Chapter Two
“Uh, is this a bad time?”
I turned toward the sound of a woman's voice. It was actually two women standing in the club’s entrance with Alex, a Froekn bouncer.
Both women had thick, dark hair down to their waists, dark eyes, and desert-tanned skin.
They were both also beautiful, as goddesses tended to be, but one looked like a genie's—excuse me, I mean, a Jinn's—wet dream, with generous curves that would look amazing in anything.
The other one had a slender, muscular body and looked like she'd gleefully smash a bottle over the head of any man who dared to dream about her in any capacity.
It wasn't false advertising—I'd seen her do it.
“She said you knew her, boss.” Alex motioned at the slender one as he looked from me to Wolf. “Uh, hey, Wolf, sir.” He bowed.
Wolf sniffed rapidly and then nodded at Alex.
Meanwhile, I rushed over to the slender woman. “Ninkasi?”
I hesitated in front of her. Ninkasi had been friends with Sin during what I liked to call my dark phase.
Sin betrayed both of us. I forgave him. She didn't. She got pissed at me for being too merciful.
Walked out of a celebration party. But Sin later saved my bacon, so I think I made the right choice.
“Hello, Vervain. The place looks good.” Ninkasi was the Mesopotamian Goddess of Beer and Alcohol, and she owned a nightclub in Bahrain. That was where I'd seen the bottle smashing.
I fidgeted with my hands. “Thanks, uh, how have you been?”
“Well, thank you. I've made up with Sin.”
“Have you? Oh, that's nice. I haven't seen him for a while, but he helped us. Did he tell you?”
“Yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “He used it as an excuse to speak to me.”
“Who is this?” Wolf demanded.
“This is Ninkasi, don't you remember her?”
“Hey, Trevor.” She lifted her chin at Wolf. “Re.” She nodded at Re. “I hope you've all been well.”
“Actually, we're, uh, dealing with Wolf at the moment.” I smiled brightly at her—too brightly. “He's, uh, Trevor's, um . . .”
“I am the better, stronger part of Trevor,” Wolf said.
Ninkasi's eyes widened.
“He's Trevor's wolf. Long story.” I motioned dismissively. “I'd like to catch up, but it's a bad time. We have a family situation.”
The other woman, who was also significantly taller than Ninkasi, cleared her throat.
Ninkasi glanced at her. “I'm sorry to show up like this, but I didn't know how else to contact you. We have a situation as well. First, allow me to make the introductions. This is Ereshkigal of the Sumerians. My lady, this is Vervain, Goddess of Love, Lions, and the Moon.”
“Lions?” The woman extended her hand. “I am magically bound to lions as well, but I'm a goddess of death.”
“Death, eh? We like death gods here.” I glanced at Re as I shook her hand. Then I blinked. “Wait, I remember reading about you. You're an underworld goddess, right?”
“Yes, I stayed out of the war in Bahrain. I keep to my world. Usually.” She glanced at Ninkasi. “I've come to you for help. Ninkasi insists that you're the best tracker in all the realms.”
I sighed. “And yet, I can't track my brother-in-law.” I glanced at Wolf and did a double-take. “Trevor, is that you?”
“Yeah, I'm back. Wolf was too confused.” He shook Ninkasi's hand. “It's good to see you again.” He nodded at Ereshkigal. “And nice to meet you.”
Ereshkigal frowned at my husband. “You are dual-natured?”
“In more ways than one.” Trevor grimaced. “Sorry about that. You came at a bad time. A god has been playing games with us, and they have just taken my brother.”
“Someone took your brother?” Ninkasi asked with a glance at Ereshkigal.
“We’re not sure if someone took him or if he went willingly.” I sent Trevor an apologetic look. “He was in love with this person until he found out who they were.”
Ereshkigal shared a frown with Ninkasi. “You're too busy to help me. I understand.”
“No, wait.” Ninkasi grabbed her arm. “Your keys are too important.”
“We can try to find them ourselves.”
“Your keys?” I asked, a shiver of foreboding running down my spine.
“Someone stole my keys.” Ereshkigal turned back toward us. “They are the symbol of my power, but they also unlock the gates of the Underworld. If I don't find them, the gates will remain sealed.”
“Nope.” Re turned and went to the bar, heading behind it to pour himself a large drink.
“Ignore him.” I waved Re's drama away. “When did you notice your keys were missing?”
“Two days ago.” Ereshkigal glanced at Re. “He is exceptionally handsome.”
“Yes, please don't tell him.”
“He doesn't know?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Oh, he knows.” Trevor rolled his eyes.
“He doesn't need anyone to increase his ego,” I explained. “I don't want to say that he's full of himself, but—”
“He's full of himself,” Trevor cut me off.
