Monsoons and Monsters: Godhunter Book 22 Read online

  Morpheus headed out, and I looked pointedly at Trevor.

  “Yeah, all right,” Trevor huffed. “But it's always something, Vervain. If we wait until our lives are calm, we'll never have Vero.”

  “You vill have your son,” Kirill reassured Trevor with a pat on the shoulder. “It is fate.”

  “Fate is a fickle bitch,” Trevor grumbled.

  “Trevor,” I growled.

  “What; you can say 'damn,' but I can't say 'bitch?'”

  I sighed deeply and rolled my eyes. Children; men were all children.

  Chapter Three

  They hadn't just asked Hades to join the Olympians; they'd also included Persephone and a goddess named Hestia. It was a relief to see Hades and Persephone, but Hestia stared at me like I was her mortal enemy, or immortal enemy, rather. I'd met the Goddess of the Hearth once before, but I couldn't remember doing anything awful to her. Nothing that would inspire that look.

  “What's with Hestia?” I asked Morpheus as we walked up a center aisle with my husbands and boyfriend—Trevor, Odin, Azrael, and Re had joined us, while Kirill stayed home to watch Lesya.

  “She's like your exact opposite,” Morpheus whispered to me as he cast smiles at the gathered Greek gods we were passing by. “Both Poseidon and Apollo have asked her to marry them, and she refused them. Instead, she proclaimed herself to be an eternal virgin.”

  “Shut up!” I hissed. “Why?”

  “Who knows.” Morph shrugged. “But I think it's safe to say that she doesn't approve of your lifestyle or your magic. She was always locking horns with Aphrodite. I don't think it helps you any that Aphrodite usually won.”

  “Great,” I groaned as we finally reached the end of the aisle.

  When we had stepped out of the Aether, onto Mount Olympus, Morpheus had been there waiting. He had escorted us to a giant, Parthenon-esque temple, where the Twelve (now Ten) Olympians were presiding over Greek God Court. Along the way there, I may have had a brief moment of imagining Judge Judy in a toga.

  We strode between soaring, white, stone columns polished to a mirror-like shine, across a mosaic floor featuring a map of the Greek Territory, and into a vast, vaulted chamber. The scent of the sea was diminished within the temple, but I wasn't sure if that were due to it being enclosed or the fact that it was full to overflowing with Greek gods. The Greeks muttered among themselves anxiously, shooting curious looks my way. I knew several of them, and remembered several more by sight, though I couldn't recall their names. The Greek Pantheon was ridiculously massive, and I don't think they expected me to recall them all. But I knew all ten of the gods sitting at the long, golden table before me, and I definitely remembered the god standing off to the left, in front of the table. He was smiling at me.

  “Eros?” I blinked in surprise.

  “My love!” Eros declared as he strode over to me with open arms.

  I flat-palmed and straight-armed him away from me. “I thought I made myself clear; I'm not interested.”

  “You were very clear, my darling one,” Eros claimed my hand and kissed the palm I'd positioned toward him. “And that is why I've had to resort to this. I'm terribly sorry for the drama, but I knew there was no other way.”

  “This is about you?” I asked in shock.

  “It's about us,” he corrected me.

  “Step away from my wife, loverboy,” Odin said with deadly calm.

  “I meant you no offense, Allfather.” Eros kissed my hand once more and then stepped back. “But your wife holds the counterpart to my magic. She is my other half, and as such, I have a claim on her.”

  “The fuck you do!” Trevor pointed a half-shifted hand at Eros' face.

  Sunlight caught one claw and flashed a warning, just in case the words of the Firstborn Prince of the Froekn wasn't enough.

  “Enough!” Athena shouted as she stood, and the temple went quiet. “Welcome, honored guests,” she continued more graciously as she faced us. “We are grateful that you have respected our summons, Godhunter. Please come forward to address this issue with the Olympians. But we ask that your entourage remain with the populace.”

  “I go where my mate goes,” Trevor growled.

