Into the Void (The Godhunter, Book 10) Read online

“Thank you, Godhunter... oh shit,” she stammered, her pale cream cheeks turning pink. “I'm sorry, I meant Vervain.”

  “It's fine,” I laughed, liking her for her awkwardness. I was familiar enough with being awkward myself. “It's not a title I'm ashamed of, as long as you don't call me a whore, we're good.”

  “Why would I call you a whore?” She pushed her thick blonde curls back out of her eyes with a confused look.

  “Oh, I like you,” I laughed. “Go on outside, everyone's gathering in the pavilion.”

  “Okay, see you later,” Thor led Brighid out.

  “But why would I call her a whore?” Brighid whispered to him and I giggled.

  “She seems like nice person,” Kirill slipped an arm around my waist.

  “Yeah,” I transferred my gaze to his deep blue one. “As long as she doesn't hurt Thor, I'll keep thinking of her that way.” I lifted my face for a kiss.

  “I believe canoodling while waiting for guests is in bad form,” Horus announced.

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Horus,” I reached over and hugged the Egyptian god before he could react. He melted into it for a second before tensing up and pulling away.

  “Yes, well,” he cleared his throat and ran an elegant hand through his dark, shoulder-length hair. “I don't understand this American tradition but since everyone else was coming, I thought I might as well.”

  “That was very thoughtful of you, Horus,” I beamed at him, totally throwing him off his game.

  “Happy Zanksgiving, Horus,” Kirill saved him by extending a hand. Horus shook it gratefully and made a hasty retreat.

  “You tease him badly,” Kirill shook his head at me.

  “Someone needs to break through that spiky shell of his,” I shrugged.

  “Da, zat's Pan's job.”

  “Well, I want in on the fun too,” I pushed his shoulder. “Lay off.”

  “Da, I vill lay off.”

  “Vervain,” Mrs. E came out of the tracing wall and gave me a hug. “Thank you for having me. You know, I could bore you with all the details of the original Thanksgiving and why the modern day version is so very different, but I think I'll save us both the pain and just enjoy the food.”

  “Yes thank you,” I giggled. “I'd appreciate that. Oh and I have some news about the Void. I've talked to Lucifer and he's told me how to reach it through astral projection. I'll need to learn to manipulate energy as well before I go but I think you've probably already mastered that.”

  “Yes, I can alter the form of things in my own territory but what does that have to do with the Void?”

  “You need to know how to work with the energy there,” I explained, “energy that is very similar to the energy in our territories. That way, you'll be able to make your way out again.”

  “You're going vith her?” Kirill asked Mrs. E, a little surprised.

  “If I can,” Mrs. E nodded, “yes. You've told the others about our research?” She directed the question to me.

  “Yes, they all finally know,” I sighed. “I was an idiot, they'd already guessed what was going on.”

  “People who love you can be perceptive when it comes to your actions,” Mrs. E smiled. “It's a good thing.”

  “Better to be looked over than over looked, right?” I quoted Mae West.

  “Always,” she nodded.

  “As far as bringing them back,” I frowned. “I'm not sure yet. I have to talk to Vidar, he was translating Odin's spellbook for me but Luke, that's Lucifer, said I'd need a body to put his soul into.”

  “That makes sense,” she sighed. “I'm okay with Tsohaonai being gone, as long as I know he's alright and that I might join him someday. Maybe I could return for visits.”

  “Nothing's settled yet,” I waved off her plans. “Maybe we can figure something out. If not on this trip, then on the next. I don't want to leave either of them behind.”

  “As long as I can see him,” Mrs. E smiled wistfully, “talk to him once more and know he's alright, I'll be happy.”

  “I think we'll be able to manage that. When Luke starts teaching me to astral project, I'll see if he can teach you as well.”

  “Perfect,” she grinned and it was the first full fledged real smile I'd seen on her in a long time. “Thank you, Vervain.”

  “I love you both and we're gonna do whatever we have to do to get your husband back.”

  “And yours,” she brushed her hand over my cheek and I felt refreshed.

