by Unknown
But Trevor and Kirill would know to look there.
“Where should we go?” I whispered as I put a hand on my belly.
Pregnancy had always seemed like undiscovered country to me. A place where I wasn't sure I wanted to go and wasn't sure I'd be welcome. The only other inhabitant would be a type of parasite, leeching nutrition from me while simultaneously making me fat. I'd pictured it as a burden, a task I'd have to perform as Queen of the Fire Kingdom. But it wasn't that at all.
I'm not sure what a normal, human pregnancy is like but carrying a faerie child was an adventure. No, I didn't enjoy burping flames or feeling like I'd been poisoned every morning and dragon rage was reaching an all new high for me, but there were also wonderful moments of peace, connection, and joy.
Ever since I'd brought Ull's soul back from the Void and placed it within my child, the baby had started communicating with me. I could sense him, not just his presence (obviously I could sense that) but him; his essence and soul. The personality that was forming. And it wasn't purely Ull.
Ull was being changed by the faerie essence he'd bonded to. Magic had a way of doing that, changing things, and faerie magic was especially powerful. Ull was still there, he wasn't being destroyed or consumed, just altered and added to. Compromises were being made. This was how it was when two souls inhabited one body. I knew all about that but I hadn't realized that the blending could happen so smoothly within the womb.
Babies are born with personalities. All you have to do is spend some time around newborns to see it. Every baby is different. Outside influences can shape the way a person behaves or change what they believe, but at our core, our souls remain the same. My child had two souls but they had to form one personality. This was what I felt inside me; the altering personalities. Ull was transforming from my friend into my son.
I was very aware of him, this new him, and he was aware of me. As a triple trinity being, I was used to sharing my body and thoughts. There had even been battles waged inside me. This actually prepared me more for pregnancy than I'd known. Having a child inside me was very similar to having a new beast or magic. We weren't touching souls, it wasn't like the connection I had with Azrael, but I was observing his souls. I was listening to them settle into that unformed body like a happy couple settles into their first home.
So when I spoke to him, I knew he heard me and I knew he was with me. Not just physically with me but mentally and magically. When I told Az that I wasn't alone, that my son would join me on my walk through Hell, I hadn't said it simply for effect. It was the truth. For the moment, we were a team. If I was in trouble, so was he, and even though he was still growing within me, he had some powerful magic at his disposal. And he had his mama's back.
I could feel him moving inside me, as anxious as I was, and I knew we needed a little peace. Personally, I wanted to catch my breath and come to terms with my heartache. This was beginning to feel normal with Odin, this shivering cold inside my chest; the tremulous ache of anxiety and pain. But with Az, it was still new. With Azrael, there was still hope and hope makes heartache even heavier. Heartache can't heal when hope hangs around.
I strode into my bedroom and found the purse I kept there with all my human necessities; license, money, and car keys, then I headed outside. I locked up the house and went over to the pitch-black jaguar parked in the open-air garage. It had been so long since I drove it that I'd had to disconnect the battery and put a car cover over it. There were dried leaves clinging to the gray fabric like insects caught in a web, and more of them pooled around the tires.
I yanked the cover off, sending the leaves swirling through the air, and folded the material neatly before putting it away in the little closet attached to the garage. I reconnected the car battery, slamming the hood afterward with a determined huff, and then slid into the beige leather seat and started the engine. It rumbled to life with a satisfying purr, eliciting a smile from me. Traveling through the Aether was a rush but I loved driving a sports car; controlling all that human-made power with skill and intellect. I backed out of the drive and headed towards Kailua in a freeing squeal of rubber.
Kailua was either a surf town or yuppie central depending on how you looked at it. There were marshy areas that were almost uninhabitable (they put the Marine Base on one of them) but that didn't lower property values at all. Why? Because the rest of Kailua was within walking distance of the beach, if not directly on the beach itself. And not just any beach. The beaches in Kailua were post card perfect pictures of paradise. Buttery soft sand spread out towards turquoise water, so clear, you could see fish swim by while you stood on the shore. Baby islands beckon you to swim out to them; Flat island to the left and the Mokulua islands (called the Moks by locals) float together on the right; home to seabird sanctuaries. When President Obama comes for a visit, Kailua is where he stays.
