“What about me?” Re pouted.
“You wanna ride on my back?” I waggled my brows at him.
Re straightened in his seat. “Truly?”
“Yeah, babe. Let's go.” I ran for the veranda steps.
“Me too!” Fallon called and came after us.
“And me!” Sam said. “The kids can fend for themselves for a while.”
“No way,” Fallon growled. “They're coming with us. Children! We're going on a run!”
The kids whooped and ran for us, ditching their clothes as they did. Dominic and Sebastian were the only two who didn't disrobe. They just launched themselves into the air and flew over to me, giggling. They thought it was funny that I went into the changing room by the pool to get undressed. They were so used to people getting naked around them. The fact that theirmother was shy was hilarious.
But I'd never gotten over my human issues with nudity. To be fair, in god terms, I'd barely been a goddess for long. Plus, we had a guest who had kind of flirted with me—something I would never tell my husbands about. Mainly because it didn't matter. I don't think Que had been serious, and he hadn't done anything remotely flirtatious since. Still, I wasn't about to strip in front of him. Plus, I'd made the changing room extra large for the very purpose of shifting into a lion or wolf in it.
When my lions saw what we were up to and heard Fallon calling to the kids, they doubled back and waited for us at the edge of the grasslands. Prowling out of the changing room, I glanced toward the training yard, wondering if I should ask the Lion God if he wanted to join us. But then a flash of light came, and I heard the Death Gods make excited exclamations.
Maybe Viper was right, and I did feel a little left out. It was unfair of me. My husbands often got left out of things I did. Sex alone was a rotating game with us. But this was something I had originally been a part of. I had felt their bond settle and been the facilitator of the whole thing. Then I became moot. Ah, there it was. I wasn't needed, and I didn't like that.
Once I recognized what my problem was, I felt better about it. When you know why you're upset, you can work on getting over it. I knew my reason was silly, so I would work on it. As I ran. My lioness couldn't deal with any further delays. My claws dug into the soil anxiously, and the calls of my lions sent shivers down the lines that connected us. I lifted my head and roared.
As I headed for the pride, I saw Kirill come around the corner. Can cats smile? They can certainly grin. A big ol' Cheshire Cat grin spread across my leonine face as I ran for the pride, my lion husband chasing after me. I glanced back to see him tossing aside his clothes, his hair wild around him and his eyesglowing blue. The sight nearly made me stumble. Feeling like the luckiest woman in all the realms, I ran to where a motley group of animals waited.
Among the lions, whose fur ranged from a rare white to deep amber, were two giant snakes—one of them crowned with jewel-toned feathers. There was also a massive black wolf, a wolf cub, and two lion cubs—one of them black. Although, I don't know if “cub” was an appropriate term for them anymore. Zariel and Lesya were larger than cubs now, nearly full-grown. That was so strange for me to see. In their human bodies, they were still children, but as animals, they were almost fully matured. No, let's be real. There was no almost about it. As lions, they were old enough to have cubs of their own—a horrifying thought. I had to stop myself from baring my teeth at my Intare. My lioness suddenly saw them as potential mates to her daughter and therefore, threats.
But then my black lion was beside me, and our daughter ran up to nuzzle our faces. It didn't matter what her animal looked like. She was still a child and there were many years left before she'd be ready to have children. That calmed me and allowed me to get back to the excitement of the run.
And then another lion came up on my right. I blinked at the huge white lion with peacock-colored eyes. Odin. He could take any form he wished and had often chosen to fly beside me as a dragon. But it was rare to see him go lion. My lioness adored it. There was something very yin and yang about being flanked by one black and one white lion.
Then Re stepped up. “May I?” He was shirtless—his way of getting into the run—and his brown hair caught the sunlight along with his metallic skin so that when I stared up at him, I had to squint.
