Force of Fire

by Ali Vali

  “I’m glad we stopped him, so keep them safe,” Piper said, accepting Aphrodite’s hug.

  “I will,” the goddess said, turning toward Rawney. “And you, I have no words to thank you. More than most, your family has sacrificed for me, and I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate it.”

  “My mother and aunt did what they thought was right, and I’d like to believe I would do the same thing had you asked me.”

  “I know you would, so that kind of loyalty should be rewarded. Lumas knew what would happen the night she died here, but also what would come of the night her child undid her work.” Aphrodite clapped her hands together loudly and looked down to the fire. “Come.”

  They all watched in awe as Lumas and Rowen stepped from the flames and started up the stairs. “Mama,” Rawney said, and ran to meet her halfway.

  “Rolla knows my wishes, so enjoy the life you’ll have together. It’s been too long, but your family is lost to you no more.” Aphrodite smiled at the touching reunion, then turned to Pauline and Oscar. “Oscar, you’ve come to this place by force, so I remove the curse that Alejandro placed upon you,” she said, placing her hand on his forehead and reaching down his body. When she closed her eyes, a large wound appeared on his abdomen, and the goddess reached in and pulled out a snake, much like Kendal had done with Drakon.

  Oscar yelled in agony and slumped against Pauline when Aphrodite was done, and after she touched his head his injuries disappeared. “Thank you,” he said, moving to kneel and kiss her feet. “Thank you,” he repeated, crying now as if relieved he’d be freed.

  “You, though,” Aphrodite said to Pauline.

  “I was raised to continue my father’s work, but the bastard betrayed me despite my loyalty,” Pauline said as she stood, and Oscar moved farther away from her. “I didn’t know anything else.”

  “You knew he killed your mother, yet you stayed with him,” Piper said, and Oscar nodded.

  “How do you know that?” Pauline asked.

  “That’s not important since it’s true,” Aphrodite said. “Asra, I’ll leave her fate to you.”

  “Wait, that’s not fair,” Pauline said, suddenly trying to hide her nudity.

  “I’m not a killer, but you need to leave here and never come back. If you ever think of anything to do with the Order of Fuego, you’ll end up like your father,” Kendal said.

  Aphrodite touched Pauline’s forehead as well, which made her drop to her knees. “I want nothing from this night to keep you from that promise, so forget about what your father did to you.” It didn’t take long for Aphrodite to pull the snake out as she’d done with Oscar, but this time she left the scar as a reminder of her warning.

  “You continue to prove to me how well I’ve chosen.” Aphrodite kissed Kendal’s cheek first, then Piper’s. “Go home to your child and your family. This isn’t the end of your battles, but I promise peace for a while.” She touched Kendal’s arm and healed the gash she’d received when she’d fallen. “You have my gratitude, and that of my family, for stopping the worst from happening.”

  “I’ll enjoy the peace, but remember that I’m happy to serve you. Thank you, though, for everything,” Kendal said, opening her arms to Piper.

  “You can thank me by taking your wife on a honeymoon,” she said as Drakon lowered his head again so Aphrodite could climb aboard. “Remember, I am the goddess of love despite the last few things that have come back to haunt me.”

  “Don’t worry. We won’t forget,” Piper said and waved as they rose. “If I have to worship something else aside from Kendal’s body, it might as well be you.”

  “I’m riding a fire-breathing dragon, sweet pea,” Aphrodite said and laughed. “You might want to keep the sarcasm to a minimum.”

  Chapter Thirty

  “I can’t believe it took us a year to plan this,” Piper said as Kendal drove through the Greek countryside in the convertible Piper had fallen in love with at the airport. “But it’s been a nice year.”

  “It sure has, and it didn’t take me this long because we had other things to do,” Kendal said, downshifting as they entered the small town. “It’s just that neither of us wanted to leave Hali before now, but I’m sure she’s fine with her grandparents and numerous godparents, including the two wolves who are our neighbors now. Not to mention the occasional vampire sitter.”

