by Unknown
“Sometimes it's like living with Mary Poppins,” Holly sighed, rolling her eyes toward the kitchen.
“I actually enjoy creative cursing,” I chuckled. “I've been trying to replace some of my more foul words with some of Luke's.”
“That's why I've been hearing you use the word sugar so often,” Azrael lifted a brow at me.
“Well, what's that saying?” I tried to remember. “Something about people who use foul language being too lazy to come up with a better word? I like to be creative.”
“In a lot of things,” Az grinned.
“Azrael,” Holly chided.
“Sorry, Mom,” he laughed. “I couldn't help myself.”
“Yes, I've heard that as well,” she surprised us both by saying.
“Well my bernaise broke,” Luke huffed as he brought a platter of steaks into the room. “So I had to make a fresh batch and then I couldn't find something to put it in so I ended up just transforming a napkin into a serving dish. Sorry for the wait.”
“No worries,” I looked over the perfectly cooked filets. “Your food is worth the wait.”
“Thank you,” his eyes flashed happily as he laid the platter down. He went back into the kitchen and came out with the freshly made sauce and a bowl of roasted potatoes. He set them down and sat next to Holly. “I hear you've been having some problems with a different kind of demon.”
“Tawiskaron,” I nodded and took a steak from the platter. “He's Teharon's twin. I had no idea Teharon even had a brother much less a twin. Now he's making mutants and sending them into war zones to stir up even more violence.”
“So he's piggy backing on other god's manipulations,” Holly observed.
“You know,” I shared a look with Az. “I hadn't thought of it like that but you're right. He doesn't have to start a war, he just takes his pick from those already in progress and sends in his mutants to scrape up the leftovers.”
“I hate leftovers,” Luke grimaced. “Nothing tastes right the next day. Well, except stew. Stew will actually improve in flavor.”
“Lucifer, sweetheart,” Holly patted his hand. “That was kind of a disturbing tangent.”
“Was it?” He looked over to me for support.
“I thought it was kind of funny,” I shrugged.
“Hah!” Luke pointed victoriously at me. “You are an astute woman with discerning taste.”
“Pass me the bernaise and I'll say whatever you want,” I winked at him and he chuckled as he passed the napkin-pitcher.
“Don't tempt the Devil, my dear,” he wagged a finger at me. “I might just make you say something ridiculously embarrassing.”
“Oh no,” I mock gasped. “I've never embarrassed myself before. I'm so frightened.”
“Say Satan rules and Jerry drools,” Luke commanded.
“Satan rules and Jerry drools!” I repeated eagerly and giggled.
“Dad,” Azrael shook his head.
“Have some more potatoes, Vervain,” Luke nodded approvingly.
“Thank you, O' Great Lucifer, ruler of Hell and the Seven Heavens,” I intoned.
“Oh, my darling girl,” Luke grinned. “Wait till you see what I've made you for dessert.”
“I love Satan!” I shouted and started singing. “Satan rules and Jerry drools. Satan rules and Jerry drools.”
“Why do I even bring you here?” Azrael rolled his eyes.
“Because I insist on it,” I reminded him.
“Oh, that's right,” he agreed. “I forgot.”
“Azrael said there were evil elves in the Human Realm?” Luke started cutting into his steak eagerly.
“Dark Fey, Dad,” Azrael corrected.
“Oh yes, of course,” Luke nodded while I hid my laughter behind my napkin.
Then I looked at the napkin thoughtfully. Had it always been a napkin or was I wiping my mouth with a seat cushion? I shook my head and pushed the thought away.
“Yes, they're having some problems controlling their new abilities and they thought it would be okay to practice on humans,” I sighed. “I had to disabuse them of the notion and send them back to Faerie.”
“I bet they didn't like that,” Luke chuckled.
“No, they were okay...” I trailed off, going over the conversation I'd had with Rowan again. He'd appeared to be intimidated but from what I knew about Rowan, nothing intimidated him. So why did he give in so easily?
“What is it, Vervain?” Azrael angled his head towards mine.
