by K. L. Hiers
“I’m sure they’ll come visit after the wedding,” Sloane soothed. “We’ll definitely see your sister every winter solstice.” He scanned Loch’s furrowed expression. “Is this about your brother? Gronoch?”
“Gronoch was never particularly kind to me,” Loch scoffed. “None of my siblings were except Gal. The pains of being the youngest, I suppose. But there were times with Gronoch… I thought he was different from the others. But now knowing he’s following Tollmathan’s madness….”
“I’m sorry,” Sloane said earnestly. “I really am, but you know there’s still a chance that we can talk to him. I don’t wanna hurt anyone, Loch. Especially your family.”
“Oh, my sweet Starkiller.” Loch grimaced. “Gronoch is a god, and while we are prone to being a bit whimsical, I’d say he’s pretty sold on taking over the world. Ripping souls out and all that is pretty hard to come back from.”
“Still….”
“It’s all right.” Loch’s eyes turned black, glittering with stars as he gazed down at Sloane. “We will get through it together, one way or another.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Sloane said as he hugged him close. He enjoyed the warmth of Loch’s arms around him, adding, “For a second, I thought you were upset about Lynnette’s baby.”
“Ehhh. Possibly.”
“Why?” Sloane didn’t understand and reached up to stroke Loch’s hair. “I thought you liked kids!”
Loch pouted more, and then the answer clicked.
“Loch, I’ve already told you that I would happily have children with you. Whatever that means for us. I mean, what does that mean for us?”
Brightening back up, Loch replied, “As a god, I could easily spawn on my own. Like dear Chandraleth, my half sister, who was born of Salgumel alone. But I always wanted to share a child with my mate. Together, you and I could spawn in a variety of ways.”
“Such as?” Sloane smirked, amused by how excited Loch was.
“With your seed, I could carry our child. Or, if you wanted to….” Loch actually blushed. “You could.”
“Really?” Sloane slid a hand over his belly without thinking about it, and he laughed. “I just… wow. I never thought….” The idea of carrying a child, Loch’s child, was making his face warm. “That would be incredible.”
“I’m in no rush,” Loch assured him. “I’m just thinking of it more often now. And our wedding being so close, it feels inescapable.”
“It’s okay, Loch!” Sloane brought him over to the couch to sit down. “I think about that stuff too.”
“You do?”
“Of course! I think about our future all the time!” Sloane grinned. “You know, like getting out of my apartment and actually buying a house together. Do I change my last name when we get married? Or hyphenate? Sloane Beaumont-Azaethoth?”
“Mmm…. Sloane Beaumont-Azaethoth does sound rather lovely,” Loch mused as he leaned back and got comfortable. He pulled Sloane up on his chest, curling his tentacles around his shoulders to keep him close. “Only if you want to, though.”
“We’ll see.” Sloane laughed, kissing Loch’s neck with a contented sigh. It wasn’t hard to find himself in the mood, being so close to Loch. There was also something about discussing children that excited him.
Maybe it was the thrill of knowing they had such a bright future ahead of them.
He kissed Loch’s neck a little harder and slid his hand up his chest, hoping he’d take the hint.
“Please forgive me,” Loch murmured, laying his hand over Sloane’s. “Although this would be an opportune time to ravage your tight mortal body… could we just….”
His expression was strained, and his eyes were pleading.
“Cuddle?” Sloane suggested.
“Yes.”
“Of course.” Sloane got settled in Loch’s embrace and stretched his legs over the end of the couch.
“You’re not angry with me?” Loch asked hesitantly.
“What? Because you don’t wanna ravage my tight mortal body?”
Loch scowled.
“I’m not angry.” Sloane chuckled. “I promise. There’s gonna be a day that maybe I won’t be in the mood, and I expect the same respect when I politely decline your advances.”
“Of course,” Loch promised, but there was a small pause. He smirked, seemingly unable to help himself as he amended, “Although, I’d first make sure you were feeling all right, because obviously you’d have to be quite unwell to refuse my physical pleasures.”
