The Fox and the Falcon (No Other Gods #2)

Chapter Thirty-Three

My back popped, ribs crushed in an all-encompassing hug as Azrames swept me up. His joy was a thick, tangible cloud. Relief, appreciation, and genuine giddiness filled the enormous room, which was particularly contagious when juxtaposed against his raw, masculine strength.

We’d waited anxiously in the palace atrium—well, Fauna and I had been anxious; the others wore masks of warrior-like stoicism—for the prisoners to be brought to us. Each step had filled me with tangible release as we walked through door after door, escorted past the seals and beyond the traps that had contained us. I didn’t have to ask. I knew full well why our reunion was to take place beyond the seals.

We were free to go.

“Marmar.” Azrames released me, holding me at arm’s length as he looked at me with wide, grateful eyes. “How the fuck—”

“Stop hogging him,” Fauna said, ducking between us. She wrapped her thin, freckled arms around him, intent on tucking her head against his chest in a hug. Her temple never made it to its resting place. He slipped a large hand into her coppery waves and gripped just firmly enough to force her chin up for a kiss. I barely had time to wiggle away from being an unwitting participant in a threesome as they behaved as if they didn’t have a small audience of Nordes, Grecians, Phoenicians, and the Prince.

I giggled both at the intimacy of their very public display, and to work through the nerves of my insanity. Caliban caught me before I was able to put too many steps between us.

“Love,” he breathed, silver eyes sparkling.

“I don’t know what came over me,” I said, each word sucked into an inhalation. I searched his face to discern the emotion behind those eyes. He cupped my cheek, fingers brushing just over my ear as he wove them into my hair. My hand went up to meet them, pressing his cool palm into my face.

“Fortune favors the bold,” he said. “You were incredible.”

I choked on the word. Stammering to pull something intelligent together, I said, “Not bad for a demon’s pet, right?”

His brows furrowed for a moment. “Pet? Is that what you…?”

Our reverie was broken as Silas was led into the atrium. Shoulders back, chin level, he remained the picture of a warrior, even though he fooled none of us. He was in pain.

The guard escorting him undid his shackles, only the silver cuff that bound his magic remaining in place. I met his golden eyes as the chains dropped. I took a step toward him, Caliban relaxing his hold slightly, but not releasing me entirely as I positioned myself near the angel. Estrid intercepted us. She took the place the guard abandoned, offering Silas her hand.

Silas cleared his throat and took it with a firm, grateful shake. Emotion laced his words as he managed to say, “Thank you.”

She dropped her hand. Ella approached her on the opposite side, touching the lightning bolt scars on Estrid’s opposite arm lightly before looking at Silas. “I hope you understand what an honor it is that she deemed you worthy in battle.”

Whether or not he attempted to quell the tears that lined his lower lids, it was impossible to tell. He dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “It’s the honor of my life,” he said, and there was no question as to his sincerity.

“Well.” Dorian clapped his hands. “I hate to break up this precious moment”—Poppy attempted to smack him, but he snatched her hand out of the air and interlaced her fingers with his before continuing—“but would any of you like to get out of here? We’ve shown our cards rather spectacularly. And, while I appreciate Merit’s gumption, we all know that no kingdom is without its infiltrators. It will be a matter of days, if not hours, before word spreads of our involvement.”

“Because of her.” Caliban looked at Dorian with casual assertiveness. I’d always known he was tall, but seeing them stand eye to eye, it was impossible to tell if one had a single hair’s width over the other. Perhaps the Greek god of the Underworld outranked him in the technical titles of the realms and their pecking orders, but I’d never forget what Azrames had said about Caliban when we’d first met. Az killed humans. Caliban killed gods. “We have an entire pantheon on our side.”

“We do,” Poppy confirmed with calm gratitude. “And we’ll need all the numbers we can get.”

“Unfortunately…” Dorian took a step closer to Caliban, which elicited an easy smirk from Caliban. I almost would have described his expression as casually amused as the powerful Grecian advanced. Dorian went on, “Nothing comes for free. She bought us quantity at the expense of time. There’s no use crying over spilled milk. What’s done is done. But we’re going to need to move fast.”

