by Unknown
“Actually, there's been some problems in the Water Kingdom,” I went on to tell them all about it.
Rowan sat there listening to me with a pensive look. Finally, he said, “And you thought the dark fey had a part in this.”
“I suggested so,” Arach asserted immediately, “but it's obvious you had nothing to do with it.”
“We didn't,” Rowan frowned. “But if not us, then who?”
“Now there's a question,” I sighed, relieved that Rowan hadn't been offended.
“Who are Water's enemies?” Rowan's eyes narrowed on me intently. “Who would seek to harm King Guirmean or his kingdom?”
“No one,” I huffed. “King Guirmean is wonderful. He's a very fair king, a loyal friend, and a good fey.”
“Ah,” Rowan nodded. “Loyal to whom?”
“What?” I frowned as Arach sucked in a harsh breath.
“Whom is he a loyal friend to?” Rowan tried again. “And who would be angered by that?”
“No,” I looked at Arach's lethal expression. “Why would they punish Guirmean for being friends with us?”
“Because we've proved ourselves to be too strong for them,” Arach's voice was low and a little terrifying.
“Who are they?” Rowan's voice was pure, intrigued delight.
“The Earth royals,” I sighed.
“Queen Aalish to be exact,” Arach added.
“Queen Aalish?” Rue had walked up to the table without anyone noticing. His voice startled me.
“We're trying to figure out who would hurt King Guirmean and the Water Kingdom,” Dahlia told him as he kissed her cheek and then settled into a chair beside her.
“And you think it's Queen Aalish?” Rue's brows lifted. “She seemed very sweet to me.”
“You weren't the one who stole pixies from her,” I grimaced. “Pixies who make amazing jewelry.”
“King Guirmean stole the earth pixies?” Rue gaped at me.
“No,” I rolled my eyes. “I did.”
“Why would you do that?” He blinked his deep blue eyes at me, so bright against the true black of his skin.
“She was abusing them,” I waved my hand as if I were clearing the air. “Never mind, just suffice it to say, Queen Aalish hates my guts.”
“And the rest of her as well,” Arach nodded.
“I have cause to hate her too,” I defended myself. “And you don't see me plotting against her.”
“You don't have to,” Arach eyed me with pride. “You've proven yourself to be stronger, smarter, and more loved than she is. You, the part mortal, part goddess, part fey woman, are a better faerie queen than she is.”
“And everyone knows it,” I whispered in horror. “I've humiliated her publicly.”
“On more than one occasion,” Arach nodded. “Don't misunderstand me, A Thaisce. I've reveled in every moment and I wouldn't take back a single insult that you've dealt her. It's just that now it looks as if King Guirmean may be paying the price.”
“Injustice,” I growled. “I hate injustice. If you have a beef with me, take it up with me not some unsuspecting friend of mine.”
“Welcome to fey politics,” Arach huffed.
“It does sound rather unfair,” Dahlia's eyes started to glow and Rue grabbed her arm.
“Relax, love,” Rue's voice was panicked. “Breathe. You're in control, remember?”
“Oh crap,” I whispered. “Is she having difficulty controlling her element because of the baby?”
“She's become stronger ever since she conceived,” Rowan leaned toward us to whisper but he kept his concerned gaze on Dahlia. “Faerie told us this is perfectly normal, that sometimes the mother channels the power of the child, but Dahlia also happens to hold the aspect of Vengeance. I don't think this conversation is good for her.”
“No, it's not,” Rue sighed. “Come, Dahlia. Let's get you back to your room.”
“Alright,” she nodded and stood but right before she left the table, she fastened those blue eyes on me. “But if you need assistance, Queen Vervain, all you have to do is ask. I'll be happy to give you vengeance.”
“Thank you, Dahlia,” I smiled weakly. “I may take you up on that.”
“Excellent,” her smile was pure anticipation and I was a little relieved when Rue escorted her from the room. “Damn, this pregnancy could get dangerous.”
“No kidding,” Rowan sighed. “Please tell no one of this. We've already earned the reputation of being the bad element.”
