. It's in your nature to peck at things.”
Horus chuckled then went sober. “You must face this. Hiding here will solve nothing.”
“Can't we try my way first?” I asked. “Just give them some time to cool down. Maybe if they see that I'm not a threat anymore, they'll give up on vengeance. But if I go on the defensive before they've even done anything, I'll only confirm what they think of me.”
“She has a point,” Mrs. E said. “Sometimes the best action is no action.”
“How about compromise?” Kirill asked, his Russian accent shortening the sentence. “Ve vatch Mesopotamians and vait. Put Moonshine on guard and all of you who have businesses on Earth, you be on guard too. Shut down if you can. Ven ve have more information, ve act.”
Odin looked around the table. “Everyone good with that?”
The God Squad nodded in agreement.
“Sara and I will go to Bahrain and keep an eye on the area,” Brahma offered and then lifted his wife's hand to kiss it gallantly. “We've been meaning to go on vacation anyway.”
Eztli shared a look with Blue before she said, “We'll send some vampires too. They'll be less conspicuous; they roam the world anyway.”
“I have no idea where the Mesopotamians will be,” I said morosely. Then I brightened. “But I know someone who will.”
“Sin,” Viper said in revelation. “You think he'd help us?”
“I don't know but it's worth a try.” I looked from Viper to Trevor. “I'll need to go back to Bahrain.”
“No.” Trevor shook his head. “That's the last place you need to go.”
“First, you want me to fight then you want me to hide,” I growled. “Make up your mind.”
“That's not true. I said that I want you here until we figure out what the Mesopotamians are up to,” Trevor said firmly. “When we do, then we fight. But you can't show your face in Bahrain before then, Vervain. That alone might start a war.”
“He's right,” Hekate agreed. “Let Brahma find this Sin for you. He can bring him back here to meet with you safely.”
“Meanwhile, Olympian, you can call on the Greeks to help you watch the Mesopotamians and to fight them if need be,” Hades declared imperiously. “They may have a large pantheon, but none are greater than the Greeks.”
“That was so sexy, Sizzle-Butt.” Persephone stroked her husband's arm.
Hades gave his wife a wicked grin. “Wait till we get home, Bunny-Nose, then I'll show you sexy.”
Persephone giggled excitedly and snuggled closer.
“Someone kill me now,” Horus lamented.
“As if you don't want to get home for the very same reason,” Hekate chided.
“Katie, how many times have I told you not to interfere with my saturnine persona?” Horus huffed. “This is a well-cultivated image.” He waved a golden-walnut hand at himself. “People will be disappointed if I don't present myself with a certain panache.”
“Oh, please. I put the pan in your panache; it's me they come to see.” Pan tossed his boyish curls and revealed the tips of his little horns.
“I take back what I said. Someone, please kill him now.” Horus pointed at Pan.
Chapter Four
The God Squad traced off to begin their assignments. Brahma and Sara were heading to Bahrain to find Sin; I'd suggested they start at Sikaru, the nightclub that Sin's bestie, Ninkasi owned. Eztli and Blue would send their vampires to scour Bahrain's main island for Mesopotamians to spy on, and Artemis offered to speak to the Olympian Council on my behalf. If they agreed, they'd keep an eye on the rest of the world, in case the Mesopotamians had decided to diversify. I would have gone to Olympus myself but it was pointed out that if the Mesopotamians remembered my time spent as the Dark Star, the Greeks would as well, and we didn't know how they'd react to me showing up on their home turf, asking for help on the cusp of trying to annihilate everyone.
I could have sent the Intare out as well, but they were known Godhunter allies and if they were spotted, the Mesopotamians would know I was spying on them. So, we decided to wait on setting the lions loose. Trevor texted Fenrir, to notify the Froekn of possible Mesopotamian retribution then he traced to Moonshine, our nightclub in Hawaii, to batten down the hatches there. He didn't want to close the club completely in case anyone else wanted to get a message to us as Qaus had, but he would take steps to make Moonshine more secure.
