by Bella Klaus
“Didn’t you ever wonder how they did the body swaps?”
“My aunt said it was wish magic.”
“The princess took a corpusverto before kissing the frog and poured another dose into the porridge.” Mrs. Meg shook her head and pursed her lips. “Why do you think they included the scene of the wedding breakfast?”
I leaned back in my seat, running my hand down Macavity’s back, and pictured the frog-princess slamming her head into a bowl of porridge. “To make the story funny?”
“Meow!” Macavity said with a sharp nod.
“That’s why faeries should tell their own stories,” Mrs. Meg muttered under her breath. “Other races always miss the important parts.”
“So the princess took corpusverto and tricked the frog into taking it so the ogre would become a princess and the frog become an ogre? In my version of the story, the ogre became a frog.”
Mrs. Meg tilted her head to the side. “The original tale is more detailed than what you might have heard as a child, but you understand the gist.”
I took another sip of my tea. “How easy is it to get corpusverto?”
“It’s available at any faerie brothel,” she said.
My eyes bulged, and I tried not to think about how and why patrons would need such an enchanted object. “Alright. If I take it, will I still retain my power?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m going to swap bodies with Valentine so he leaves the prison as me. Then I’ll transform into a phoenix and flicker over to him.”
“Corpusverto only changes your outward appearance, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.”
“Good.” I pushed Macavity off my lap, ignoring his outraged yowl, and stood. “Can you get me two servings while I take a shower and get dressed for a conjugal visit?”
Mrs. Meg nodded and disappeared.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” I shouted.
A pair of tall women stepped into the room, their gazes surveying the cat trees taking up the walls. Each wore the kind of crystal necklace that I’d seen on Healer Hadriel, and they filled the room with the scent of ozone.
I straightened, my brows furrowing. Were these angel hybrids here to see me?
“My Lady,” said a footman from behind them. “Mistresses Maroth, the ward masters employed by King Beowulf at your request.”
I glanced from one to the other, taking in their features. The woman on the left had a round face and a button nose that appeared out of place with her hard eyes. She looked nothing like her companion, whose narrow features and thin lips made her appear more like a wraith. Perhaps they were a married couple.
“We couldn’t find you in the Shifter King’s office,” said the one on the left.
“It was most inconvenient, you know.” The one on the right tossed her head.
“Sorry.” I gestured at the table. “Would you like a cup of tea?”
The woman on the right’s nostrils flared. “We don’t drink on the job.”
“Why did you summon us at such a perilous time?” asked the round-faced woman. “We tried to cancel, but the Shifter King swore to throw us in prison if we didn’t make this appointment.”
“I’d like to know if it’s possible to trap a soul in a container so that it will never escape.”
The thinner woman tilted her head to the side and frowned. “That depends on if you’re planning to stop a murder victim from giving evidence against you in a court of law.”
I flinched at the suggestion. “Of course not.”
“Then why would you want to stop a soul from reaching its ultimate resting place?”
“What if the soul belonged to an immortal who kept rising from Hell, no matter what people did to kill him?” I asked.
The women exchanged glances.
“She’s trying to banish Kresnik,” said the one with the round face.
“No wonder His Majesty threatened us with imprisonment if we missed this appointment,” muttered her partner.
The round-faced woman turned to me, her features softening. “I am Ariel Maroth and this is my partner, Mabel.”
Mabel inclined her head. “I would like the cup of tea if the offer still stands.”
A squeaky trolley approached from the direction of the door, pushed by Mrs. Meg. “Tea’s up.”
The old faerie floated away the breakfast things and replaced them with a silver tea set, complete with a round teapot and a larger one for hot water, and three racks of toast with butter and assorted marmalade.
Mabel served us all an herbal blend, and the two women nibbled on their toast, staring into each other’s eyes as though communicating in silence. I glanced down at Macavity, who raised his front paw in a feline shrug.
“So…” I said. “What do you think?”
“Please give us a few more moments to think through your proposal,” Ariel said.
I took a slice of toast from the rack, slathered it in butter, and added a generous serving of lime marmalade. Its sharp taste chased away the last vestiges of sleep, and I sat straighter in my seat and took a sip of Lady Grey tea. The citrusy blend filled my senses and washed down my sweet mouthful of toast.
The two women continued conversing in silence as I finished my toast. By the time I reached for slice number three, Mabel downed the rest of her tea and turned to me with her hands clasped.
“We could construct a non-conducting vessel that contained a heart and prevented the soul inside from ever leaving,” she said.
Ariel reached for another slice of toast and took a large bite. “We can also create the physical wards to render such a vessel impervious to magical attacks, natural corrosion, or the passage of time.”
Something in their tone of voice suggested that it still wouldn’t work. I leaned across the table and frowned. “But?”
“How do you know that Kresnik’s soul resides in his heart?” asked Ariel.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Is he a high demon, a mage, or a shifter?” Mabel spread her arms wide. “Nobody really knows.”
My brows drew together. “Does that make a difference?”
“The souls of higher supernaturals are tethered to all parts of their bodies—not just the heart,” said Mabel.