  “And mine,” I agreed. “Come on, I think you're the last to arrive, let's go join the others.”

  Chapter Eleven

  I couldn't believe how many people were at our Thanksgiving dinner and how many of them had never had a Thanksgiving meal before. I'd never thought to have one for the gods. First of all, they didn't celebrate the holiday and second, I usually spent it with my human family. This year, the Intare had asked me to spend it with them and I couldn't refuse my boys.

  They had done me proud. The lawn in front of Pride Palace was covered in a massive pavilion, under which rows of beautifully decorated tables were full of gods, werewolves, werelions, and even a few humans. I smiled at my human friends, glad they could make it since they didn't have family in Hawaii to celebrate with.

  “Nice spread,” Krystal said as I walked up to their table.

  “I had nothing to do with it,” I held up my hands. “The Intare cooked everything. All I did was pay for it.”

  “Shug,” Jackson drawled, “where I come from, if you pay for the meal, you get to take credit for everything.”

  “Yes but where you come from, lions aren't doing the cooking,” I shot back. “It's not a good idea to take anything away from a lion.”

  “Indeed,” he conceded with an appreciative glance toward some of my gorgeous Intare.

  “You know the best thing about having Thanksgiving dinner with the gods?” Tristan, leaned across the table, the lanterns above him setting his bright red hair to sparkling.

  “What's that?” I took a seat beside Krystal and Kirill sat beside me.

  “You don't have to pray,” Tryst smiled.

  “No but you might have to fight a werewolf for the last drumstick,” Pan slid into the seat across from me, his little horns peeping through his boyish brown curls and his hazel eyes bright with mischief.

  “That wouldn't be a fight,” Fenrir joined us, Emma right beside him. “That would be a slaughter.”

  Tristan went white. Well, whiter.

  “Dad,” I groaned, “could you not terrify my human friends?”

  “Fine,” he sighed. “Where's Roarke? Can I terrify him?”

  “Roarke's become a little terrifying himself lately,” I shook my head. “You might want to rethink that one too.”

  “That little kitty can make fire now,” Emma nodded, “and he's not so good at it yet. I saw him light his shoe on fire the other day. Then he tried to stamp it out and caught the drapes on fire. He finally tore down the burning curtains and kicked them out the window with his shoe. It was fascinating actually, like watching a magic trick gone bad.”

  “Which curtains? The curtains in the library?” I narrowed my eyes on her.

  “Yep,” Emma laughed, realizing she'd just tattled on the cat.

  “Damn that cat,” I growled. “I knew it was him but he blamed Aidan.”

  “Vhy vould Aidan set curtains on fire?” Kirill raised a black brow at me.

  “I don't know,” I sighed. “Aidan does stupid things.”

  “Da, zis is true,” Kirill considered it. “But not usually vith fire. Roarke needs practice.”

  “It can take some time to get under control,” I grimaced, thinking about my own issues when it came to learning how to use my fire. “Plus, he's spent his whole life as an earth-sidhe, he has to relearn everything.”

  “You've done right by him,” Fenrir nodded and started scooping food into his face. “This is...” he took another bite. “What is this?”

  I glanced over at his plate. “Oh, sweet pota
to casserole and that's green bean casserole.”

  “Casserole?” Fenrir scowled at the food. “Why have I never heard about casseroles?”

  “Probably because your idea of cooking is throwing something on a spit and burning it till it's black,” Emma gave him a sassy look.

  “Well, I've changed my mind,” Fenrir declared seriously. “I approve of Thanksgiving and I want casseroles with my blackened meat from now on.”

  “You haven't even tried the turkey yet,” I pointed out.

  “Turkey is turkey,” Fenrir shrugged before taking a bite. As he chewed, his face transformed. “This is the most amazing turkey I've ever had.”

  “It's deep fried turkey,” I jerked my head in the direction of the buffet table. Behind the table, the boys had several deep fryers going. “Pretty good, huh?”

  “It's wonderful. Thor!” Fenrir called out as Thor and Brighid took a seat at our table. “Did you know that they fried the turkeys in oil, just like they used to torture-”

  “Dad!” I shouted before he could continue. I glanced over at my human friends and sure enough, Tryst was looking even paler, though Krystal and Jackson did seem to be interested.

