Chapter Twelve #2
The shadows that Slay created have disappeared, along with the fire, leaving behind a black mess that I feel really guilty about.
“I have asked Samhain to arrange a meeting with Loki. The fenrir followed us—Sage—back here to The Shade.” Slay appears to speak, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. One of the only things that’s still intact.
“And we all think now is the time to talk about this?” Hack rubs his hand over his short blond hair and sighs.
“Slay made a birthday cake for Sage, too. There are only a few hours left of her birthday and we didn’t want to miss it.” Slash shrugs. “He makes real fucking good cake.” He winks, making me chuckle, and my stomach rumbles.
I could eat cake.
Always.
A wave of sadness washes over me, the cake being a reminder of my best friend, Danika.
She’s been gone for months now. She must be so scared.
We would always bake for the morning shop rush, because who doesn’t love a delicious slice with their coffee?
It was my turn to bake next, before my life blew up.
“Everyone, get the fuck out.” Warmth envelops me in the form of Hack and his thick arms lifting me as if I weigh nothing before I’m in his lap, curled into him with tears crawling down my cheeks. “What’s wrong, Satapti?”
“I’m sorry for bringing down the mood. I didn—”
“Stop that. You don’t need to apologize to me for having feelings. Ever. Tell me what’s going on in there.” He brushes his fingers through my hair and kisses the top of my head.
What isn’t going on in my mind is the easier question to answer.
I allow myself to feel the sadness for a few more moments before sighing, but I don’t move. My head is perfectly placed beneath Hack’s chin, on his strong and safe chest.
“It’s Danika. We haven’t spent a birthday apart since we met in college.
And here I am having the best sex that ever sexed in the universe, enjoying orgasms that I thought were a myth, all nicely healed with new witch and dem-goddessness, while my best friend is locked away somewhere, probably being tortured like me and Saffron were, and oh, God, Saffron.
She died saving me just last night! And I’m about to go and eat a delicious birthday cake with my fated soul mate like it’s just a regular Saturday.
I’m guilty for feeling an ounce of happiness, and awful for bringing down the happy mood with my sadness, and it’s a neverending cycle of what the fuck am I supposed to be doing?
All that, and I’m pretty sure I failed my witch test. It was too easy.
There was a woman called Reina, who was a raven, and I set your house on fire.
” I barely take a breath, my words a continuous cycle of my unfiltered thoughts.
The whole time I speak, Hack is gently rocking back and forth, massaging the top of my head with his masterful fingers.
“My sweet, witchy goddess. It’s okay to feel all of those things.
After what you told me about the vampyre the harpies talked about, we contacted Desdemon and he is determined to find her.
We have our marshalls and lackeys on the case too.
We will find her.” He seals the statement with another firm kiss on top of my head.
“As for Saffron, we will honor her. We have reached out to the faeries to find her family. The raven must have been your familiar. They’re all shifters who can only transform back to human once they’re freed of their obligation to their witch.
Your choice…well, that may have been easy for you, but for others, not so much.
Choosing the path that doesn’t wield ultimate power requires a strength that not many possess.
And finally, yes, you set fire to my house.
You’ll get the hang of it.” He squeezes me against him, as if reassuring me that his words are true.
“Will I ever see the rav—I mean, Reina again?” I lift my head and look up at him, my cheeks dry from the streaky tears.
“Maybe. She’s been in her raven form since the day you were first born…
it isn’t usual for a shifter to be in their animal form for almost two thousand years so she probably needs time to adjust.” He shrugs, like it’s no big deal, but it just feels like one more thing to add onto my why I’m a shitty, dangerous person to know list. “I can see where your mind is going and you can stop. It isn’t your fault.
Baba Yaga is the only one to blame here and we will find her, if Hekate doesn’t get there first.” He chuckles, as if picturing the violence and it pleases him.
“Do we know why I was taken? Was that Baba Yaga?”
“We don’t think so, no. Whoever was behind it is good at covering their tracks. But if we do get the opportunity to speak with Loki about the fenrir, that could really help.”
Sighing, I lean back into him, relishing in the way he holds me with such tenderness.
“Okay, so this is probably the worst question, considering, well, everything, but are you telling me that Loki is real, too? Isn’t he a Norse god? And Hekate is Greek…so they all exist in Lympana?”
His light laughter is soothing.
“Yes, Loki is real, but no, the Norse gods don’t live in Lympana. The Greeks wouldn’t allow it. Instead, they prefer to live nomadically, staying wherever they choose, whenever they choose. You have to know ten different kyn to even get a sniff at where one of them is.”
“But your boss man, Samhain, can do it?”
“He’s the Dei of the demons, there isn’t much he can’t do.”
“I’m gonna eat all this cake if you don’t come out soon!” Slash’s shout makes me jump and I notice that my skin is glowing a golden-bronzey color, but it dies down as my heartrate calms.
Interesting.
“I’m ready to slap a smile on my face and celebrate the rest of my birthday with food.” My rumbling stomach agrees.
A few minutes later, I’m wearing one of Hack’s black T-shirts as a dress. Yeah, it falls halfway down my thighs, hiding his boxers that I’m also wearing. Holding hands, our fingers intertwined, we exit the bedroom through the now-doorless gap and head toward his kitchen.
The other three are all sitting around the breakfast bar that holds the most beautiful cake I have ever seen.
If Slay had made cakes for the shop, he’d have won every competition on sales.
It’s shaped like a star, just the one layer, but that’s all that’s needed.
The deep, purple shimmer of the icing around the cake is beautiful, decorated with intricate symbols that my mind recognizes but can’t place.
There’s an even deeper purple—almost black—icing piped into pretty twists across half of the top, and the other half is covered in fresh strawberries pushed into a light-purple buttercream.
There’s one, singular candle in the center, the small flame flickering, waiting for me to blow it out.
Nobody says anything, they remain silent as I approach with Hack by my side, waiting for me to…I don’t know. Blow something up? It isn’t out of the realm of possibility at this point.
“Thank you, Slay.”
His continuously swirling shadows slow down and he tilts his head respectfully in response.
“Happy birthday, Satapti.” Hack’s whisper against my neck tickles and I fight the urge to squirm and jump him, instead focusing on the cake on the breakfast bar.
Closing my eyes, I wish for answers to who kidnapped me and why. I could wish for lighter things, but this is important. If I don’t know, then I’m at risk from everyone, and I don’t want to live like that.
I blow on the candle when I have finished my little wish and am immediately bombarded by huge, muscley bodies hugging me.
Not the worst way to die.
When they all pull away, or more likely are pushed away by Hack, I realize Slay wasn’t one of the bodies because he’s furiously tapping away on his phone.
“I need a new phone.” Mine is…just gone. With all my pictures and memories of my life with Danika and the shop…
“Random, but I have a spare on my floor. You can have that. It’s already spelled to work in The Shade, Ryetoh, and Kohrye.” Pierce, ever the helpful one.
“Thank you.” It’ll do, for now.
“Are we eating this cake now? Because I have been sitting here for the last hour. I deserve a medal for my restraint.”
I chuckle at Slash’s faux-frown as he rubs his stomach.
“Better make that to go, because we’ve just been granted an audience with Loki.”