The Tainted Web (The Godhunter, Book 7) Read online

  “That's a pretty impressive crown as well,” Trevor eyed the sharp points of my fire crown which looked like, well, fire. It was gold, the metal shaped into flames and set with yellow diamonds and rubies in the shape of more flames.

  “Yeah, if I don't burn you with my dress, I'll stab you with my crown,” I laughed and then looked back at Az, who was the only one not dressed up for the Ball. “Now please tell me you're going to change.”

  “You don't like my shirt?” He teased.

  “I don't think anyone here will get the Harry Potter reference. I've tried it before with Arach and it failed horribly,” I eyed the picture of the Grim Reaper on the front of his T-shirt, which proclaimed that he was the original Death Eater. Azrael was the inspiration for the Grim Reaper, so the shirt was a little more personal than usual.

  “Well, if you insist,” he sighed and tromped off to a room to change.

  “He's been dying to show you that shirt,” Trevor laughed. “Get it? Dying?”

  “Har, har,” I smirked. “Now you look fabulous. All of you.”

  Trevor had on black leather pants with a long sleeve, dress shirt in saffron. I think he'd chosen it to match his eyes but it happened to match my dress as well. Kirill, had on blue dress slacks and a button down black shirt. His hair hung in a thick curtain down to his ass with a small braid at his right temple. It was a very fey look and I wondered if Roarke had suggested it.

  Odin was in a suit, dark gray Armani. He looked as polished as his dress shoes, his hair pulled back tightly into a queue that fell to mid-shoulder. It showed off the angles in his face and the rugged handsomeness was set off by the addition of a black leather eye patch. He smiled and brushed invisible lint from his shoulders.

  “Smooth,” I laughed, “very smooth. You look like a pirate mob boss.”

  “Well how about me?” Azrael walked out of the bedroom and the room got quiet.

  He was wearing some loose silk trousers in deep black. Over them, he had on a full silk tunic in blinding white which shimmered and pulled at all the colors in the room, till it collected pieces of them and became a kind of iridescent transient color. It was cinched at the waist with a thick gold belt, studded with diamonds. Off the belt hung a beautiful scabbard, the diamond encrusted hilt of a sword sticking out of it to peer at everyone haughtily. His black wings framed his beauty perfectly, providing enough shadows for his diamond eyes to shine, giving the impression that he was so pure, it glowed right out of him but his short black hair, with its careless bangs hanging over his eyes, made him look a little wicked.

  “Sweet Angel of Death,” I whispered and walked over to him. “You look like a dream. My dream.”

  “Da,” Kirill snorted, “very pretty. Sparkly.”

  “He'll fit right in here,” I admired the proud lift of his wings above his shoulders, stroking my hand over the shimmering blue-black feathers. “The House of Air may try to steal you.”

  “Truly?” He looked concerned.

  “No, sorry,” I shook my head. I'd have to be more careful here, my men didn't know much about Faerie. “Just a joke.”

  “Speaking of which,” Trevor frowned over at me. “We don't have to worry about anything like that happening with you, do we?”

  “You mean, will Arach try and abduct me?” I smiled. “No, he's trying too hard for a long term relationship with all of us. I doubt he'd want to piss you guys off by stealing me again. Or piss me off, for that matter.”

  “Best to be on guard,” Odin said. “Just in case.”

  “Agreed,” Azrael nodded and patted his sword. “I may look pretty but don't forget who saved our girl from Ares' children. I can pull my own weight.”

  “No one here has any doubt of your prowess,” Trevor acknowledged. “You helped save me as well, if you recall. I wouldn't have approved your addition to our little group if you weren't bad ass enough to defend Vervain.”

  “Well,” Odin glanced out the terrace doors, “I have a feeling we're surrounded by people just as bad ass as the lot of us. Let's hope it doesn't come down to a fight. There's a reason we were all relieved when the fey pulled away from the Human Realm.”

  “This is a diplomatic mission, remember?” I looked my men over. “We're here by the High King's invitation. No one is going to fuck with us... too much.”

