“What?” Thad's eyes lit up. “Thor has a rock in his head?”
“His forehead.” I nodded. “It's just a little sliver of stone, but he hates talking about it.”
“Challenge accepted!” Sam declared and pointed in Thor's direction. “Horsemen, we ride!”
Three of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse rushed off toward the God of Lightning, leaving the last Rider sighing in relief.
“Thank you,” Az whispered to me.
“I feel a little bad about throwing Thor under the bus. Or under the horse, rather.”
“You sacrificed him for me.” Azrael grinned.
“Of course. No question about it; you're more important.”
“I love you.” He pulled me in tighter and kissed my forehead. Then he looked at Cid, “Now, what did my father do?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I really did feel bad about siccing three of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse on Thor. It felt a bit like throwing a friend to a pack of zombies while Az and I escaped. So I went over to apologize after Thor had chased them off. As luck would have it, I caught him alone.
“Hey, sorry about that,” I said. “I threw you to the wolves.”
“Oh, that was you?” Thor widened his eyes. “Why?”
“To save Azrael. They were telling some stories that made him sad, but he didn't want to tell them they were making him sad, so he didn't say anything.”
“So you diverted their attention to me?”
“Yes. It was all I could think of on the spot.”
Thor chuckled. “It's fine, Vervain. I can handle myself.”
I blinked and straightened. “Something's different about you.”
“Whatever you did this time worked. I feel even better than when you first healed me.”
“Good. I hope it sticks.”
“I think it will. You knew what to avoid this time, and I don't think you want me pining for you anymore.”
“You were pining?” I lifted my brows. “I can't imagine that.”
He laughed again. “You know I was. But it was more than that; it was bitterness. I had found you first in this life. I could have had you, but I screwed up. Then I had to watch you build a life with my father.”
“Yeah, that's . . . it's kinda gross actually.”
Thor's laughter became the booming variety. When it faded, he said, “It's not gross for gods. Just upsetting for the one who loses the girl.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Don't be. They're my feelings but you tried to make them better. And as soon as you discovered that you hadn't been quite so successful, you fixed it.”
“Yes, all because of my son who used to be your son.”
“Isn't life strange?”
“Often in a good way.” I hugged him. “I'm sorry that Brevyn put the whammy on you instead of just telling me.”
