In the Nyx of Time

by Amy Sumida

  I just nodded.

  “Vervain, I...” Blue shook his head. “I love you; you know that I loved you when I was lost to my pain, and I continued to love you after you healed me.”

  “Blue,” I whispered as my stomach clenched.

  I couldn't do this with Blue. Honestly, I didn't even want to; I'd never felt that way about Blue. I loved him as a friend, but as a lover? No; it just wouldn't work.

  “But I can't be with you,” Blue continued. “I love Eztli too much; she's everything to me. You and I shared something profound in that other time, and I will treasure those memories forever. I will always love you, Vervain, and if there were no other men for you and no Eztli for me, we would be amazing together. But with things as they are, I just—”

  “Blue,” I said with a relieved smile, “it's okay. You don't have to explain it to me. I love you too, but it's a different kind of love. You're meant to be with Eztli, and I'm so happy that you found her. You two are perfect together; I'm sure that things are far more amazing between you than they ever would have been between us.”

  Blue smiled brilliantly and then hugged me.

  “Thank you, Vervain.”

  “No; thank you,” I teased him as he eased out of our hug. “From what I've seen so far, those were some unforgettably erotic experiences.”

  Blue smiled sensually and kissed my cheek. Before he pulled away, he whispered in my ear, “I'll never look at a gold dress the same way again.”

  Then Blue sauntered back out to the dining hall, and I let out a shaky breath.

  Well, you dodged that bullet, Alaric said.

  “There you are! I was beginning to wonder if you were going to comment on this.”

  V, I've been commenting the whole time, he said.

  “So, you and Faerie were able to help me?” I asked.

  I, more than she, he said proudly. But that's only because you spent most of your time here.

  “Well, thank you for whatever you did,” I said.

  It was rough, Alaric admitted. And there were moments when I was sure we were fucked. But I think you should be proud of yourself and your lovers; all of you proved that you're meant to be together.

  My heart sped up; Al was touching on a question that had been circling my mind ever since I'd returned from Olympus. Both Alaric and Faerie had told me that I was with exactly whom I was meant to be with... except for Toby. When Toby and I had given up our love for each other, the Consciousnesses had said that it was for the best; that Toby wasn't meant to be mine. After we had reunited, they had conceded that Toby might be helpful, but I was worried that I was taking him away from his true destiny; that maybe Toby—like Blue—was meant for someone else. However, if we'd been drawn together during other timelines, then maybe we really were meant to be.

  “All of us?” I asked hesitantly. “Even Toby?”

  Even Toby, Alaric admitted. You'll get those memories back, I'm sure, and then you can see for yourself.

  I breathed a sigh of relief.

  Vervain, you need to stop thinking that you're doing them a disservice by loving them, Alaric chided me. They are lucky to be in your life and to be loved by you; you love passionately and fiercely. Sure, they may have each found a woman to love only them, and she may have been good and true and all of that, but I can guarantee that she wouldn't love them as you do. You may care for more than one man, but you love each of them completely; beyond completely. You would do anything for them; walk through Tartarus, fire, or even that horrid snake shack in Niflheim.

  “I would do anything for them; even the snake shack,” I agreed. “But how is it possible to love someone beyond completely?”

  How is it possible for you to be fully Fey, Human, and God? It simply is. It's simply you, Vervain.

  “Thanks, Al,” I said. “I needed to hear that.”

  Welcome home, Godhunter.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  After lunch, I kissed my daughter, husbands, fiance, and boyfriend goodbye and then went to Faerie. Admittedly, using my ring to travel through time worried me a little after the whole debacle with Aion, but I came through it just fine. I reappeared before Arach with a smile on my face, and he shouted in relief as he hugged me tightly. My boys cheered, and Dexter yipped in happiness; even Blossom danced in her tall pot.

  Our world was safe again.

  “You did it,” Arach declared.

  “I didn't,” I said with a self-deprecating smile. “I tried, but I failed. It was Chronos who saved us.”