  “Athena,” Re purred. “I'm sure you know this is an unusual circumstance, and emotions are high. Perhaps you can make an exception this once? Especially seeing as how we were not given a warning of what Vervain was facing. You asked her to attend, and then blindsided us.”

  “Oh, fine,” Athena snapped. “You may all approach the bench.”

  We went forward, and Eros joined us, though he stayed a few feet away from my group. I looked over the Olympians and caught Persephone's eye. She winked at me, and my heartbeat calmed; Hades and she had my back. I was pretty sure that I could count on Poseidon and Artemis to back me too, while Apollo and Dionysus were strong maybes. I just wasn't certain about Hermes; we were still figuring out if we were friends or not, and Hephaestus was a huge question mark. Aphrodite had been his wife, but he'd left her right before I killed her, and the man had a crazy good poker face. Maybe it was the beard. And then there was Hestia; I think I could count her as a strong no.

  But I still hadn't been told exactly what this whole thing was about. Thankfully, they didn't keep me waiting for much longer.

  “Eros, God of Love and Sex, has brought a grievance to the Olympians,” Athena intoned with a solemn air. “He has accused his consort of rejection, abuse, and magical suppression. Is this accurate, Eros?”

  “It is,” Eros said with sudden seriousness. “My consort has denied our connection and refused to share the bond of our magic with me. If she continues to deny me, my magic will wither, and I will die. It is, in essence, murder.”

  I gaped at Eros as my men went still around me. Fuck; this was not happening. How the hell had I become responsible for another man's life without knowing about it?

  “How do you respond to these accusations, Vervain?” Athena asked.

  “I just met this guy,” I huffed. “But I didn't deny Eros maliciously. I had no knowledge of our connected magics or of what isolating them would do to him. You all know that I'm already married to five men and I have a boyfriend too. I am not looking to add to their number, especially not with a man I barely know. Surely there's another way to take care of this; something that does not involve sex?”

  “Eros?” Athena looked to the god.

  “It is a sexual magic,” Eros spoke with the air of a man about to face the noose. “It needs an intimate connection to direct it.”

  Athena sighed and considered the both of us.

  “We understand that you are not completely under our governance, Godhunter,” Athena finally said. “But your magic is, and that same magic is bound to Eros. If you deny him, you are denying what is in yourself. His death will have an effect on you and your power; I assure you. It is in your best interests to work with him on this.”

  “Effect or not, I won't have his death on my conscience,” I said softly.

  “I knew you cared.” Eros brightened immediately and winked at me.

  “But”—I held up a restraining hand—“I will not be forced into taking another lover. Let's speak plainly here; it would be rape, and I would hope that you Olympians wouldn't condone that.”

  Those Olympians firmly on my side nodded in agreement while the rest looked distinctly uncomfortable. All except for Hermes; who looked impressed. He gave me a little grin.

  “I'm willing to seek a compromise,” I went on, “but I won't budge on the sex issue.”

  “You have six men,” Hestia sneered. “What's one more cock in the hen house?”

  “Did you just call my lady bits a hen house?” I lifted a brow at Hestia. “Because I can assure you, there are no chickens down there.”

  The other Greek gods burst into laughter.

  Hestia grimaced at me and then at the crowd, before declaring, “Sex is sacred. This woman has made a mockery and a weapon of it, just as her predecessor did. Laugh all you wish, but it
is one of our own that she is hurting... again!”

  That sobered them.

  “Come now,” Hermes huffed, “everyone uses sex as a weapon. Even if it's simply to gain affection or companionship; sex is employed for more than pleasure and making babies.”

  I inclined my head gratefully to Hermes for the help, and he nodded back. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Eros grimacing, but when I looked at him, his expression was carefully blank.

  “Couldn't you just have a few drinks and get to know each other?” Dionysus suggested. “Lower your resistance, and your magic will lead the way. You may find that you like Eros, and then it wouldn't be force, would it?”

  “Enough with the drinking, Di,” Artemis teased. “That's your solution to everything.”

  “Because it works.” Dionysus smirked. “There's a reason why wine is the traditional drink on dates.”

