“Vervain!” Ty shouted and jerked at my hand—the one that held Modja. “Let her go right now.”
“Love is guarding you,” I said and started to grin. “Are you really a woman? Are you really Modjadji or are you just wearing a Modja mask?”
A brilliant grin spread across Modja's face. “I am a woman. I am also a man. I am—what do they call it now?—non-binary. I am the first non-binary god.” She leaned closer to me. “And no, I am not Modjadji. Well done, Vervain! I knew you'd find me. But you still haven't guessed who I am.”
“I haven't guessed?” I growled. Then my expression smoothed. “The first non-binary god. That's Hermaphroditus! Are you Hermaphroditus!”
“Uh, I'm right here, Vervain,” someone behind me said.
I turned to see one of Hermes's kids waving at me. Hedid look a little androgynous, but I never had gotten everyone's names. “Oh. Sorry, Hermaphroditus.”
“It's all right,” they said.
“The damn Greeks always think they're the first,” Modja grumbled. “Iam the first non-binary, not them!” She waved her hand at Hermaphroditus. Or rather,theywaved their hand at Hermaphroditus.
“Modja?” Ty whispered as his hand fell away.
A flicker of regret crossed the trickster's eyes as she looked at Ty. “TryggulfR, I'm so sorry. I do love you. It wasn't all a game. Please, remember that.”
“Holy fuck,” Pan whispered.
“No.” Ty shook his head. “No, please. Please tell me I haven't been falling in love with the trickster who's been fucking with my family?”
The trickster shrugged. “Everyone's getting fucked.”
Ty gaped at her.
Trevor snarled, shifting instantly into Wolf. He was too close to the surface after the Loki thing. And he was out for blood. I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye as he launched himself at the trickster. But the trickster was already shifting, the bones within my grip shrinking. Fur sprouted from her skin. A lithe body bolted for the stairs. Jumped. I gaped at the animal, still processing what was happening.
Wolf howled and gave chase.
All across Moonshine, other howls and even a few roars (some of my lions worked there too) joined Wolf's call to arms. As I mentioned earlier, the dance floor was packed. But Froekn and Intare were good at navigating tight spaces. They slipped through the throng and then dashed after the wild thing thatwas making a break for it.
I just stared after the trickster, knowing they would get away. They were too good. Too slick to be caught. So, I let the others give chase and turned toward the gods who were likewise staring after my husband.
I asked them something that got their attention in an instant. “Was that a coyote?”
Chapter Thirty
“It's always the one you least suspect,” Torrent said.
We were sitting down on the hill/couches, waiting for Trevor to return. I was with Ty, my arm around him. He was staring off into space, swallowing every few minutes as if he had something lodged in his throat. As odd as the situation was, I'd seen Thor go through something very similar. He had dated a goddess while she secretly plotted against us. She started a zombie apocalypse. Nearly started one. We dealt with it before it spread too far.
At least the trickster—Coyote—was more playful, regretted hurting Ty, and did things that he thought would help us. I mean, the thought does count.
“She wasn't even a woman,” Ty whispered.
“Yes, she was,” I said. “Is. She's both.”
“Like Loki?” Ty looked at me.
“Loki can be anything, but I don't think he identifies as female.”
“Does that matter?”
“I think so. And I think this god is different.” I looked over at Torrent. “What do the myths say about Coyote?”
“Coyote is a god featured in many Native American cultures,” Torrent said. He winced as he added, “He is generally seen as male. I can't find any myths that identify him as femaleor both. He is often a thief, though. Sometimes he's playful and in other stories he's malevolent.”