“Kresnik isn’t any of those,” I murmured. It shouldn’t have taken two ward masters to remind me of this fact. When Hades was an ash cloud, his soul had been tethered to his remains, even without a heart. “He’s an old god who is reunited with his immortal body.”
They both stared at me with bulging eyes, their mouths hanging open.
I dropped my gaze to my teacup and squirmed. Kresnik would have been so much easier to kill if we’d dealt with him while he was still in Father Jude’s body. I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure of what he’d done in the Realm of the Gods, and how that might bite us in the asses later.
“Are you sure?” asked Ariel. “We saw the clips of him on the Supernet and figured he was a fire mage who could manipulate light.”
“Or a very resourceful demon,” added Mabel.
“Have you heard of Prometheus?” I asked.
“Impossible.” Ariel shook her head and reached for her empty toast rack.
Mabel pushed her toast rack across the table toward Ariel. “Prometheus disappeared after Heracles freed him from the rock.”
“It’s him.” I squared my shoulders, looking first Ariel in the eye and then Mabel. “He showed me a vision from the time he was imprisoned and took me to the Realm of the Gods—”
“But—”
“I also met his brother, Epimetheus, and the eagle that ate his liver. And the Demon King also verified his identity.”
The two women sagged in their seats.
“Perhaps the armies of heaven can battle against the might of an immortal Titan, but little can be done with a pair of second-level ward masters and a phoenix.”
My temples throbbed to the beat of my pulse. I squeezed my eyes shut and pi
nched the bridge of my nose. Macavity jumped onto my lap and kneaded my thighs as though telling me that even if these two didn’t believe me, he did.
I stared down at the cat, who settled onto my lap, gazing up at me with trusting eyes. Macavity wasn’t bolting for the cat flap and finding shelter from the upcoming storm. He was looking to me to work out a way to protect us all.
“Meow.” The determination in his voice filled me with the courage I needed to charge ahead.
“You’re right,” I murmured, my throat thickening at his act of faith. “And thank you.”
“Thanks for the tea, but we can’t help.” Ariel rose, followed by Mabel.
I raised a hand. “Wait.”
The two women stared down at me with identical frowns. “We just told you there’s nothing that can be done,” said Ariel. “Now, if you’ll excuse us—”
“We’re going to need those vessels,” I said. “One to contain a heart, one to contain a head, another large enough to contain the ashes of a six-and-a-half-foot male, and then a few more in case we need to chop him into lots of pieces.”
“When do you want them complete?” asked Mabel.
“In three hours. Employ others to help you get the work done and invoice the palace.” I turned to Mrs. Meg. “Do you have that enchantment we talked about? It’s time for me to pay King Valentine a conjugal visit.”
Chapter Sixteen
Less than half an hour later, I walked down the darkened hallway prison, flanked by a pair of lieutenants I’d never met before. From the cold magic seeping through their skin, I was guessing they were shadow mages.
“The time you spend with King Valentine is unlimited,” said the man on the right, who was only an inch or so taller than me but made up for his lack of height with ropey muscles. “Feel free to let loose. The room is soundproof, and privacy is guaranteed.”
My lips tightened at the leer in his voice, but I didn’t correct his salacious assumption.
The lieutenant’s partner shook his head and sighed. “Cien, is that all you can think about at a time like this?”
Cien folded his muscled arms over his chest and harrumphed. “Sex talk isn’t going to make a difference in whether Kresnik descends on Logris with a band of human soldiers or not.”
“Is that what people are thinking?” I asked.
“The more optimistic of us think he’ll recruit an army,” the taller man muttered. “Did you see him bless the masses in the Whitestone Pond?”
My mind conjured up an image of the massive pond in Hampstead Heath. As predicted, the Council’s wards had failed to contain Kresnik, and he had escaped into London to wreak more havoc.
Ignoring the boulders of dread rolling through my insides, I asked, “What did he do?”
He shook his head. “There’s footage of him heating the water with both hands while a crowd of idiots stood inside getting baptized.”
My stomach plummeted, and I stared down at my feet, remembering how my power had affected Beatrice in the jacuzzi. More importantly, I remembered how Healer Dianne had warned that if she died with my magic in her system, she would rise as a preternatural.
“Oh no,” I whispered.
“Oh yes,” Cien said. “He said it would give them eternal life, and some twat stabbed himself in the neck. Before the ambulance came, Kresnik told him to rise, and he got up and danced a jig.”
“It’s called flossing,” the taller man muttered. “Imagine having an army that you can revive the moment they’re struck down.”
Cien snickered. “The Vampire King won’t appreciate you putting his young lady off her conjugal visit.”
We reached the door, and the shorter man placed his hand on its surface, letting it click open.
“Have a nice one,” Cien said with a chuckle and wink.
“Thank you.” I walked into the room, looking for signs of Valentine, but he wasn’t in the bed, on the sofa, or anywhere else around the hotel-like interior.
The bed was made and already turned down with a small box of chocolates between the pillows. Someone had unpacked the Supernatural Council’s welcome basket and placed the flowers in a vase that now sat atop the small dining table.
