by Amy Sumida
But my irritation over Hermes' arrogance faded away as I read. Amid the announcements of god business openings, party pieces covering the latest divine shindig, and a large article about the Formorians taking Tara, there was a public announcement. Re had kept his word, and made a proclamation of Fenrir's innocence.
Recently, it had come to our attention that the reason Fenrir had been kicked out of Atlantis, was due in part to Re. Re had been a member of the High Council who ran Atlantis, and Fenrir had been questioning the Council's methods as well as their new practices. Practices which had ended up destroying Atlantis. If they had listened to Fenrir, Atlantis might have survived. But instead, they had trumped up charges on my father-in-law, and kicked him off the continent. These charges were heinous enough to cause Fenrir and his children to be hunted by other gods for centuries. They had made Fenrir out to be a rapist and a murderer.
Now, the Wolf God was finally exonerated.
“Trevor!” I shouted.
“Vhat ze hell, Vervain?” Kirill groaned, and came fully awake. He peered sleepily at me, then at the newspaper, and sat up with a sigh. He took the paper from me and scanned the page. “Da, is good.”
“What's good?” Odin asked as he came down the right stairway.
“All I'm saying is, it had better be,” Trevor added as he tromped into the bedroom from the stairs on the left.
“Re made a public announcement,” I took the paper from Kirill, and waved it at Trevor. “Your father has been cleared of all those false charges.”
Trevor took the newspaper from me, and read the article. Finally, he nodded, put the paper on the bed, sighed, and headed over to our little kitchen to make coffee.
“Aren't you even a little happy?” I asked as I climbed out of bed.
“Well, good morning, sunshine,” Odin interrupted, and headed over to me.
I looked down, and realized I was naked. It had been only a little over a month since I'd conceived a child with Kirill, but my belly was already rounding as if I were much further along. That didn't stop any of my five husbands, or my boyfriend, from enjoying my body. In fact, they were loving the bigger breasts that came with the rounded belly. I hated them. My boobs were big enough as it was, being pregnant made them enormous. I was heading into porn star territory.
“Odin,” I sighed as my Viking husband angled his body around mine, and instantly started groping my boobs like a teenage boy who had never seen a pair before. “Come on,” I slapped his hands away, and went for a robe. “What is with you guys lately? I barely have time to breathe.”
“There's plenty of time for breathing between thrusts,” Azrael had followed me into the closet, and pushed me back onto a chaise.
To my shocked horror, he flipped open my robe, and went to his knees before me. Az began to dive between my legs, but I grabbed him by his shaggy, dark hair, and pulled him up.
“Azrael,” I growled. “What has gotten into you?”
“I don't know,” he smiled wickedly. “But I know who I'd like to get into.”
“I need some breakfast before we start all this again,” I huffed, and headed away from him.
I'd gone five rounds with three of my husbands the night before. If I'd been purely human, I would have been both exhausted and sore. As it was, I was pregnant and grumpy. Don't get me wrong, pregnant women enjoy sex as much as the next girl, but five rounds? Five! And these weren't your average sexual interludes either. We got home from dinner at seven, went straight upstairs, and hadn't stopped going at it till 4 AM. I'd had enough. A woman needed sustenance.
I went over to Trevor, where he was pulling mugs out of the cupboard, and wrapped my arms around his waist. Azrael wasn't at all disturbed by my rejection. He just came out to the kitchen with me, and took a seat at the table, waiting for me to be ready for his attentions. This was getting strange.
“Are you okay?” I asked Trevor.
“I'm good,” he turned in my arms so he could hug me back. “And I am happy that Re has made the announcement. I just feel like it's centuries too late.”
“Better than never,” I shrugged.
“True,” Trevor breathed in deeply, and his eyes flashed from honey to gold. “You smell amazing, Minn Elska.”
My wolf prince lowered his face for a kiss, and I happily gave in, but then he groaned, his hands sliding around my back to clutch at me. He lifted me, and put me down on top of the table, then yanked my robe open. I gasped as he held my protesting hands to the table top, and descended. As Trevor's lips went lower, my other husbands dived in. Hands slid over me, mouths sucking and licking at any piece of skin they could reach. Kirill claimed my mouth, stifling all my protests, as I became breakfast.