“I was just wondering about Rowan,” I shook my head. “Never mind. I don't want to think about that now. I just want to sit here and enjoy this wonderful steak with some good company.”
“Here, here,” Luke pounded the table.
“Are you agreeing with me or calling the court to order?” I teased.
“Too judgey?” Luke squished his beautiful face up in a questioning look.
“It was the pounding that did it, darling,” Holly observed.
“Dude!” Cid came into the room waving a plastic game case. “I got the new Halo game! Oh, hi Holly. Vervain. Az. Sorry, I didn't know you had company.”
“Hey, Cid,” I waved gaily at him.
“The new Halo?” Luke started to jump up but then he saw Holly's face. “Ah, I can't play right now, can you come back in an hour?”
“And then at times it's like living with a five-year-old,” Holly shook her head and took a sip of her wine.
“I know the feeling,” I commiserated with her.
“Sure, no prob,” Cid grinned and waved as he left. “I'll leave it in the living room but don't start without me.”
“I won't, I promise,” Luke called after him.
“Ooooh,” I laughed. “A promise from the Devil. Is that worth anything?”
It's worth more than one from his holiness,” Luke grimaced.
“How is Jerry these days?” I asked and everyone groaned. “Forget I asked.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
“Griffin!” I called as I headed up the hallway of my little house in Kaneohe. I'd gone to Moonshine to check on him but he wasn't there, so I thought I'd stop in and see how he was. Make sure he hadn't had anymore of those episodes. I heard movement in the bedroom so I headed towards it. “Griffin, it's Vervain, I just wanted to see how you were.”
“Who the hell is that?” My perceptive dragon ears picked up a woman's voice.
“My landlord,” was Griffin's reply. “Hold on, I'll get rid of her.”
Something inside me snapped. I'd thought I was okay about Griffin moving on but so soon? And in my bed?! My vision went wonky for a second as rage overtook me and I slammed open the bedroom door. Griffin was just getting his pants on, he looked up at me in shock and panic. Behind him, in my beautiful Chinese wedding bed, was the blonde human woman I'd seen giving him her number. She was naked and posing on the rumpled sheets, breasts like soccer balls sitting up way too high to be natural and a cleanly shaven you-know-what. I shrieked like a mad woman.
“Get the fuck out of my bed, you slut!” There went my effort at being more creative with my curse words.
She in turn, screamed and grabbed the sheets to cover herself. Griffin stood, staring at me dumbfounded while I leapt into the bed through the opening at the foot and dragged his little friend kicking and screaming out of it. She clung to the sheets and I yanked them away from her.
“Those are my sheets too,” I snarled in her face. “Get your skanky clothes on and cover those plastic boobs before you get out of my house! Now, bitch, now!”
She scrambled for her clothes, shooting Griffin amazed looks. “Aren't you going to do anything?” She shrieked at him.
“Vervain,” he seemed to finally come out of his daze. “You can't just come in here unannounced and yank my guest out of bed. What the fuck are you doing?”
“Me?” I got in his face. “What am I doing? What the fuck are you doing? This is what you want?” I grabbed her arm and lifted her to her feet. She stared at me with huge eyes, I don't
think it really dawned on her how freakishly strong I was until that moment. “Really? A blonde bimbo with fake tits? You want a blonde, you can have a Valkyrie ferchrisakes. In fact, I oughta call those babes up and tell them about this shit. They'd probably come down here and kick your ass for me.”
“What the fuck is she talking about?” The blonde whimpered.
“Why are you still here?” I shouted in her face. “Do you have a god damned death wish? Because I can oblige.”
She ran from the room and seconds later I heard a car peeling out of the garage.
“God damn it, Vervain!” Griffin yelled. “You have no right to even be here, much less interfere with my sex life.”
“This is my house, Griffin,” I growled. “And if you don't mind, maybe you could have your sex life in a bed that's oh... not mine!”