  Chapter Five

  The Ball was being held in the throne room. We entered with no great fanfare(unlike the Yule celebration Odin had yearly at Valhalla, which required you to be announced as you entered) but we were immediately the center of attention nonetheless. There was a huge group of us, to be fair, and that wasn't counting the House of Fire, who was adamant about arriving with us.

  Arach had asked to escort me, and my men had acquiesced since we were in Faerie. So I walked through the enormous room on Arach's arm, as his Queen. Arach was dressed in a simple black velvet tunic but over it, he wore a cloak made out of the same material as my dress and on his head was a crown that matched mine. It was obvious we were the rulers of Fire.

  Funny thing was, I think the one who was the most put out by it wasn't any of my lovers but Fenrir, Trevor's father. The poor guy had visions of a Froekn Binding ceremony and little werewolf babies dancing in his head, ever since the day I'd won the right to be Trevor's mate. If Arach had his way and got me knocked up first, Fenrir would blow a werewolf gasket.

  For the moment, he was just a little red in the face though, his scars appearing white against it, and I could feel the weight of his stare as we made our way through the throng and over to the thrones, where the High King and Queen were seated, viewing the celebration. King Cian stood and held a hand out to Queen Meara. She took it and they both gracefully descended the steps to greet us.

  “Queen Vervain,” King Ciaran said after greeting Arach. “It's so good to have you with us again.”

  “We have missed you,” the Queen added, smiling wide enough to show her fangs. She was a leanan-sidhe, previously of the House of Fire, and they were pretty much fey vampires.

  “I've missed all of you as well,” I smiled and then gestured back to the waiting assembly. “May I introduce you to my companions?”

  “Yes, please,” the High King looked over everyone with interest. “It's been quite awhile since we've had the pleasure of interacting with gods.”

  I took the High King and Queen through the Froekn, starting with Fenrir. King Cian's eyes got huge when he looked over the massiveness that was the Viking Wolf God but then Fenrir smiled and it lit his whole face, which seemed to put the King at ease. Fenrir took Queen Meara's hand and kissed it gallantly, much to her delight.

  “Ah,” she sighed, “a wolf god. How delicious.”

  I swiftly moved them on to my Intare but that was just taking her from one gorgeous man to more than seventy. The Queen was practically purring by the time we'd finished all the intros. King Cian didn't look bothered in the least and that kind of worried me. If he wasn't upset, the Queen's interest was most likely non-sexual and more along the lines of selecting her next meal. I'd have to be sure to warn everyone later.

  “Fallon?” King Cian mused when he met one of my top lions. “In Gaelic, it means leader.”

  “Well, that's kind of appropriate,” I laughed. “Fallon and Darius are the two I leave in charge when I'm not around.”

  “It's not my original name,” Fallon added. “It's taken from the center of it.”

  “Maybe it's the name you were meant to have,” Queen Meara mused. “There's power in a name and sometimes, when we have the wrong one given to us, our true name will find us. You should treasure it.”

  “I do,” Fallon nodded, his hazel eyes a little wider than normal. It was the first time I'd ever seen him surprised. “My brothers gave it to me, so no matter what it means, I value it.”

  From the lions, I took the King and Queen over to the members of my God Squad. Horus, Persephone, Hades, Ull, Thor, Blue, Finn, Pan, Brahma, Teharon, and even Karni Mata had decided to join us. Each of them were
wearing something stylish, some more traditional than others. Brahma was never seen in public without a slick suit on but it was the first time I'd seen Pan in one. He looked very comfortable, turning the sharp outfit into something that looked suitable to lounge in.

  The only man not in a suit actually, was Teharon, who wore pure white leathers, adorned in the traditional Native American way, with beads, feathers, and bits of metal. He looked amazing with his long black hair contrasting against the white and the single, blood dipped feather he always wore attached to one slim braid. Beside him, Karni Mata was like his opposite, wearing a black and gold sari which showed off her shockingly white hair. Her black eyes, completely black, even the sclera, looked right at home among these fey though. In fact, they were probably her least discernable attribute in Faerie.