  “Chronos?” Arach asked. “The Greek Primordial?”

  “He stepped in and put Time back the way it was supposed to be.” I nodded.

  “Put it back?” Arach gaped at me. “Are you saying that Nyx succeeded in rewriting history?”

  “Nearly succeeded,” I corrected. “Three times, evidently.”

  You'll remember it soon, Fire King. Faerie said.

  “Mommy was our mommy in another way,” Brevyn said serenely.

  I gaped at Brevyn. “Do you remember that?”

  “No.” Brevyn sighed in disappointment. “But I see it now. You were sad and happy to see me.”

  “I was happy to see my friend,” I explained. “But sad to lose you.”

  “I know,” Brevyn said with a smile.

  Rian just scowled at us along with his father.

  “What happened to Nyx and that time god?” Arach asked.

  “Hades beheaded Nyx,” I said. “And I executing Aion by transferring his magic to Chronos. The High King will receive a message from Olympus soon; outlining the whole situation and the way we resolved it.”

  “The High King? Why?” Arach asked.

  “Because Chronos pointed out that what those Greek gods did nearly changed the history of all the realms,” I explained. “The Olympians want the Fey to know that the criminals were punished.”

  “Ah; they're afraid of us,” Arach concluded. “As they should be.”

  “Yes, darling; I'm sure that's it.” I rolled my eyes.

  “You didn't forget me, Mommy,” Brevyn said solemnly.

  “I told you that I wouldn't.” I crouched down to kiss his cheek and then hugged both of my sons together. “Neither of you.”

  Dexter yipped again, and I pulled him into the hug.

  “I'm so happy to be back home with all of you,” I said.

  Arach knelt behind the boys and laid his hands on their little heads. Then he looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.

  “Not as happy as we are to have you home, A Thaisce,” Arach whispered.

  I leaned forward and kissed Arach quickly over the heads of our boys, and then he sank down beside me and pulled us all close; even Dexter got to nestle in with us.

  We are most happy, indeed, Faerie said. May that happiness never be threatened again.

  I couldn't agree more, but it seemed as if every step I made brought new threats into my life. As I looked over my fey family, I felt a twinge of fear for what may come.

  Let go of it, Daughter, Faerie spoke gently into my mind. Whatever comes next, you will face it with courage, skill, and wit, and you will triumph. That's one thing that I'm certain of.

  A feeling of peace came over me then, and I'm not sure if it was from Faerie or from what she'd said. It didn't matter; I've learned to take peace wherever and whenever I could find it.

  Keep reading for a sneak peek into the next book in the Godhunter Series:

  Let Sleeping Demons Lie

  Chapter One

  It had been a few months since Time had been screwed with by the Greek God, Aion. Chronos had put everything back to rights, but the memories of those altered timelines had been coming back to haunt me. One, in particular, was causing me a bit of anxiety; me and Odin.

  “I think we should try to get pregnant,” Odin said.

  I appreciated the whole partner-solidarity thing where men claim the pregnancy along with their women, but it didn't sit right with me. Yes; I understood that Odin was trying to take responsibilit
y for the baby along with me, but he wasn't the one who'd be carrying that child in his body... and pushing it out of a tiny hole.

  “You mean; you should try to get me pregnant,” I corrected.

  Odin grimaced. “Vervain, we lost a child to that timeline. Don't you want to get our baby back?”

  “I do, and we will,” I said gently. “When the time is right. That wasn't the time for our child to be born, and neither is this.”

  “How can you be sure?” Odin asked. “It was our present.”

  “I'm sure because I'm married to more than you in our true present,” I said. “And Trevor would throw a werewolf fit if I had a child with you before I did with him.”

  “Because you and Kirill skipped ahead with Lesya,” Odin huffed.

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “I'm sorry, but with multiple husbands, I have to make an effort to be fair, and having your baby right now just wouldn't be fair. We already have a son, Odin. Please, just be patient.”