“I'm going to visit Thor,” Odin said after we watched Trevor trace away. “Maybe this will finally motivate him out of his melancholy.”
“Okay. Tell him we miss him.” I kissed Odin goodbye.
“I should check on Shehaquim.” Azrael gave me a worried look. “Will you be okay if I leave too?”
“Of course.” I kissed him next. “Tell Mike I said hi.”
“Will do.” Azrael headed into the little tracing room with Odin.
“And then there were four.” Re looked from Viper to Kirill to me.
“I'd like to take Vervain on run,” Kirill announced. “Can you two stay here vith children?”
Re blinked. “Uh. Yes, of course, but doesn't Samantha have them?”
“Da, but she vill vant break,” Kirill said. “Better if you take zem.”
“You want to go on a run now?” I asked Kirill.
“I feel your tension, Tima. You need to run.”
“Go,” Re said generously. “I'm a father, I can handle a couple of children.”
“Are you sure?” I looked from Re to Viper. “Lesya isn't bad, but Vero just started walking; he can be a handful.”
My son was a little over six months old, but he was part Froekn which meant that he developed faster than human children; it's something to do with the animal traits. Vero had started walking at three months and said his first word at four (the was “no,” by the way). He'd also been growing fast and was closer to the size of a one-year-old boy. Vero's my fourth magical child with animal traits (yes, even Brevyn got a little growth spurt when he accepted my mother's essence), but it never stopped amazing me how quickly they grow. Amazing and depressing me. I missed a lot of baby time that other mothers got to experience, but I comforted myself with the knowledge that I'd have my children far longer than any human mother would.
“We'll be fine,” Viper assured me. Then he grinned broadly and added, “Even though Vero is older than me.”
“You need to stop talking about that.” I held up a warding hand. “It's making me uncomfortable.”
“At least he doesn't call you mommy,” Re pointed out. Then he reconsidered. “Although...”
“Oh, Strawberry Shortcake!” I cursed. We'd been trying to get creative with cursing for the children's sake. “I can't leave you with Re; he'll corrupt your young mind.”
“Will he?” Viper asked hopefully as he turned to look at Re. “You wanna watch some movies? The Intare have been playing their favorites for me.”
“Oh, I have some movies you'd enjoy.” Re grinned wickedly.
“Are they appropriate for Lesya and Vero to watch?” I lifted a motherly brow at Re.
Re grimaced and sighed. “I suppose it's to be an afternoon of cartoons.”
“Children's cartoons,” I added just to be sure.
“I am not an imbecile, La-la,” Re huffed.
“Zey are fine.” Kirill took my hand and led me toward the front doors.
“We can watch the other movies later tonight,” Re offered Viper.
I started to turn around.
Kirill grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward the doors. “Say goodbye, Vervain.”
“Goodbye, Vervain,” I called back to the other men.
“Now, who's child?” Kirill asked as we headed down the veranda steps toward the pool.
“I like to retain a youthful attitude,” I said primly.
Pride Palace's pool is formed of natural rocks with a modest waterf
all that doubles as a slide. The water flows out from the pool and into a moat that circles the palace, going through a filtration system out back before returning to be pumped back to the top of the waterfall. We weren't going for a swim, though, we were using the rock wall for some privacy to shift. Not that Kirill cared about his nudity or having others see him shift; it was purely for my benefit.
Kirill and I disrobed and left our clothes on the rack I'd installed within the rock for just this purpose. We gave each other eager grins and shifted. Kirill was right; I needed a run. It had been awhile since I'd let any of my beasts loose. I think I was nervous that with my star weakened they might run amok, but I shouldn't have worried. Letting them out prevents them from going stir crazy inside me; I should have been doing this more often instead of less. As the Intare magic shivered over me, transforming my body into something much larger and more powerful than it was, I shivered with relief. The magic settled back into my star, and I shook off the zinging aftershocks as I took in the world with my lioness eyes.