I shrugged. You can't argue with the truth. “Now, back to your keys. Did you try to track the thief?”
“Yes, I rule a group of snake gods, and they are adequate trackers.” Ereshkigal shook her head. “But they found nothing.”
“You rule snake gods, and your animal is a lion?” I blinked from her to Trevor and back. “That's two things we have in common.”
“You rule snake gods?” Ninkasi asked.
“Well, technically, Viper is a star god, and I don't rule him, but he is a snake-shifter.”
“One of her husbands,” Ninkasi said to Ereshkigal. “The most recent, I believe.”
“Oh, yes. You have many husbands. I pity you.” Ereshkigal's expression became sympathetic.
I burst out laughing while Trevor grimaced. “Thank you. You're the first person to say that to me. Usually, people are envious or judgmental. But you're right; it's difficult.” I smiled at Trevor. “It's exhausting, but worth it.”
He put his arm around me. “Yes, exactly.”
“Are you seriously not going to address the possibility of who the thief is?” Re shouted from the bar.
He sprawled on a barstool, half reclining on the bar top.
I don't know how he did it, or how he made it look comfortable, much less sensual, but he did.
You could put Re in a garbage bag and toss him on a heap of stinking trash, and he'd still look sexy.
Ereshkigal's head cocked as she enjoyed the view.
Ninkasi was used to it, so she had no problem ignoring Re's attractiveness. Instead, she latched onto his words. “Vervain, do you know who took the keys?”
“Not for certain.” I shot Re an annoyed look. “But it could be the same god who ran off with my brother-in-law.”
“The same god?” Ereshkigal pulled her gaze away from Re. “Why? How?”
“They played a similar game with us a year ago, stealing god relics,” Trevor said.
“Yes, but that was to create a tool to bring Az back.” I glanced at Re, who was now lying on the bar top. “Re, what the funnel cake are you doing?”
“Relaxing while I still can,” he called back. “As soon as you accept that this is that trickster fucker again, it's going to be nonstop lunacy.”
Re didn't see the point of adjusting his cursing when the children weren't around. I sometimes let loose as well, but if I monitored my language constantly, it became second-nature. That made it a lot easier.
“Why don't we go upstairs?” Trevor suggested. “The club will open soon. Would either of you like a drink?”
“I'd like to know if your trickster is her thief.” Ninkasi pointed at Ereshkigal. “And why do you keep calling the trickster a 'them'?”
“They switch between male and female.” I motioned one of the waitstaff over. “Rachel, can you bring me a Long Island?” I looked at our guests. Would either of you like a drink?”
“I'll have a whiskey,” Ninkasi said.
“An Old-Fashioned for me, please.” Ereshkigal inclined her head at the Froekn woman.
“And I just want a Coke. Thank you, Rachel.” Trevor motioned the women to the stairs. “We believe it could be the same individual because the trickster possesses magic that not only makes them invisible but also covers their scent. They can remove all traces of themselves at will.
“An enviable magic,” Ereshkigal murmured.
“And annoying for us trackers.” I followed them upstairs and then over to a group of fake rocks that served as chairs. They looked as if someone had chiseled them into the shape of low seats, but they weren’t stone at all, and they were very comfortable.
“This is the first time they've taken something from someone we don't know.” Trevor sat down on the widest seat there, beside me.
“If it's them.” I glanced at the door that led to the tracing wall. A sign on it read, Family Room. “It's possible this is someone else.”
“They come to us on the same day that Ty disappears?” Trevor's face twitched. “I don't think that's a coincidence.”
“Are you all right?” I whispered.
He nodded. “Just trying to control my anger and Wolf.”
“It could be a coincidence,” I said.
“A coincidence?” Re strolled over to us with a bottle in his hand.
“Help yourself, Re,” Trevor muttered.
Re plopped down on the faux grass floor beside me and took a swig. “There are no coincidences in the god world. It's them. They took the keys and the wolf.” He leaned on my leg and then half sprawled across my lap. “It was so peaceful. For almost a year. I was getting used to it.”
I stroked the hair back from Re's face. “You know peace never lasts.”
“Aren't you the King of the Egyptian Pantheon?” Ereshkigal asked Re.
“Yes, I am!” Re lifted his bottle to her in salute.
“And you're married to a woman who has other husbands?”
“It's better than the alternative.”
“What alternative?”
“Not being married to her.” Re grinned up at me.
I leaned down to kiss him. Just a quick peck for good behavior.
“Unbelievable,” Ereshkigal whispered. “How do you do it?”
I shrugged. “Hell if I know.”
“So, what do we do about this trickster?” Ninkasi asked. “How do we find them?”
“That's the problem.” Trevor's face twitched again. “Without a scent trail, we can't track them. They even covered my brother's trail.”
“What did you do last time?”