  “What?” Fenrir looked back and forth between mine and Emma's disapproving looks.

  “Fen, we talked about this,” Emma said patiently.

  “Oh,” he frowned as if he were trying to remember. “Right, no talking about death, dismemberment, torture, or weapons while we eat. Or using those cells phones.”

  “Cell phones, yes, thank you,” Emma nodded.

  “Now who's whipped?” Thor smirked.

  “Still you,” Azrael said as he sauntered up sans wings. I never really understood how Az managed to magically withdraw his wings into himself but now that I had a pair of my own, it made perfect sense. I smiled at him and he kissed me on the cheek as Thor sputtered and Fenrir chortled. “The Wolf God will never be whipped. His balls are way too big for that. I know, I've seen them.”

  “We've all seen them,” Thor rolled his eyes. “It's an image I wish I could wipe out of my memory.”

  “That's right,” Fenrir laughed and pounded the table. “Big, hairy, werewolf balls. Feeling inadequate, Thunder God?”

  “Nope,” Thor said in a dry but decisive voice, “I like my own normal sized balls, thank you.”

  “Rumble all you want,” Fenrir smirked. “Without the balls to back it up, it's just a lot of bluster.”

  “On that note,” I interrupted the ball talk and got up to stand on my seat. “Everyone!” The gathering quieted and gave me their attention. “I just wanted to thank all of you for coming. A lot of you don't really understand Thanksgiving but I think it's an important holiday, especially for us. It's a day to think about all the things we have in our lives that we should be thankful for and to celebrate them with good food, good drink, and good friends. So I welcome you here to our home, to our table, where my family has prepared a meal for us all to share, and I ask you to try to think of at least one reason you have to celebrate. What are you thankful for?”

  “Freedom!” Darius cried out.

  “Love,” Trevor said as he came up behind me and put his hand on my back.

  “Life,” I smiled at him and then looked out at all of my friends and family. “We've all come through a lot recently. We've lost people we love but saved so many more. We've been attacked by weapons of steel, of infection, and of the mind but we're still here, still alive. I'm thankful for this life and I'm thankful that you're all a part of it.”

  Everyone applauded and Trevor helped me down.

  “Now let's eat!” I shouted and followed Trevor over to the buffet table. “Wow,” I looked over the turkeys, hams, and prime rib roasts. “Nice job, guys.”

  “Thank you, Tima,” Ryan grinned at me as he sliced a turkey up.

  I took some of everything, grabbed a glass of champagne from Aidan, and headed back to the table. By the time I got there, there were a few more faces joining our group. I smiled at Brahma, Teharon, Karni Mata, Ull, Persephone, and Hades. Then Torrent sat down.

  “Who do you thank?” Torrent seemed to pose the question to the entire table before he took a bite of mashed potatoes. His jaw worked, the perfect poreless skin of his face stretching with ridiculous and enviable elasticity.

  “What?” I blinked at him. I always had the most interesting conversations with Torrent. As a being made from magic, god DNA, and internet energy, he had a unique perspective.

  “You said we should think of something to be thankful for,” he focused his impossibly clear green eyes on me. “Who do I thank?”

  “Being thankful doesn't mean that you actually have to thank someone in particular,” I sipped at my champagne thoughtfully. “It's about having an appreciation for things, for acknowledging that there's good in our lives.”

  “But what if I'm thankful for you bringing me here?” Torrent frowned. “What if I appreciate having a new life full of friends that never hurt me or make me hurt others? Can I thank you for that?”

  “You saved me first, remember?” I swallowed past the sudden lump in my throat and smiled at him. “But no, you don't thank me for it, you simply think about it and hopefully your life is enhanced by knowing that it's full of good things now.”

  “I think about that everyday though,” Torrent said matter-of-factly but the table grew quiet. “Everyday I wake up and think how wonderful it is that I'm here, how high the odds were against it. How amazing it is that I have all these friends now and how much my life has changed in such a short time. How could I not think about it?”

