by Amy Sumida
Volos didn't have servants but food and drink magically appeared on the buffet tables that lined his mirrored ballroom. A fact which was appreciated by all of us. Fighting Gods can make you work up an appetite, even when you are a god. Shapeshifters are pretty much hungry all the time but coupled with the recent activity, they were ravenous. They attacked the buffet savagely but as soon as the food was taken, it reappeared. More than one lion came up to me to ask if I could make us a magic food table for Pride Palace. Sure, guys, I'll just whip one up.
Music filtered in from some unknown source, ranging from Russian rock to American Pop. Lesya was with Vero and Zariel, shaking their butts in a mini dance circle. Around them, the Intare stomped their feet with werewolves and beyond that, groups mingled; talking, clicking glasses, and laughing boisterously. The Lord of the Underworld escorted his lover through it all, a serene expression on his face and a possessive hand on Mokosh's waist. All in all, it was a fantastic party.
Kirill led me off the dance floor and to the side of the ballroom where an open window let in the cool night air.
“How's it feel to be a god?” I asked him as I leaned against the window frame.
Kirill shrugged. “I feel strong and more strength is always good.”
“And it doesn't bother you that the strength came from Marena?”
“It feels... justified.” He grinned at me. “And maybe it vas destined. She vas goddess who first changed my life.”
“Destined,” I whispered. “I suppose that's why the Trinity Star wouldn't help me. Not much, at least.”
“Not much?”
“It helped in the labyrinth when I was trying to reach you,” I explained. “But it wouldn't stop what was happening.”
Because fate can't be stopped, Alaric spoke into my mind.
“Al?” I asked aloud.
Kirill lifted a brow, and I scowled as I realized that Al had been silent through most of this.
“I could have used some help from you too,” I grumbled. “Where the hell have you been? And don't make a joke about being in Hell now.”
I couldn't help you, and if I had spoken to you sooner, you would have raged at me for not being able to help, Al said reasonably. This needed to happen, Vervain. You couldn't save Kirill, he had to save himself so he could become what he was meant to be.
“Fair enough,” I muttered. “Still, you could have told me.”
If I had, it would have changed the outcome. And you have a bad history with fate. Mainly, changing it. We're still waiting to see the results of your last debacle.
I snorted.
“Vhat does he say?” Kirill asked.
“He said you were destined to be this, and I couldn't interfere.” My expression softened. “Divinity looks good on you.”
Kirill grinned, preening a little in a masculine way. “You have another death god now.”
I blinked. “I hadn't thought of that. That makes three; Odin, Azrael, and you. A holy trinity.”
Kirill blinked. “I hadn't zought of zat.”
“I'm good with trinities.” I grinned at him.
“And I'm good vith zis magic,” he murmured. “It feels... comfortable.”
“Death can be greatest comfort,” Volos said as he stepped up to us with Mokosh. “It is end to hardships of life and zere is peace in zat. Especially ven you are god of it.”
Kirill nodded. “As long as I don't have to carry souls, it vill be peaceful.”
Volos chuckled. “Zere is peace vith ze dead too. And, speaking of ze dead, zere is something I vish to show you both.”
Volos waved his hand and the window before us became a door, dropping down to the floor. A set of stairs rolled out from it into what had, only moments before, been a lovely garden but was now a forest.
“You need to teach me that trick,” I said to him.
Volos shrugged. “I am very attuned to my territory; I know ven I can bend it safely. Come. Please.”
Volos escorted Mokosh down the stairs while Kirill and I followed, holding hands. The Russian Underworld unfolded before us, moving under our feet as its master willed; blurring like scenery passing a train window. Within a few steps, Volos stopped and so did the territory. We stood on the shore of a small lake, the forest behind us. Across the lake, on the opposite shore, souls gathered. Bonfires glowed in the night and cheerful music drifted over to us. The dead played stringed instruments and danced around the flames. Laughter trickled over the gathering but some couples had wandered away from the main group to enjoy the night together. Some even swam in the moonlit water.
“Are those the souls we saw before?” I asked Volos in surprise. “The ones sacrificed to Marena?”
“Da.” Volos grinned. “You freed zem, Kirill. Zese souls vere suffering from touch of a death goddess who refused to completely release zem. But ven you killed Marena and took her magic, you destroyed her hold on zem. You have given zem peace.”
Kirill's eyes glistened as he stared at the souls he'd freed. I could feel his satisfaction and deep gratitude. After all of the pain and tragedy he'd been through, he was now strong enough to be the hero instead of the victim. I looked from the souls to Kirill as I squeezed his hand. I was proud of the type of man he was; that saving people mattered even more to him than the power he'd gained. But I was also in awe over what he'd done.
With Volos' words, I realized what a complicated design Fate had woven. All to bring Kirill to a point where he could do what only I and a few other gods—gods helped by magical tools—had been able to do; take a god's magic.
