“Check my son,” she demanded in a voice that bounced off the walls and caused more ice to crash to the ground. “Heal him. NOW.”
“Samuel will be fine,” Mother Nature told her, staying back.
All of the True Immortals watched the potential clusterfuck with grave concern. We came for justice—not a beheading.
Astrid was like a ticking time bomb and I completely understood. However, she couldn’t kill Fate. As much as I wanted to watch and participate, it was not the way it could be.
“Show her Samuel,” I insisted. “Show her.”
Holding a weakened but the still very much alive Samuel in his arms, God floated toward Astrid and proved that her child lived. “He cannot be killed this way, child of Compassion. You know this. Remember what is true and don’t act on what you will regret,” he told her.
“She tried to harm my baby,” Astrid spat and pulled Fate’s hair with such force, chunks of it were dislodged from her head.
Fate’s grunt of pain caused no reaction from anyone.
“Think before you act,” God advised. “Actions have far reaching ramifications.”
“I want to kill her,” Astrid whispered in a pained voice while looking to God for strength. “I want her dead.”
“No,” a voice that was dearer to me than any other cried out. “A crime deserves a punishment for the one who committed it. To punish all of humanity is not your call. It’s never one person’s call.”
All eyes turned to my Siren. With a shriek and a massive blast of magic combined of her own and mine, Elle broke the icy curse around her and stepped out of it. Giving her my soul was the best move I’d made to date.
And the side effects were outstanding.
Clad in a superbly cut black Armani suit, my Siren was a vision in menswear. Her body, even covered in the suit, made my knees week and the front of my horrid robe tent. Her blonde hair was slicked back from her face, making it appear darker and her amethyst eyes glowed. Even without a stitch of makeup on her face she was the most stunning woman in the Universe… and she was mine.
With a staccato clap of her hands, she broke the curse around her mother and made sure she was still alive. When satisfied that Sadie would heal, she stood up and took in the aftermath of Fate’s attempt at destruction.
“She tried to destroy my child,” Astrid growled, still clutching a terrified Fate in her deadly grip.
“I know,” Elle acknowledged, approaching a sparking Astrid. “And while there cannot and will not be a comparison, she has also destroyed my entire race. She has terrorized my mother and me since the dawn of existence and yet we’re all miraculously still here.”
Elle paused and waited for Astrid to calm. Slowly, Astrid let Fate go and the evil woman dropped to the ground with a thud. Not taking any chances, Elle snapped her fingers and created a force field around Fate. I realized it was twofold. It protected us from Fate trying to wreak havoc while also protecting Fate from our own need for retribution.
“Hello there, I’m God,” my brother said smoothly, stepping forward and bestowing Elle with a smile that made me want to blast the bastard bald.
“She’s mine,” I snapped, shoving him rudely out of the way and staking my claim.
Elle’s laugh rang out and made the somber mood seem light and sensually charged for a brief moment. “Lucifer is correct, but I prefer to say I own his fine ass.”
“And his heart?” God inquired, giving me a strange look.
“Would you like to field that question?” Elle asked me with a raised brow.
“Do I have to?” I asked.
“You do,” Mother Nature chimed in quickly. “Your gal likes to set things on fire and threaten your life and genitals. While I know you probably enjoy that kind of thing, since no one was told to bring eye bleach, I vote we stick to the matter at hand.”
“Fine point. Well made,” God said with a laugh and a pointed look to me.
With an enormous eye roll and a sigh that I didn’t really mean, I took Elle’s hand in mine and winked at her. “I love Adrielle Rinoa. She has my heart and my soul. Actually she has my soul literally and I have hers. Hence the disturbing attire.”
“I was wondering about that,” my brother said with a wide grin.
“Well, stop wondering. As soon as we do the exchange I will lose the drag queen look.”
“I kind of like my new look,” Elle said, glancing down at her men’s suit. “Not sure I’m ready to exchange.”