  “All right,” he gave in. “I understand, and I was fine with waiting; it's just these memories.” He rubbed at his forehead. “They hurt my heart, Vervain.”

  “Let's just enjoy each child as they arrive in their proper time,” I said softly. “There will be lots of love in this house.”

  “You're right,” Odin conceded with a smile. “We're very lucky.”

  “Vervain! Where's Azrael? I thought he was here,” Lucifer Morningstar said as he burst into the dining hall where Odin and I were sitting before the fire.

  “And then the Devil walked in,” Odin murmured.

  “He's upstairs,” I said as I stood. “Why? What's wrong?”

  “Someone is killing my demons!” Luke cried.

  “What?!” I ran over to him. “How?”

  “I don't know!” Satan wailed.

  “Dad?” Azrael came rushing into the room. “I could feel your anxiety as soon as you arrived; what's happened?”

  “Alan and Mark are dead,” Luke said as he hugged his son.

  “No,” Azrael whispered. “How?”

  “I don't know,” Luke said again. “I don't understand. They were possessing a human, and I was looking after their bodies as usual, but then I felt a strange tremor. When I went to check on them, Alan was convulsing.”

  “Convulsing?” Odin asked as he joined us.

  “As if he were having a seizure.” Luke nodded. “And then his demon form disappeared and he shifted back to his human one.”

  “Did this happen to both of them or only Alan?” Azrael asked.

  “First Alan went and while I was trying to figure out what happened to him, Mark began to convulse,” Luke said. “I summoned the others home at once, but you know that I can't just stop the possessions.”

  Demonic possessions served several functions. First, they were expected. Second, they kept the Devil myth alive; while other gods faded into history, Luke stayed right at the forefront of human religion. Third; they gave the demons energy without any humans dying—forget what you've seen in movies, possessions don't end in death. Finally; if demons didn't possess humans, the strong belief of certain humans would simply pull demon souls into their bodies and force a possession. I know that sounds crazy, but religious zealots can become so obsessive that they compel possession subconsciously. Forced possession meant that demon souls could be pulled from their bodies at any given time.

  Which is what would start happening if Luke kept the demons from possessing people for long.

  “But how did they die?” I asked. “You said they shifted into human form; then what?”

  “Then”—Luke swallowed roughly—“they shriveled up and turned to dust.”

  Luke pulled out his phone and brought up a few pictures to show us. There were shots of a man's dehydrated corpse; sunken eyes and tight skin like a mummy. Then there were pictures of piles of dust in the shape of a body.

  “This isn't possible,” Azrael whispered.

  “I know!” Luke shouted. “It simply can't happen!”

  “Dad, calm down,” Azrael laid his hand on his father's shoulder. “We'll figure this out.”

  Luke hung his head and cried. Azrael gave me a horrified look before he pulled his father into a hug.

  “They were my friends,” Luke sobbed. “I've known them since before the Fall of Atlantis. For them to be taken in such a way—without even the chance to fight back—is just reprehensible.”

  “Could this be an exorcism gone bad?” Odin asked.

  “No,” Luke said as he sniffed and eased out of Azrael's arms. “Exorcism breaks the human's bond and releases the demon soul, and the soul goes straight back to its body. Possession is merely astral projection; it's human will that keeps the demon inside its host. An exorcist basically convinces the human that he or she has been saved, and then they release their hold on the demon.”

  “Let's think about this another way,” I suggested. “Forget the fact that they were astral projecting at the time; what could do that to a demon? What could do that to any of us?”

  “Make us look like a mummy and then dust us like a vampire?” Luke asked. “I have no fucking idea.”

  “Dad!” Azrael gaped at his father.

  The Devil never cursed.

  “I'm sorry,” Luke said and sighed. “I'm so distraught, but that's no excuse for foul language.”

  “It's fine,” I said. “The children are upstairs; swear all you want.”

  Luke smiled wanly at me. “Thank you, but it's not in my nature.”

  “The only time I've ever seen anything like this is...” I murmured.

  “Yes?” Luke asked.