You are more alike now than ever, Vervain, Alaric noted. You must help Kirill settle into his new life.
I will. You don't have to tell me to do that.
You realize that you don't have to sustain him any longer. He is his own source now.
Kirill has never been a burden. He sustains me as I sustain him. Losing that is the only sad thing about this.
A part of him that was tied to you is now free. I understand why that might be upsetting, Al said.
Upsetting only in as much as it was a bond between us. But that bond hasn't vanished; it simply changed. For that, I'm grateful and glad.
Nonetheless, it will take some adjusting to, he warned.
I don't think it will, Al. I smiled at my husband as he took delight in the happiness he'd given others. Kirill is still the man I fell in love with. Magic cannot change him.
Magic changes everything.
Chapter Forty-Nine
As we were getting ready to leave the Underworld, Trevor pulled me aside. “Before you return to Latvia, I'd like you to come home with me so I can complete the Blood to Heart vow.”
I chuckled. “Showed up by a lion, eh?”
Trevor hung his head. “I'm a bit horrified that I forgot.”
“We forgot,” I corrected gently. “There's been a lot going on since you became a god.” I blinked, something occurring to me.
“Vervain, what is it?” Trevor angled his head to look into my eyes.
“Are you two ready to leave or did you want to make out in the corner awhile?” Viper asked as he stepped up with Odin.
“Yeah.” Something else occurred to me as I stared at Viper. I shifted my stare back to Trevor, a question in it. “Um.”
Trevor shrugged in an it's-up-to-you way.
“Trevor and I are going to complete a vow called Blood to Heart,” I said to Viper. “If you'd like to, I'll make the vow with you as well.”
“Blood to Heart?” Viper asked. “That's what Kirill did?”
“It's not undertaken lightly,” Odin warned Viper. “It's an eternal vow of unity; usually given after a marriage ceremony. And marriage vows are not as binding as the Blood to Heart. It exchanges pieces of your souls, allowing you to sense each other's emotions and speak into each other's minds if you desire it. There will be no lies between you ever again, not if you choose to seek the truth. It is the deepest, most sacred vow a god can make.”
“Right,” I whi
spered. “Maybe we should wait.”
“We're not waiting,” Viper growled. “I don't need to marry you, Vervain. A ceremony?” He shrugged. “I couldn't care less about speaking a bunch of words before a bunch of people. But giving you a piece of my soul in exchange for a piece of yours? Knowing that nothing can take you away from me? I want that. If you're not ready, I understand, but I am. Anytime, anywhere.”
“Eloquent, in his own way.” Odin shrugged with his face.
“I'm ready,” I said to Viper then shifted my stare to Trevor. “And more than ready for you.”
“Yeah, it's long overdue,” Trevor agreed. “Let's get home and finish it, Minn Elska.”
We made our goodbyes. Volos promised to search his new territory for the goggles Marena stole and Mokosh promised that no other Russian gods would interrupt my vacation with the newest member of their pantheon. I had thanked them then blinked. Mokosh was right; Kirill had technically become a member of the Russian Pantheon. Just as I had become a member of the Greek Pantheon by taking Aphrodite's magic. I didn't want to think about the consequences of Kirill's new association. Not yet. But I had a feeling that there would be some doozies coming our way.
I traced home to Pride Palace with my men, our children, and the Intare. Stepping out of the tracing room, I took a deep breath. The scent sunk in. Home. Safety. Family. Love. I didn't focus on the individual smells that combined to make that scent. I'm sure I could pick them out if I tried, but I didn't want that. Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
I looked at my family and knew that it was true for us as well. We were greater together. I should never have let Kirill convince me to investigate anything without the others. And I should have known that he'd never suggest that either. There had been clues from the start—many of them—that Kirill was under the influence of another god. But I had been complacent and ignored them. Never again. Not now that I had a piece of him inside me.
The Intare went to bed; it was late, we had celebrated exuberantly. My children were already asleep in their fathers' arms. Russia, which I assumed the Russian Underworld was aligned with, is only an hour ahead of Africa, which Pride Territory is aligned with, so it worked out well for us and we didn't have to put the children to sleep in the middle of the day. My men and I took Lesya and Vero upstairs, to the top floor of the palace, and I got ready for bed as Kirill and Trevor put the children into their beds. I came out of the bathroom in my silk robe to find Viper sitting on the bed, waiting for me.
He was in a collared shirt and slacks—the clothes he'd worn to the party—but his bare feet laid on the crystal steps of the bed's platform. The shirt was unbuttoned, gaping around a chest that couldn't be improved upon—not with exercise or sun or even magic—it was utter perfection like the rest of Viper. The bedside lamp was on, adding a warm glow to Viper's skin and darkness to his vibrant eyes. There were moments when I looked at him and could almost feel the sensation of sculpting his face; molding the angles of his cheekbones, pressing in the hollows beneath his brow, and smoothing the curve of his lips. But it was more than that; my hands hadn't carved this body from the dark matter of the Universe. My body didn't form his.