The things I had to put up with. Sigh.
Chapter Three
Much later, after I was dressed and fed, I sat in the entertainment area of our bedroom. And I don't mean the bed. I was relaxing, propped between Odin and Kirill, while Trevor lounged on the floor in front of me. Azrael had to go to work. Souls to ferry to Heaven and Hell, and all that. The job of the Angel of Death is never over.
We were watching the latest episode of Lucifer which, appropriately enough, Lucifer himself had recommended to me. That would be Azrael's dad, Luke. He really wasn't all that bad. Sort of a mix between Jimmy Fallon and Martha Stewart. And he's not blonde, BTW. I know, I was surprised too. I've always imagined that Lucifer Morningstar, the shining son of Heaven, and now the ruler of Hell, would be blonde. But he's got dark hair, just like Az. In fact, he could be Azrael's twin, except for the wings. Azrael's are black and Luke's are crystal clear, like faceted diamonds. I liked Luke's wings, but I preferred Azrael's. The black made his sparkling eyes seem even brighter. And diamond wings can get difficult to look at.
The show had Luke's coloring right, so right off the bat Luke had been impressed. Then it lured him in with inappropriate humor. It was a fabulous series. I laughed at another “me” joke of Lucifer's (the character, not Azrael's dad). It was a habit Luke had actually picked up. He'd insert the word “me” into any Devil cliché. For example, “The me is in the details”. Hilarious if you're paying attention, but half the time, Luke did it so subtly, we didn't even notice. And then he pouted. A pouting Satan is not fun.
Kirill waited for the scene to end, then he hit pause on the remote. I turned to him in surprise, and he took my hand.
“No,” I said immediately. “I don't want to have sex again. I just want to relax and finish the episode.”
“It's not zat, Tima,” Kirill laughed, his Russian accent turning the common words into something exotic.
“We want to talk to you about the baby,” Odin explained.
“Now?” I whined. “Right in the middle of Lucifer?”
“We had to do something to keep you from leaving the room,” Trevor chuckled.
“Why?” I narrowed my eyes on him. “What do you have to say about the baby that would make me leave the room?”
“It's nothing bad,” Odin assured me.
“Ve vant you to see doctor,” Kirill said.
“What?” I frowned. “Are you kidding me? What doctor could I see? I'd have to lie to them, and there's no way I could go to them for the delivery. Actually, I was thinking I'd have the baby in Faerie, with all their lovely, magical, pain-relieving midwives.”
“Faerie?” Kirill growled. “Nyet. Our baby vill be born here. In her home.”
“So you wouldn't mind me being in pain, as long as our baby was born here?” I lifted a brow.
“You can bring faerie midwife here,” Kirill offered.
“Hmph,” I considered. “Yeah, okay. Maybe I can do that.”
“Good, now back to the doctor,” Trevor said. “Pan has a friend-”
“Pan!” I was horrified. “Are you freakin' kidding me?”
Pan, as much as I loved him, was not who I'd consult about a baby doctor. He was the Greek God of the Wild, and he was also a businessman. He owned a porn company called Naughty Nymphs. I would hope t
hat his women were smart enough to never have to seek out an OBGYN. Magical birth control is a lot more dependable than the human variety.
“He's friends with Hygieia,” Odin laughed. “Do you know who that is?”
“As in, where the word 'hygiene' comes from?” I settled back into the couch. “Yeah, I've heard of her.”
“She's the daughter of the Greek God of Medicine, and she runs a women's health clinic with her sisters,” Trevor went on. “She, and all of her sisters, are goddesses of medicine too.”
“And they have a women's health clinic?” I lifted my brows.
“Yes,” Odin smiled. “And they've helped other goddesses, including shapeshifters, with their pregnancies. They're very knowledgeable.”
“I vant you to see her,” Kirill said simply.
I squeezed Kirill's hand, and lifted it for a kiss before I answered, “Alright, set it up.”
“Really?” Trevor asked.
“Yeah, why are you so surprised?” I narrowed my eyes on him. “And why did you think I would run out of the room?”
