Chapter 3
WREN
M ate…
The sound of Griff’s mournful voice in my head made me feel a little guilty that I was still giving them all the silent treatment, even if they deserved it. I was curled up in my damn Gryphon nest , yet they didn’t think I’d be able to handle the fact that Demke died once a year?
Apparently, men could be stupid, no matter the millennium they were from.
Nate had been delivering me food and their apologies over the last few hours, as the cleanup began. I needed to come out and thank the people who’d gone to battle for me, though. The Valkyries. Hades and Persephone. The dog pack.
Now that I’d calmed down, and my adrenaline had evened out a little, I wondered if I was being a little bit dramatic. Then I’d remember Demke’s slack face, and be mad all over again.
I’m still upset, Griff, I answered him, then sighed. And angry.
I could hear his grumble. Men can be stupid in the nobility. Let me in so I can soothe you.
Huffing, I opened the door. However, I was surprised to see it was Teron on the other side of the door. “That’s cheating.” I scowled, stomping back toward the nest.
He gave me a guilty expression. “I just wanted to check you and the babies out. That was… stressful.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Which part, Teron? The bonding with a Gryphon, finding Demke dead, being faced with a monster that still makes me tremble with fear if I think about her, or meeting the Hades?!”
He winced. “All of the above? I apologize, Wren. We should have known that hiding this from you would end badly. I argued against it, but…”
Demke was their unofficial leader. Their God. If he hadn’t wanted me to know, they wouldn’t have struck out against his wishes.
“I didn’t think you’d need the extra stress, and there hadn’t been any indication of an attack. It’s quite a confronting thing to see him dying. It isn’t a sweet sort-of death,” he explained desperately, and I softened a little.
Could I have watched Demke die and not freak out? Probably not. But I would’ve liked the option to decide for myself. Assholes.
I sat on the bed and let him check my vitals, because although I might be pissed at the guys, the health of the babies meant everything to me now. I would fight literal monsters in their name; I wouldn’t let anything happen to them just because I was feeling miffed.
I stayed silent, only following Teron’s quiet directions as he checked me out. Finally, he sat beside me on the bed, reaching out to brush his pinky finger along mine. “I haven't talked to you about the bond between you and the Gryphon.”
I looked at him, and even now, I could see Griff’s sharp intelligence reflected back in his gaze. “You’re okay with it, right? I know it was kind of rushed, and you should have had an opinion?—”
He gripped my hand and lifted it to his chest. “Wren, I’m definitely not unhappy with the bond between us. I hope that now the Gryphon has created a mate bond with you, our own bond will snap into place. It’s difficult for the magic to take hold, considering I have two souls.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I didn’t think about the fact that you and Griff being two separate entities must mean two souls to bind. I always did like a BOGO deal.”
“BOGO?”
I shook my head. “Buy one, get one free. Honestly, it might be the title of my autobiography.”
He kissed the top of my head, then rubbed my stomach softly. “It does seem to be a running theme. No regrets, though?”
I shook my head. Not about the babies, and not about bonding a literal mythical creature as a mate during a battle. My life was too tenuous to worry about regrets. “None.” Shifting to the edge of the bed, I hauled myself up and looked down at Teron. “But I mean it when I say that I am a grown woman. I mightn’t be six billion years old, but I can make my own choices. You aren’t protecting me by keeping secrets; you’re putting me at risk.”
He nodded. “No more, Wren. I promise.”
Man, he was so fucking beautiful, his golden eyes wide and honest, his long, straight nose and full lips just begging me to trace them with my fingertips. Now was not the time, though.
Holding out a hand, I led him from my suite. The house was in a state of repair, the broken furniture moved out, and everything put back to rights. It was almost as if the battle had never happened, except for the fact that the remaining Valkyries were drinking with Hades at the dining table. There were at least fifteen bottles spread between them, and they were loudly telling stories—about their fallen comrade, I realized.
“She never backed down. She once tried to mount Sleipnir and ride him out of the stables without Odin knowing, but… well, he’s Odin.” The Valkyries all cackled, like it was the funniest joke, but beneath their merriment was a sadness that I knew was my fault.
“She died a noble death,” Hrist said wistfully, almost like she wished she was in her fallen friend’s place.
Mist nodded. “To die protecting the future weavers is a worthy end to an immortal life. She’ll drink deeply in Valhalla.”
Okay, so I hadn’t been wrong; that had been envy in Hrist’s tone.
Feeling eyes on my face, I looked down the table at Hades, who was eyeing me closely. I wondered if he could see into my soul, like some of the myths described.
He lifted his glass in my direction. “Speaking of the Mother of Fate. Feeling better?” Ice dripped from his words, like the haughty king he was. Without the softening effects of Persephone, his raw power felt far more ominous. Every word sounded like a threat, even though I knew that wasn’t the case. My instincts told me to be wary of the God in front of me, because he was more powerful than I could imagine. Staying on his good side meant staying alive.
He waved a hand at me. “Don’t look at me like a scared little rabbit. I’ve waited around all this time to see you give Demke an ass-kicking, so don’t disappoint me by becoming a piece of fluff now.” Teron put a steadying hand on my spine, his body somehow angled protectively around mine while still seeming relaxed.