“Bad element,” I huffed a little laugh. “That's kind of funny because...” I trailed off when I saw how both of the men were staring at me with serious eyes. “Never mind. Don't worry, King Rowan, we won't tell anyone. It looks like Dahlia has a lot of help controlling it anyway. I'm sure she'll be fine.”
“Yes,” Rowan nodded distractedly, “but what are you going to do abut the earth royals?”
“And we're back to square one,” I sighed.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Go back to the gods,” Arach sighed as we climbed out of the carriage and made our way into Castle Aithinne.
“What?” I looked at him in shock. “You want me to leave?”
“You're so distracted by whatever is going on in the God Realm that you can't focus on the problem here,” he held up a placating hand. “You know you'll return immediately, at least that's how I'll experience it, so I'm not sacrificing anything when I tell you to leave. I think maybe you need some space to get a better perspective on this and frankly, I'm at a loss myself.”
“I thought coming here would give me a fresh perspective on my problems in the God Realm,” I groaned. “Now you're telling me to leave to get a fresh perspective on this problem. Maybe I should go back to the Void for some R and R.”
“I'm sorry to ruin your vacation,” Arach rolled his eyes. “We could always go with my first instinct and attack the Earth Kingdom, if you'd prefer. It'll be fun if nothing else.”
“Alright, alright,” I groaned my way up the stairs and into our bedroom. “Are you too tired to give me a good send off at least?”
“Send off?” He lifted his brows and then saw the lascivious look I was giving him. “Oh, you will be sent well.” One thick arm shot around my waist and then I was falling on the bed, giggling like an idiot.
Much later, when the screaming was over, when we'd both bled and tasted blood, and when our bodies had shifted back to normal with only slight traces of our dragons remaining, I slid from bed and into my clothes. I studied Arach as I took off my wedding rings and put on my emerald pendant. His light skin was in stark relief against the black sheets, his hair like streamers of blood on the pillow, and his eyes shining yellow beneath their heavy lids. He growled low and stirred, hands sliding against the black silk, muscles bunching in preparation for the pounce. I held up a hand and smiled.
“Give me a minute, honey,” and then I was gone. Or rather, he was.
I rushed backwards in time; through the realms, through the Aether, through who knows what, and found myself in Asgard once more. Valaskjalf, to be exact. Valaskjalf was Odin's silver Hall, where he actually resided. The man himself was walking into the dining hall as I appeared. His thick shoulders looked tense and he sighed as he looked up.
“Son of a vapid Valkyrie!” He shouted when he saw me, his whole body jerking in shock. “Damn it, Vervain. Don't do that. You just left with Arach, so I came home to get some peace. They're still celebrating boisterously over at Valhalla,” he waved a hand back to the doorway. “I thought you'd be returning to your territory after you visited with him.”
“I wanted to see you first,” I grinned. “You were looking a little morose there. Did you miss me?”
“I was pondering how big of an idiot I was to take you to Alfheim,” he sighed and gestured to a sitting area near the one fire that was burning. I followed him over and took a seat, sinking into the fur-covered couch. He sat beside me, one hand sliding over my leg automatically. “Did you happen to have any great epiphan
ies in Faerie? Any thoughts on how to handle this situation with Alfheim?”
“No,” I huffed, “I just found more trouble. Now I've got two situations to handle.”
“More trouble in Faerie?” He frowned. “What now?”
“Maelstroms in the Water Kingdom,” I settled in against him and his arm slid from my leg to my back. “Which could possibly be my fault.”
“How could maelstroms be your fault?”
“I pissed off the Earth Queen and now I think she's messing with the Water Kingdom because King Guirmean is my friend.”
“King Guirmean? The blue guy that was just here?”
“Yeah, him. So how do I prove that the Earth Queen is creating whirlpools in Water?”
“How would the Earth Queen create whirlpools to begin with?” Odin's shimmering peacock eyes narrowed until they only showed the glints from the fire across from us. “That doesn't seem like something that would be within her power.”
