“Then it is decided that I too cast my gift onto the mortal. I give you the gift to travel between planes, so that anywhere your mate goes, you too can follow. And so too may you come home to be amid the gods when you choose.” Anubis patted Gre’s head. “Do us all proud, Mage of Gray.”
Gre stiffened as a golden light connected the two. So many rules for the creation of a full demigod existed for a reason, so likely it was the best course to make sure that Gre was raised by mortals. There was no doubt, though, that he’d earned his gifts. Faunus approached, hands raised as Gre shifted in form, the shadow coalescing and form shrinking. “I give to you the gift of form, to hold the shape you please always. And I gift you two things you will greatly appreciate—as well as your mate.”
I perked up as Faunus leaned forward to whisper to Gre, and as his form solidified into the human form I so treasured, a smile of delight and gratefulness twisted his features. “I’m sure Esmeray would love that.”
“Child of a dark moon. Love my son well. I am, unfortunately, no parent, but my hand is in your lives for always, now. And may your little one carry the gift Diana needs the most.” Faunus approached me with a swagger in his step, a smile on his too-white teeth and those green eyes raked me up and down with such adoration. He cupped my cheeks and leaned down, placing a kiss on my forehead. Then, he whispered, a message only for me. “I have the gift of divination and future sight. Do you wish to know your child to come?”
I glanced up at Gre who had fire in his eyes, that gold all demigod, a force of nature. I whispered in turn, “Please.”
He leaned into my ear and spoke as the world spun and shattered around me, falling to pieces and dust, sandcastles collapsing and spinning. “You are lust and power, two things I know very well. Gre is a demigod, not of your maker’s pantheon. What you have created is something that the world will have never seen before. They are conceived in magic, imbibed with a god’s gift, and blessed to know and protect nature. They are nefalem of a new breed. They are demonborn and godspawn. Your child will be omega, and his wings will be that of the mortalplane. He will be born on my holiday, and as such will be revered by shifters.”
I nodded, my skin prickling.
Faunus rested a hand on my belly. “But you already know who he is. We will call them a warlock.”
I didn’t, but my mind spun as he whispered in my ear. “Born of shadows, the great darkness of the deep,Ausmius.”
And at that, the world righted itself and I was wrapped in a blanket on my cell floor with several guards panicking about while Lionel sat, arms crossed, on my bunk.
“Thank the gods you’re okay,” a familiar officer said. “How is your babe?”
They moved within me, a strong and healthy stretch and I leaned into their touch. “Everything is fine. It’s good. He’s wonderful.”
Chapter Nineteen
Greginald
I opened my eyes to a sterile white ceiling; rhythmic beeping surrounded me, and my lungs burned for air I couldn’t draw in fast enough to shriek for my mate. “Esmeray!”
A frantic nurse flailed and came scrambling in as she tugged on lines and fought a tube from my nose that had me coughing and gagging.
I wheezed a breath that didn’t want to cooperate and failed to sit up, head reeling. Any time I’d lost consciousness before, which was not infrequent with mages on power highs, I always woke in my shifted form. But this time? Instead, I was in my human form, and I patted my face and neck in sheer panic.
“Mage Hawthorne!” The nurse tried to calm me, but I needed to find Esmeray. I needed to—as I pulled my legs to the side, a sharp pain and tug at my groin made me swear. “Your catheter.”
“F-fuck. Was this entirely necessary?” I bunched my blankets over myself and sank back into bed after recognizing the cold breeze at my back.
“Unfortunately, in the condition you arrived in, yes.” She glared at me, and I pinched my shoulders.
“I want to speak to my mate. Please.” My heartrate skyrocketed on the monitor. “I can’t miss visiting hours.”
“You’ve got seven more hours to visit today. Chill.” She sighed heavily and I glanced at the clock. It was eleven thirty in the morning. Visiting hours in jail ended at one.
“He’s—” I started to tell her that he was in jail, but a familiar face lit up in the doorway—Esmeray. “Here… How?”
“Your stupid plan barely worked!” Esmeray forced his way past the nurse and leaned over me, his belly pressing into myside. Our little one kicked as if to join in the hug that wrapped me tight.
“But it did work!” I chuckled and earned a pinch. “Ow!”
“What do you remember?” Esmeray pulled back, staring at me with wide eyes.
“Uhhh… So. You’re not going to like this.”
“You signed a demonic contract with The Church and had Aus slit your throat.” Esmeray put his hands on his hips and huffed. “And after that?”
“The dream… Is Faunus my father?” I blinked in surprise.
“Yes, and every god and goddess you’ve pestered for favors put you back here on Earth to collect.”