There were cute little boutique shops, yoga studios, and a Whole Foods. People rode bikes everywhere and used fabric shopping bags instead of paper or plastic. Kailua was Eco-friendly, supporting clean air, recycling, and fresh fruit smoothies, though maybe not in that order. The weather there was too hot for my tastes, I prefer the more rainy atmosphere of Kaneohe, but I loved living nearby.
Tucked away on a Kailua side street, was a little Mom and Pop restaurant called Bella's Bistro, which had the most amazing French Onion soup done Mediterranean style. I could really use a bowl. Maybe some coffee too. And hummus. And a steak. Agh, the baby appetite was killing me.
After a leisurely lunch of all of the above, delivered to me by my favorite waitress; Jade, I headed back home, feeling steadier and ready to face my men. I had no idea what I should do about Odin but I was pretty sure I was going to let other people handle him from now on. Our sons, Vidar and Vali, as well as Odin's son Thor, would definitely have a few things to say to Griffin but I was done arguing. I was too tired of dealing with this back and forth crap. I know the whole Griffin thing was partially my fault, I was the one who had put him in that body in the first place, but Odin made the choice to give up his magic and me. I couldn't keep fighting him, no matter how much I loved him. I had to let him go.
I parked the car and got out with a groan, my full belly adding to the baby bulge and turning the simple task into one of the Labors of Hercules. I had turned around to grab my purse, when someone hit me from behind, right at the back of my skull. I groaned, crumpling into the seat, but was still conscious enough to try and turn around. Another blow came and then another before I succumbed to oblivion.
Chapter Six
I woke up on a cold cement floor feeling pretty damn good for a woman who nearly had her skull caved in. I cast my eyes around warily before I moved, trying to figure out who had me this time and what I needed to do about it. All I saw were some wooden table legs against a backdrop of white wall. I didn't hear anything but I smelled blood. It was dried but fairly fresh, just old enough to add a metallic tang to the air, which the three animals inside me were able to pick up easily. I focused and saw a line of red curving in front of me. Then I frowned and gave up being sly to just sit up and look around.
“You've got to be kidding me,” I huffed. “This is like the worst day ever.”
I was in a basement, a very familiar basement. It was spacious and clean, with half the cement floor covered by an old fashioned area rug with some worn furniture over that. The other half was bare cement floor with wood tables laden with witchcraft paraphernalia. Though there was a significantly reduced amount of books on the table since the last time I'd been in Rebecca's basement. Rebecca, the sorceress I'd tortured until she had released Azrael from her binding circle.
I was sitting in the middle of a new circle, this one drawn in blood, and when I looked down, I saw my name written beneath me in the same medium. Behind me was a cot with a pillow and a folded blanket on it and to the left of that, a bucket. What the hell? I stood up just as Rebecca skipped down the stairs. When she saw that I was awake, she smirked and sauntered over to stand befo
re me at the edge of the circle.
“Remember me?” The pale blonde, who seemed a little paler now, asked.
“Hmmm, I'm coming up blank,” I cocked my head. “Maybe because someone whacked me in the back of the head. A lot.”
“You can sure take a hit,” she grimaced. “I'll give you that.”
“Yeah, let's see how well you do,” I started forward and she pointed down at the circle.
“I've bound you,” another smirk, “just like your demon boyfriend.”
“Azrael is not a demon!” I shouted loud enough to shake the furniture and she flinched. “I don't know how many times I have to tell you he's an angel but whatever. I'm neither an angel or a demon so your little circle ain't gonna hold me.” I stepped forward and a blinding flash of light sprang up from the ring of blood and knocked me back on my ass. “Again I say; what the hell?” I gaped at the ground.