  “It was in one of those altered timelines,” I said. “I had taken Blue's magic and become the Vampire Goddess.”

  “Why do I find that so hot?” Azrael asked as he blinked in surprise.

  “It was kind of,” I admitted.

  “You killed Blue?” Odin asked. “And then what?”

  “I had to kill his priests too,” I said. “But I didn't do it violently; I just cut them off from my magic. They died like that.” I pointed to Luke's phone.

  “Cut off from your magic,” Luke murmured thoughtfully.

  “Vampires are technically demigods,” Odin said. “They're dependent on their god for magic; as Froekn and Intare are.”

  “Intare don't die like that,” I said. “Neither do Froekn.”

  “They might if you killed them by cutting off their source of immortality,” Luke said. “But I feed my demons; I am their source, and I would never cut them off.”

  “You're not their source when they're possessing a human,” Azrael reminded Luke. “That's the one time when they gather energy for themselves.”

  Luke went very still; his gaze gone unfocused.

  “Dad?” Azrael asked.

  “During possession, my connection with my demons is at its weakest,” Luke whispered. “I'm sustaining their bodies for them while their souls wander. This thins my bond to their souls.”

  “It looks as if someone has found a way to exploit that weakness,” I said.

  “But why?” Azrael asked. “Why kill demons?”

  We all looked at him with bland expressions; even Luke.

  “Yeah, all right,” Azrael huffed. “But only humans think of demons like that; the Gods know that demons are just fellow Atlanteans—no different from themselves.”

  “Then it's either a god who wants to hurt Luke,” Odin said.

  “Or a human,” I finished.

  We all stared at each other in horror.

  Author's Note

  There are fictional events within In the Nyx of Time that give an obvious nod to nonfictional ones. I've changed the location and the people associated with the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests to merge with my story properly, but I wanted to write a quick note to acknowledge that the event was real; we once again treated the Native people of America with horrible cruelty and indecency. Their common rights to clean water and good living conditions were threatened and when t
hey tried to stand up for themselves, they were attacked. I don't want to get into the politics of this, but I do want to take this opportunity to say that I was deeply saddened that the pipeline was pushed through by the current administration. In my opinion, that was a dark day in our history; a day that evil won.

  Grammar Giggles

  And just for a little giggle, here are some grammar mistakes found by my editor Michelle Hoffman and by myself, during the editing of this book.

  Correct Line: Wings come in handy for escaping exploding islands.

  Giggle: Wings come in handy for escaping exploding idlands. —I don't know what an exploding idland is, but I think I'd like to avoid it.

  Correct Line: “You have a way with words, Sun God,” I said softly. “Be careful how you use them next time.”

  Giggle: “You have a way with words, Sung God,” I said softly. “Be careful how you use them next time.” One letter transformed an Egyptian into an Asian.

  Correct Line: “Just long enough to say goodbye,” Blue's voice was getting faint.

  Giggle: “Just long enough to say goodbye,” Blue's vice was getting faint. —Talk about ruining a poignant moment.

  And please feel free to write me at vervainlavine@yahoo.com if you spot any grammar errors yourself. I'm a poor self-published author who must rely on the kindness of my super-smart friends for help in editing. Please have mercy on my writing.

  Pronunciation Guide

  A Thaisce: Ah Hash-keh

  Aalish: A-lis

  Aednat: Ey-nit

  Aillidh: Ah-lee

  Aion: E-on

  Ameterasu: Ah-mah-ta-rah-soo

  Aodh: Ee

  Aoife: Ee-fa

  Arach: Air-rock

  Artair: Ar-ter

  Bean-nighe: Ban-neeyah

  Bean-sidhe: Ban-she

  Bearach: BEH-ruck

  Bodb Derg: Bo-hid Dar-rig

  Bronagh: Bro-nah

  Caitir:KAH-te-heer

  Carus: Care-us

  Ciaran: KEE-a-rawn

  Cian: Key-an

  Craigor: Kraeg-or