“Well, Pan's not the only one in his family who knows the sisters,” Trevor admitted. “Hermes is actually dating one.”
“Hermes?” I growled. “You want me to go to a clinic where one of the owners is dating a guy who wants me dead?”
“He doesn't want you dead,” Odin said gently.
I turned and gave Odin a hard stare.
“He may want to torture you, but I don't think he would actually kill you,” Odin grimaced.
“Well that's a relief,” I rolled my eyes, and started to get up, but Kirill pulled me back down.
“Hygieia is good voman,” Kirill growled. “She vould not endanger you or baby.”
“We met with her,” Trevor added. “The facility is amazing, and Hygieia is very professional.”
“You met with her?” I snarled. “Without me? Behind my back?”
My last pregnancy had been with my fey husband, Arach, and my god husbands had let Arach handle all of the baby issues. They didn't know anything about dragon-sidhe babies after all. But it seemed that this pregnancy, with Kirill, made them feel entitled to become presumptuous chauvinists. My ire was always easier to whip up when I was pregnant. Although my Intare baby was a bit more mellow than my dragon boys, she was still a lioness, and a lioness was even more vicious than a lion. Especially in my reversed pride.
My men, who were all bound to me in several ways, one of which being the Intare magic, flinched and pulled back a little from my rage. I think the Intare bond we shared had leaked some of my emotions to them. Either that, or they were reacting just as any husband would to his angry, pregnant wife.
“We were just doing the groundwork before we brought it to your attention,” Trevor said reasonably, in a calm, steady voice. “We didn't want to put you through a visit that might be upsetting.”
I pushed down my rising lioness, who had felt both my child's and my emotions, and had added her own fury to the mix. She thought our baby was being threatened, and for a second, I wasn't sure if I could control her. A soft snarl passed my lips without my consent. But I had my star back now, all healed up, and when I called on it, I was able to ease back my lioness. I took a deep, calming breath, and looked up at my husbands.
“I'm not going.”
“Gods damn it, Vervain!” Kirill stood up, and glared down at me. “Zis is my baby too, and I vant you to see doctor!”
“Let me say this in a way you can understand,” I got to my feet, and then in his face. “Nyet!”
Kirill snarled.
My lioness rose again, and roared.
Kirill backed away, cringing, and for a moment, my heart hurt to see it. To see him regressing to the man he was when we first met. But then Kirill did something miraculous, something I would have applauded him for, had it not been directed at me. He roared back.
For the first time ever, my lioness was afraid of one of her own lions. She stilled, and we scented the air together. Musk was heavy between us, but so was the scent of strength, a sharp tang of in-your-face hormones that told my lioness she wasn't the biggest, baddest cat in the room. And damn if she didn't like it.
Shivers coasted over my arms as I considered Kirill's violent beauty. His long hair was loose, hanging about him like swaths of shifting shadows. His muscled chest was heaving with barely contained violence, and his cerulean eyes were darkened to indigo. Elegant fingers had clenched into fists at his sides when he leaned forward to roar, but now they were relaxing, and he was calming, his body trembling with the release.
“Tima,” Kirill shook his head, amazed at himself. “I'm so sorry.”
“It's okay, baby,” I said breathlessly, realizing that not only had my lioness receded, she'd done so purring in delight. “That was beautiful.”
“I have to admit, it was an impressive roar,” Odin nodded.
“I'm shaking in my... well, if I were wearing boots right now, I'd be shaking in them,” Trevor joked. “Hardcore, man.”
“I'm still not going,” I smiled sweetly, and started to walk away.
“Minn Elska,” Trevor stepped into my path as Kirill started to growl again. “What are you afraid of? That Hermes will somehow influence his girlfriend and get her to kill you?”
“Or the baby,” I nodded.
“First of all, none of those women would hurt a baby,” Trevor said gently. “We talked to them, and they're all true healers. To hurt someone would be an affront to their magic.”
“Hygieia runs the clinic,” Odin added, “and she wouldn't allow anything to harm you, not even her sister. I'm certain of it.”
