My Soul to Take (20 page)

Yemanja came stumbling into the dining hall the next morning, practically tripping out of the Aether. Her hair was tangled and her dress was stained but she had a satisfied look on her face.

“I got it,” she pulled a little pouch out of her cleavage and handed it to Odin.

“I'll go get started,” Odin gave me a wide-eyed look before he headed upstairs.

“Coffee?” Kirill offered her.

“Oh, you're a god,” she moaned and slid into a seat across from mine.

“
Demi
-god,” Kirill winked at her before pouring her a cup from the carafe before him. “But you can call me god if you like.”

“Oh not you too,” I groaned. “It's bad enough that I have to deal with Re's ego.”

“I am ze Lion God, Kirill,” Kirill mocked Re.

“Nice one,” Trevor nodded and high-fived Kirill.

“Well, you may be a lion god but I'm Death and Death is pooped,” Azrael said as he walked in.

“Hey, Baby Death,” I cooed as he walked up to me.

“That was bad,” Az said as he leaned down to give me a kiss.

“Yeah, sorry,” I scrunched up my face at him. “I was trying out a new pet name; it didn't work.”

“Don't the French call an orgasm
the small death
?” Trevor mused.

“La petite mort,” Yemanja said in perfect French as she nodded.

“You just called Az an orgasm,” Trevor gave me his lopsided grin.

“I think I'm okay with that,” Azrael chuckled as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “La petite mort.”

“Don't you want to go to bed?” I asked him in concern.

“Whoa!” He held up a hand as he sat down. “I didn't think I'd have to prove myself worthy of the title immediately.”

“I meant you must be tired after working so long,” I shook my head at him. “I didn't think you'd want to drink coffee right before you went to sleep.”

“It affects me for about two point five seconds,” he shrugged. “And I'd like to spend some time with my wife before I get some rest.”

“Take my seat,” Kirill offered as he stood from his chair on my right. “I vant to go train vith Intare.” He kissed my forehead and gave Yemanja a polite nod before leaving. His long braid swung enticingly over his ass as he left. I followed the swishing of it with my eyes like staring at a hypnotist's watch.

“Don't mind if I do,” Azrael switched chairs. “Where's Odin?”

“Making a tracking spell for Baron Samedi with the hair Yemanja just got for us,” I waved a hand towards the exhausted goddess.

“Do I want to know how you got Samedi's hair?” Az lifted a brow.

“Not the way you're implying, little death,” she chuckled. “Sam may talk big but he'd never cheat on Brigitte. He loves her too much.”

“That's sweet,” I mused. “You know, they have a great relationship. To be able to joke around and flirt with other people like that shows how secure they are.”

“Soooo,” Azrael leaned forward. “What you're saying is; you want me to flirt with other women?”

“Do it and you'll both die,” I smiled sweetly.

Trevor and Azrael burst into laughter.

“I'm not as secure as Brigitte, I guess,” I said to Yemanja.

“It's a unique relationship,” she shrugged. “Not many could handle it. I know I couldn't. And by the way,” she gave me a steady look. “He's seriously upset about the souls. Papa told him what you said and Sam asked me if I believed it. I told him; no, of course I didn't and that was why I'd come to visit; to reassure him of my faith in him. But I'm not sure I convinced him. He swore to me that he'd find whomever was behind this.”

“Is it terrible that I hope it isn't Sam?” I asked her softly. “I mean, he quoted
Labyrinth
to me. I've never met a straight man who could do that.”

“No, I hope he's innocent too,” she sighed. “But I just don't see how he could be. I think he's guilty, Vervain, and it's killing me to believe that of him.”

“It's never easy to believe our friends are capable of evil. But I suppose we all are, given the right motivation,” I glanced at Azrael and he took my hand.

“I never thought you were evil,” Az whispered to me. “You did those things out of love for me.”

“Most evil is born of love,” Yemanja said tiredly. She saw the way we stared at her and gasped. “Oh, don't pay attention to me, I'm so tired, I don't know what I'm saying right now.”

“You're saying what you believe to be true,” I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

The love magic inside me fluttered in sympathy. It had been used for some very evil purposes by Aphrodite.

“No,” Azrael said firmly. “Love is love, and that is never evil. It may be altered into something awful but it cannot be blamed for the alteration.”