“Fuck you, Vervain,” he shouted. “You act all supportive and self-sacrificing. You give me the use of this house and tell me there's no strings attached and then you show up out of the blue and get mad when you walk in on me having a life. You're not mad that I'm having sex in your bed. You're mad that I'm having sex with a woman who's not you.”
“You're a horrible person,” I whispered. “I can't believe you're the same man I married.”
“Because I'm not!” He yelled at me. “I look at you and I can't even understand why a god would sacrifice so much for you. You're selfish and greedy, you can't be faithful to one man so you have four, and yet you still want more. You're manipulative and childish and I want you to leave me the fuck alone!”
“Fine,” I held it together only because I was so damn angry. “You've got two weeks to find a new place to live. Then you'll never have to see me again.”
“Great,” he snarled.
“And wash those sheets! With bleach!” Then I traced out.
When I got back to Pride Palace, I went straight into the shower so I could cry my eyes out without anyone noticing. Then I dried off and crawled into bed. I was done, I couldn't deal with anymore. Just bring me the sweet oblivion of sleep. Except sleep didn't bring me any kind of oblivion.
“No, not tonight,” I held my hand up in King Leonidas' face. “I don't care if you do look like Gerard Butler from 300. Go away, Vex.”
“What happened?” Leonidas looked concerned and so very, very fit.
“No way, uh-uh,” I backed away and realized we were in his Spartan sleeping chamber. Terrace open to the breeze and a big moon shining in across the silk blankets of the bed I just fell on.
“Stop, Vervain,” Vex crawled up beside me and pulled me against his chest. He laid back in the bed with me. “Just relax and talk to me. Why are you so upset?”
“I don't want to talk about this,” his chest was so hard beneath my cheek, it was like lying on a rock, but it was also silky-smooth and warm. His heart thudded against my cheek, strong and sure. A thick hand came up into my hair and started rubbing at my scalp. I relaxed against him and sighed.
“It's okay, you don't have to talk,” his lips were soft on my forehead, a gentle caress.
“No, I can't do this with you,” I tried to sit up but he held me down.
“It's just a dream, Vervain,” he whispered. “There's no shame in seeking comfort here.”
I knew it was a lie, knew that even though I may be there only in spirit, he was actually there physically. This wasn't just a dream and I didn't really know this god, he could be anyone, but I didn't care in that moment. I was so hurt by what Griffin had said, I needed a small amount of comfort and as horrible as this sounds, I needed it from a stranger. I needed to feel attractive and wanted by someone who didn't love me. Someone unbiased who could turn Griffin's words into lies.
I lifted my face and Vex's mouth covered mine. Hot hands pulled me closer and then over his prone body. I felt every hard edge of him and gloried in it, sank myself further into his kiss and the release it offered. This was it, the oblivion I'd sought. The taste of honey and apricots in my mouth, his tongue sweeping across mine slowly, and his hand gripping my hair. It was so enthralling, so perfectly what I needed, but then Griffin's words intruded.
You can't be faithful.
I groaned and pulled away. There I was giving credence to Griffin's words instead of rebuking them. Leonidas looked shocked and a little forlorn, lips wet from my kiss and cheeks a little flushed. I rubbed my hands over my face and sighed.
“I'm sorry, I can't do this,” I backed of the bed, “not even in a dream, not even when I'm hurt. I don't know you and I don't love you. I had no right to kiss you. I hope you can understand. Please don't be here when I return.”
I waved a hand before he could say anything and used my fey power over the Realm of Dreams to wake myself up.
Chapter Forty-Eight
When Torrent came to me with a list of dream gods the next morning, I knew it was time to tell the others about Vex. I called the Squad together for yet another meeting. They were pretty shocked to find out it wasn't about Tawiskaron.
“What do you mean you've been stalked by a god in your dreams?” Trevor growled at me. “Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?”
“We had more important things going on,” I shrugged, “and I had no information to offer you, beyond him being a dream god.”
“We could have helped with the research,” Persephone chided. “You didn't have to do this alone.”
“I didn't,” I waved a hand at Torrent, who was sitting across the dining table from me. “Torrent compiled a list of dream gods for me. Now we have something to go on.”
