“It depends on where in public,” Viper said. “And the guy's crazy, right? He won't worry about traps.”
“He may not need to,” Kirill said grimly. His phone buzzed, and he looked down to read the incoming text.
“Is that Anubis?” I asked.
“Da,” Kirill said. “He says he has a right to join hunt now zat his veapon is involved. Vhat do I tell him?”
“Tell him to meet us at the Citadel,” Azrael said. “I need to change the ward chant anyway.”
Chapter Forty
No matter how strong you get, there is always someone stronger. I should have remembered that. Katila had come back from the dead, and every man I knew who had returned from the dead—there were several—had come back stronger. Katila had come back stronger, then gotten even more stronger. Strong enough to play with his food.
Sorry. That must sound melodramatic and pessimistic. I was feeling both of those things. As I sat in the Golden Citadel's meeting room and listened to my friends and lovers discuss ways to lure Katila out of his territory, I felt morose. I had thought for sure this time it was about someone else. Nope. It was me. Again. I was a fucking Taylor Swift song. And I'm not talking about her early, sweet, love songs either.
I couldn't concentrate on the conversation. There was so much of it. We were in a larger room now because my Intare had insisted on attending. I had said no. We weren't bringing over eighty werelions to the meeting. They had countered with twenty. So there were twenty lions there, not including the Lion God, and then the Squad, Anubis, Gello, Samael, Lilith, Lucifer, Holly, Jesus, Fenrir, ten Froekn warriors, Machar, and my husbands.
And you know that saying about opinions, right?
It had felt as if I'd been with Katila for hours, but barely any time had passed. When we got to the citadel, it was still early afternoon. But this discussion had gone on long enough for the sun to set. I rubbed at my forehead and wished I had the option of hiding. Not from the conversation but from my enemies. I had never wanted to be the Godhunter. It was self-defense. But then I got some God magic. And a bit more. I learned who I was and what I could be. And I thought to myself, maybe I could survive. Maybe there would come a day when I didn't live in fear.
I'm not saying that I'm constantly afraid. I had been in the beginning, and that had been nightmarish. I remember waking up to every little sound, thinking some god had found me. Then I met Thor, and things got better. But I never got free of the fear. Even when I felt cocky, more powerful than all other gods, I still had a seed of fear in my heart. Because I'm a mother, a wife, and a queen. There are people I love who I fear for on top of myself. So, fear had a permanent home inside me.
Wait. No. That's incorrect. There was a time when I was completely free of fear. It was back when I was the Dark Star. So, I guess I had to be evil to not be afraid. Or as crazy as Katila.
“He's crazy,” I whispered.
“What's that, Vervain?” Odin asked.
“I said, he's crazy. Katila is bonkers.”
“Yes, we've established that,” Horus drawled.
“I was getting to a point, Horus,” I said dryly. “If you would stop cutting people off, you might hear something brilliant.”
“From you? Doubtful.” His lips twitched.
I snorted, well used to Horus's fake derision. “Look, we need to use that insanity, and not in the way everyone has been suggesting. We need to focus it. Katila is after me, but he's also after prestige. He wants to be King of the Underworld. Always has. He sees it as his birthright.”
“And he is now,” Blue said.
“Yes,” I agreed. “But what's a kingdom without subjects? What does power matter if you can't use it? Katila wants to beseen. He has always been a ghost. Never recognized as a god. Not one with any magic at least. We can use that.”
“How?” Torrent asked.
“Something public,” I said and looked at Azrael. “I think he went after all of you because you have the recognition he wants. Everyone on the planet knows Jesus and the Devil. Most know who Hades is. I'd bet even Cerberus would get some nods. But you, Az; you're the Faerie God. Humans made action figures of you. There isn't a person on the planet over the age of six who doesn't know who you are.”
“But ask your average human who Katila of the Hindu Pantheon is, and they'd pull a blank,” Karni Mata said.
“Yup,” I said. “Even now, after all he's done, no one knows him. His family is gone and his territory is empty.”
“Well, who's fault is that?” Re drawled.
“Crazy, remember?”
“Ah. Yes.”
“So, we need to cater to his ego,” Finn said.
