by Unknown
“With wonderful taste in men,” Tepu-yn agreed. “But watch out for this one,” she pointed at Re. “He's sneaky. Too much time on his hands you see.”
“Idle hands are the Sun God's playthings,” Besa nodded.
“That's not the saying,” Nepra grimaced.
“She changed it to fit, you ninny,” Tepu-yn shook her head at her sister.
“Yes, these are my friends,” Re sighed as if it pained him to admit it.
“Please call me Vervain,” I said to them and they all beamed at me in delight.
Chapter Eighteen
“I had fun. Thank you for introducing me to them,” I said to Re as we walked back to his palace.
“They're very entertaining,” he agreed. “And, you're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed them.”
“Do you have anymore children?” I asked suddenly. “Or only the twins?”
“I have a son too,” he gave me a small smile. “Shu, God of Air. He doesn't visit very often though.”
“Makes sense,” I nodded, “a sun god having an air god for a son.”
“He married Tefnut, Goddess of Moisture,” Re went on as he took my hand. It was an unconscious gesture and I slid into that easy companionship as we headed into his palace and up the wide staircase to his bedroom.
“Moisture and Air,” I gave a huffing sound of agreement. “That makes sense too. And I assume that they had children?”
“Oh yes,” he confirmed and closed the door behind us. “They are whom most of the main pantheon stems from. Teftnut and Shu had Nut, Goddess of the Sky, and she married Geb, who became God of Earth. Nut and Geb had Isis and Nepthys, whom you know already.”
“Isis married Osiris and had Horus,” I nodded.
“Yes,” he started swinging our hands a little. “They had three daughters as well but they perished in the fall of Atlantis.”
“Yeah, Thor told me. How awful to lose your children,” I sympathized with Isis and Osiris but my thoughts were actually with Horus.
The loss of his sisters and his lover had made Horus standoffish with women but he'd slowly warmed to me and now we were close friends. Hekate was helping him loosen up even further and I was so relieved that Horus had finally found love.
“It was awful,” Re went on. “For all of us.” I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and he smiled down at me before continuing. “You know also of Nepthys and Set, how they married and had Anubis and Ma'at.”
“So you actually had most of your family with you when you left Atlantis,” I observed.
“Yes,” he nodded. “We were very lucky. It was pandemonium during the fall. Our family was separated at one point. I'd thought we'd lost Isis, Osiris, and Horus but Odin saved them.”
“Yes, I heard of that too,” I whispered.
“Horus and Thor were close friends,” Re added. “I'm glad they've kept their friendship strong for so long.”
“I guess your family tree isn't as branched as it could be,” I mused, trying to steer away from talk of Odin or Thor. “You could have had hundreds of great great grandchildren by now.”
“Gods tend to go slowly on the procreation thing,” he shrugged. “You have a few children and that's it usually. As far as Horus and Anubis, well, you know of their issues, and Ma'at always looked after her brother. She never made time for a husband or children.”
“Fenrir sure didn't go slowly,” I chuckled. “That guy went crazy.”
“Well, he was creating his own army, not just a family,” Re shrugged and led me to the bed. “Fenrir did what he had to do to survive and I understand that. You'll also recall that he left Atlantis long before it was destroyed.”
“Forced from it, you mean,” I corrected.
“Yes,” Re's jaw clenched. “I didn't agree with that ruling. I've always liked Fenrir.”
“He's a pretty great guy,” I tried to still my wildly beating heart as I perched on the edge of the bed. Here we go. Would it be as good as the last time? Or was that some kind of fluke?
“You didn't sleep with him too, did you?” Re lifted a brow at me.
“What?!” I was shocked out of my apprehensions.
“I'm teasing,” he laughed as he eased towards the odd gold pole right beside the bed. “You're so sensitive about lineage.”
“I'm sorry if I don't want to keep it all in the family,” I huffed.
“Stay right there. I want to show you one more thing,” he pulled the handle on top of the pole and a grinding sound started coming from beneath the bed.