  Persephone had gone for a cultural look as well, wearing an updated toga in a sparkling green that showed off her eyes and her thick brown hair. Hades looked as proud as ever to be escorting her, and ecstatic that he could show up without his sunglasses for once. The raging fires of his eyes, tinted slightly by the glassy film of his irises, made him appear to be fire-sidhe, which the High King took great delight in telling him.

  “Well maybe our Vervain isn't the only faerie in hiding,” Hades had answered with a wink, eliciting a chain of rumors that immediately started circulating the room. The Lord of the Underworld can be so naughty.

  Luckily, the rest of the introductions went rather smoothly and the start to our inter-racial accord began without a hitch. The Ball was our meet and greet, we wouldn't actually be sitting down to discuss faerie travel into the other realms until the next day but I was hopeful. The mere fact that the High King seemed amenable to discussing rules for the travel, seemed like a good sign to me. He really didn't need our approval, so seeking it did a lot toward making a friendship possible, or at least some kind of truce.

  Music started to play and at first, I had no idea where it was coming from. Arach noticed my confusion and lifted my chin with the tip of his finger. I looked up and saw the musicians up above us, in the vaulted ceiling that went up hundreds of feet into the center of the tree. There were carved wooden seats growing from the walls and sticking out into the open space. The musicians were seated there, though they could have probably simply hovered if they desired, they were all air-sidhe, their multicolored wings fluttering behind them to the tempo of their music.

  As I watched, other air fey started to ascend, to dance in the space below the musicians. The dipped and swirled, creating a visually stunning display. I had a sudden aching desire to join them, to fly up there and twirl beside the faeries.

  I smiled wistfully and when I looked back at Arach, he was holding out a hand to me, his eyes questioning. I nodded and let him lead me to a central space where faeries were beginning to dance. Some of my group took the hint and wandered out to find their own partners and I was grateful the gods weren't lacking in diplomacy. When in Faerie, you danced.

  I put my hands on Arach's shoulders in preparation of the dance but he smiled wickedly and pulled me close. I gasped, and was about to pull away when thick, leathery wings sprouted from his back in a great whoosh, sending a few fey scurrying back.

  “Hold on,” he whispered as he bent his knees a little and then launched us into the air.

  I let out an excited squeal, clinging to him tighter. He chuckled, moving his feet below mine, like a father teaching his little girl to dance. I curled my feet over his, letting them and his arms take some of my weight for me, while I continued to hold on tight to his shoulders.

  “Relax, my love,” he kissed my forehead as we reached the level of the other dancers. “I've got you.”

  “You do, don't you?” I ran my hand through his long, red hair, red like blood not the auburn of humans.

  He glanced upwards and that was all the warning I had before he carried us up further, past the musicians and up into the highest levels of the tree where there were no benches, no fey light, only the polished wood walls. The music grew faint as we flew into the darkness, and then suddenly we were flying through interwoven branches and bursting out into the night sky. He lowered us back down onto a thick branch and I settled in beside him.

  All of Faerie was spread out before us and I could see the individual kingdoms spreading out from the Forgetful Forest like wedges of a pie. They stretched far into the distance, as far as I could see, and above them all, the stars of Faerie glittered more brightly than any in the Human Realm.

  I had no words, I looked over at him and said it all with my eyes. His face fell into serious lines as we stared at each other. With my other lovers far below us, I felt as if we were the only two people in the world. My hands shook as I slid them back over his shoulders.

  I felt his arms tighten around me, lifting me into his lap, and he lowered his mouth to mine. His wings closed around us, blocking out the cool night air and making me feel even more cut off from everything. I pulled him closer, pressing my chest tight to his and sliding my legs around his waist as I lifted my face to meet his.

  My whole body electrified at the touch of his tongue on mine, muscles tightening and blood racing. Then he breathed his fire into me, the heat filling me as if it could permeate every cell of my body, changing them from something mundane into something magical. My magic did in fact respond wildly to it, rising up in an exhilarating wave of energy and desire. I was wet with wanting in seconds, pulling his head closer as I twisted the flame inside me and sent it back into him.

