I shrugged. “Probably. Or it could be a combination of things. I don't know anything other than my husband was an arrogant fool!” I snarled the last bit, shooting an angry look at Kirill.
“Vervain,” Kirill growled, apparently over his bout of beta-ness. “Let it go. You make mistakes too. A lot of zem.”
I grimaced as Taran snorted. Then I glared at Taran.
“He's not wrong,” Taran said. “Blame it on your human side.”
“As if faeries don't mess up.”
“Oh, we do. But we do it in magical, magnificent ways.” Taran grinned.
I was about to tell him to sit down and have something to eat—anything to fill his mouth and shut him up. But as I opened my mouth, Odin's voice came echoing down from the top floor of the palace. Six stories.
“Vervain!” Odin roared.
I ran out of the dining hall, followed closely by everyone else. And I do mean everyone. If you shout like that in Pride Palace, the Pride will come running. Especially if you're shouting their Tima's name. But they had to take the stairs with the Squad while I squished into the elevator with Trevor, Kirill, Viper, and Taran. Taran was a guest and also very pushy. He decided he was coming along.
“Vervain!” Odin shouted again.
“I'm coming!” I shouted up at him.
Odin was waiting outside the elevator when the gilded cage stopped at the top floor. “Azrael. He's . . .”
“What?!” I screeched and pushed past Odin. I barely made it into the bedroom, jerking to a halt just a few feet past the doorframe. “Holy hamburger buns.”
My feet were cushioned not by a rug but by a carpet of grass. Out of the grass grew trees that surrounded the newly circular bed. Their branches formed a canopy over the Faerie God as if paying tribute. And I do mean the Faerie God. Azrael was in his other form, wings extending out from under him and golden antlers poking into the pillows. Behind him, the window onto the butterfly garden presented its usual view of plants and trees crowding against the glass, but with the trees on the bedroom side of the glass, it made it seem as if there was no window at all, that it was simply a passageway to the rest of the jungle.
The kitchenette and sitting area were still there, the television looking especially out of place in the primal room, but there were also golden braziers in the shape of trees, their branches appearing to be on fire. A breeze circled the room, rustling the plants, but it wasn't coming in from the balcony. Those doors were shut, and before them, set into the floor, was a little pool. I looked up, knowing what I'd find before I saw it. Sure enough, the ceiling was covered in darkness. Not shadows. Darkness, as in the element. Because the Faerie God's bedroom had to possess all the elements.
“Give me the manacles,” I said grimly and held out my hand while keeping my stare locked on Az.
Odin set the manacles in my hand. “Vervain, I can do it. I was just startled. Is this what I think it is?”
“It is if you think it's our bedroom in the Golden Citadel,”I said calmly. I had to be calm. If I let even a hint of what I was feeling into my voice, it would spill through, break my mental dam, and I would start screaming again. And perhaps slapping the shit out of the sleeping Faerie God. But I focused. I could do that when my family was in danger. And the FG was putting our family in danger. Again.
I crept around one of the trees that ringed the bed. The leaves rustled in the breeze and my hair drifted into my face, the lock of starlight sparkling. But I didn't look away from Azrael. I ventured slowly onto the bed, knees denting the fine green linens, and crawled over to my husband. Why so careful? Because I didn't know if Azrael transforming into the Faerie God meant that ol' FG was on the verge of taking over. If he took over, he might be able to wake up. And if he woke up, we were all fucked. Even me. That dickhead would turn me into his Faerie Goddess again.
Fast like a snake, I slapped a manacle onto the Faerie God's wrist. As I fastened it, the bedroom shimmered and shifted, trees vanishing and grass receding. My husband likewise transformed, his wings drawing in as his antlers vanished and his hair shortened. By the time I got the second manacle in place, he was back to being Bone Daddy and our bedroom was back to being the way I liked it.
I sighed in relief. The sentiment was echoed by the crowd of onlookers near the door. My husbands were at the front of the group, leading the others into the suite now that it was safe. I almost snorted in amusement. They had hidden in the corridor while Mommy handled Daddy.
Speaking of which . . . “Where are the kids?” I asked.
“Outside,” Trevor said. “Still playing. They had ice cream, remember? They've got a sugar high.”
“Oh. Right.” I looked at Azrael. “I'm going to take him up tohis room.
“I'll do it,” Odin offered.
But I was already picking Azrael up and cradling him in my arms like a baby. It was awkward with our size difference, but I had the strength of a goddess and a Dragon-Sidhe, so his weight wasn't a problem.
“Now there's something you don't see every day,” Pan drawled, and a flash went off.
“Pan!” Horus snarled. “Too far! Delete that right now.”
“Oh, come on. Azrael will get a kick out of it when he wakes up.”
“He's right,” I called over to them. “Send me that pic, Pan. Az will love it.”
