by Amy Sumida
“Don't play innocent with me, Lala,” Re said. “I was in that timeline too. I remember what happened.”
I flushed again as my gaze shot to Trevor. Trevor glanced pointedly at Blue and nodded. Re and Trevor had both been with me in the last timeline; which meant that both of them knew I'd been with Blue.
“Please don't say anything,” I whispered to them. “Nothing will ever happen between us again. You know I don't love him like that, and he loves Eztli.”
“Of course, we won't,” Re said chidingly. “I was just teasing you, Lala. It's been a long time since I've seen you blush. It makes me wonder what the Aztec did that I haven't.” Re seemed to give it serious thought. “There is little that I haven't done with you that I think you'd enjoy. So, what could it have been?”
My cheeks heated again.
“Vhat's zis?” Kirill leaned toward me with a curious look.
“Is there something you'd like to share with the class?” Mrs. E—my good friend who was also the mother of my newest boyfriend, Toby—said in a perfect imitation of a teacher.
“Sorry,” I mumbled like a teenager caught passing notes.
“I'm not at all sorry,” Re said with a lifted chin. “If I wanted the rest of you to hear my romantic whispers to my fiance, I would have said them louder. Since I did not, I expected you all to be polite enough to ignore us.”
“Usually, that would be fine,” Toby said as he glared at Re. “But since we're in the middle of figuring out how to investigate the deaths of some friends, your romantic whispers are annoying and rude; as rude as your attitude toward my mother.”
“Toby, it's okay,” Mrs. E said gently. “We all know how Re is.”
“I don't care how he is to others; he's not going to talk to you like that,” Toby said firmly.
I was surprised to see such fire in the Navajo God of Water, but Toby was big into honor and respect so I shouldn't have been. I understood that he was standing up for his mother, but Re had a fair point; Mrs. E shouldn't have treated us like children.
“Your mother can defend herself,” Mr. T—Mrs. E's husband—said. “And if she can't, I will defend her.”
My eyes went wide at the tension between the three of them; parents and child. Then I glanced at Teharon; Toby's nephew. Teharon looked uncomfortable; his turquoise eyes looking everywhere but at his relatives. His girlfriend—the Hindu Rat Goddess, Karni Mata—was staring at him questioningly, but Teharon just shook his head at her.
So, this wasn't about Re at all.
“There is no cause for anyone to defend Estsanatlehi,” Re said angrily. “I respect her deeply and had no intention of offending her; with attitude or otherwise. I say what I feel and what I mean—directly and honestly—and I expect to be treated the same. All of you should know that by now. If I start being overly polite, then you can get upset.”
Mrs. E laughed. “I was not offended, Re. But thank you for the clarification. I'll be sure to reserve my scorn for your good behavior.”
“As you should.” Re nodded at her.
I frowned at Toby, but he shook his head at me just as his nephew had done to Karni. And then Azrael was talking again; telling everyone of the second possession. The God Squad went to work; deciding on who should go to what site and what we needed to look for. I just continued to stare at the Native American Gods; my racy memories all but forgotten in light of the drama unfolding before me.
“Vervain?” Azrael asked.
“Yes?” I looked up at him.
“Is that all right with you?”
I just stared at Azrael blankly.
“Now, what's wrong with you?” Horus huffed at me.
Hekate slapped her husband in his chest—with a hand encrusted in silver rings—and scowled at him; her scowl emphasized but the Goth makeup she wore. But Horus just sighed tiredly.
“The woman has more issues than Time magazine,” Horus said to his wife. “She has full subscriptions.”
“But we aren't dealing with Vervain's subscriptions right now,” Hekate said. “We've got a demon killer to find.”
“I'm not the one who wasn't paying attention,” Horus said.
“But you're the one causing a scene,” Persephone pointed out helpfully.
Hades chuckled softly.
“Was what all right with me, Az?” I ignored my friends and tried to get us back on track.