  “I'm not asking to move in with you, nor do I want to upset your life” Eros regarded me steadily. “I just need a few hours of your time, once in awhile, to reconnect our magic. I'm dying, Vervain. I've felt the drain of our separation since the moment you claimed Aphrodite's magic. Can't you feel the Love magic weakening?”

  I considered his words and focused inward. My triple star rose in my mind; each spoke representing a different energy. The one containing what was originally Aphrodite's collection of magic—Love/Lust/Victory/War—seemed just as strong as the rest of them. But then I realized that with all of my other magic, and my faerie blood, I had the ability to replenish any drain that may have been occurring.

  “I don't feel a drain, but that may be because of other abilities I have,” I admitted to the possibility vaguely, afraid to give away too much information on my star. I had learned the value of secrets.

  “Sacrifice, to the Lust or any other of your magics, wouldn't sustain it,” Eros protested.

  “I don't need sacrifices to fuel myself,” I said with a lifted chin, and a teeny bit of In-your-face!

  I may be a goddess now, and I knew that sacrifice wasn't as black and white as I'd once believed, but I'd been raised human, and I was still the Godhunter. It felt good to tell these gods that I didn't need to resort to taking energy from humans to survive.

  “How is that possible?” Hestia asked. “You're a new goddess; you would need to feed the magic at least once to settle it into your soul. Young gods have died from refusing to accept sacrifice. You must have accepted energy without knowing it; there's no other way.”

  I blinked in shock. Gods had died for not taking sacrifice? I could have died simply from accepting the magic? Why hadn't Thor warned me? Had he not known? Or had he been watching me, hoping that I wouldn't need it; unwilling to worry me unnecessarily? I glanced over at my men, and they nodded; it was true.

  “Vervain isn't technically a new goddess,” Odin saved me. “When she took the magic, she accepted it in a complete form—an ancient power that had already been fueled over centuries. Because the energy was originally human, her human blood allowed the magic to bond with her immediately and without sacrifice.”

  “But she's fought numerous battles,” Hestia was undeterred. “She'd have to heal herself.”

  “I've had a drink from the Grayel,” I said. “And before that, Teharon healed me.”

  The gods thought this over as I slid a sideways glance at Odin. The Greeks had seen me take Zeus' magic, but they hadn't witnessed the power of my star yet, and I didn't want to spread the word if I didn't have to. And frankly, I didn't know what was keeping me from feeling a drain on my love magic. I could be the star, the drink from the Grayel, or even the way I took energy from fire. But I wasn't about to discuss all of the ins and outs of my magic in front of the entire population of Mount Olympus.

  “You all know that she's different,” Trevor growled. “Godhunter and Goddess. The rules are not the same for her; get the fuck over it and move on. This is not what we're here for, and she does not owe you any explanations.”

  That shut them all up, though Hestia continued to stare at me suspiciously.

  “So, you can survive without me,” Eros sounded defeated, and his shoulders sagged. “I have nothing to offer you.”

  I noticed the white in his dark brown hair then, and the dullness of his green eyes. He looked as if he were aging. The last time I'd seen him, Eros had been vibrant and panty-droppingly sexy. That was just a few months ago, which meant that this drain must be speeding up; reaching its conclusion.

  “We have convened to rule upon this issue, Godhunter,” Athena said. “But, we'd rather not do so. If you could find it in your heart to help our brother god without us resorting to such measures, we would be grateful to you.”

  “What is the least that I can give you right now, to keep you alive?” I asked Eros.

  Eros perked up, and the Olympians focused on him.

  “Would a kiss be too much to ask for?” Eros whispered. “I think it would be enough for now.”

  I looked at my men. They stared from Eros to me and then at each other.

  “Oh, come on,” Re huffed. “It's just a kiss. Isn't a god's life worth a kiss?”

  Eros looked anxiously from Re to the others. Finally, they nodded.

  “But you kiss him here, in front of us,” Trevor said.

  I looked at Eros.

  “Really?” Eros asked, relief flooding his features. “Thank you.”