“I used your blood,” she narrowed her eyes on me. “It doesn't matter that you're not a demon. I can bind anyone with their own blood and name. You're caught, Vervain Lavine, blood bound. There's no escape.”
“You used my blood?” I gaped at her.
“Yep,” she smiled. “I took a few syringes when you were out cold. Don't worry, they were sterile.”
“I don't care whether they're sterile or not,” I huffed. “I can't be affected by a damn virus. Not even the Black Plague could kill me.”
“Right,” she snapped. “Because you're immortal.”
“What do you want, Rebecca?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “You realize that I have people who will come looking for me, right? God people and lion people and wolf people. They should be here any minute.”
“Because they can track you with this?” She asked as she held up my gold ring. My mouth fell open as she went on. “Yeah, I felt the magic in your jewelry and decided I'd better take them off for safe keeping. We have one gold ring. Is this a wedding band? Are you actually married to the demon?” I just stared hard at her. “One beautiful, cabochon ring which doesn't seem to want to stay on my finger or I'd be keeping it,” she pouted as she held up my Ring of Remembrance, “and one humongous emerald pendant. It's a little garish, don't you think?” She held up the necklace Odin had given me, with its thumb sized emerald surrounded by a thick gold band, all hanging on a heavy gold chain. Then she laid the three pieces on the table, just out of my reach. “No one's coming for you.”
“They'll find me eventually,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “I'm bound to them as surely as I am to this circle. They'll find me.”
“Not this time,” she smirked again, man she was doing a lot of smirking. “I've cast stronger wards around my house and that circle has its own built in; it's hiding you. You're psychically invisible.”
“What do you want?” I asked again.
“What I've always wanted,” she sighed, suddenly looking exhausted.
“I can't make you immortal, Rebecca,” I shook my head sadly.
“No, but I can,” a stunningly beautiful woman sashayed down the stairs and into the room like she'd upstairs been waiting for her cue. Behind her were two buff, coffee-skinned men with close-cropped dark hair. Mexican perhaps. They were wearing suits, making them look like high-priced bodyguards.
The woman looked like she shared their ethnicity. She had thick, long, wavy hair just shy of being true black, deep chocolate eyes, and dark brown skin with a golden undertone, like koa wood. She was very curvy and very graceful, making every step look like it was part of a dance. Her full lips were stained blood-red and her long fingernails were painted to match. She wore a grass-green silk dress and a simple gold pendant of a grimacing face. 24 carat gold from the look of it. She smiled and revealed the tips of delicate fangs.
“Where's the snake, Salma?” I smirked.
“Pardon me?” She looked startled.
“You're obviously some kind of vampire queen,” I shrugged. “Haven't you seen From Dusk till Dawn? You're supposed to make your entrance with a big snake sliding around your body. Did you forget it or is one of your henchmen holding it for you?”
“Do you know what she's talking about?” She asked Rebecca, who was gaping at me like she wasn't sure whether she should laugh or scream.
“Um,” Rebecca cleared her throat. “She's referring to a movie about vampires.”
“Aztec vampires actually,” I clarified and saw the woman flinch... just a small flinch but it was enough to make me suspect that I'd hit it right on its proud Aztec nose. “Hey, where's George Clooney? That was the only movie I ever thought he was hot in. I think it was the tattoo. Throughout the whole film you only get to see this little part of it creeping up his neck but then at the end, he takes off his shirt and bam! It goes all the way down his arm. So sexy.”
“Yeah, it was pretty nice,” Rebecca sighed but then flinched when she saw the woman staring hard at her.
“Humans,” the vampiress shook her head and shared an amazed look with her bodyguards.
“Yeah I'm human, but I'm other things too,” I let the fire fill my eyes and stared her down. She thought her vampire stare of doom was scary? Then she'd never met a dragon before.
“Oh yes, I know exactly who and what you are, Godhunter,” she smiled slowly, totally unaffected by my fire eyes. Which kind of pissed me off. “And what you're carrying inside you.”