The butterflies perked up inside me; yes, we liked that. But was it true? Was it really the fault of the individual? I suppose it was.

“Love doesn't kill people; people do,” I smiled at my angel.

“Exactly,” he nodded. “Love is pure, people taint it and replace it with evil, but that evil is not born of love,” he gave Yemanja a kind look. “And if our friends disappoint us, perhaps we should remember that and not let their deeds poison our love for them.”

“Bon Dieu!” Yemanja exclaimed. “You are something special.”

“Yes he is,” I stroked the script on Azrael's cheek. “And he was born of the true Root of all Evil.”

“Best father ever,” Az laughed.

“Hey, my Dad's pretty awesome too,” Trevor huffed.

“Agreed,” I leaned over to give my neglected wolf a kiss on the cheek.

“He wants you to come over for a run,” Trevor went on and I paled. “What?”

“I can't shift into my dragon form,” I hadn't wanted to tell my men about the horrible near death of my children, I'd thought that letting them know I was battling my beasts was enough. But it looked like it would have to be said.

“What do you mean?” Azrael caught my arm and leaned into the conversation.

“I didn't want to worry you with this,” I sighed.

“By the Moon, Vervain!” Trevor growled. “You need to be honest with us.”

“I am,” I whined. “I told you about the trouble with my beasts, I just didn't specify that it happened more than once or elaborate on what had triggered it.”

“What do you mean?” Azrael asked again. “What happened, Vervain?”

“Arach said it was time for Rian to make his first flight,” I explained. “Which basically entailed throwing him out a window.”

“What is wrong with you faeries?!” Trevor stood up violently, upsetting his chair. “You allowed it, didn't you? You let him throw that baby out a motherfu... son of a... dang it!”

“It's tradition,” I shrugged. “And I was waiting below, ready to shift into my dragon form in case Rian wasn't able to fly.”

“But?” Trevor narrowed his eyes on me.

“But I couldn't shift,” I swallowed hard, all of my beasts whining inside me. “My star; without it, the balance is upset. The lioness and wolf knew that if they let the dragon shift, they might be destroyed. So they held her down and I wasn't able to shift.”

“Are Rian and Brevyn okay?” Azrael whispered and Trevor's eyes went wide.

“They're fine,” I said hurriedly, holding up my hands. “Though Rian did pull Brevyn out the window with him.”

“Vervain!” Azrael shouted.

“It's okay, Rian flew and he carried Brevyn safely to the ground,” I reassured them. “Brevyn loved it.”

“Alright,” Az leaned back in his seat in relief. “They're fine but you're not. Is that what you're saying?”

“I can't shift into a dragon because it might kill my other magics,” I nodded. “And I doubt I can shift into a wolf since it was the power of the star which made that possible to begin with.”

“And your lioness?” Trevor asked.

“I don't know,” I sighed. “I haven't tried. It's very upsetting to my beasts when I fail and I don't want to mess with my equilibrium right now. Plus, if I can shift, the other two will be jealous.”

“Vervain, you have to fix your star,” Trevor sat back down. “This is getting insane.”

“Saying that over and over won't help, Trev,” I grumbled. “I know I need to fix my star, I just don't know how.”

“We'll think of something,” Azrael stroked the hair back from my temple. “Don't worry, Carus, we always come up with a plan.”

“Yeah but our plans don't always work,” Trevor huffed and I shot him an angry look. “What? You know it's true, my little Godhunter. Life loves to screw with you.”

“Ain't that the truth,” I muttered.

“It's done,” Odin came down the tower stairs, strode into the bedroom, and laid a shiny silver plate down in my lap.

“This is the Sam tracker?” I asked as I turned off the latest episode of
iZombie
. “A plate?”

“That's it,” Odin nodded and plopped down into an armchair with an exhausted air.

“How do you turn it on?” Trevor, who had an arm around my shoulders, leaned in and tapped the center experimentally.

The plate rippled like the surface of a pond and our hazy faces washed away, replaced by a smooth walnut-colored butt moving rapidly between a pair of pale thighs.

“Oh my damn!” I pushed the plate off my lap like it was a snake before I could get a glimpse of Sam's anaconda.

“Hold on now,” Trevor chuckled and picked the plate up. “I don't think I got a close enough look at that.”

“Trevor!” I snatched the plate from him. “We didn't do this to become peepers.”