The door clicked shut behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder. “Valentine?”
“Mera?” His voice was muffled.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“In the shower.”
The corners of my lips curled into a smile. This was going to be easier than I thought. I hurried across the room toward its only other door and pushed it open. A cloud of steam wafted over my body, clearing to reveal a hot, wet, and naked Valentine standing beneath the hot spray.
My mouth dried, and for the next few seconds, I stood dumbfounded in the doorway, my entire consciousness transfixed on the sight of the wet and naked man standing beneath the cascade of water.
His wet hair lay plastered against his head, accentuating his regal brow, high cheekbones, and full curving lips. My own lips parted to let out a puff of air, and my tongue darted out to lick them, imagining our mouths locked in a heated kiss.
Valentine was Michelangelo’s David in bronze—better because he was wet and gleaming and muscular and mine. The corner of his lip curled into a smile. I guessed he could pick up the quickening of my heartbeat, the elevation of my blood pressure, and the scent of my arousal.
None of that mattered. Not in the sight of those broad shoulders, prominent pecs, and tight six-pack.
The pulse between my legs thudded in sync with my rapid heartbeat, and my gaze slid down his treasure trail to the lengthening, thickening organ, propelling me forward. It was like being mesmerized, only I knew what awaited me when I reached the shower would be pleasurable.
My mouth dried, and all thoughts of vengeful gods, demonic twins, and prison breaks evaporated into the rising steam.
“Do you see something you like, Innamorata?” Valentine’s deep voice broke me out of my thoughts.
“Quite a few things, actually.” I forced my gaze up the contours of his body to meet his broad smile and sparkling violet eyes.
An excited breath caught in the back of my throat. What was it about Valentine that made every time with him seem as special as the first?
“Join me,” Valentine said in a voice that curled beneath my clothes and caressed my skin.
He didn’t need to ask twice.
Licking my lips with anticipation, I shouldered off the cloak, toed off my shoes, and unbuttoned my pants.
“I missed you last night.” Valentine stared down at me through the falling water with hungry eyes that darkened with each mounting second. “Did you rescue Kain?”
“Not without a fight.” I pulled off my top and tossed it over my shoulder and reached behind my back to unclasp my bra. “A few other things happened that kept me away, but I can update you on them later.”
“Anything I should worry about?” he asked with a frown.
I shook my head. “Everything’s all under control.”
Valentine stretched an arm toward me and leaned out of the water with puckered lips, but I held up a hand and stepped back. “Don’t kiss me on the mouth yet.”
His brows rose. “And you tell me I shouldn’t worry?”
I stepped into the shower, the hot water hitting my skin and melting away the tension of my muscles. It was the magically treated kind that made each drop softer than petals and smoother than silk, similar to what the nymphs had used in Hades’ bath. After beckoning Valentine closer, I cupped my hands around my mouth.
With a quizzical smile, he bent down, letting me whisper in his ear.
“Have you heard of corpusverto?” Paranoia kept my voice below the sound of the shower.
Valentine’s arm snaked around my back, his fingers sliding down to cup my ass. “You want to make love to me as a man?”
“No.” I swatted him on the chest and resumed whispering. “This is a prison break.”
He drew back, staring down at me with features now de
void of their former amusement. “If you’re thinking of swapping—”
“This is important,” I said. “Remember Nut and Geb? Well, I hired them the night you got decapitated, telling them I would pay double their fee if they’d take me to Koffiek and watch my back while I resurrected you.”
Valentine nodded, urging me to continue.
“They’re demanding payment in gold or organs,” I said.
His eyes widened. “Did you take this problem to Caiman?”
I rested my head against his shoulder and sighed. “There wasn’t enough money in the palace vault to cover the amount I owe them, and Caiman isn’t authorized to withdraw such a large amount from the bank.”
“I see.” Valentine’s words were as hard as granite. “And where are Nut and Geb now?”
“Mrs. Meg put them in the pocket dimension.” I tilted my head up, meeting his red eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“The palace stores are always full of gold in case of emergencies,” Valentine snarled. “It hasn’t been opened in decades.”
I slid a hand over his shoulder, wincing at the corded muscles. In his position, I’d also be furious to discover my money had been taken. “It had to be the Mage King,” I murmured. “That time we tried to rescue Aunt Arianna and the clan, he mentioned taking control of your finances when he pushed his shadows through your heart. If no one’s been checking on the stores, then I’m not surprised no one noticed the funds were gone.”
Valentine’s lip curled. “What a pity we can’t dredge him up from Hell to demand an explanation of what he did with it.”
“He probably gave your money to Kresnik.” I rubbed a soothing circle over his pec. “Once this mess is over, we’ll search his properties and see what we can find.”
“Alright.” Valentine exhaled a long breath. “I won’t have you breaking me out of prison just so I can withdraw gold when we can keep the twins confined and out of the way. Stay here with me until the end of my sentence.”
I lowered my gaze to the floor tiles and shook my head. “Kresnik escaped, made himself known to the humans, and is now baptizing them with his magic so they will fight at his side. If they die, they’ll rise as unstoppable preternaturals.”