“You can save some for later, you know?” I teased as I glanced around me in curiosity.
“The sun is setting, I can feel it,” Re said as he took a seat beside me.
Then the bed began to spin upward.
“What in the world?” I put both hands to the mattress and stared at the floor.
The circle of stone beneath the bed was turning, lifting like an unwinding screw. My eyes shot up to the ceiling as the curtains around the bed shifted aside and I saw that a circle shaped panel had descended, split into half, and then slid out to the sides. We continued to rise through that opening until we emerged on the roof of Re's palace, the gold floor piece sliding seamlessly into the hole in the ceiling. Which I guess was now the floor.
“I like to come up here to be alone sometimes,” Re said softly.
“But you're not alone,” I lifted a brow.
“I know,” he gave me a little smile. “This is the first time I've ever wanted to share it with someone.”
“Thank you,” I took his hand and we looked out across the flat stone roof towards the setting sun.
There was no railing up there, nothing to impede our view. Just three-hundred-sixty degrees of the Kingdom of Re. The falling sun bathed the polished stone beneath us with its glow and turned it into a shimmering cloud, making it feel as if we were suspended in the sky. It was spectacular.
The fields were painted with deep rose and pumpkin spice, turning them into a sunset sea. Grass bent in the breeze like waves coming in to shore, and birds flew across the scene, dipping their feathers into the colors of the sleepy sun. Re eased back on the bed behind me so he could slide his legs around me and pull me in close to his chest. His arms came around my waist and his chin laid gently on top of my head. I could feel his heartbeat against my back and the scent of burning frankincense surrounded me. I closed my eyes for a second and when I opened them, the bright colors were gone, muted into the cool tones of twilight.
Something lifted inside my chest with happiness; my Moon. Now that my lioness was appeased, I could feel my other magics more intensely. It's like having a backache and getting a massage to work it out. As soon as your back feels better, you find that another part of your body hurts. You just never realized it was in pain because you were too focused on your back. Well, my backache was gone and now I could feel other parts of me again.
The Moon knew that this was her time, her moment to shine. The Sun was a vain, glaring thing, demanding attention and respect like a king. But the Moon was his queen and she had no need for such displays. Her beauty was more gentle; a soft, guiding light. Perhaps she didn't cause the fruit to swell upon the bough or the grain to sprout upon the shaft of wheat, but she did inspire the poets to write and the sweethearts to swoon. Her smile lured more men than Cleopatra, more than Helen of Troy, or even Aphrodite. More than any woman who has ever lived. She brings mystery to the night and leads lovers to their beds, creating life in her own seductive way.
“Your kingdom is mine now,” I smiled wickedly back at Re as I threw a hand out and released the moon magic.
There were several aspects of the moon magic I'd inherited from Atahensic. One of them was Illusion and that was what I used to change the landscape before us. An ancient forest sprouted before us, trees taller than any on Earth. In the center of it, pennants flew, proclaiming that the High King was home in the Castle of Eight. Beyond the faerie forest, a mountain range appeared, tongues of lava oozing down it, bordering the carvings of Castle Aithinne
. Then a dragon launched itself into the air and flew across the sky.
“Marvelous,” Re whispered as he watched the flight of the gold dragon.
“I thought you might like to see Faerie,” I shrugged.
“This is what Faerie looks like?” Re's eyes darted over the landscape.
“That's the Forgetful Forest,” I indicated the massive trees. “And beyond it is Castle Aithinne, the border of the Fire Kingdom and my home.”
“It's beautiful,” he whispered. “You're not just the Queen of Fire, you're Queen of Illusions, my little Lah. And I have a feeling that you'll claim much more than my kingdom.”
“Lah?” I let go of the illusion, allowing his world return to normal as I turned to him. I ignored the rest of what he'd said, it made me too nervous to think about.
“It means moon in Egyptian,” he explained.
“But isn't there already a god named Lah?” I lifted a brow at him and smiled.
“There was,” he mused. “But he died and was replaced by Khonsu.”
