“You don't want any more children?”
“Oh, no. We'll probably have more, but Samara's the last that I met in that other future.”
“So any that come now are bonus babies.” She winked at me.
“I haven't thought of it like that.” I grinned. “Bonus babies. It will be nice to have a child without being worried about them being the right child.”
“I imagine there are enough things to worry about without adding that to the list.”
“Absolutely.” My gaze strayed to Brevyn, who had wandered up with his siblings to say hello to their grandfather.
It was horrible to think this, but I was hoping Brevyn had insisted on staying because he's seen a premonition of his father dying in this war. I didn't like the thought of Arach dying, but if it was him, it would mean that Brevyn was safe. Both of them were. And it made sense. The last time we'd fought Apple Angels, Arach had been downed in his dragon form. He'd flown off to fight alone, confident in his strength, and I had to bring him back from the edge of death with the Great Magic of Healing. Normally, Arach was right to be confident, but Wild Magic changes everything.
I looked at Fenrir, another confident man. Honestly, I was a little relieved that he was there. With most of the Horde of Hell going to search Heaven, we could use the extra soldiers. But Trevor and I had spoken about inviting the Froekn and decided against it. Bringing them in on this made it more than an inter-pantheon war. Although I suppose it could be argued that when you go against Az, you go against his family, and through his connection to Trevor and me, the Froekn are his family. Regardless, there would be no denying Fenrir now.
The wolves were going to war.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I woke up the next morning with a heavy ache in my chest. I felt horrible about deceiving Arach and going to war without him. But that wasn't all. Something else nipped at my emotions, and I couldn't figure out what it was. War was never a good thing, but this particular war had been a long time coming. I hoped that we'd end it today and change the face of Heaven—all of them.
“Heaven,” I whispered.
“What's that?” Viper mumbled.
All of my husbands had slept with me the night before, in all meanings of the word. It was another thing we tried to do before battle. I think, in the back of our minds, we knew that we could lose one or more of us, and we didn't want to miss the chance to be together one last time. Morbid, but that's war for you.
“Heaven,” I said again. “I'm just wondering who will rule it if we kill Jerry.”
“The Archangels,” Azrael said as he climbed over the other men and out of bed. “As they've always done. Jerry is little more than a figurehead.”
“A figurehead who dispenses power.”
“Only when he feels like it.” Azrael disappeared into the bathroom.
I got up and slipped into a robe before heading to the kitchenette. After I set the coffee and tea to brewing, I went out onto the balcony to watch the sunrise. As the sun rose, the grasslands became a sea of deep orange, then gold, sweeping back toward the mountains that hemmed in my territory. Light glinted off the lake to the left and shone on the Viking longship moored there, its sails down even though there was nowhere for it to go. Kinda sad for a ship. But I suppose it was the opposite. That dragonship would never see war and the only blood spilled on it would be accidental. All it knew was happiness—the joy of a large family who loved each other. And that was probably the best a ship like that could hope for.
Unless it was like the Froekn and, by its very nature, longed for the hunt.
“What are you thinking about, Starlight?” Viper asked as he settled in against my back, his skin still warm from bed. He wrapped his arms around me and laid his chin on my shoulder.
“War, of course. War and ships.”
“Ships?” He laughed. “I'm pretty sure that Wyoming is landlocked.”
“I was just thinking about my longship and how it would never go to war.”
“Lucky ship.”
“Yes, unless it wants to fight. Longships are made for battle. Do you think, somewhere in its wooden beams, it longs to feel the blood of my enemies?”
“Da fuck?” Viper pulled back and straightened. “It's a ship, Vervain.”
“Sorry. I guess I'm having dark thoughts this morning.”
“That's to be expected.” Azrael came outside with two steaming mugs. He handed one to me.
“You didn't bring me anything?” Viper asked.