“Well, that's not fair,” I smirked. “You know my name but I don't know yours. Introductions should have been made first thing. It's only polite.”
“My name isn't important,” she waved a hand. “But yours is. It was whispered to me by an oracle three days ago. A prophecy about a woman of three races who would bear a child of two. You're both very rare.”
“Whatever. Prophecies are kind of a pet peeve of mine. Everyone seems hellbent on foretelling my future and frankly, I don't want to know. Leave the future in the future, I say. So keep it to yourself,” I narrowed my eyes on her as a thought occurred to me. “You know, Salma, I'm good friends with your creator. I don't think he'd approve of the way you're treating me.”
She froze, her eyes widening before they narrowed on me. “You know nothing of my creator.”
“Huitzilopochtli, aka Blue Hummingbird on the Left, but I just call him Blue for short,” I shrugged. “You gotta admit, his name's a mouthful.”
She gaped at me.
“Big Aztec, black hair down to here,” I angled my hand to my shoulders, “previously blood red eyes, has a thing for stone altars and jungles? I know him, trust me. I've been to his house, his priests have made me dinner.” I blinked as I realized how that sounded. “Let me rephrase; they made dinner for me. Kind of an important distinction with you guys.”
“You know Huitzilopochtli?” She looked both horrified and intrigued.
“Yeah, like I said; we're friends,” I grinned. “I thought that Aztec barb slid home. That's what the three of you are, aren't you? Aztec vampires.”
The bodyguards shared concerned glances but the woman, aka Salma, only cared about one thing.
“How do you know Huitzilopochtli?” She drew closer and looked me over. “He is not the father of the child?”
“No,” I considered her. “Why? Would it bother you if he was? Were you and he close?”
“That's none of your concern,” she huffed. “Just know that Huitzilopochtli cannot save you from me. I am beyond his reach now and hurting someone he cares about will only make this sweeter.”
“Beyond his...” I gaped at her. “Holy hummingbirds, are you his ex-girlfriend? The ex-girlfriend? The one he accidentally made into a vampire? The one who started the whole spread of vampirism?”
“There was nothing accidental about it!” She hissed and I gaped. “He nearly killed me and then he made me into this! This creature who must drink blood to survive. A monstrosity.”
“Yeah, I get it,” I nodded. “Must have been traumatic but you have to know how much he regrets that. He still loves you. I saw it myself when I shared his memories.�
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“Shared his memories?” Her eyes widened. “Why would he share his memories with you?”
“It's a long story,” I shook my head but she just speared me with her gaze until I relented. “He was kind of crazy when I met him and he bit me, creating a blood link between us. Then he stalked me for a bit and I learned how to use my nahual. So I used my nahual to free his nahual and his eyes turned green again and he stopped being such a jerk and then-”
“Shut up!” She sliced her hand through the air and Rebecca pulled away from us both. “We are not going to talk about him anymore. We will talk about you and the prophecy that was made.”
“Oh great,” I rolled my eyes. “Back to the stupid prophecy that I don't want to know about.”
“The prophecy is not exactly about you,” Salma smiled, “but the child you carry.”
“Excuse me?” I went still.
“It's a special child,” her eyes fell on my stomach avariciously. “Its blood can bestow great power on a vampire.”
“Are you seriously trying to tell me you want to drink my baby's blood so you can walk in the sun again?” I huffed. “That's a bit extreme. Buy a lamp. Rent a movie.”
“No, of course not,” she scoffed and I started to relax. “I've been able to walk in the sun for over a thousand years. The baby will give me much more than that.”
“What then?” My hand was spread over my stomach like I could hide my son from her evil stare. He shifted angrily inside me, as if he'd like nothing better than to come out and kick her ass himself. I tried to send him calming energy.
“Power,” she hissed. “Enough power to make me a goddess.”
“You already have immortality,” I snarled. “Why do you need to be a goddess?”
“What good is immortality without magic?” She snapped. “Huitzilopochtli doomed me to eternal life without true power. He took me halfway there and then abandoned me.”