My soul had.
I breathed in long and deep with the revelation. Viper's body was beautiful, yes. It was sheer perfection in my eyes. But I had been a different woman when I made him; a goddess consumed by power, intent on conquering the world. Yes, inside me, somewhere buried, I had recognized Viper's soul. I had been drawn to him. Destiny had a hand in our union as it had with my other lovers. But I hadn't created Viper's body to arouse my lust. I didn't form him to please myself, as he had assumed. Instead, his soul had inspired mine to give him a shape that spoke his truth. I made his body a representation of his essence; his soul given physical form. The only exception was his eyes; a gift of the snake magic. Everything else was pure Viper.
Which made the simple act of looking at him into something profound.
“Where are the others?” I finally managed to speak.
Maybe I'd tell Viper about it someday but not tonight. Tonight was for other truths.
“Odin said they didn't need to be here.” Viper shrugged. “This is between us.”
“And us,” Trevor added as he came down the tower stairs to the left of the massive room, bare-chested and beautiful. “I'll go first and show you how it's done.” He grinned at Viper.
“Yeah, all right.” Viper got up and waved him on. “Go on then, Alpha.”
I spread my robe at the top to expose the skin over my heart while Trevor pulled a switchblade from his pocket. He flicked it open and cut his thumb without preamble.
“Okay, you're just going straight into it,” Viper muttered.
“This is the part where you stay silent,” Trevor growled.
“Sorry.”
I winked at Viper before setting my concentration on my alpha husband. The air seemed to thicken as Trevor drew closer. His honey eyes began to glow. The blood welled as he tossed the switchblade to Viper. Then Trevor placed his thumb over my heart and his blood seeped into me.
“My blood to your heart,” Trevor declared.
A black wolf bounded into my mind, drawing closer and closer until all I saw were its eyes. Their golden glow enveloped me and within it, I felt Trevor and the Wolf. The wild honor and primal savagery. The possessiveness and submission. I felt his fangs in my throat and mine in his. Tasted his blood in my mouth as it sank into my heart. The Moon rose above us—our shared magic—and the cries of night creatures echoed in my ears. The glow settled into me and became a honeyed mist; Trevor's presence that would never leave me.
I came gently out of the vow, eyes opening to find Trevor's forehead pressed against mine. He lifted his head and smiled at me. Correction, he grinned lopsidedly; his signature expression. The Wolf peered out of his eyes, and I suddenly remembered what it was that had occurred to me in the Underworld. Just before we'd been interrupted by Viper.
“Can every Froekn eclipse as easily as you?” I asked Trevor.
Normally, a Froekn's wolf only emerges with his wolf form but sometimes, especially when a Froekn is endangered, the wolf will take over their human body. That occurrence is called an eclipse. Fenrir had explained it to me when it first happened to Trevor, and he'd made it sound rare. But Trevor had been shifting back and forth—allowing his wolf time with me in his human form—ever since he'd first eclipsed. We even called him Wolf instead of Trevor's wolf. He had his own identity.
Trevor blinked. Frowned. Cocked his head. But his eyes, full of the Wolf, shone with secret glee. “No,” he finally whispered as if his inner self had finally decided to let him in on the secret. “It's the god magic. The Dark Dominion; control of the night creatures. It freed us, Minn Elska. You gave us a choice; made Wolf more human and me more wolf. You integrated us as no other Froekn has ever been. Not even my father. Integrated but also separate. The Dominion gave me control over myself; both parts of myself.”
“Holy snickerdoodles,” Viper whispered.
“I thought it might be something like that,” I admitted. “It came to me in the Underworld, when I was thinking about Kirill's transformation. When Kirill made his vow to me, I saw why he's now able to take a werelion form.”
“Isn't he already a werelion?” Viper asked.
“He is, but the Intare can only shift into full lion bodies, not a half form that's part man and part lion, like Kirill did when he shifted his hands into claws. Hell, even a werewolf has to practice a bit before he can do that trick,” Trevor explained before looking back at me. “I had wondered about that as well. So, the god magic changed Kirill's lion.”
“As it changed your wolf.” I nodded.
Magic changes everything, Al's voice whispered through my memories, making me shiver.
“These changes are good,” Trevor insisted when he felt my unease.
“I know. I'm just remembering something Alaric said to me. How Kirill's divinity will take some tim
e to adjust to. He said that magic changes everything.”
“It does,” Trevor agreed without fear. “But stagnancy can become a type of slow death, Minn Elska. You should rejoice the change; Gods seldom get to experience it.”
“You're right. And now for another change.” I held out my hand to Viper.
Trevor stepped back while Viper moved forward, switchblade in hand. Viper didn't hesitate once he was facing me; he eagerly cut his thumb and watched the blood emerge. Then he set it over my heart and a tranquil look came over his face.
