And we could.
I'd known we were meant to be—Alaric had said as much—but I hadn't known the why of it. Now, I knew. Viper's star could connect with mine like no other. Re, as a sun god, technically had a type of star magic, and he could make my moon glow, but he couldn't do what Viper had just done. He couldn't reach into the heart of my magic and draw it forth. He couldn't magnify it or speak to it. Because Re's magic hadn't been formed by mine. His sun was separate from my star. But Viper, as much as he'd been shaped by his soul, was still my creation. My magic had given him his, my power had formed him, and my soul had found his in the Void.
My star had found a friend.
“Hey there, Star God,” I whispered as I lowered my hand to Viper's chest.
“Hey yourself, Trinity Star.” Viper smiled and I smiled back.
I told you that he had forged a magnificent destiny for himself,Alaric said smugly in my mind.
He was the help that was on its way, I replied in wonder.
Yes. You needed to do this together. It was destined.
Thanks for being here, Al.
Always, Vervain. You are never alone.
Usually, I'd be upset by that,I teased. But today, I'm grateful.
Alaric chuckled.You did well today. Enjoy the victory.
Thanks, Al.
“Pan, if you take picture of my naked vife, I vill disembowel you,” Kirill said calmly.
I looked up just as Pan was putting away his cellphone. The God Squad and the Itakupe were gathered around us, all wearing solemn expressions. Well, all but Pan, who was now pouting. I wasn't worried about Pan taking pictures, Viper was hiding most of my body, but I covered myself in scales again for the sake of my husbands.
“Do you think all the gods who hated me might be nicer now that I've saved them?” I asked hopefully.
Everyone but the owls grimaced at me.
“I swear, I need a PR team,” I muttered.
“Godhunter, what did you do How did you stop the spell from hurting the Gods??” Shaw asked as he stepped forward, in his leather jacket and jeans once more. I noticed that the zipper pull was bone.
“Star magic,” I said with a smile at Viper. “From two stars.”
“Well, your enemies may still hate you, but the Itakupe offer our friendship.”
“I'll gladly accept and count it as another win.” I stretched out a hand and shook his. “Thanks for your help.”
“It has been a surprising honor to meet you, Vervain.” Shaw bowed over my hand. “May the currents be kind to you.”
“And you.”
With that, the Itakupe shifted back into owls and took flight. Once they were gone, I noticed a significant lack of people. In particular, snake people.
“Um, where are the Adroanzi?” I asked. “Some of them did survive, right?”
Viper peered around the cavern and then cursed, “Oh, snake poop!”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Azrael returned with pilfered clothing while we were cleaning up. He'd taken the children out of the park and up the street, where he flagged down a police patrol car. Then, while the officer was distracted by the kids, he vanished—going invisible to watch over the children until the officer had called for an ambulance. The kids, prepped by Az, would hopefully stick to the story he gave them—that of a crazy group of men who kidnapped them, then turned on each other and killed themselves.
After Viper and I got dressed—and after I hugged Azrael for a good three minutes—we finished the clean-up. The Adroanzi had shifted back into human forms upon death so we decided to leave their bodies for the cops to find. Hopefully, that would keep them from searching for kidnappers who didn't exist or pinning the crime on innocent men. The surviving Adroanzi had booked it out of the cave as soon as Viper's attention had wandered, but no one wanted to bother hunting them. The consensus was that they'd been following orders and now, with the lack of a leader, they'd likely disappear. As far as the real snakes, Viper collected them and set them free outside the cave. I assumed that they were indigenous to Texas and wouldn't upset the ecosystem. I mean, it's not as if Adro could have traced somewhere to grab a bunch of snakes; they had to be from the area.