  Eros rushed over to me, but then he froze, just inches away, and stared into my eyes. He got the strangest look, as if now that he was there, getting what he wanted, he wasn't sure if he wanted it anymore. I lifted my hands to his shoulders, and he flinched, his whole body trembling. Eros breathed in deeply, his expression settling into calm, and laid a palm on my cheek. Something lifted inside me; the butterflies of my love magic. But this time, it was different. The butterflies swarmed together, faster and faster, their colors becoming a blur, until they were one entity; a pulsing mass of magic. They'd never done anything like this before, and it distracted me from Eros momentarily. When I focused back on him, he was smiling softly, and his eyes were wet with tears.

  “I feel it inside you,” he whispered. “It's been so very long. I thought I would die without ever touching Love again.”

  “I'm sorry, Eros; I didn't know,” I whispered.

  “It's all right; all will be as it should be now.” He smiled brightly, and it seemed more genuine than any smile he'd given me before.

  I inhaled sharply, struck by the effect that smile had on his face. His already stunning looks were amped up even further. I couldn't look away, couldn't close my eyes as he lowered his lips to mine. But then Love surged up my throat, filling my mouth as his tongue slipped past my lips. My magic swept into Eros as his came into me. The two god powers mingled with our flesh; a hot, wet embrace that tightened my thighs and had me jerking against him. My eyes shot closed, and my arms pulled him closer. Eros groaned, his erection a searing pressure against my stomach. I realized then that the butterflies had blended with my sex magic; just as Eros' Love and Sex had merged before shooting into me. Our swirled magics mixed once more—this time with each other—and the resulting explosion of energy rocked through our bodies.

  I could see the glow of magic through my closed eyelids. We were empowering each other, and it felt amazing. It was similar to when I took power from fire, but this was more emotional. I may not love Eros, but my magic did, and it made for a sublime union that came very close to the love between souls. Eros wasn't my soul mate, but he was my magic mate.

  I finally eased away from Eros, my body shaking with need even as it gloried in the awakening. I stepped away from him, simply to stop myself from running back into his arms. I felt the hands of my men slip over my arms—lending me their strength—and I started to calm. My heartbeat slowed, and I began to notice things; like my soaked panties and the bulge in Eros' pants. He didn't seem at all embarrassed by his public display of desire. In fact, Eros looked supremely happy.

  The white was gone from
his hair, his eyes sparkled like jewels, and his body had filled out to healthy proportions. He exuded sex, but love shone in the sweet expression on his face. Basically, he was a walking dream come true. Any woman would kill to have this man... but I already had six who were even more amazing than Eros.

  “Get me out of here,” I whispered to my men.

  Trevor picked me up and physically carried me from the building. I clung to his shoulders as the rest of my men surrounded us like they were guarding the president. Eros strode to the end of the aisle to watch us leave, an enigmatic look on his face. I watched him the whole time, and when he lifted his hand to me in goodbye, I lifted mine back.

  Chapter Four

  “You can't take me home,” I moaned as we reached the tracing point on top of Olympus.

  “What?” Trevor looked down at me in shock. “Why not?”

  “Her magic,” Odin whispered as he laid a hand on my forehead. “It's rising.”

  “And we'll deal with it at home,” Trevor said.

  “Not just Love, Trevor,” I ground the words out between clenched teeth.

  “Lust,” Azrael surmised. “It spreads once she reaches an orgasm, even when she's controlling it, and I don't think she'll be able to control it this time.”

  I cried out in need, my whole body shaking with unsatisfied desire. Eros' kiss hadn't just revived my magic; it had summoned it forth in full force.

  “Give her to me,” Re said simply.

  The other men started to protest, but Re cut them off.

  “There are only three goddesses who live near my home, and I can have them evacuated within minutes,” Re said. “Can any of you do the same for your territories?”

  The men looked at each other, and I knew exactly what they were thinking; lions at Pride Palace, angels in Shehaquim, and Vikings in Asgard. Re was right.

  “We'll go with you,” Trevor said.

  “No!” I cried out and clasped Trevor's shirt. “Think of what will happen to all of you when you're hit with pure Lust, and there is only me to satisfy you.”