Chapter Thirty-Seven

I woke in terror, like coming out of a heart-pounding nightmare. Except this nightmare was in the waking world. I remembered instantly. The dagger. The cold. I was powerless. Numb. But I still had my emotions. So, Katila had enough control over Anubiss blade to fine-tune its magic and allow me to feel.

Yes, Katila. Alive. The insane bastard was back. And stretched out beside me. This explained a lot and yet raised more questions. The Pasha hung around his neck, a golden cord full of magic. And Anubiss dagger hung on his hip, the hilt darker than Katilas eyes.

He was a handsome enough man. Kinda looked like a Bollywood actor, with bronzed skin, dark glossy hair, and those crazy brown eyes. And there was that non-scent. Even looking at him, I couldnt smell him. It was as if he didnt exist. Of course, my super-senses were currently buried under the cold of Death.

I tried to sit up but couldnt.

“Would you like to move, Vervain?” Katila asked casually.

I tried to speak but couldnt. But I could nod.

“Go ahead then. You may move, but do not run from me or strike me.”

I gasped as my body was freed from Deaths ghostly hold.

“And you may speak freely.”

Bad decision, buddy.

“What the fuck?!” I screeched as I sat up and scooted as far away from Katila as his stolen magic would allow. “Youre dead! I ate your fucking heart!”

“Did you?” He laid back and sighed. “How did it taste?”

“I dont remember. Why dont you give me another bite?” I snarled and tried to leap for him but couldnt.

Katila tsked me. “You should know that you cant disobey me when youre under the blades control. Youve been its slave before, havent you?”

“How?” I demanded.

“How what?” He sat up and faced me, crossing his legs as if we were at a slumber party.

“How are you alive?”

“I avoided the Void.” He cackled. “No, not really. I went to the Void but then I got out. I just danced out of the Void. A Void dance.” He paused, then declared, “Avoidance! Ha! That is so appropriate.”

Yup. He was just as crazy as ever.

“You danced out of the Void?” I asked. “All by yourself?”

“Yes.” Katila grinned, his teeth white against his full lips. It looked menacing.

“Bullshit,” I said. “Even I couldnt do that, and I—”

“You are the Trinity Star!” he declared with a wave of his hand. “The Great Destroyer of Bahrain. The Dark One.”

“Dark Star. They called me the Dark Star,” I muttered. “It was a bad time in my life.”

Katila chuckled. “Well, dying was a bad time in my life. But Im glad I did. It gave me some perspective. I rushed things with you. I should have taken the time to woo you properly.”

“Woo me? Is that what you call stabbing me in the heart with Anubiss stolen Death blade?”

“Yup.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes.

“You wouldnt have come with me willingly,” Katila went on. “And I needed you to sit still long enough to get to know me. In time, youll understand, and youll be grateful. Ive saved you from that awful life. All those men demanding babies from you. What do they think you are—a broodmare?”

“I love my children,” I said calmly. Maybe if I could play Katilas game well enough, my friends and family would have enough time to reach me.

Wait.

They wouldnt be able to track me. Not without Arach and with my magic suppressed. Maybe not even with Arach. I wasnt sure if Katilas non-scent would hide our trail through the Aether.

“Of course, you love your children,” Katila said. “Youre not a monster.” Then he giggled. “Well, youre kind of a monster, but thats why I love you.”

“That is not how love works, Katila.”

“Its how my love works.” He shrugged and climbed out of bed.

Honestly, I was relieved to see him leave the bed. Hopefully, that meant he wasnt going to resort to rape. Yet. At least he hadnt chained me. I hated chains.

“Not that you dont look scrumptious, my love,” Katila said. “But I have a fresh wardrobe for you, and Id like you to put something on. Whatever you wish.” He waved at a door to his left. “Then come out and join me.” He sauntered out of the room through another door, leaving it open behind him.

I ventured to the open door and peered out it. A normal hallway waited beyond. Hardwood floor and white ceiling. Katila continued down the corridor and out the other end.

What to do?

With my magic numb, I couldnt trace, not even if wed been in the Human Realm, which I was pretty sure we werent. I couldnt remember if Katila had a god territory, but his mother must have, and she had died as well. So the guy had options. That made one of us.

