“A mortal? You would have me owe a mortal a boon?” Morana asked, outraged. “This mortal, who wanted me to fade away into the depths of the universe, to abandon my divine responsibilities, to be nothing but an errant breeze in the chaotic storm of existence?”
Put that way, Ezra could see how asking someone to fade would be a bit problematic. He meant for Morana to be free fromher prison, and truly never considered that she might be capable of restoring herself after being so close to death for so long. Or that Hecate would intercede and help him at all.
“This necromancer saved you from an endless cycle of misery and despair.” Hecate seemed to grow larger, shadows sweeping out from Her sides like the great wings of a massive raven. Hellfire sparked around Her body, green fireflies swooping and dipping in chaotic lines of light. “You will grant him a boon equal to the deed, or I will see you sent to a hell from which you’ll never escape.”
Hecate towered over Morana, and Ezra held very still in the near-total darkness of Her shadow, not wanting to draw Her attention as She made Morana flinch back, dropping her eyes to the floor, resentment and caution in her cobalt eyes. Lilith held very still in his arms.
“Peace, cousin,” Morana sighed. She sent her icy gaze to meet Ezra’s, and he did his best not to quaver under her fierce regard. “A boon you are owed, Ezra Redmayne, favored death mage of our lady Hecate. Think well of what you would ask of a death goddess, necromancer, before seeking me out.”
“I understand,” Ezra said. Lilith trembled a bit in his arms, and he gently petted her head to help her relax.
It was going to be a cold day in hell before he asked the goddess Morana to pay back her debt. He’d had enough of divinity for one day.
Morana grew brighter, the magics of the ambient fields stirring, and with a crack of sound reminiscent of ice shattering, she was gone. A small spattering of snowflakes fell to the floor, drifting and swirling in a breeze made by her exit.
Ezra clutched Lilith to his chest and flopped backward, lying on the floor and staring up at the ceiling, trying to steady his breathing and ease the mad gallop of his heart. Lilith wiggledfree and plopped herself on his chest, reaching out and rubbing her chin along his jaw, purring loudly.
“Shall you remain on the floor, my darling, or will you see me off properly?” Hecate asked, humor in Her tone.
He sat up quickly enough that he almost launched Lilith, catching her at the last second. Hecate was once again Her original size, no longer towering high above him. Her shadows swirled and eddied about Her feet, under Her hands and through fingers that pet them idly as if they were living creatures. Perhaps they were.
Ezra held Lilith with one arm and got to his feet, body aching, but he felt refreshed as well, his magical reserves still thrumming with Hecate’s gifted power.
“Thank you for your help,” he said, bowing his head. “I could not have saved Morana and ended the Dainsleif curse without your aid. I owe you a debt.”
She tsked. “So respectful, even as I know you yearn to rest and see your prospective mate.”
“Saemund and Raum?” Ezra resisted the urge to look for them over his shoulder. He ignored the prospective mate comment. He wondered what was keeping them from coming into the hangar—perhaps MERS got them far enough away.
Or perhaps the goddess standing in front of him was enough to make them keep a respectful distance. “Are they well?”
“They shall suffer no lasting harm from Morana’s possession,” Hecate told him. “Such magic is not her strong suit. They will be well in a few hours.”
Ezra hugged Lilith in relief. “Thank you.”
“No more thanks, necromancer,” She ordered, though kindly. He smiled, exhausted but satisfied. The day did not go as he expected, but he was alive, so were the others, and Lilith was in one piece. “Take my blessing, and be well.”
Hecate leaned forward, and Ezra froze as She pressed a kiss to his forehead. A shiver of energy ran down from the press of Her lips across his body, all the way to the ground. Her lips were soft and warm, and he closed his eyes for a moment. She was by no means maternal, but Her touch felt possessive and protective, and he didn’t mind all that much.
She pulled back with a smile, gave a soft pat for Lilith, and She turned away from Ezra, walking into Her own shadows, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Lilith meowed and wiggled to be put down. Ezra set her down and she pranced away toward the door of the hangar, tail held high.
Ezra looked around. Nothing remained but the chairs and the busted reliquary. Morana was free, Hecate was gone, and Lilith was alive and unharmed, and the two men he dragged into his mess were hopefully fine. And hopefully willing to forgive him for the debacle of their afternoon.
He wanted to see Raum. Maybe get a hug, a kiss, and some quality alone time. All after a nap, of course. Though he wasn’t as tired as he was expecting. He felt pretty good, considering the amount of magic he’d used.
People were shouting to each other outside, and he could see people in MERS uniforms running back and forth past the hangar door. He took a few steps and stretched his arms out, feeling the aches and pains popping up now that his adrenaline was fading. He took stock of himself as he went to the door, examining his body with his senses for anything out of the ordinary, not expecting much—and he stumbled to a stop not far from the door.
His inner reserves were still topped off and thrumming with Hecate’s magic. The boundless well of Hecate’s power still teemed within him, blowing past his usual limits.
He had no idea how much power She gave him, as he could not see nor feel the end of it.
Ezra did not sense the goddess—She had left, and he realized with a sinking stomach that She did not take back the power She gave him when She went.
“Oh fuck.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