“Certain enough to risk the lives of your wife and her unborn child?” I lifted a brow.
“Zere is no risk,” Kirill came up beside me, and kissed my shoulder. “Just go and meet Hygieia. One appointment, and if you don't like her, you don't have to go back.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “Make the appointment.”
“We've actually made an appointment already,” Trevor gave me a sheepish grin. Kind of ironic on a werewolf.
“You what?” I growled.
“It's at four o'clock,” Odin nodded.
I looked over at the clock on the DVD player. It read 2:30. I glared at all of my men, and they shuffled their feet.
“One visit,” Kirill said again.
“You guys do something underhanded like this to me again, and there's going to be hell to pay,” I paused, and gave them all some serious stares before I added, “literally. As in that's where you'll be living because I'm going to kick your asses out.”
“Da, it vas very underhanded,” Kirill kissed my cheek. “Ve vill make it up to you.”
Kirill started kissing me, and then the others closed in. A part of my mind was screaming at me that this wasn't normal, all this porno quality sexuality, but then there were so many hands on me. So many mouths. I told that part of my mind to shut its stupid yap.
Chapter Four
Hygieia's clinic was in the God Realm. In particular, the Greek collective portion of the God Realm. Thankfully, we didn't have to go in through the Underworld. Not that I minded touring Hades and Persephone's home turf, but I didn't relish making the trip down to the beach, across the bridges spanning the River Styx (six total), and then sail a ship to Hygieia's island. Turns out, the women's health clinic was attached to a regular clinic which Hygieia's father ran. Both of the clinics received a lot of patients, so there was an open ward letting visitors directly onto the family's island.
The whole damn family was involved in medicine. Hygieia was the Goddess of Health, her father, Asclepius, was the God of Medicine, her mother, Epione, was the Goddess of Soothing Pain, and her sisters, Panacea, Iaso, Aceso, and Aglia were the Goddesses of Universal Remedy, Recuperation, Healing Powers, and the Glow of Good Health, respectively. Panacea was the one dating Hermes, but she wasn't there for my visit. Thank goodness for small miracles.
The island was a misty, tropical paradise, with sand s
o clean, it gleamed, and a surrounding sea so clear, you could see the coral beneath the waves. Fresh, slightly salted air danced by, a prelude of the vitality to come. The tracing room was a partially open structure, made in the classical Greek style, with white Corinthian columns crowned with carved fern leaves. There was a reception desk placed directly before the enclosed tracing area. A woman with an elaborate updo of chestnut curls, smiled broadly at us when we stepped up.
“Are you here to see the sisters or their father?” she asked.
“The sisters,” I rubbed a hand over my belly. “I'm Vervain Lavine.”
“The Godhunter?” the receptionist's eyes went round. “Oh my,” she looked down at a book before her, and tapped the page. “Yes, here you are. You and your husbands may head over to the complex on the right,” she waved a hand back towards two pebbled paths, and then she pressed a discreet, gold button on her desk.
“Thank you,” Trevor nodded, and led me along the path to the right.
The others followed, including Azrael, who had made it back just in time to join us. The path veered even further right, and took us to a Greek temple, nearly an exact replica of the temple looming at the end of the left path. Over there, a few gods milled around on the grassy lawn before the structure, some lounging on stone benches, and some lying in the grass, basking in the sun.
“Asclepius runs a sort of health spa for gods,” Odin explained. “It's a neutral place where you can purchase healing or recuperative treatments.”
“Why would a god need either of those things?” I wondered.
“Not all gods have friends with healing magic,” Trevor chuckled. “We're lucky to have Teharon, otherwise we'd be carting you over here regularly.”
“Right,” I grimaced, and looked towards the building we were approaching.
I had been mistaken. The front of the building was just like the one across from us, but the further back you went, the more things differed. The main entrance was a sweeping space hemmed in by columns, and spotted by lounging areas, but just beyond the courtyard, the main doors were guarded by columns which were closer to statues. They were all carved into shapes of women, and each woman cradled something in her arms. The center statue held a large snake, kind of intimidating, but the outer statues brandished more benign items; a bowl, a mirror, a torch, and a garland of flowers.