  “That’s only because Vadoma is so afraid of anything happening to her it’s making her nuts. She figures it’s easier to keep an eye on Hali than it is to take a stake through the heart.”

  “I’m not upset about that, since she put a big warning label to every vampire in the world when it comes to Hali and Ana, so that’s one less thing to worry about.”

  Piper nodded as she glanced around as if enjoying the beautiful views. “It’s nice that Convel went home and reunited with her family. If I’m right, Hali and Ana might have some new playmates soon.”

  “You know I love babies,” Kendal said as she parked and took the flowers and basket of fruit from the trunk, then held her hand out to Piper. “But right now I have a surprise for you.”

  They had to climb a bit, but after a few hundred yards the ruins started to come into view. “Tell me nothing dangerous is buried here.”

  “It’s actually a temple built for the worship of Aphrodite,” Kendal said, entering the ancient building and laying the flowers and fruit on the altar. “I remember when this place was full of worshippers. They were so devoted and rightfully so.” She took Piper’s hand when they both knelt and bowed their heads, enjoying the solitude and quiet.

  When they raised their heads, the fruit Kendal had put down had disappeared, and a box sat in its place. Piper stood and walked closer, smiling at the dragon carved into the top. When she opened it she saw four orbs inside with a note.

  You asked, and you should receive that reward when you’re ready.

  She handed the note to Kendal, who glanced at it. “Is that what I think it is?” The orbs in the box were like the one that had been trapped in the Sea Serpent Sword that had resulted in Hali’s birth. Aphrodite had blessed them with four more children if they chose to use them.

  “You think you’re ready for more diapers, warrior?” Piper asked, and she heard someone laughing behind her.

  “Of all the things you’ve ever blessed me with, children will be the most precious,” Kendal said, smiling as she dropped back to her knees. “I’ll be forever your dedicated follower because of so many things, but Piper and Hali are the most important.”

  “I know, and for every one of those you use, another of my children will come into the world. It’s the one way to keep them safe and for the pieces of my heart I’ve given freely to flourish in the love I’ve always had for them.”

  “Will they mind losing their wings?” Piper said, standing with her hand on Kendal’s shoulder.

  “There’s more than one way to take flight, and having the love of parents who’ll give you everything is the best way to do that.” Aphrodite placed her hands on their heads and whispered a prayer. “For now, though, enjoy the love you’ve found and the honeymoon that’s been too long in coming.”

  “Thanks for these,” Piper said, holding the box.

  “You belong to her, but both of you will always belong to me and be under my protection.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll love her as long as there are tomorrows for us.”

  “Then Lenore will have plenty of books to add to the archives,” Aphrodite said and waved before she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

  “Take me home, baby,” she said to Kendal.

  “Home to New Orleans?”

  “Home will always be here,” she said, placing her hand over Kendal’s heart. “But right now I’m interested in celebrating what you make me feel in places a little south of that.”

  “You have a one-track mind,” Kendal said, picking her up and carrying her out. “And that’s something to give thanks for.”

  “You bring out the hedonis
t in me, and I love you for that and so much more.”

  “I love you too, and I’m looking forward to emptying that box.”

  The box warmed in Piper’s hand, but she forgot everything as Kendal kissed her. The goddess was right that they had many more battles to fight, but the story they’d be most remembered for was the love they shared. That was a tale she didn’t want to end.

  With Kendal at her side, it never would.

  About the Author

  Ali Vali is the author of the long-running Cain Casey Devil series and the Genesis Clan Forces series, as well as numerous standalone romances including two Lambda Literary Award finalists, Calling the Dead and Love Match, and her 2017 release, Beauty and the Boss. Ali also has a novella in the collection Girls with Guns.

  Originally from Cuba, Ali has retained much of her family’s traditions and language and uses them frequently in her stories. Having her father read her stories and poetry before bed every night as a child infused her with a love of reading, which she carries till today. Ali currently lives outside New Orleans, Louisiana, and she has discovered that living in Louisiana provides plenty of material to draw from in creating her novels and short stories.

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