Chapter Seventeen
We made it home in time for lunch. The Intare were grilling again; my lions loved to go primal.
So, everyone was outside—either in the pool, around the pool, or on the veranda.
Vero ran out of the main doors, making a beeline for his siblings and Zariel, who were in the pool.
Kirill and Azrael were swimming with them, Az trying to control our winged boys, who could also control the water.
Dominic and Sebastian were still learning what they could do with their Wild Fey Magic—as were we—but they were quickly progressing.
“Vero!” Zariel called and waved just before Sebastian dropped a wave onto her head. Her dark ringlets went flat as she sputtered, but they perked up when she leapt out of the water, hands curled into claws to grab Sebastian.
My son laughed and flew away.
“That's it! Sebastian, you're done with the pool!” Azrael shouted as he flung a hand at the flying, fleeing boy.
The twins may have some control over the elements, but their father was the Faerie God. He was the source of their magic, and he knew how to nip it in the bud. A vine manifested in the air, curling around Sebastian to pin his wings to his body. He fell, shrieking, into Azrael's arms.
“Daddy, no!” Sebastian struggled against the vine, but couldn't free himself.
“You don't say no to me, Son.” Azrael carried him out of the water, leaving Dominic with Kirill. “I say no to you. And I'm saying no. You've had enough warnings.”
“I was just playing!” Sebastian wailed.
“Bas?” Dominic called, his expression falling as he watched his twin get taken away.
“Dom!” Sebastian shrieked as if he were being carried to the gallows.
Azrael rolled his eyes and headed for us. “Hello, Carus. Any luck?”
We were all used to the twin drama. When one of them got into trouble—usually Sebastian—and they were parted, they would cry for each other as if they were going to be separated for life. It used to get me, but not anymore. I had grown wise to their ways.
“Mommy!” Sebastian wailed and squirmed. “Help!”
“Yes, we have a lot to tell you.” I gave Azrael a kiss and then stepped back to put my hands on my hips and glare at Sebastian. “Were you being naughty, Sebastian?”
“No.”
I widened my eyes at him.
“I was only playing with Zariel.”
“Zariel didn't look like she enjoyed the way you played.”
“I'm sorry.”
I nodded at Azrael, and the vines vanished. Sebastian leapt into my arms and started crying.
“Sebastian!” Dominic had been waiting and watching.
“Dominic!” Sebastian shouted and reached a hand toward his brother.
“All right, enough of that.” I went to the pool and put Sebastian down on a lounger. “You heard your daddy; no more pool time. You can sit here and wait until your brother is done.”
“I'm done, Mommy.” Dominic paddled to the edge in his floaties and reached up. The water rose with his reach and deposited him on the ground. He ran over to Sebastian, and they hugged as if they hadn't seen each other for years.
“This is all you.” Azrael pointed at them. “I was never like that.”
“Oh, whatever.” I put my hands on my hips again. “So, if I call Luke and ask him if you were a dramatic kid, he's going to say no?”
Azrael cleared his throat. “Yes?”
I snorted a laugh and sat down two loungers away from the boys, near Viper.
Vero was in the water, stripped down to his little boy briefs, and Lesya and Zariel were with him, taking turns jumping off the waterfall.
With them distracted, Kirill waded over and set his crossed arms on the rim of the pool.
The scent of grilling meat wafted over to us, but my lions were keeping their distance.
They knew better than to interrupt a family discussion.
“We found them,” Odin said to Kirill's questioning look. “They were in Japan. The trickster stole Amaterasu's mirror. But we got there too late.”
“They took Amy's mirror?” Kirill asked. “If they are still taking things, whatever they're building isn't done yet.”
I made a strangled sound. “I didn't think of that. If they are still building something, they can't be responsible for the souls.”
“Unless the trickster is making multiple items, or fixing something that went wrong,” Odin suggested. “We don't know how the culprit has stolen souls. Maybe the trickster has a new ability. All they would need is Death Magic to create an afterlife in their territory and collect human souls.”
“Or the trickster isn't taking souls,” I said.
“Either way, the trickster is up to something. But it doesn't matter.” Trevor motioned at me. “Amaterasu gave Vervain a jewel that is bound to the mirror the trickster stole. It can lead us to them.”
“You should have led vith zat.” Kirill climbed up the steps and out of the pool, water sluicing from his body.
I watched, enthralled by the water droplets on Kirill's skin and the long black braid he pulled over his shoulder to wring out. The cat in me wanted to play with his braid. The woman in me wanted to play with Kirill. Kirill grabbed a towel from a lounger. As he dried off, he winked at me.
I cleared my throat and pulled out the jewel.
“It looks like a sperm,” Viper said.
“It does not!” I felt horrified.
Odin peered at it. “Only if a sperm had a thick tail and curled up like a tadpole.”
“Okay, fine. It looks like a tadpole.” Viper rolled his eyes.
“It's the shape of a comma.” I handed it to Trevor. “Do you want to take the lead?”
“Yes, thank you.” He pocketed the jewel. “But we need to eat first, and maybe text Torrent.”
“And the Squad,” Viper added. “If we're going after Ty, we should bring as much powerful magic as possible.”
Trevor nodded and pulled out his cellphone. “I'll call my dad first.”