  He groaned, a quick jerk of hips against me betraying his desire, and sucked my flame down as if it were antidote for the poison of loneliness. We writhed against each other, the stars and moon our only witnesses, in the heart of Faerie where I felt like my desire for Arach was pure and right.

  He finally pulled back, his great wings stretching out to reveal the world once more, and caught his breath as he looked over me. I knew then that the kiss had been unfair, not to my men below but to Arach. I shouldn't have kissed him like that before knowing for certain that he'd be accepted as my lover. I'd started a fire that I couldn't put out and from the look in his burning ember eyes, he knew it.

  “Arach, I'm so sorry,” I whispered.

  “Never apologize for kissing me,” his voice was a low purr. “I'll deal with the desire and be glad of it. It's much better to the alternative.”

  “The alternative?”

  “You not wanting to kiss me,” he grinned and leapt from the branch, taking us down the center of the tree in a controlled fall.

  “This is amazing,” I looked around at the flying dancers we'd once more joined, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness, dancing without my feet touching the ground.

  “It is enjoyable,” he glanced around. “This is the first time I've danced like this.”

  “No way,” I smirked, “this is way too polished a move to be impromptu.”

  “I assure you,” he laughed. “I saw you looking up at the dancers with such naked longing and knew that I had to give this to you. Anything that I can give you, I will.”

  “Arach, I-”

  “I had no idea you were responsible for so many men,” Arach diverted the conversation as he sent us spiraling through the air. He glanced down at my lions, prowling through the fey and charming a great number of the females.

  “I believe I tried to tell you,” I smirked, grateful for the diversion.

  “Yes, but you never thought to impress upon me the exact number,” he huffed. “Not only of your lions but of your wolves, your friends, and your children,” he glanced at Vali and Vidar, who stood with Odin like an honor guard. “It may have made a difference.”

  “A difference with what?” I cocked my head at him. “How you viewed me or what you thought of me?”

  “A difference with how I sought to win you,” he looked back into my eyes. “A woman with so many connections can't be wooed with jewels or finery,” he glanced at the amazing dress he'd given me and frowned. “And a woman
who actually cares for all of those she's connected to, can't be won over by the offer of new family or love. I have to rethink everything now.”

  “There's your problem right there,” I smiled at his lifted brow. “You're thinking too much. I'm the Goddess of Love, I prefer feelings, you should follow yours.”

  “Feelings?” He shook his head. “You know of mine and it doesn't make a whit of difference to you. Look what we just shared and how you instantly apologized for it.”

  “Of course your feelings make a difference to me,” I lost my smile. “Your feelings and those of our fey, are the most important reasons for me to be here but I can't make this decision alone.”

  “Because of your other loves,” he said with a little bitterness.

  “You know, you'd fit right in with my other loves,” I shook my head. “Each of you has good reason to be bitter over not having me to themselves. Odin was with me first, paid dearly to bring me back from death, and then suffered centuries without me until finally, his own son brought me home as his lover.”

  “His son?” Arach looked shocked, glancing down at Vali and Vidar. “But they're your sons as well.”

  “Only Vidar was actually born of Sabine's body but yes, I consider them both my sons. It's not them I refer too though, but Thor. In this life, Thor found me first.”

  “Thor?” Arach looked over to where Thor danced with a fey woman. She had thick green hair that looked like seaweed and he smiled down into her pale, beautiful face with interest.

  “Yes,” I smiled, hoping Thor was moving on. I knew he'd been dating Epona but there were rumors it was over. “Long story but then came Trevor, who has been there for me through so much, has brought me back from heartache and given up a way of life for me. Hell, at one point, he gave up life itself, becoming mortal because I was.”

  “This was before you became a Goddess?”

  “Yes,” I frowned, remembering a time when I'd been injured and shocked Arach with my speedy recovery. “I drank a potion that made me immortal. It gave me those recuperative abilities that you saw.”