“Oh, obviously.” Rolling his eyes, Sloane reached for the remote and flipped through the channels. “Mmm, no Gordon. But ah, Chopped is on.”
“Ted?” Loch perked up, smiling when he saw the spectacled host on screen. “Ah, he pleases me.”
“I know.”
“Sloane?”
“Yes?”
“I love you,” Loch said, wrapping himself around Sloane even tighter. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too. No matter what happens tomorrow, I know we’ll be fine.”
“Mm?”
“Because we’re together.”
They watched television until Urilith and Galgareth returned from their grocery trip to start working on the feast. Sloane got swept up into the kitchen to assist while Loch hung around the sidelines, occasionally snagging a bite to eat.
Alexander poked his head in briefly, perhaps drawn in by the smell, but he only stayed long enough for Rota to help him steal a bottle of Lynnette’s wine before returning to the roof.
“Gordon says you’re supposed to let the meat come to room temperature before cooking,” Loch was scolding, his nose firmly turned up as he watched his mother cook.
Bopping Loch smartly with one of her tentacles, Urilith griped, “I’ve been cooking for thousands of years, eons before the first mortal man ever took his first step. Don’t tell me how to cook, little one!”
Galgareth and Sloane shared a good snicker over that, then left the kitchen briefly to set up the dining room table. As they were smoothing out a new tablecloth, the front door opened.
“Can you hear me in there, little space general?” Milo was cooing, walking in all hunched over as he talked to Lynnette’s stomach. “You want your name to be Leia, don’t you?”
Lynnette ruffled Milo’s hair. “We still don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet! Are we really set on Leia? Because Mara would be pretty too.”
“Ohhh!” Milo gasped. “What about Mara Organa?”
“I take it he’s excited?” Sloane opened his arms to give Lynnette another big hug.
“So very excited!” Milo gushed, embracing Sloane next. “I can’t believe it! I’m going to be a daddy!”
“Congratulations!” Sloane cheered. “I’m seriously so stoked for you guys. Get off work early, huh?”
“Hell yes!” Milo laughed. “I might have spazzed out a tiny bit and took the rest of the day off.”
“He screamed ‘I’m gonna be a daddy!’ repeatedly and knocked over a table,” Lynnette said with an affectionate smile. She tilted her head and sniffed eagerly. “Mmm, what is the smell?”
“Urilith is preparing a feast to honor your new child,” Sloane replied.
“Wait, I smell lavender,” Lynnette gasped. “Is she giving me a Neun Monde feast?”
“Of course!” Galgareth replied. “She hasn’t had the chance to cook for one in a few hundred years. She’s very excited.”
“What’s that?” Milo asked.
“Uh, it’s like a Sagittarian baby shower?” Sloane offered.
“Is this like the naming thing? Like what I did when I converted?” Milo scratched his chin. “We haven’t decided officially on a name, but I mean, Mara Organa is pretty wicked.”
“No, that won’t happen until the baby is born,” Lynnette explained excitedly. “We celebrate the pregnancy with the Neun Monde. Nine moons for nine months. Lavender and other soothing herbs are burned to help relax my new mommy mojo, we eat lots of fruits and meat that are goo
d for the baby, and we get gifts that we’ll use for the birth.”
“The birth?” Milo struggled to keep up. “There’s other stuff to do?”
“Yes. Stuff that you will do as my partner!” Lynnette beamed. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you. It’s going to be beautiful, baby.”
“Okay,” Milo said, taking a deep breath. “Shower stuff, birth stuff, and then naming stuff?”
“You got it,” Sloane confirmed. “I remember the birthing gifts. My mother kept my bell for me. I still have it somewhere.”
“A bell?” Milo frowned.
“The ring of a bell so the first sound upon your ears is music,” Sloane recited.
“But babies can totally hear in the womb, right? So the bell wouldn’t technically be the first thing they’d hear.”
“It’s just part of the ritual,” Lynnette whispered loudly, kissing Milo’s cheek and swishing into the kitchen.
“Oh, okay.”