“He’s right,” Estrid agreed. She stepped toward the men, causing them to open their standoff as the warriors of the group—at least, the fighters who didn’t still wear silver cuffs—triangulated for discussion. “Ella and I will see who we can stir up among the Nordes. She has a few strong connections with the Celts as well, as does Fauna.”

Fauna, still breathless from her passionate kiss, lifted a woozy thumbs-up in confirmation. “Leave the Celts to us,” she agreed.

Estrid turned to Fenrir. “Your fate is your own, but you are more than welcome to remain with myself and Ella.”

“I’ll join in the amassing,” he confirmed.

Dorian chewed on his cheek, lost in thought. “Pops, you have a far better standing with the Greeks and Romans than I do.”

“I have a much better standing with everyone than you do,” she countered.

He winked. “Not with the Slavs. I’ve got a few connections that have been looking for a war for a while. But the clock is ticking. For all we know, a little estries friend is already making a beeline for Zeus and Odin to tattle on our meeting. Silas.” Dorian turned to the angel. “Do you have the pulse on any other defectors?”

Silas’s lips parted silently.

“I—” I stuttered. I didn’t have the courage to maintain eye contact as I said what I needed to say. “I may have exaggerated his willingness to help us.”

“You didn’t,” Poppy breathed, horrified.

“Merit.” Ella paled as she whispered.

Fauna positioned herself between me and the others. Caliban remained at my side, but I felt the temperature of the room change as everyone else realized I may have advocated for the freedom of someone who might turn us over to the King of Heaven.

“Silas has saved Marlow’s life time and time again,” she said. Her happy love bubble had popped as she evaluated the others with utter sobriety. “I’ve known Silas for a long time. He didn’t deserve to die in there. And he won’t betray our cause.” She looked up at the angel, her gaze both challenge and threat as she locked eyes with him. “Right?”

“Right,” Silas agreed quietly. The glossy sheen of a swelling black eye caught in the torchlight that filtered through the atrium.

“Go,” Caliban said. “Work your contacts. Be in touch. I’ll remain in the mortal realm. Find me there if and when you or our allies need me.”

Dorian wasn’t much for ceremonious goodbyes. He clicked his tongue while giving me a two-finger salute before tucking Poppy against him. They were gone before I had the chance to breathe.

“We need to be on our way as well,” Ella said carefully, looking between Estrid and the others. “Dorian is right. If the clock is ticking…”

“When you hit the Celts—” Fauna began.

“Don’t worry. I know to leave your boo for you.” Ella grinned. Estrid nodded at the rest of us while Ella wrapped her arms around the valkyrie’s neck. Again, without so much as a dramatic poof of air, they were gone.

“And then there were five,” I said. The high black ceilings of the palatial atrium seemed far too large for such a small group. The guards remained at their posts at the doorway. I knew that we were free to leave at any time, but suspected Caliban wanted to speak with the gods before we departed.

“I’ll be grateful to get this thing off,” Azrames mumbled, rubbing at the silver cuff on his wrist. “I’ve never felt so bound in my life. Is this what it feels like to be human?”

He looked at me as if I might even have the capacity to understand the question. I grimaced to express my regret.

His mouth pinched as he considered. “You know that feeling when a word is at the tip of your tongue, but just out of reach?”

“Oh, I hate that feeling.”

He nodded once. “It’s that, but with power, with thought, with the abilities as familiar as limbs. They really know how to keep a guy from having a good time. But I don’t need to tell you about that, do I?” he asked, opening up his stance to include Silas.

Silas looked between his cuff and the demon. “It is miserable. But I’ve been through worse.”

Fauna laughed. “Worse than being kidnapped by a rival pantheon, beaten, restrained, and nearly murdered while everyone watched?”