“Then you can't call me Lah; the name already belongs to someone else,” I thought about it and then declared, “Call me Lala. I love how silly it sounds. All of my other titles are so serious, even the romantic ones.”
“Lala it is,” Re leaned down and sealed our silliness with a kiss and then we let the Moon lure us together with her light.
Chapter Nineteen
“You wanna tell me what the throne is all about?” I asked as we descended into Re's bedroom... which I felt like calling a boudoir every time I saw it.
“The throne?” He frowned as the ceiling halves clicked into place above us.
“The big golden chair over there,” I pointed to his naughty nook.
“Oh,” he laughed. “That's not a throne, it's a sex chair.”
“Of course it is,” I rolled my eyes. “How did I not catch that?”
“It's quite comfortable,” he smiled wickedly. “Why don't you climb on it and let me give you a massage?”
“Said every frat boy to every girl they've ever got in their room,” I scoffed.
“Just relax, Lala,” he loved the new nickname and it made me smile. He used that moment of weakness to lure me over to the big golden throne... I mean the sex chair.
It wasn't solid metal after all but had soft cushions covered in gold vinyl. He pulled some levers and lowered the back of the chair flat, then pulled some more and lifted the foot.
“It's a La-Z-Boy of love,” I laughed.
“It's for those moments that get too messy for a bed,” he smirked. I was about to say something nasty when he went on, “Like an oily massage.” He slid around my back and started unzipping my dress. It slid to the floor with a whisper but when he went for my bra, I turned to grab his hand. “A massage is better without clothes,” he smiled innocently.
“Yeah, I bet it is,” I huffed and let him take off my underwear.
“Thank you,” he stole a quick peek down my body before helping me onto the flattened chair.
I stretched out on my stomach and tried to relax as he fetched one of the bottles off a shelf. He poured a golden oil out into his palm and then rubbed his hands together. The scent of almonds drifted over to me. I closed my eyes as he set his hands to my back. He was damn good too, working at knots I didn't know I had. Soon, I'd forgotten where I was and what I was lying on. I was totally relaxed.
And that's when he struck.
He started to adjust the chair. A sliding maneuver with a lift had me kneeling, the back of the chair bent into an L. My knees were on the seat and I was still lying across the back but that didn't last for long. I started to get up and protest his obvious ploy but his hand went to the small of my back as his knees slid onto the wide seat between my own. My legs shifted apart as he eased forward and I inhaled sharply as his hands slid beneath my belly and up to knead my breasts. He pulled me up against his chest and continued to massage me as he set his teeth to my neck.
I was a goner. I don't even remember most of what happened after that. Just the slide of oiled flesh, the knead of expert fingers, and the scrape of teeth. I do recall the way he pushed me back down and told me to hold on, setting my hands to the top of the chair. What I'd previously thought were just carved adornments, were actually handles. The angle was perfect and the cushions were thick enough that I was never uncomfortable. By the end, I was a convert. I liked the chair.
Much later that night, we made it back to the bed... after showering off all the oil. We were intimately enjoying each other once more, when a woman walked in. We probably wouldn't have even noticed her if she hadn't come to the foot of the bed and spoken to us.
“I apologize for the interruption but you haven't answered any of my calls, you bad boy,” she smirked as she enjoyed the display.
We had jumped apart in shock as soon as she'd spoken and I'd pulled the covers up to my neck, as one does when caught in flagrante delicto. Re, however, sighed when he saw who it was, and simply settled back onto the pillows without even bothering to cover his nudity.
“I haven't responded because I'm rather busy,” he waved a hand towards me and I gaped at him in horror.
“I see that,” she licked her full lips and looked me over.
The woman was a Hindu goddess but oddly enough, I'd never met her before. I say oddly, because I've met hundreds of them and fought hundreds more. Well, demi-gods, not gods exactly, but still. It was strange that I didn't recognize her at all.
She looked strong; muscular arms shown off by a red cropped top, and a hard stomach showing above her low slung, flowing skirt. She had deep, golden skin and probably looked perfect next to Re. Long obsidian hair hung in a thick braid down her back and the eyes scrutinizing me matched the color of her hair exactly.