I grimaced at the door Katila had indicated, then went to it. It opened to a dressing room. Tasteful with touches of India—brass light fixtures, a marble console running down the center of the room, and brass benches padded in red velvet. Womens clothing hung on racks on one side of the room. The other was dedicated to mens clothing. Oh, how cute. He made us a couples closet. I went to the pants section. I did not want to wear a dress around that maniac. If he decided to rape me, I was going to make it as difficult as possible.

“Not that it will matter,” I muttered to myself.

The man had control of my body. It was the most frightening experience to have your body turn against you. To know you couldnt trust it to defend you. And this was my second time going through it. But I had to keep calm. I may not be able to control my body, but I could control my mind.

“Come on, Vervain. Youre the Trinity Star and the Godhunter. Youve been here before and you survived. You will get through this again.”

I pulled on a pair of pants, completely unsurprised that they fit me like a glove. The guy had probably been planning my abduction from the moment he got free of the Void.

“But how did he get free?” I growled. “A soul cant just dance out of the Void. Not even the soul of a Hindu god, and those gods are known for their dancing.”

I glared at the array of silk blouses, then settled on a solid cotton shirt—your average white button-down that every woman should own. Or so the Youtube style influencers say. I found a pair of expensive sneakers and some thick socks. Perfect for running if I happened to get the chance. Always be prepared. Thats key to surviving an abduction.

“Sheesh, I should write a handbook. Ive been abducted enough to give tips.”

Then I looked for a weapon.

It had been a long time since Id fought someone with a sword or any weapon, for that matter. Id lent my Wolverine gloves to Torrent years ago and had no intention of asking for them back. But I was back to square one, cut off from magic. And that meant using steel. Or, if a blade of some kind wasnt available, whatever stabby, pointy thing I could find.

The stabbiest things in the dressing room were stilettos. I weighed their value against those of the sneakers. The sneakers won. Stilettos would be too obvious. Especially in that outfit.

I went back into the bedroom and hurriedly searched for a weapon there. Nothing.

“Do you really think Id leave knives lying around for you to use, my Queen?” Katila called down the corridor. “Come now. Im waiting.”

My feet moved on their own, taking me down the hallway and to the crazy son of a bitch waiting for me. I felt like Princess Leia getting pulled to Jabba the Hutt by a chain.

It had been so long, and I had pushed those memories so deep, that I couldnt recall if it had been like this with Anubis. It had been bad; I remembered that much. There had been mind games and enemies coming by to taunt me. And there had been a heavy collar. A collar very similar to the one Leia wore. I seem to recall Anubis dressing me in something scandalous too.

And then the Egyptian God of the Dead fell in love with me.

Well, Katila thought he was in love with me already. Could I use that? Probably. I had to think like a normal woman now. A woman with no control over her own body. In that way, I was less powerful than a human. Talk about the mighty falling.

I entered a huge living room, so large it had to be divided into sections by the arrangement of furniture. The bedroom had been big, but not enough to prepare me for this. Marble columns soared to the ceiling where light came from an unknown source; thick rugs helped to define the collections of couches, chairs, and tables; and an archway on my left opened onto a terrace. Katila was sprawled on a divan, his white cotton shirt open to the waist to show off his chest and frame the Pasha.

He sat up when he saw me and waved at the chair on his left. “Please, take a seat, Vervain.”

Yeah, Anubis had sounded civilized too. All while he dragged me around on a chain like a dog.

I went to the plush velvet and gold chair, overstuffed to the point of bounciness, and sat down. “Where are we?” I glanced out toward the terrace. “The God Realm somewhere, but is this your territory?”

“It is now.” He grinned.

“Who did you take it from?”

“Lets not get into all of that yet, Vervain. We need to get to know each other better first.”

“And you dont think telling me who you stole a territory from will help me get to know you?”

“Its irrelevant.”

“Just for clarity, youre the one who took the Ark and left it in the desert, right?”

“Would you believe me if I said I wasnt?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “It would be a hell of a coincidence.”

Katila grinned. “The game is a foot.”

“Afoot,” I corrected. “One word, not two. Unless youre talking about removing body parts. In which case, Im feeling a bit peckish.”

“I was just extending the word, but truly? Youd eat a foot?”

“Ive eaten it all in my dragon form. And yes, specifically, a foot.” I frowned in thought. “Or did I just play football with it and crack jokes? I think I may have given the foot to the Wild Hunt.” I shrugged. “Ive eaten so many enemies I can barely keep track.”

Katila hooted in laughter. “Football! I can just imagine you tossing a foot around.”

“Not squeamish, eh?”