I recognized the flash of feeling on his face. I knew it from the mirror, from the years I’d stayed within the confines of the church, from the time I’d still counted my mother as my very best friend. I didn’t know what the King of Heaven had done to him that could be worse than his time with the Phoenicians, but my stomach ached at the thought. It also spiked with a clear and distinct worry. The captor bonding that happened when an abuser forged a loyalty with their underlings was not to be underestimated.

“Silas.” I said his name carefully. “Now that the others are gone, can you tell us what you plan to do? When you’re free?”

He took a half step backward, which only hurt me more. He didn’t feel secure with us. With the Canaanites. In Heaven. I wondered what it would take to make him feel safe.

Before he had the chance to answer, the doors opened and Anath entered the atrium, Baal at her side. Her oil-slick dress trailed behind her with the iridescent shimmer of a raven’s wings. She flashed a brilliant smile as she approached.

Much to my surprise, she came to me first, taking my hand into her own. “The human who sat in a fertility clinic, infiltrated a terraformed realm, murdered a goddess, wooed a demon prince, befriended an angel, and won rebel hearts to her cause. Your allies took my sister from me, but you stand to repay me with something so much greater. I may never forgive you for what you’ve stolen, yet a good goddess of war knows when to make an allegiance for the sake of victory. Please accept my regrets for underestimating you.” She stepped away to regard the others. “Now, who will be our liaison?”

“Do you have any connections who might support you in an uprising?” Caliban asked.

“Of course,” said Baal. “The Egyptians and Sumerians have remained friends. Though I expect with the Egyptians…”

Anath’s eyes narrowed. “Popularity is not a problem with them. Many of their gods thrive, as they stay on the hearts, tongues, and altars of their people. Fortunately, I know a few who are as interested in inversion as we are.”

Fauna dared a comment. “Dorian shared something that I think we should keep in mind.”

Anath looked the nymph up and down. “Go on.”

Any uncertainty melted from her as she rose to meet the occasion. She was a deity in her own right, and she was their guest, not their prisoner. “It would be unwise to believe that everything said in the arena will stay safe in your realm. Word will travel. We won’t have the element of surprise on our side.”

Anath’s grin was practically feline as she said, “Oh, way ahead of you.”

I would have been surprised by her modern use of language contrasted against Dagon’s and Baal’s, but I supposed she’d been alongside her sister in Bellfield for more than two centuries. For all I knew, she was an expert in all facets of social media and fluent in slang.

“The arena’s on lockdown. They’ll remain fed and entertained as we commence…exit interviews.”

“They’ll be tagged,” Baal explained.

My eyebrows lifted. I wasn’t alone in my expression.

“You’ll tag your own people?” Fauna asked.

Anath’s face made it apparent she didn’t appreciate the derision. “This is war. It’s my area of expertise. How about you save your opinions unless we have a deer to summon?”

I knew in that moment that Azrames was ready to throw hands against a major deity in the name of Fauna’s reputation. His energy went cold, his entire body shifting, fingers flexing at his side as he said, “I’d expected a goddess to be wiser than that.”

Her eyes flashed.

“Likability isn’t your specialty, so I’ll offer some friendly advice. Don’t make villains out of your allies, Anath.”

I thought I was going to pass out. Azrames had barely escaped by the skin of his teeth. He was still in their kingdom. He wore their cuff. He—

“Set these two free for me so I can get them out of your kingdom,” Caliban said. He wasn’t willing to condemn Azrames, nor make an enemy of the Canaanites I’d risked it all to rally to our cause. If he felt any tension, I wouldn’t have been able to tell from the effortless tilt of his brow, inclination of his head, or easy smile as he waited for Anath to oblige.

With control and smooth diplomacy, Anath allowed us all to see the barest edge of her disapproval before she beckoned Silas to her side. He approached and extended his arm. She grabbed him by the elbow, yanking him just off his footing. She looked into his eyes and said, “Don’t fuck us over, angel. Remember who spared you.”