“I'll take a team to Spain,” Azrael said. “Trevor, Thor, Tsohanoai, Estsanatlehi, Teharon, Karni Mata, Hades, Persephone, Brahma, and Sarasvati will go with me. “Your team will consist of Finn, Blue, Eztli, Morpheus, Torrent, Artemis, Toby, Odin, Re, Pan, Hekate, and Horus.”
What a mouthful; the Squad had really grown.
“Oh, yay; I'm on Team Vervain,” Horus said sarcastically.
His wife smacked him again.
“I mean; yay,” he tried to add more enthusiasm but failed. Horribly.
“That way, we'll each have a tracker if we find any suspicious trace evidence,” Azrael went on. “Trevor with us, and you with the other group.”
“What about us?” Aidan asked. “Why don't we ever get to go on these investigative missions?”
“Do you want to come along?” I asked him. “You can be with my team.”
Aidan blinked, thought about it, and then looked at the other Intare. They were all shaking their heads at him as if he didn't know when to keep his damn mouth shut.
“On second thought,” Aidan said. “We're more 'tear and claw' kind of folk. Perhaps we should wait until there's something to kill.”
“You're right; we don't want your little kitty angst getting out of control,” Trevor said with a smirk. “Better for you to stay here and train.”
“Anytime you want to train with us, you're welcome to, Wolf,” Fallon said with a grin. “We can see how your puppy eyes hold up to our kitty claws.”
Fallon had fought three Froekn champions for the right to marry his wife, Samantha. He had to prove himself to the Pack before he would be accepted by it. Fallon had lost, but just barely, and I suspected that he'd done it on purpose. So did Trevor. My wolf smiled back at the lion in acknowledgment of his challenge and of the weight it carried.
Boys. They only got worse with age, and animal instinct didn't help either.
“Kirill?” I asked my husband if he were joining us with one word; usually, that was all it took.
“I'll stay vith Lesya,” Kirill said. “Let me know vhen zere is enemy to slay.”
Kirill wasn't like the other Intare; he wasn't really staying home because he didn't want to investigate. He was staying so he could be with Lesya. We tried not to leave her with Samantha too often, even though Sam was happy to watch Lesya; especially now that she was old enough to be a companion to Sam and Fallon's daughter, Zariel. Lesya had just made a year in June, but she had advanced a little more rapidly than a human child; thanks to her werelion genes and all the magic she'd gotten from her mommy. Lesya was talking and walking now, and she had become best friends with Zariel. Still, we didn't want to take advantage of Zariel's mother.
“Okay, thank you.” I kissed my lion husband goodbye. “And good luck to you and your team,” I said before I kissed my angel husband goodbye.
“What about me?” Luke asked.
“You need to be home with Mom,” Azrael said. “And the Demons.”
Satan went grim and nodded; we all knew that things could escalate quickly when magic was involved. Luke needed to be with his demons in case of another attack.
“I wish you the luck of me, everyone,” Luke said with all seriousness. “Please let me know as soon as you find something.”
“We will, Dad,” Azrael promised and then hugged his father.
Chapter Four
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!” I murmured in an exclamatory tone. “Alan possessed someone in there?”
I've always had a fondness for creative curses but ever since I became a mother, I've added several new ones to my repertoire, and I've insisted that m
y husbands do so as well. Recently, we'd been going through a fairy tale kick.
“Well, if you had to possess someone, wouldn't you rather it be someone wealthy?” Pan asked. “The demons get to choose, don't they?”
“As long as it's someone who falls under the Trinity-Religions umbrella,” I said.
The Trinity-Religions were Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. I consider Catholicism to be a branch of Christianity; or the other way around, depending on how you look at it. Anyway, those three religions all believe in Satan, God, Angels, and Demons—which made them fair game for demonic possession.
“Catholicism is big here,” Torrent said. “It's not surprising that Alan found a good host.”
“A good host?” I asked as we trudged up the long, dirt drive. “There's a crest on that arch. Your average person doesn't adorn their home with crests; not even if they're rich.”