“I like this woman,” God said with a chuckle. “How do you want to proceed, Elle?”
“Hello,” Gemma yelled from the other side of the vast room. “Can we come out now?”
“You may,” I said, having completely forgotten about the Fairies.
The Kev, Gemma, The Shelia and Lizard approached the Tribunal with caution and formed a small semi-circle around the outside of our circle.
“That was some insane shit,” Gemma muttered, glancing around wide eyed.
“Understatement,” The Shelia agreed.
The Kev simply stared at me with an angry expression. I knew I owed him dearly and I would do what I could to make it right. Lizard popped his gum and stared at the wall. His social skills had not improved.
“Not to be a Debby Downer,” Mother Nature said, eying Fate with disgust. “But Elle is not a True Immortal. As much as I’d love to give her the authority to decide the punishment, it does not work like that.”
“Are you sure?” God asked.
“If it works like that?” Mother Nature asked in confusion.
“No,” he said with a little shrug. “Are you sure Elle is not a True Immortal?”
And that certainly shut my mother up. In fact it silenced us all. With a surprised and doubtful expression, Elle turned her attention to God.
“What do you know that I don’t?” she questioned him as Sadie stood and moved to her daughter’s side.
“How many times in your existence should you have died?” God asked.
The two Sirens exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“Far too many times to count,” Sadie acknowledged. “Millions since the beginning of time.”
“That proves nothing,” Elle said, shaking her head.
“Do you think so?” God inquired and gestured to me.
Moving to my brother’s side, I quietly stared at the woman I loved more than I loved myself which was no small amount of love. Could this be true? Nothing would make me happier. Worrying about Elle’s safety wouldn’t be a concern. My Siren was not a shrinking violet by any means and could definitely take care of herself, but Immortals could die. True Immortals could not without a tremendous amount of almost impossible effort.
There were two ways to find out. We could bring a jury of Angels here led by Pam and discover the truth, or I could bind myself to my brother.
“Your call,” God said, making direct eye contact.
With any action there was a risk. And taking my brother’s hand was a large risk for both of us.
“You’re willing?” I inquired.
“I am. Time is of the essence since no one is guarding the fate of our Universe at the moment,” he replied. “It will march ahead and leave us behind if we are not careful and thoughtful.”
His words humbled me. I knew I wouldn’t see him for centuries and a very small part of me regretted that reality. But we were who we were and we would part like we always did. Reaching my hand out to my brother, I met his piercing blue eyes and nodded.
God placed his hand in mine and we were both rocked by the sensation of long forgotten memories flooding back—memories of times when the thought of being separated were impossible. I closed my eyes and let the feelings consume me.
In the beginning there were two Angels bound by blood. One was created to lord over the light and one the dark. However, Fate had a devastatingly destructive sense of humor and had not made the destiny of these divine beings clear.
The irony of this injustice was not lost on the an
gelic brothers, but they were connected by a love so great no one believed their fierce loyalty could be severed.
They were wrong—very wrong. For only one was meant for goodness and light.
One brother eventually emerged as the victor. He would be revered and adored. Always.
The other would fall from grace in a spectacular tumble from the Heavens that tore a rift between the brothers for eternity.
So one Angel came to rule the light. He was good, kind, and righteous. This Angel had wings of gold and was beloved by all.
The other lived in the darkness. His wings were as coal black as his soul and he was feared by every living creature. This particular Angel was thought of as evil personified. However, to know true evil, one must have first experienced grace…
“Regret is useless,” my brother said, squeezing my hand, clearly struggling with the same thoughts I was. “We have become who we were meant to be.”
With a terse nod, I turned my attention to Elle and Sadie. My gasp caught in my throat and God smiled. Every True Immortal had a thin shimmering silver thread outlining their body. It never changed and it couldn’t break. The thread silhouetted my mother and father, Astrid and Samuel, Dixie and Hayden and Elijah and Lucy along with my brother and myself. However, it now also cradled my Siren, her mother and Fate.