  “Some of us forget,” I finally whispered. “We forget how good we have it, how special the people in our lives are,” I glanced at Trevor, Kirill, and Azrael. “We get caught up in the act of living and forget why we live. We forget what makes life worth living. Thank you for that, Torr. I think you just helped all of us to remember.”

  It was quiet for a moment while everyone contemplated those words, a serious, silent moment of reflection.

  “That's awful,” Torrent broke the silence.

  “What is?” I expected something poignant and intelligent to come out of his mouth.

  “The failings of a purely organic mind,” Torrent shrugged. “I never forget anything.”

  “Sure you do,” Hades observed dryly, “You just now forgot your manners.”

  “Oh?” Torrent looked up from his plate. “Did I say something rude?”

  “Torrent,” I groaned. “I love you, honey but we need to work on your social skills.”

  “I love you too,” Torrent said in an automatic way and then sort of jolted in surprise. “I do, I care for you quite a lot. I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you. It would make me very sad. That's love, right?”

  “Yes,” I smiled at him, his earlier rudeness instantly forgiven. “That would be it.”

  “Watch it,” Trevor teased him.

  “I've never felt love,” Torrent mused. “Does this mean I'll want to have sex with you soon?”

  I started choking on the sip of champagne I'd just taken.

  “You'd better hope not,” Trevor growled.

  “It's a different kind of love,” I slapped Trevor. “Sexual attraction usually comes first with that kind of love.”

  “Although magic can sometimes change the order of things,” Azrael slid a secret glance over to me. “Or circumstance.”

  He was right. Our love blossomed the moment he touched my soul, cradled it in his palms. We connected in a way that was unique, even for me, and then he had let me go. When we finally met again, it was like a forgotten dream had come to life. I felt a pull toward him on several levels. The physical attraction was there of course but it was more than that. A physical response can be ignored, what I shared with Azrael couldn't be disregarded or denied, and I didn't know why until our connection was revealed.

  “I'll have to pay attention then,” Torrent interrupted our moment, “when I find someone I'm sexually attracted to. So t
hat I can discover the difference between these two types of love.”

  “Let me know if you need to talk about it again,” I winked at Torrent. “But maybe it would be better to discuss it in private.”

  “Oh right,” Torrent nodded. “The Intare helped me conquer my issue with embarrassment over sex but now I seem to have gone in the opposite direction. I apologize. It's one of those social issues that I'm having a hard time understanding.”

  “Not a problem, Torr,” I winked at him. “I'm glad you're not embarrassed anymore. And sex isn't something to be embarrassed about but it is something that's very intimate and most people prefer to be more discreet when talking about it.”

  “Hmm.” Torrent nodded. “Okay, I can understand that.”

  “I know what I'm thankful for,” Fenrir glanced at me between bites of food.

  “What's that?” I lifted a brow, after the discussion with Torrent I wouldn't be surprised by anything that came out of Fenrir's mouth.

  “I'm thankful that we made it through rabies and darkness without losing too many wolves.”

  “Me too,” Emma whispered as she took his hand.

  “Rabies?” Brighid asked with a horrified curiosity. “How could rabies have affected the Froekn?”

  “A mutated version of rabies was created,” I didn't want to name Demeter and make Persephone feel bad, so I left her name out of it. “It worked faster than the Froekn's ability to heal.”

  “That's terrible,” Brighid looked over to Thor, as if for confirmation. It was pretty hard to believe.

  “It was terrible,” Thor confirmed it. “A little frightening for all of us really. If a virus could be made to affect the werewolves, then one could be made to kill any immortal.”

  I felt my jaw drop as I looked over at Thor. I hadn't even thought of that. We'd destroyed all of the rabies samples that were made, all the documentation on it as well, but he was right. If Demeter had thought of it, another god could come up with the idea too. If that happened, the gods would have a way to kill each other. Or at least make it easier. I wouldn't be as much of a threat to them anymore, which may actually end up making my life easier. But between me having an easier life or my god friends having life period, I'd choose them every time. It wasn't a choice really.