I knew there was only one way to really deal with a big God like Hades. It was to go balls-to-the-wall outrageous. I wasn’t made to fall to my knees for anyone.
Well, anyone except my guys.
“I’ll get right on that. Where is the formerly immortal being?”
Hades lifted himself from his chair. “Ladies. Hopefully, I get to drink with you again in the Tar Pits.”
Teron leaned down close to my ear. “The Tar Pits are where all the Underworlds meet. There’s a bar there that isn’t Pantheon specific. A meeting place, of sorts.”
Okay, that sounds wild.
Mist stood and bowed, and the other Valkyries followed suit. Hades lifted his chin to them in respect. As one, all the Valkyries turned to me.
“If it is okay with you, we would like to ferry the body of our fallen sister to Valhalla, so she can feast with the heroes who have gone before us.”
I was nodding before Mist had even finished speaking. “Please, absolutely. I… We couldn’t have done this without you. I’m eternally grateful for your aid.”
Hades snorted, but Mist just bowed once more. “It’s our honor. We will come if you call.”
With that, Hildr let out a piercing whistle, and in unison, they marched to the window, then jumped out one by one. Honestly, if I didn’t know they had flying horses roaming around the courtyard, I would have freaked out.
Griff huffed. Do you think they realize we have doors and stairs?
Snarky bird-cat. I wished I could stroke his head. You’re more impressive by far, I told him softly, and he let out a soft, happy rumble in my mind.
I couldn’t help but smile. Being able to talk to Griff was so different to the exaggerated charades we’d had to do previously. He sounded wise and distinguished, with such a distinct personality. It was almost too easy to think of him and Teron as separate entities, to forget that I wouldn’t ever see them both in a room together.
Teron led me from the dining room and out through the sunroom into the back courtyard. It wasn’t so easy to hide the signs of carnage out here. At least the Hellmouth was still in Demke’s separate courtyard. The pool was filled with debris, and I didn’t want to think about what it was. Parts of the walls had collapsed, trees split and broken, as if a giant had stomped them.
I looked up at Teron. “The villagers?”
Stroking a calming hand down my back once more, he held me close. “Fine. Demke warned them, and when Néit raised the alarm, we sent out an alert for them to take shelter or leave. Hildr the Valkyrie guarded them in the town hall. But the monsters weren’t interested in the humans.”
No, they’d been here for one thing. My death.
Suddenly, Cy was in front of me, smiling widely. “Wren! You’re out of your room.” He hugged me close, spinning me around. At his feet was a crowd of dogs, yipping loudly, tails wagging. I squatted down and accepted all their love. I was quickly swarmed, much to Teron’s clear annoyance, but they deserved the affection and appreciation just as much as the Valkyries.
“Thank you so much, my friends.” I patted any fur I could find, and accepted kisses from an insane amount of dog-breath muzzles. I couldn’t help but laugh as little teeth nipped at the ends of my fingers, asking for attention. “You’re all so, so good. I’m going to order as many steaks as I can find; yes, I am.”
When they got a little too rowdy at my words, Cy growled low. From his human mouth. Jesus, that’s weird. The dogs immediately all backed off a little, giving me space. I glanced up at the man appreciatively, before turning my attention back to them.
“I’m going to learn every single one of your names, and if you don’t have one, I’ll give you one. Warriors deserve a name, and you’re all heroes in my eyes.”
There was more yipping, and then Cy pulled me back to my feet. “Thank you,” he breathed.
Fuck. He was so damn beautiful. A broad face and high cheekbones, the hair curled tightly to his head glowed the same white as his fur as a dog. His golden skin and deep brown eyes seemed like they’d been kissed by bronze.
Why were these guys all so attractive? Was it an after-effect of being so long-lived?
I dragged my eyes from his pretty face. “I should be the one saying that. You saved my ass. Literally.”
He was opening his mouth to say something else, but at that moment, I spotted Demke, and the fury that had been simmering in my veins surged back up. The pain of believing him dead at my feet bloomed once more, and I was marching toward him before I even thought about it. How dare he put me through that?
He was righting some olive trees with Persephone, whose hands were repairing the damage and making them bloom once more. It was a cool party trick. Normally, I would’ve watched in awe. Right now, though, I had tunnel vision, and at the end of that red haze was one man.
He spotted me, and his eyes widened. I shuddered to think what I looked like right now—probably deranged.
“ You! ” I pointed at him.
He lifted both hands. “Wren, I’m sorry, I can?—”
I didn’t give him a chance. I didn’t care if he was a God, a man, my bond, whatever. Lifting my hand, I punched him square in the throat. In all honesty, I’d been aiming for his nose, but I was short and had terrible hand-eye coordination.
“I thought you were dead . I cried over your corpse, you royal fucking asshole.”
He wheezed, and I was glad he was immortal, because that looked like it hurt. My thumb ached, like I’d crunched it a little too hard.
Spinning away before he could give me a lame excuse, I nearly walked straight into a laughing Hades. “Fuck me, this was absolutely worth hanging around in this dingy fucking realm. You tell him, Wren!”
I was about to start crying again, so I did the only thing I could think of. I turned my back on them all, and went in search of Milo.