“You knew there was no chance of Astrid killing Fate?” I asked, surprised.
God nodded. “But Astrid didn’t know that. As Compassion she needs to be put to the test as well from time to time.”
“That’s a pretty shitty-sucky thing,” Astrid commented with a grunt and an eye roll, holding Samuel close.
God chuckled. “Yes, well I do have my moments.”
“You are a True Immortal,” I told Elle, releasing my brother’s hand and taking her into my arms.
I felt the absence of my brother’s warmth acutely, but the feeling of Elle in my arms made up for it a thousand times over.
“And my mother?” she asked.
“Yes, Sadie is a True Immortal,” God answered as I nodded. “And Fate as well. So as I was saying earlier, what would you like to do?”
Elle glanced at her mother and then looked around the room at the horrifying picture of her people frozen in a curse. Shaking her head in sorrow, she turned her focus to Fate.
“I want her to answer some questions. I want the truth and I want to know how to break the enchantment on my people,” she said.
“Umm… excuse me, but I think I might be of service here,” Lizard said, digging in his pockets.
“And how could you be of service?” Elle inquired, taking my strange Demon in with squinted eyes and a tilted head.
“Gum,” he replied with a thumbs up and an awkward bow. “I got the gum.”
“Did he say gum or rum?” Mother Nature asked in confusion. “Because if he said rum, I could certainly go for a drink.”
“He said gum, mother,” I clarified. “And I will step in here and accept your offer. Elle, open the force field and let Lizard do his thing.”
“Seriously?” she asked. “Gum?”
“Just wait,” I promised. “My man is every kind of crazy, but I trust his insane judgment completely.”
“Thank you, my Liege,” Lizard said with a lowered head and a snap of his gum.
With a wiggle of her nose, Elle created a hole large enough for Lizard to slip through. We all watched and waited.
“What does the gum do?” God asked quietly as he stood next to me.
“Watch,” I said with a grin. “Just watch.”
“Would you like a piece of gum?” Lizard politely asked Fate as she growled and hissed at him.
“Get out,” she snarled.
“No can do,” he replied. “Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I’d really prefer the hard way, but it’s your call, lady. What’s it gonna be?”
“Get away from me, you disgusting Demon. I will have nothing to do with this nonsense.”
“I was hoping you’d be an asswipe,” he said with a wide grin as he grabbed his bat and pried a shocked and alarmed Fate’s mouth open while shoving more than half of the large pack into her mouth. “Zip her, Boss.”
With a wave of my hand I clamped Fate’s lips together, forcing her to chew the wad of gum in her mouth. Her eyes watered and she tried to pull the rubbery sugar out of her mouth, but her lips were sealed shut. Lizard stood back and admired his handy work. Picking up his bat and wiping Fate’s saliva onto her gown, he backed out of the force field and saluted me.
“How long until it’s at its most potent?” I asked as I saluted my Demon back.
“You’re good to go now. Lasts about ten minutes—sometimes longer, but I’ve got plenty where that came from. No worries.”
“What do I do?” Elle asked, looking askance at her nemesis who was practically choking on her gum.
“You want the truth?”
She nodded.
“She is incapable of lying now,” I replied with a grin. “Go for it.”
Elle’s delighted laugh was only overshadowed by Fate’s closed mouth shriek of fury. The Winds of Change began to blow and Fate backed into the corner of her protective bubble.
“Why?” Elle asked, clapping her hands and freeing Fate’s mouth. “Why have you done this?”
Fate spit the gum to the floor and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her torn gown. She stared defiantly at Elle and tried to stay silent.
She couldn’t. It was fucking fantastic.
“None of your…” she started and then writhed in agony as she tried to lie. “Because I am the one. I am the strongest and the wisest and most beautiful. It was mine for the taking.”
“You are the strongest?” Elle demanded as Sadie joined her.