“King Liam roasted a guy,” I shrugged. “Wait. Liam used god magic to do that. He had help from Thoth. Which means Aalish must have someone helping her as well.”
“Do you think Liam could have showed her some god spells?” Odin offered.
I glanced over at him and he was suddenly all fire, the glow of firelight in his eyes matched the glints in his blonde hair, and his skin was burnished and flashing between light and shadow as the fire sparked and shifted. My dragon responded to it and I found myself leaning forward, basking in his borrowed heat.
“Vervain?” He pulled back a little and the light shifted, releasing its hold on him. “Are you alright?”
His voice faded and so did he, disappearing into the shadows as the hall faded as well. Instead of the couch we'd been sharing, I was seated on a throne of living branches and flowers. The smell of sap and ripening fruit filled my nose as the trees came into view around me. Grass sprouted and spread out from beneath my feet. Before me was an open clearing and at the end of it was a stone altar.
I stood up and walked over to the altar. There was a crown on the stone. Gold leaves entwined with real vines that trailed down when I lifted it. Red flowers, like freshly spilled blood, dripped down the vines. At the center was a crested point with an empty place within. It looked familiar, the shape of it, and then I looked down at the pendant hanging around my neck. The emerald would fit perfectly.
A vibration thrummed through the earth beneath my feet, as if in response to my thoughts. I took the emerald from my neck and started to place it inside the crown but my hand froze at the last second. I didn't want this. I didn't want to be there.
The illusion dropped away sharply as soon as I focused on my desire to leave. The trees, the meadow, the stone and its crown, all gone. I was back in Valaskjalf with Odin but I was standing before the fire, holding my emerald pendant out to it and Odin was gripping me by the arms from behind.
“Vervain!” He shouted and I got the impression he'd been shouting for awhile. There were Valkyries standing in the shadows, watching us with concern.
“I'm fine,” I let go of the emerald and he slowly let go of me. “It was just a vision.”
“Just a vision?” He gaped at me. “You nearly walked into the fire.”
“Well,” I nodded to the Valkyries as they left, casting concerned glances back at me. “It wouldn't have hurt me if I had.”
“And that makes it alright? What if it had been a cliff instead of a fireplace?” He ran a hand roughly through his short hair. “What was the vision about?”
“What do you think?” I huffed. “Alfheim. This time I saw a stone altar with a crown on it. I was trying to put my emerald into an open space on the crown.”
“There is no crown of Alfheim,” Odin frowned. “And there wouldn't be a place for that emerald in it if there were. This can't be good, Vervain.”
“It was a pretty girly crown,” I tried for levity. “I don't think Freyr would want to wear it. Maybe it's just sitting in the treasury or something.”
“Vervain,” Odin shook his head and pulled me back down into the seat with him. “Alfheim is showing you the possibilities. I think its trying to woo you.”
“Woo me?” I laughed. “Suddenly it's a sixteenth century knight?”
“Not funny,” he sighed. “The land itself wants you to rule it. I should have known it would start to exert its own pull after I saw that flower.”
“Blossom?” I blinked. “Nah, she's sweet. I put her out with the pixies and they love her.”
“I'm not saying she's a secret agent,” he growled. “I'm saying she's a sign of how much the land wants you there. It sent a piece of itself away with you.”
“Well, I offered to take her with me,” I frowned.
“Vervain, please,” he sat back and stared at me hard. “When have you ever left a vulnerable anything behind, be it a person, animal, or plant?”
“Well it's not like Alfheim would know that.”
“Wouldn't it?” He leaned forward suddenly. “You have always been connected. Since your first birth, Alfheim has been a part of you. It's inside of you, right where your mother put it. It's merely been hibernating, waiting for you to step foot on its soil and claim it. Would it be so hard to believe that it already knows you? That it's known you all along?”
“I hadn't considered that,” I whispered and then focused an intense look on him. “Odin, do you think I should rule Alfheim?”