I couldn't point at the crest because we were invisible, but it was obvious which arch I was referring to. The main portico had a grand, central arch with a crest set at its apex. Behind the portico—in case you don't know, portico is just a fancy word for a covered porch, but this mansion didn't have anything so mundane as a front porch—there was an arched door that looked as if it had been built to withstand Roman gladiators. Horus and Morpheus—who were posing as Italian detectives—had already crossed the herringbone brick portico and were knocking on that impressive door. The rest of us were going to search the house as Horus and Morph questioned the residents, and then we'd regroup back at Eztli's villa to share our findings. We had to trace to Eztli's villa first since none of us had ever been to this particular Italian palace before.
“That's the Machiavelli family crest,” Torrent said; obviously gathering the information from the Internet.
Torrent had been created from God and Internet magic; making him the only god who could access and control the human-made realm of the Internet. He was also the only god who could unmake magic. Torrent could see spells—including wards—like they were computer code, and he was the best code-breaker around.
“Machiavelli?” I asked. “As in the guy who wrote The Prince?”
“One and the same,” Torr said. “It appears that this was one of his homes.”
“Peter Pan!” I swore in the same tone I used to say Jesus Christ in. “At least Alan went out in style.”
“No kidding,” Hekate muttered. “There's a helipad over there.”
We reached the top of the hill that Machiavelli Mansion stood on just as Horus and Morpheus were granted entrance. Why send the two of them? Because Horus had the perfect personality to be a snooty police detective, and he knew Italian, while Morpheus—who was also fluent in Italian—was a smooth talker. I had faith in the pair of them to get the truth out of Felisa Bianchi and her family. But while they were busy distracting the humans, the rest of us would infiltrate the villa and conduct our own investigation.
Before I could go inside, I had to appreciate the view. The mansion was two stories high and looked as if it had been the subject of numerous Italian Renaissance paintings. Its facade was painted a rusty orange that went well with the backdrop of olive groves and grape vines, and was complemented by those thick, bushy trees that Italians liked to trim into columnar shapes. Evidently, the house didn't have enough columns on its own.
“We're going to have to split up,” Blue said. “This place is too large to search as one group.”
“All right,” I agreed. “Teams of two?”
We split off into teams, and I got Toby. Mainly because I called it first. I knew that Odin and Re would understand why; that I wanted to use this as an opportunity to find out what was going on with my boyfriend.
Toby and I held hands as we went toward the back of the mansion. Once there, we would head to the second floor of the main building and search the rear portion. Yes; there was more than one building; two large houses dominated the hill. When Toby and I made it around the side of the main villa—which took awhile, let me tell you—we found a patio (there's probably a fancy word for that too, but I don't know it) that had more arched columns outlining it. These columns were rectangular instead of the traditional round, and the sides facing the villa were painted with stunning Renaissance scenes.
“This is beautiful,” Toby said as he stopped in the middle of the red brick patio. “Maybe I'll make my house a villa.”
Toby lived with his twin brother, Naye. They had a territory in the God Realm that was very beautiful, but they lived in a cave. It was a homey cave, with all the creature comforts, but still a cave. Toby had a private place to retreat to when needed, but it was also a cave. I don't know what was up with the brothers and caves, but Toby had finally gotten tired of it. He wanted a home that he could bring visitors to without being disturbed by his brother or a cold draft. So, he decided to build a real house in the forest below their cave. I was all for it; it would make my visits less awkward if nothing else.
“A Tuscan villa in the middle of a forest,” I said. “It sounds lovely.”
Toby gave my hand a squeeze, and we headed into the house through a pair of French doors. Several modern improvements had been made to Machiavelli's home; the French doors were just the start. But despite the modern lights and some modern building materials, the inside of the villa felt as historically accurate as the outside. The furniture was all heavily carved wood pieces with flourishes aplenty, gilded frames held massive paintings on the plaster walls, and every doorway had an arch in it. Italians love curves; on women, cars, and houses.