“Who is this?” I looked to Re.
“Vervain,” Re waved a hand at the woman, “Durga. Durga, meet Vervain. You may know her as the Godhunter.”
“The Godhunter?” Durga looked even more interested, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. “Well done,” she glanced at Re, then back at me. “We've never met but you're friends with my daughter; Sarasvati.”
“Sara's your daughter?” I sat forward in surprise.
“Yes,” Durga smiled wide. “And she thinks very highly of you. You've been a good influence on Brahma.”
“Hardly,” I huffed. “Brahma doesn't listen to anyone but Sara.”
“More so now that he's friends with you,” Durga insisted. “So,” she looked from Re to me. “Care if I join in? I have talents to offer,” she held out her arms and six more appeared, taking up her entire torso. She wiggled her fingers as stuck her tongue out at me... a very long tongue.
“Uh,” I felt my eyes go wide.
“Are you up for it?” Re lifted a brow at me.
“Up for it?” I immediately snapped out of my shock and snarled at him. “No, I'm not up for it, you asshole.”
“Wait,” he frowned. “You're not even open to having another woman in bed with the both of us? You can have all of your husbands but I can't even have one woman to share with you?”
“Well that's not fair,” Durga pouted.
“No, it's not fair,” I agreed as I slid out of the bed, taking the sheet with me. “And I told him how unfair it would be before I slept with him.”
“So it's okay because you told me?” Re snapped. “You didn't tell me we couldn't at least share a woman together.”
“I thought it was a given when I told you that I don't share!” I snapped back.
“Oh, I like her, Re,” Durga sighed. “She's fiery.”
“You have no idea,” I said in a low voice to her.
“Oh, my darling,” she laughed, “but I do. I know all about your dragon nature. It's very exciting. Would you mind shifting for me?”
“Yes I do mind!” I huffed and turned back to Re. “Obviously, this was a mistake. I thought you could commit yourself to one woman but evidently, you can't... which is totally fine. Do your thing! Ro
ck the super god bed and your adjustable sex throne,” I waved a hand at the chair. “I'll be more careful in my next choice... and more clear.”
“Damn it, Vervain,” Re crawled out of bed and started to come forward. “There has to be some middle ground we can reach. Be reasonable.”
“Reasonable?” I huffed. “I'm talking about commitment. I know it's a weird situation but I'm faithful to my men and they're faithful to me. No one gets into bed with us who isn't a part of that commitment.”
“So you'd be okay with another woman as long as I committed to her too?” Re shot back.
“No!” I screamed. “Were you not paying attention? This isn't a fair arrangement. I'm sorry but that's just how it is. I told you about my beasts. We're possessive and unreasonable and there's no middle ground for us. This is me, take me or leave me. In fact, I'll save you the hassle and leave you!”
I turned around, wrapping the sheet around myself like a toga, and walked out. He didn't follow me.
Chapter Twenty
“We have a problem,” Trevor said as I walked into our bedroom. Then he saw what I was wearing and frowned. “More than one, evidently.”
“You could say that,” I grimaced.
“What happened?” He pulled out a chair from our little dining set and I slid into it, folding my sheet around my legs.
“Durga walked in on us having sex and tried to join in,” I sighed.
“Durga?” Trevor blinked.
“Durga is Sarasvati's mother,” I said blandly.
“What was Sara's mother doing at Re's palace?” Trevor sat down beside me.
“What do you think?” I gave him a look and his eyes widened. “Re hadn't been returning her calls so she came for a visit and found us in a... private moment. And this is after he implied that he didn't sleep with women more than once.”
“Oh no,” Trevor whispered.
“Yep,” I took a deep breath. “And it gets worse.”
“No,” Trevor gaped at me. “He didn't.”
“Oh, yes he did,” I confirmed.
“He wanted her to join you?” Trevor was mortified, bless his little, loyal, wolf heart.