We were sitting out on the veranda, the children falling asleep on the rug before us, their empty mugs overturned to display the remnants of the hot chocolate they had drunk. Laced with sleeping pills. I'm joking. Hot chocolate (decaffeinated) after a hard day of playing is more than enough to send children into sleepland. The rest of us were drinking it as well, and I did feel the peaceful effect of that cuddly drink. But sleep was a long way off for me. Not only was I wired from the victory of the day—returning all those stolen items and getting my husband back—but I was also in serious need of reconnecting with one husband in particular. Nope, I wasn't going to sleep until the Angel of Death made me scream. Twice. Maybe three times.
“I was right about what?” I asked Odin.
“The trickster,” Odin said. “He—I mean,theyhad our best interests at heart.”
“I just wish that Ty's heart hadn't gotten hurt in the process.”
Ty had gone back to Earth, saying he needed to immerse himself in work to take his mind off Modja. The club wouldn't be open for several hours yet, but there were things he could do when it was closed. Paperwork and such. Maybe stocking the bar.Anything to keep him from thinking about her. The poor guy. I'd been there.
“You never know,” Trevor said. “Maybe he'll have a happy ending too. They did say that their love for Ty was real.”
“You know what? I hope they do come back for him,” I said. “I hope they find the courage to reveal themselves to him and to us. I'd like to thank them, and I'd really like for Ty to be happy.”
“Heartbreak can be good,” Kirill said.
We all looked at him in surprise.
“It reminds us of vhat is important. It shines light upon truth. Brings value. Ty vill never forget zem. If zey come back, good. If not, he vill still be better for it.”
“Huh,” I said. “Maybe.”
“You're the Love Goddess, Vervain,” Sam said as she stroked her daughter's head. The little lioness was curled up in her mother's lap.
“Yeah. And?”
“Fix it,” she said.
“There's nothing for me to fix. They love each other. The problem lies with the trickster. They have to decide what's more important to them—hiding or Ty. As a love goddess, I can't help but have confidence in love. I think it will win. But it might take some time. The trickster will have to feel the pain of being without Ty before they realize that nothing is worth not having him.”
Azrael, who was snuggled beside me with our sons sleeping across his feet, took my hand and kissed it. “Love is more important than anything else.”
“Even Death?” I smirked at him.
“Yes.” He rolled his eyes. “I've learned my lesson, Carus. Please, stop rubbing it in.”
“Oh, baby,” I drawled. “It's barely been a day and you've put a lot of people through a lot of worry. You'll have to suffer a bit more rubbing before I stop.”
“You can rubme,” Re said brightly. “I'm like a magic lamp. Rub me the right way, and I'll make your wishes come true.”
Everyone groaned and tossed pillows at Re while he laughed his golden ass off.
“Not tonight, Sun God,” Azrael said as he carefully picked up Sebastian, and then put him in my arms. He picked up Dominic next, then stood up. “Tonight, she's going to makemywishes come true.”
“Goodnight,” I said to everyone who wasn't Az.
“I'm going to stay down here awhile,” Odin said. “I'm not tired yet.”
My other husbands agreed. Trevor and Kirill said they'd put our children to bed when they came up later. So, I left with only Az and our boys. We went upstairs in the golden elevator and then up the stairwell to the twins' bedroom. After tucking them into their beds, we went back down to the main room.
Azrael's wings spread as he reached for me. “Carus, come here. I feel as if I've been waiting years to hold you.”
I went into my husband's arms, sighing as I laid my head on his chest. His heartbeat was steady in my ear, but it was our bond that comforted me the most. It glowed vibrantly, uniting us as it was supposed to. No Darkness or Wild Magic lurked there to hinder us.
“I was cut off from everything,” Az whispered. I couldn'tsee, hear, or feel. All I had was my mind, and it was toying with me.”
I leaned back to look at him. “Toying with you, how?”
“It showed me terrible things. The world flooding. Darkness covering everything. The Faerie God ruling with insane menace. He changed you into the Faerie Goddess. There was no stopping him.”
