“Ezra!” Raum shouted.
Ezra
The shout knockedhim out of his shock. Lilithmerpedloudly and jogged out of the hangar. Ezra carefully followed, squinting against the bright summer sun.
Raum saw him and lurched away from Saemund, stumbling a bit, and Ezra bolted across the pavement and into Raum’s open arms.
He hugged Raum to him, the bigger man holding him just as tightly. Raum smelled like cedar and wildflowers, and Ezra breathed in deeply, loving how safe the now-familiar scents made him feel. “Are you okay?”
Hecate said they were fine but Ezra had to ask.
“A bit tired and my head hurts, but I’m feeling better by the minute,” Raum assured him. “Are you alright? What happened?”
“Yes, tell me what happened,” Grendel said, coming to stand beside them, brows furrowed. “What’s the status of the relic?”
Ezra pulled back just enough to see Grendel, Saemund, and the sergeants, while staying in Raum’s arms. He took a split second to think about what he wanted to share, and decided that a government agency didn’t need to know anything about what transpired between him and Hecate. Morana was fair game.
“I healed the mortal wound on the skull, and then the goddess Morana healed herself, restoring her body. She is gone now, returned to her territory and people, I presume.”
“She’s gone?” Grendel asked, brows raised to her hairline. “That relic really was a goddess, then?”
“Yes,” Ezra said. “And I think that needs to be shared widely to anyone curious about the skull. It’s no longer an object to be used—she’s now restored, a divine being with powers and free will of her own.” He was being a smidge presumptive there, but he needed the human authorities to realize that going after the Slavic winter goddess of death and rebirth to use her as a weapon was a very bad idea.
“Brown, Owens, take a team and search the hangar; make sure it’s empty,” Grendel ordered, the sergeants peeling off from the group and rounding up MERS personnel. “I need to call off the evacuation order and get the base back to rights. Well done, Redmayne.”
“Thanks, I guess,” he said, even though she was already walking away and pulling out her phone, shouting orders to the people around her. Ezra looked down to where Lilith sat by their feet, ears up, watching the activity around them with intense regard. Ezra sighed, a weird mix of tired and exhilarated. Hewas doing a lot better than he had the first time he wrangled the storm skull.
At least he didn’t need to worry about it falling into the wrong hands anymore.
“Can you tell me what happened?” Raum asked quietly, breath tickling Ezra’s ear.
“Not here. Later.” Ezra did not want MERS to know anything but what he told them already. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Come back to my place,” Raum said. “I’ll feed you, and we can talk.”
“I’ll meet you boys there,” Saemund said, coming closer so as not to be heard by the MERS people running around. “I’d like to hear what happened as well.”
“Alright,” Ezra agreed, too done with the day to argue. He wanted out of the sun, someplace quiet, and to sit down and take off his gear.
Ezra
Getting awayfrom the MERS base took some time, and he regretted not asking Saemund to just teleport the three of them to Raum’s apartment. By the time they got to Raum’s place, it was a couple of hours later and Ezra was done, just done, with the entire day.
Saemund met them there, already in Raum’s kitchen, making sandwiches and plating up chips and snacks to go with them. Saemund must have found the meatball bag Ezra lost—he plated up the meatballs and placed them on the floor for Lilith, who devoured them hungrily, growling softly as she ate. Ezra toofell on the food like a ravenous beast, only just keeping himself from licking his fingers and the plate. Saemund made great sandwiches.
Saemund took the dishes and rinsed them before putting them in the dishwasher, moving about like he spent plenty of time in his grandson’s apartment. Raum sat beside Ezra at the kitchen island, both of them leaning into the other, and Ezra figured Raum was just as exhausted as he was. Saemund looked far better than Ezra felt, appearing no worse for wear after being temporarily possessed by a death goddess. Lilith had left after eating her meatballs, likely exploring the apartment.
“How are you doing?” Ezra asked Saemund.
“I am fine,” Saemund gave him a tiny smile and a shrug of one shoulder. “A new experience for me is rare, and while I appreciate the novelty, I don’t want a repeat of this afternoon’s events.”
“I don’t either,” Ezra agreed.
“Can you tell us what happened?” Raum asked.
So Ezra spent the next several minutes sharing with Saemund and Raum exactly what happened in the hangar after they left, including Hecate’s arrival and Her help.
Saemund appeared rather sanguine about the whole situation, but Raum was staring, wide-eyed, and he feared he might have put Raum off wanting a relationship with him. He hoped that wasn’t the case.