We wandered past room after lavish room, all in immaculate order, and then found a sweeping, polished wood staircase that led to the second floor. We climbed the stairs without worrying about bothering to soften our footsteps since there wasn't another soul in sight. I couldn't even hear Horus and Morpheus. Wherever they were in the mansion, it was far away from us.
I trailed my hand over the marble bust of a beautiful girl that was set within a wall nook. “Bust” as in a type of statue; I'm not saying that I felt up some stone cleavage. The marble was cool but that wasn't surprising. Even though it was warm outside, the interior of the villa was air-conditioned. That seemed like a ridiculous waste to me; cooling rooms that no one was using. We found several bedrooms at the back of the house. Although, “bedrooms” may not have been the best word for them. These were suites; palatial spaces built for princes. Or, in our case, a princess.
“This must be her bedroom,” Toby whispered.
“I think you're right,” I agreed.
It wasn't the fact that the room was the largest we'd come across as yet, or that it had a magnificent view from its private balcony. It wasn't the four-poster bed, gilded vanity, or even the evidence of an elegant female in residence; high-end makeup, perfume, and clothing. No; it was the mess. The utter destruction, in fact.
All those luxury items I'd mentioned? They were strewn around the room as if a tornado had touched down right there, inside the bedroom. Mirrors were smashed, windows were broken, and paintings were rent with what looked to be claw marks. Even the carpets were torn, and the chandelier hung drunkenly from its ceiling medallion. And then there was the vomit.
As soon as we entered the room, the acrid stench of stomach acid and decaying food hit me, and I started breathing shallowly. There were stains across the walls, on the torn bed linens, and in blotches on the rugs. The plaster would have to be chiseled away and redone; the filth had soaked into it. No one had made any attempt to clean the mess. Felisa must have abandoned her bedroom as soon as she was freed and then stayed the hell away from it.
I didn't blame her.
“You start on the left, and I'll head to the right,” Toby said. “We'll meet at the bed.”
“Okay,” I murmured as I picked my way over the detritus and peered through it for anything that could give us a clue.
I wasn't interested in Felisa so much as who may have helped her. Because whoever had exorcised Alan was probably our killer. But I didn't see
anything that looked as if it had been left behind by an exorcist, and my dragon wasn't familiar with Felisa's scent so we couldn't rule out what was hers and what wasn't. Still, I forced myself to inhale deeply and push past the odor of vomit so I could breathe in the scent of people. There were a few different scent signatures in the room, but I was confident that if I were to encounter any of them again, I'd recognize them.
“So, what was up with you and your parents?” I asked Toby casually as I searched.”
I could hear Toby's sigh from across the room.
“Toby?”
“I don't think I should tell you,” he said softly.
“Well, it's too late now,” I said. “You have to tell me after that cryptic statement.”
“You'll be offended, and it's nothing against you personally,” he warned me.
“I think I can take it,” I said. “What has Naye said about me now?”
“It's not Naye.”
I froze. If it wasn't Toby's twin who was badmouthing me, then there had to be a problem with his parents.
“Are you parents okay?” I asked in immediate concern. “It's not your father, is it? Is he having post-Void issues or something?”
“No; it's not my father,” Toby said. “Why would his having Void issues offend you?”
“Right; you said I'd be offended,” I whispered.
But I couldn't process any kind of scenario involving Mr. T and Mrs. E that would offend me.
“You're sure it's not Naye?” I tried again.
“My parents don't want us together,” Toby said in a rush.
“What?” I nearly screeched. “Why not?”
“This is why I didn't want to tell you,” he said. “You're offended.”
“Of course, I'm offended,” I huffed. “How could I not be? And how is this not personal?”
“Vervain, think about it as a mother,” he said gently. “Would you want Rian or Brevyn to be with a woman who they had to share with six other men?”
“If she made them happy, I would,” I said. “Either way, it would be their decision.”
“Well, maybe that's because you have the perspective of the woman,” Toby said. “Parents want the best for their children, and mine want me to have someone who can focus on me alone.”