“You said he's been killing people?” Mrs. E asked. “Vervain, I'm shocked that you didn't bring this to us immediately.”
“I don't think he's been killing lately,” I said and realized that I honestly didn't think he was. “He's been too focused on bugging me.”
“Vhy is he focused on you?” Kirill laid his penetrating stare on me and I felt myself blush. “Tima?”
“I don't think he has any friends,” I shrugged. “I think he's bored and lonely.”
“So what does he look like?” Hades asked. “There are some dream gods in my pantheon. If you describe him, I can tell you if it's one of ours.”
“I don't actually know,” I sighed. “See, this is what I mean. I have nothing to go on. He changed his appearance with every dream and refused to tell me his name. He was really paranoid. I offered to help him get access to a source of immortality so he didn't have to kill anymore and he thought it was a trap.”
“He's killing because he has to?” Thor frowned. “That's impossible. Every pantheon has a source of immortality and we would never deny it to our family.”
“What does the Greek pantheon have?” I wondered. “I know there's the grayel for the Christians, Islamics, and Sikhs, and the apples for the Norse but what about the Greeks?”
“We have ambrosia,” Persephone answered. “It's a potion that grants immortality.”
“And it's delicious,” Hades added. “We get it from Zeus. He makes everyone else swear fealty to him for it but we don't, since he knows I can kick his ass.”
“Right, ambrosia, I've heard of that. What about for you, Brahma?” I looked over to the Hindu god.
“We have a drink called soma, similar to ambrosia,” he explained. “It's made from a plant we brought from Atlantis.”
“Cool,” I looked toward Mrs. E but she raised her hand to stop me.
“Enough of this, Vervain,” she said. “You're delaying our search and I'm wondering why.”
“I'm sorry, I guess I'm just nervous,” I sat back with a exhaled puff of breath.
“Zis god makes you nervous?” Kirill could be way too perceptive sometimes.
“Well how would you feel if you'd been interacting with someone for awhile and didn't even know what they looked like?” I met his piercing blue eyes.
“Vervain,” he took my face in his hands.
“Oh, it's Vervain not Tima,” I lifted a brow.
“Stop zis now,” his voic
e was soft but firm and it worked.
“Alright, he makes me nervous,” I pulled away from him gently. “I caught Griffin in bed with another woman yesterday.”
“What?!” Trevor growled.
“Oh damn,” Pan swore under his breath.
“It's fine,” I waved it away. “I was just unprepared for it. We got in a nasty fight-”
“Did you kick that girl's butt?” Pan interrupted.
“I kicked her out on it,” I spared a little smile for Pan. “Then I came home and crawled into bed.”
“And there he was waiting for you,” Trevor surmised.
“Looking like Gerard Butler in 300,” I said in a hushed confessional voice.
“Oh nice!” Persephone whooped. “Leonidas? Was he all ripped and smooth and with the pointy beard and...” her voice faded away when she noticed Hades staring at her. “You should grow a beard, hot stuff. Like you had when we first met. That was super sexy.”
“You think so?” Hades fell hook, line, and sinker for the ploy and Sephy winked at me.
“Oh absolutely,” she nodded.
“Vhat happened in dream?” Kirill persisted.
“Alright, Mr. KGB,” I sighed. “He was comforting me and I kind of-”
“You kissed him, didn't you?” Trevor's eyes were narrowed on me.
“I was really hurt by all the nasty things Griffin said,” I pleaded with him. “I'm so sorry. It was just a kiss, I pulled away and stopped it, mid-kiss. I promise.”
“Vervain,” Trevor sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “It's okay, it was a dream. I understand. Dreams can be confusing.”
“But if you kiss zis man for real,” Kirill took over. “I kill him.”
“Holy shit!” Trevor and I said at the same time.
“Vhat?” Kirill looked dangerous in that moment, his face set into hard lines, his cobalt eyes cold, his body tense and ready to pounce. I hadn't seen him like that since our first meeting, when he was halfway to insanity.