“Don’t worry, mortal child,” Loch soothed. “You will not have to travel this path alone.”
“Thank you, your great godliness,” Milo said, obviously relieved. “I don’t wanna mess anything up!”
“Even if you do, we’ll all be right here,” Sloane promised.
Soon the table was set with a massive assortment of food: steaming roasts, juicy fruits, and savory vegetables. There was also a collection of colorful bottles, a small box, and a large jar filled with honey.
Urilith made a crown of lavender for Lynnette’s hair, placing it upon her as she said, “I’ve brought you a bell so your child’s first sound will be music, honey so your child’s first taste will be sweet, herbs so their first smell will be calming, blankets so their first touch will be tender, and this crown so that when they look upon you, their first sight will be your beauty as their mother.”
“Thank you,” Lynnette gushed, instantly tearful and cradling the crown on her head. “It’s perfect. It’s all so perfect. Thank you, Urilith.”
“I helped her make some milk potions for you too,” Galgareth said proudly. “Fennel, basil, and thistle. And for the new daddy, ginger and chamomile.”
“For me?” Milo blinked. “What do I need it for?”
“To help you stay calm and focused while you’re helping take care of your new baby,” Galgareth scolded. “Trust us. You’re going to need it.”
Sloane felt someone watching them and turned his head to spy Alexander snagging a plate of food and trying to slip back outside undetected. He tapped Loch’s shoulder to let him know he was excusing himself for a moment and followed Alexander.
As he came outside, he saw Alexander’s feet as he floated up to the roof, no doubt being carried up there by Rota’s ghostly tentacles. Sloane clapped to make himself a ladder of starlight, carefully climbing up to the edge of the gutters. “Alexander?”
“What?” Alexander sourly retorted, settled on the very peak of the roof and frowning down at him.
“You know you and Rota are more than welcome to come eat with us,” Sloane offered. “You don’t have to hide up here.”
“We’re not hiding. We’re preparing ourselves.”
“For tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Rota mumbled, his massive form curled up behind Alexander. Part of his body appeared to be sinking into the house, his tentacles wound around Alexander’s legs to keep him safely on top of the roof.
Don’t speak… rest. Alexander petted Rota before addressing Sloane shortly, “You do realize how dangerous this is? The secured levels we’re going to were almost too much for me and Rota.”
“So?” Sloane bristled a little. “Loch is powerful, and so am I!”
“Ah, but you’re the one risking your life over some people you’ve never met,” Alexander reminded him. “You value human life so much that you’re willing to die for a stranger.”
“Compassion isn’t weakness, Alexander.”
“It is when someone is holding a gun in your face,” he dryly replied. “You’d hesitate to kill someone—”
“If they’re trying to hurt me or my loved ones, that’s different!” Sloane argued. “I’ll do whatever needs to be done.”
“I’ll remember you said that,” Alexander said with a nasty smirk. “Funny thing… I once overheard Gronoch talking about a totem they’d found that would wake Salgumel up, but it kept getting destroyed in a pretty nasty ritual.”
Sloane’s heart sunk.
“Seems some innocent person had to sacrifice themselves to power the spell,” he went on casually. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? Maybe doing whatever needed to be done?”
The ritual Alexander spoke of was the same that had killed Sloane’s parents when he was a child. He’d repeated it as an adult to destroy the totem once and for all, and Professor Emil Kunst had offered his life.
Sloane shivered as he remembered the horrible moment when he’d pushed the knife into Kunst’s chest as if it was yesterday.
Huffing in annoyance, Sloane said, “Look, I was just trying to be nice. Forget it. You can sleep up here for all I care. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
“Very well, Starkiller.” Alexander leaned back on Rota’s invisible bulk. “Tomorrow I suppose we’ll really find out how well you wield that little sword of starlight, won’t we?”
“If it comes to that,” Sloane said firmly. He climbed back down the ladder without another word to find Loch back inside the house.
“What is it, my love?” Loch asked.
“Could we go lay down?” Sloane whispered.
