“That's a good point. Maybe you should mention it to the J-man.”
“I will.” I paused. “Hold on. You said that Az was a special case. Is he not warding Shehaquim anymore?”
“One moment.” Torrent peered downward, then said, “I don't see any break in the ward. I think Jesus has warded it all.”
“Az must have handed over the reins when his father gave control of all the heavens to Jesus.”
“I think so.” He waited a second, then asked, “So do we keep looking?”
“Oh, yeah. Because if it isn't an Angel behind this, the culprit could have slipped through the ward at any of the territories and then gained access to Araboth.”
“Shit,” Torrent muttered and looked down again.
I followed his gaze down the length of ward which seemed infinite. “Can you inspect it all like you just did?”
“You mean, just look along it?” Torr asked.
I grinned hopefully.
“No. I can see it, but I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, so I can't focus on searching for that.”
I nodded, expecting that answer. Then I did something I don't often do. I used a real curse word. “Shit.”
Chapter Six
Torrent and I came out of the Aether mentally exhausted if not physically. But this was still the beginning of our investigation. Thankfully, the Squad hadn't waited for us. They'd gone on to the other heavens to investigate while Re stayed behind to let us know. I strode down the marble steps and then onto the golden street as my exhaustion evaporated and a smile spread across my face.
There was Re, in all his sun god glory, sprawled upon a fucking (I can swear in my head) chaise lounge with a glass of something bubbly in his hand. He had the three top buttons of his shirt undone so his spectacular chest could catch the light. Not that the rest of him wasn't just as spectacular. And golden. His skin gleamed as if sprinkled with gold dust, highlights brought his dark hair to life, and his eyes—half-lidded and long-lashed—shone like polished doubloons. Against the backdrop of the gold cobblestones, it was almost too much. Oh, who am I kidding? Re is always too much no matter where he is, but in the best way possible.
Around him fluttered Angels, their graceful hands hovering over that amazing skin—the dark, desert color beneath enhancing the brightness of the golden sheen. Men and women alike were gathered around Re, offering him little tidbits of foodfrom golden platters (not silver, mind you) and fanning him. Fucking fanning him like a sultan. Or Scarlett O'Hara.
“Ah, here she is!” Re declared as he got up, passing his glass to one of the Angels. “My beautiful wife!”
The Angels pouted and turned their jealous stares my way. I pulled off my gas mask. They frowned, and I knew exactly why. I was pretty, maybe even beautiful thanks to Aphrodite's magic. But I wasn't beautiful enough for a god like Re to label me as such. But their frowns vanished as soon as Re strode past them. He was nearly as scrumptious from the back as he was from the front. Okay, he was glorious from all angles. And he had dressed well, as usual, in a deep blue shirt that enhanced his golden self and body-skimming black pants. Casual but classic. Understated. So the clothing wouldn't distract you from his beauty. He also had a great ass. That's what most of the Angels focused on while he walked up to me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my amusement brightening the words.
“What do you mean?” Re asked innocently.
I looked pointedly at his entourage, still waiting to see if he'd return.
“Oh, them.” He shrugged. “Well, you were taking so long that I got tired of standing and sat down on the curb. One of them spotted me and asked why someone like me would be sitting on a curb. Then more Angels came over, and you can see how it went.” He waved his hand in a rolling motion.
“Wow!” Torrent exclaimed. “Can I have a canape?” He went over to the Angels and helped himself before they could refuse him.
I chuckled and followed. As they gaped at Torrent, I hooked my gas mask over my arm, took Re's abandoned glass from the hand of a stunning blonde woman, and sipped. “This is pretty good.” I went to another Angel who was holding a second tray of treats and picked a strawberry tart. “Thanks, I'm famished.” I took a bite, then looked around as I chewed. “Hey, have any of you seen anything odd lately?”
“Odd?” one of the men finally recovered. “As in the Godhunter walking our streets wearing a gas mask?”
“Is this odd, though?” I cocked my head at him and waved at myself. “Or isthisodd?” I waved at the chaise, then at them.
He flushed.
The blonde woman asked, “How odd? And why do you ask?”
“It doesn't have to be extremely weird,” I said as I plopped onto the chaise. “Could be anything that caught your attention. And I'm asking because things have been going missing around here. Pranks are being played on your new king.”
“The Ark,” another of them said to the rest. “I told you I saw them moving it through the streets. And I heard things have been going missing.”