“
You
didn't,” he laughed and made a grab for the plate.

“Vhat's going on?” Kirill asked as he came into the room from the bathroom, rubbing at his long, dark hair with a towel.

“Trevor is spying on Sam and Brigitte while they have sex,” I tattled. “Come here, honey. I'll help you with your hair.”

Kirill smiled and sat down on the carpet in front of me. The towel around his lap gaped as he crossed his legs Indian style.

“Whoa, watch it,” Odin held up a hand to block the view. “
I
am not interested in peeping of any kind.”

“Sorry,” Kirill drew the towel closed as he handed me the one for his hair. “But you didn't have to look.”

“I do,” Trevor once more tried for the plate and successfully grabbed it from my hands. “It's an immoral imperative. Wow,” he leaned away from me and cocked his head at the plate. “I didn't know you could... oh okay... um,” he cleared his throat and laid the plate down over his crotch. “Minn Elska, how would you like to take a bath with me?”

“Trevor, I'm not having sex with you because you got yourself worked up from watching Sam and Brigitte,” I huffed.

“Why not? What does it matter where I work up my appetite, as long as I eat at home?”

“Valid,” Kirill held up his fist for a bump from Trevor.

“You shouldn't have even been watching them, it's so rude,” I growled.

“The purpose of the plate is to watch them,” Trevor rolled his eyes.

“You said zey had sex in front of everyone,” Kirill looked up at me. “I don't zink zey vould care if Trevor vatched. Zey'd probably like it.”

“Thanks, man,” Trevor gave Kirill one of those chin-lift nods that men do.

“But watching them have sex when you're spying on them, takes it from prudence to perversion,” Odin shook his head at Trevor.

“Hey,” Trevor stood and the plate fell, revealing an impressive bulge. “I'm a man and we're visually stimulated. It's perfectly natural for me to be turned on by watching people have sex. Pan makes a living off that very thing.”

“Pan makes a living from you watching people have sex?” Odin asked dryly and we all chuckled.

“Oh come on,” Trevor huffed. “We do it all the time with each other.”

“We are in a polyamorous marriage,” Odin shrugged. “What we do together is beautiful and I'll even grant you that there's nothing wrong with watching some pornography but
those
are gods we're spying on,” Odin pointed to the plate. “And whether they have sex in public or not is not the issue. They don't know we're watching, so it's a bit dishonorable.”

“And there's the Allfather,” Trevor huffed. “Whatever. That was hot and if my wife isn't going to fulfill her wifely duties, I'll go fulfill them for myself.” He stalked off to the bathroom.

“You had to call him dishonorable?” I chided Odin.

“I called it like I saw it.”

“I agree with you but you know Trevor's honorable,” I shook my head. “He was caught up in the moment and you could have been more tactful when you pointed all that out to him. As it is, you've probably hurt his feelings.”

“I didn't mean to hurt his feelings,” Odin huffed. “I'll apologize.”

“Later,” I laughed.

“Well I sure as hell wasn't going to do it now,” he smirked at me.

“You going after him?” Kirill asked me casually.

“Let me finish your hair first,” I smiled. “It will be much more fun to walk in on him mid-fulfilling.”

“You're the Devil,” Odin declared.

“She's absolutely not,” Azrael huffed as he came down into the room. He yawned as he finished pulling his shirt on. “What did I miss, that has you calling Vervain by my father's title?”

“Trevor vatched Sam and Brigitte having sex,” Kirill explained. “Zen he got hard, vaved it all around, and valked avay in huff vhen Vervain refused to help him.”

“I'm sorry... what?” Azrael gaped at us. “Did I misunderstand that because of Kirill's heavy accent or did he just say that Trevor waved his hard dick around?”

“He didn't wave it around,” I chided Kirill.

“I embellish for effect,” Kirill shrugged.

“Well your embellishment gave me horrible visuals,” Az shuddered as he took a seat.

“I don't know,” I smirked. “I kinda liked them,” I gave Kirill's hair a final pat and stood. “I think I'll go take care of my husband now.”

“Well
this
husband is expecting his date afterwards,” Azrael announced.

“Oh, right,” I chewed my lip. “Well Trevor's probably moe than halfway there already. I should only be a few minutes.”

I walked into the bathroom to the sound of laughter.