“Oh!” Loch grinned lecherously. “Eager to mate? I understand completely. I wasn’t feeling quite like myself earlier, but all of this talk of children has put me in the most amorous mood.”
“Loch, it’s not that.” Sloane shook his head. “Could we… I mean, could you just…?” He felt sick, trying to get Alexander’s words out of his head.
Loch frowned and reached for Sloane’s hands. He kissed his knuckles, asking gently, “Do we need to cuddle?”
“Yes,” Sloane sighed.
“Absolutely, my love.”
Chapter 12.
SLOANE WOKE up in Loch’s arms, nestled comfortably against his chest with a warm blanket of tentacles wrapped around him. He stretched his legs and tried to wiggle free as he yawned. “Loch… it’s time to get up.”
“The sun isn’t up,” Loch argued. “Therefore, I do not need to be up.”
“We need to get going,” Sloane said, smirking as Loch’s tentacles squeezed a little tighter in protest.
“Now, if you please,” Alexander’s voice called from the doorway. He was leaned against the frame with his arms crossed, Rota’s giant form hovering behind him.
Rota was so big that parts of him were dipping into the floor and up into the ceiling. Being intangible had its perks when one was of godly proportions.
“Just give us a second,” Sloane said, trying to hang on to the warmth of Loch’s embrace for a little longer. He grumbled when Alexander didn’t budge. “Fine.”
“Come eat! All of you!” Urilith called out from the kitchen.
Still rubbing sleep out of his eyes, Sloane forced himself up from the couch to find Urilith. He was met by the savory scent of sizzling bacon and eggs, and his mouth instantly filled with drool. “Wow, that smells amazing.”
“Come on! Eat your breakfast!” Galgareth handed Sloane a plate. “It’s chock-full of Mother’s strongest blessing of protection.”
“Thank you,” Sloane said, gratefully digging in.
“You too.” Galgareth thrust a plate at Alexander.
Alexander made a face and picked at it with his fork, but he started to slowly eat after deeming it acceptable.
“When you’re done eating, we’ll head out,” Galgareth said brightly. “I’ve been talking to Alexander, and the guards change shifts at eight o’clock. It may be the best time to make our move.”
“Mmm,” Sloane grunted through a mouthful. “Milo and Lynnette still
sleeping?”
“Yes,” Urilith said with a sweet smile. “I made them a special potion to help them rest so they can bond today.”
“But they have work… eh… never mind.” Sloane wasn’t about to explain the nuances of taking sick time to a well-meaning goddess. He tried to finish eating quickly and took a deep breath. “Okay.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Alexander said briskly, turning and promptly vanishing with Rota.
“Wait! Well… shit.” Sloane frowned. “So much for having a plan or anything.”
“But we do have a plan,” Loch said confidently. “You’re going to stay back, look ravishing, and let three gods unleash their mighty wrath.”
“On unsuspecting and possibly innocent mortals who just happen to work for a very evil company?”
“Okay, just a smidge of wrath.”
“Thank you.”
THE DRIVE over to Hazel was tense, and it only grew the closer they got. By the time Sloane parked, he was ready to start chewing his nails off. His godly companions remained at ease, but Sloane couldn’t help the state of his nerves.
Loch’s warm tentacles in his lap helped, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of dread gnawing at his gut. He knew what he might have to do if things took a turn for the worse.
He’d have to kill another god.
Putting on a brave face, he led Galgareth and Loch inside to the elevator.
There wasn’t much of a crowd, and the single patrolling security guard did not pay them any mind.
When the elevator doors opened, Sloane jerked back in surprise to see Alexander waiting inside. “Uh, hi!”
“Are you ready?” Alexander asked dryly.
Rota was nowhere to be seen, his massive form doubtlessly hiding somewhere above or below the elevator.
“Yes!” Loch slid into the elevator with a bounce in his step.
Even Galgareth looked a little more peppy than usual, and she was smiling. She nudged Loch, saying, “This is just like when we used to steal the sacrifices from the other gods’ altar before the rituals were over.”
“Ah, good times.” Loch sighed fondly. “We had so much fun.”