The cuff unlocked as she grazed his forearm. He sucked in a sharp inhalation the moment he was released as his powers came rushing back. I wondered how many words had been waiting at the tip of his tongue, or whatever comparison Azrames had made, only to come crashing in now. She said nothing as she turned her back on Silas and extended her hand for Az. He gave it to her, but the two remained in a proud stalemate. Whatever tension they’d established had not dissipated. They’d be allies in war, perhaps, but it didn’t appear to be in the cards for them to be friendly.

If Silas’s intake of air had been alarming, it was nothing compared to the utter bloodlessness of Azrames’s stunned expression the moment his cuff was removed. I had no idea what could make a demon assassin afraid, but the moment his powers returned, looking at my friend was like looking into the face of death.

“Az?” Uncertainty was replaced by the cold ice picks of fear as I continued to stare. Fauna extended her hand, then hesitated.

Anath and Baal were still here.

Whatever it was, he didn’t want to speak it aloud in front of them.

If I hadn’t spent my life staring in wonder at the too-beautiful imaginary friend who’d filled my heart, my home, and my bed, then I might have missed the minute feathering of his jaw. He saw. He understood. Alert and endlessly charming, Caliban extended his hands for goodbyes with the highest gods of the pantheon. I was sure he was thanking them for their hospitality, exchanging formalities, and whatever it was gods did, but I heard nothing aside from a muffled, high-pitched buzz. I couldn’t look away from Azrames’s face. He hadn’t so much as blinked.

What must it take to terrify a demon?

Situation be damned, Fauna wrapped her fingers as far around his bicep as she could. She gave him a squeeze, gently shaking him, pleading with him to look at her. He remained utterly frozen.

The moment the room cleared, his eyes snapped to Caliban. “I need help.”

“Tell me.”

The column of Azrames’s throat worked. “It’s Betty.” He turned to Fauna, absorbing the pain in her eyes as her face fell. “I think it’s Heaven.”

“Go,” Fauna said hoarsely. “I’ll explain. Go!”

He disappeared without another word.

“Heaven is attacking his practitioner?” Caliban took a step toward her as he reiterated the situation. He didn’t know either of them well enough to understand the urgency, but I did. I knew what the witch and demon did together. I knew the bond they held. I also knew that Azrames would never have asked the Prince unless he truly believed it was necessary.

“Listen,” Fauna said, dropping all decorum as she grabbed on to Caliban as if he were any man on the street. Desperation dripped from her voice as she dug her nails into his forearm. “She’s immensely important. Not just to me and Azrames, but to the world. She’s powerfully psychic, she’s deeply warded, and she’s spent centuries working with Azrames to clean the world of its trash. If Heaven is onto us…if they’re onto Marlow, or you, or me…”

The severity registered with him, but not with me. What would Heaven do to a wonderful woman who helped the disenfranchised?

I stammered, “She helps women. She has nothing to do with me. She—”

“ Listen to me,” Fauna repeated. “Heaven needs to goad the Prince into showing his hand. Now that they know you’re his human? The best way to attack him is through you. And before they can attack you, they need to eliminate your strongest resources. Betty is the most powerful witch I know. She’s Azrames’s link to the mortal realm. With her gone—”

“I’ll help him.” Caliban’s voice was firm. “Take Love with you.”

“No!” Fauna tightened her grip on his arm. He looked down, as did I. I half expected to see blood where she clutched him with feral intensity. “I’m going with you.”

“I can’t leave her—”

“Silas will take her!” Fauna relinquished a single hand to throw it out to the angel. She didn’t wait for his nod in acknowledgment. “Caliban, we have to go, now !”

The flames in his gaze shot to meet mine, but I could do little, save for reiterate their panic. “Go! If I wasn’t safe with Silas before, he now owes me a life debt and doesn’t have a choice. I’ll meet you at the apartment. Go, now.”

Worry creased his eyes, jaw hard as he gritted his teeth and walked them both into nothingness. Silas and I were alone in the wake of whatever unfathomable turmoil they were about to encounter.

“Marlow?” he said carefully, extending his hand for me.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”