I nodded, and the Sun God climbed on my back. His hands dug into the fur around my neck and his thighs squeezedme tightly. It was strange to feel him so intimately against my lioness body. I wasn't attracted to him. I mean, on a deep level, I was, but in that form, my lioness instincts overpowered everything else, and she was not into inter-species mating. Neither was I, for that matter. Eew. But still, I would have thought that feeling my husband on my back, his legs spread around me, would have aroused me. It did not. He was just a passenger.
I went forward with my three husbands to meet the fourth and fifth. Viper was excited. That wasn't so unusual, but he was especially excited because of Que. And it looked as if Quetzalcoatl was just as thrilled to be with another snake of his stature. The two of them had their enormous heads lifted and were swaying in excitement.
“Ready?” Viper asked, his forked tongue flicking out to test the air.
In answer, I lifted my head and roared. On the heels of my roar, Kirill did the same so that it seemed to be one, long note that resonated through our land with power. As we ran forward, into the grasslands, our lions echoed our roars and closed in around us. The thunderous sound simmered down into the shushing of fur and scales against high grass, but this wasn't a hunt, so we didn't bother to be quiet. Soon, happy yips and growls surrounded me, my daughter contributing greatly.
Suddenly, a pair of giant snakes shot through the pride, taking the lead. Snakes are fast at normal size, but when they're thirty feet long, they move with the speed and agility of a motorcycle. They even doubled back to join us, then did circles around us. Showoffs.
But the kids loved it, especially the twins. They swooped down to follow the snakes, slapping their scaled heads like a couple of Native American warriors counting coup. And on my back, Re whooped, his arms spread wide. Until he got hit in theface with some grass.
Re sputtered as he bent over me. “Did you do that on purpose, La-la?”
I wheezed a laugh, unable to respond in lioness form. My dragon could speak, but not my lioness or wolf. Speaking of wolves, my husband and son leapt over Re's head, playing leapfrog. They landed, and then Vero continued the game, jumping over his father. Trevor yipped and disappeared into the grass after our boy.
My heart was light, full of love and joy. Taking animal form always eased my burdens, but adding a run with my family to it took things into paradise territory. I dashed after the wolves and the lions at my sides kept pace. Kirill nudged Lesya when she started to fall behind, and she put on a burst of speed.
Around us, the Intare broke off, several of them playfully attacking each other like the cats they were. I saw piles of them rolling through the grass, growling and snapping their teeth at each other. Boys. They might even draw blood, but it didn't matter. All the wounds would be healed when they shifted back.
Lesya roared, her young voice sounding a lot like mine. My lioness heart swelled with pride, and I roared back in encouragement. In nature, we'd be the hunters, providing for a single male who'd get the first pick of our prey. But in my world, with my magic, that was all reversed. I ruled as both lioness and the source of the Intare Magic. Kirill, once an abused captive, stolen from his home by one goddess only to be given to another, was now a god, holder of the magic that had once enslaved him. I considered him my equal in our pantheon, but the magic didn't. I felt it. The Intare Magic was, at its foundation, a feminine power. In its metaphysical eyes, Kirill was tolerated as a god, but only because he ruled beneath me. Sexist? Yes, maybe. But nature had been just as sexist, only in reverse. Plus—girl power! You gotta love that.
But none of that mattered to my lioness. This was natural to her. Ruling. Loving. Protecting. My lions may cook and clean, but I provided a safe home for them and held the magic that made them immortal. Not to mention, I was a hell of a lot easier on them than their last goddess. That was one bitch I wish I could kill twice.
We burst out onto the far side of the lake and came to a stop. Re slid off my back and walked a little bowlegged for a few steps. Panting happily, I sat down and surveyed my territory. Mine, all mine. Oh, that felt good. In the center of the lake, a Viking longship floated, the prow curling up into a dragon head. Traditional white and red sails hung from the masts but they were mainly for looks. The ship wasn't going anywhere. It didn't need to, and neither did I. This was where I belonged. Where I was happiest.