Fate’s face turned an unattractive red as she tried to swallow her words. “You,” she screamed shrilly, pointing at Elle. “You are the strongest. You were fated for the bastard Angel and I was fated for nothing. It wasn’t fair. It’s not fair.”
Glances were exchanged between the True Immortals but we stayed silent. This was not our fight.
“The curse? Why?” Sadie asked, staring daggers at Fate. “If Elle and I are the rest of the triad why did you destroy our people?”
“Needed their power to keep up,” Fate choked out, slapping her hands over her mouth to muffle her horrifying words. “I bound them and took it. The same way I was going to bind you and you ruined everything,” she screeched, coming more unhinged with each new confession.
“So only one needs to rule at a time?” Sadie continued her interrogation.
Fate nodded her head and then pulled on her hair to try and halt her unwilling flow of information.
“And do we need each other’s power to do so?” Elle pressed.
Fate banged her head on the frozen floor and tried to knock herself out. She failed. Sadie grabbed her by the hair and got in her face “Answer, you horrid piece of work. Answer and there may be mercy for you.”
“Neither of you will need power other than your own,” Fate hissed in a jealous rage.
“Then why did you need our power and the power of the Sirens to rule?” Elle demanded.
“Because I cheated,” she snapped. “The Winds of Change were slowly eroding my magic and that was unacceptable. I was supposed to consult with at least one of the triad. I didn’t. I am Fate, I didn’t need anyone to approve of what I saw fit.”
“Were,” Elle informed her flatly. “You were Fate. You are now nothing and will stay nothing for a very long time.”
“Over my dead body,” Fate said with a laugh that made my skin crawl.
“Sorry,” Elle said with a shrug. “That option is not on the table. Tell me how to break the curse.”
“You’ve already done it,” Fate snapped. “You broke out and you broke your mother out.”
“Will my power work on curses that were set millions of years ago?” Elle pressed, leaving no stone unturned.
“No, it won’t,” Fate said and
then went into a convulsion. “Yes,” she screamed so the seizure would stop. “Yesssss, it will be painful, but you can do it. If the two of you work together it will happen quickly.”
“Do you have any more questions?” Elle asked Sadie.
“No. I don’t. We know what is important. We shall discover the rest on our own.”
With a nod of agreement to her mother, Elle turned and faced the gathering. “I want her to be put in Stasis. She can’t hurt herself or anyone else there. If there comes a time that we need her we can pull her back.”
“Or not,” Sadie added under her breath.
“Ohhhhh,” Mother Nature said with glee. “That’s good. I was thinking somewhere in the bowels of Hell, but that’s so much better.”
“Stasis?” Astrid questioned. “Is it a place?”
I nodded. “Yes, in a certain sense it is. But it’s not a destination.”
“Confusing much?” she shot back with a laugh.
“Stasis is a state of inactivity,” God told Astrid. “Fate’s physical being can be anywhere, but her mind and power will be confined until another Tribunal is called to release her.”
“And that will be the Twelfth of Never?” Astrid inquired with an evil little smirk.
“We shall see,” God said, trying not to smile at Astrid’s irreverence as it wasn’t in keeping with his do-gooder reputation.
However, it was completely in keeping with mine and I laughed. “That sounds good to me. My brother, shall we do the honors?”
“No,” Fate shrieked. “I refuse. I will not go.”
God silenced the harpy with a sharp wave of his hand. Like I’d said, pissing off God was not a good plan.
“Silence. You have committed unspeakable crimes that could have resulted in the end of humanity. You are vile and immoral. You will be forgiven with time, but there is a price to everything and the price for greed such as yours is steep. You will be banished to Stasis until it is decided that you have done your time. At that point you will be allowed to return, but your probation will last for the rest of eternity. Am I clear?”
“You are,” Fate replied in a hollow tone.
She knew as well as everyone else there was no way out. If she was banished in a state of fury or panic that is how she would stay for the next millennia.
Fashionably Forever After Page 17