“Should you?” He looked down, away from my gaze. “Yes, I think you should. Is it the best choice for you? No. Absolutely not. I think ruling Alfheim will end up hurting too many of those you love. Which in turn would hurt you and therefore me.”
“I'm sorry, was that a yes or a no,” I gave him a small smile. “I have to find a way to fix this.”
“I know,” he leaned his forehead to mine. “And I'll help you. We'll figure it out together.”
“I'm gonna text Trevor and tell him I'm staying here tonight,” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started texting.
“That's so odd to see,” Odin laughed as he watched me press send. “A phone in Asgard.”
“You have a Santa TV,” I grinned and stood up. “Why not a phone?”
“Good point,” he nodded. “To bed, my love?”
“Unless you wanted to stay up talking about other men?”
“Bed it is,” he laughed and picked me up. Then he ran up the stairs to our bedroom.
Our bedroom hadn't changed in over a thousand years. Now that I had a lot of Sabine's memories back, I knew that. Odin had kept it exactly the same as when we'd lived together there as a family. It was comforting because of that. A warm welcome rush of happiness that my body instinctively felt every time I set foot in it.
But now Odin was different.
My heart raced a little, seeing both of his beautiful eyes in another man's face. Odin's magic had changed Griffin's body, had even changed his face a little, made it less pretty, but it still wasn't the same man I'd known. It didn't matter though, I still saw Odin inside. It did however, make me feel a little thrill.
It was like I had a new lover entirely.
I'd already spent hours trying to learn the angles of his face, the planes of his body, but it wasn't enough. This would take time, years of relearning every piece of him. And I was looking forward to every second.
Making love to Odin had always been magic. Literally magic. He had a penchant for creating multiple tongues, lips, fingers, and... other things, to help bring us pleasure. This new body hadn't changed that. Odin was still my magic man.
I grinned with anticipation as he slid me out of my clothes, my phone falling out of my jeans pocket and onto the carpet with a soft thud. His hands were hot, running over my flesh eagerly, and I leaned into the warmth of him. His mouth lowered and I kissed him, sliding my hand into the back of his jeans to grip him.
He suddenly went rigid and not in a good way. In a terrified, don't touch me way. He jerked away from me, falling to the floor as his body started to sha
ke. A low moan escaped his lips as he crumpled, his massive body folding in upon itself until it was as compact as possible.
“What the hell?” I whispered and knelt before him. “Odin?”
“No!” His hands flew to his face. “No more, you evil bitch!”
“What?” I gasped and shrank back as if he'd hit me.
“Vervain,” Odin moaned and lowered his hands slowly. “Vervain, I can't get it out of my head. She did such evil things to me,” he shook his head and corrected, “to him. I'm so sorry. Something about the way you touched me. This body remembers Demeter.”
“Oh no,” I reached forward slowly. “Are you okay enough for me to touch you again?”
“Yes,” he huffed a big sigh when my hand fell on his arm. “I'm sorry, love. I don't know how to fight those images when they appear. I become him, just fall into the memory.”
“It's okay,” I pulled him into a hug, holding his head on my shoulder as I rocked him. “We'll get through this. Just try to remember whenever you have one of these episodes, I killed Demeter. She's very dead now.”
“I know,” he shuddered. “Vervain, that woman was a monster.”
“And not in a good way,” I nodded. “If I could, I'd kill her again for you. Much more slowly.”
That earned me a little chuckle.
“I love you,” he lifted his face and his eyes deepened to purple. “You need to know that I regret nothing. I would go through this and more to be here with you. I rejoice everyday that you brought me back.”
“You're going through hell right now and you stop to make sure I don't feel bad?” I laughed low. “You're pretty damn incredible, you know? I'm glad I brought you back too.”
Then he started kissing me again and we never made it to the bed.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
When we went down to the hall for breakfast in the morning, we found dwarves at the table. They were eating bread and meat, drinking mead, and looking right at home in Odin's hall. Odin himself jerked to a halt in the doorway and stared at them like they were giant badgers instead of just dwarves.