“Would I desire you for my queen if I was?” He leaned forward on his knees and waved at the silver beverage service on the table before him. “Coffee? Cookies? Im sorry, Im fresh out of body parts.”

I snorted despite myself. “Yeah, sure. Ill have some of both.”

“Good.” He poured a cup then slid it my way. “Help yourself to the cream and sugar.” Then he used a pair of silver tongs to pick up dainty cookies and set them on a dainty plate. “There you are.” He set the plate before me.

I fixed my coffee, took a sip, then ate a cookie. They were good, so I ate the rest. Katila put more on my plate without comment.

Thuh-thump!

It was all I could do not to flinch.

Thuh-thump!It came again. The heavy pounding came from my heart but it was a sign of something deeper. My magic! It was returning. I wasnt the same woman who had been controlled by the Death Dagger before. Now I had the Trinity Star. And you couldnt dampen it for long. At least not with an injection of cold death. Because beyond its nine points lay the Great Magics. The power that could create and destroy worlds. And one of the Great Nine Magics was Control.

One type of control fought another inside me. Even numb, my magic was still connected to the Great Nine. Protection, Love, Abundance, Beauty, Health, Transmutation, Control, Hate, and Acceptance. I didnt draw on them often. That was sort of our unspoken agreement. But when I needed them, really needed them, they were there for me.

“Vervain?”

“Huh?” I looked up from my coffee cup.

“I asked you a question.”

“Oh, sorry.” I cleared my throat and shook my head. “I dont care.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, I dont care. Im not answering any of your questions.”

“Why not?” Katila asked casually, his tone betraying none of the irritation I saw in his eyes. “What would it hurt to tell me what your favorite food is?”

Is that what he asked me? Damn, he really thought this was a date.

“Pizza,” I said. “No, steak. Well . . .” I grimaced. “No, its donuts. I love most nuts, but donuts are the best kind of nut.”

“The best kind of nut.” He chuckled. “Youre so funny.”

I stared at him. This is good. Just keep him amused, Vervain. Then we can fry his ass. Who am I even talking to? Its this kind of thinking that gets me in trouble. Stay humble, bitch!

“Why play these games?” I asked him. “Stealing the Ark, switching out its contents, abducting a fucking Pomeranian. Why?”

“Is that what I did?” Katila grinned.

“What did you do with Jehovahs stone tablets?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged.

“Just using them as a paperweight?”

“Sort of.”

Heat. In my chest. My heart pounded with more ease. The heat started to spread. It shouldnt be long now. I wouldnt need a sip from the GRAYEL to cleanse me this time. The Great Magic of Health would. If there was a god of gods, a true god, it was the Great Nine Magics, and they were answering my prayer.

Vervain, a masculine voice said in my head.

Al! Alaric! I shouted back mentally.

Vervain, dont try to kill him, Al, the Consciousness of the Void, said. I sense more to this soul than is seen.

I dont care how much there is to his soul, I growled. Im sooo killing this motherfucker.

Thats the thing—I dont know if you can.

What do you mean? Everything that lives can be killed.

Yes, but not all can be killed by you.

Al, this is not the time to be cryptic.

Do you recall when Faerie and I said there is another force at work in your life?

Yes. Please dont tell me that force is what brought back Katila.

I dont know. He paused. Did you hear me, really hear me, Vervain? I, the Consciousness of the Void, do not know how Katila came back to life. He was there and then he was gone. I certainly did not cast him from the Void.

So, what? This unknown force did? Why? And who?

Maybe its not a who. Maybe it is energy. A type of force.

As in, may the force be with you? Damn, I really am Princess Leia.

Im serious, Vervain! This power has knowledge beyond us and is working toward its own goal.

Knowledge beyond yours?

Yes.

Well isnt that terrifying?

Yes, it is.

Then something struck me. Something Id been thinking earlier. How the Great Nine were like a god of gods. What if they truly were a god? A real god.

What about the Great Nine?

No. They have no consciousness.

None that you know of.

Alaric went silent.

“If you keep ignoring me, I will be forced to not be ignored, Vervain,” Katila said.

“What?” I focused on him. “Sorry. Im talking to the voice in my head.”

Katila chuckled again. “You are so odd. I love it! You hear voices, eh?”

“Tell me how you got out of the Void, Katila,” I urged. “Answer me honestly, and Ill answer any question of yours in return.”

Katila leaned back and stared at me. Finally, he said, “I cannot.”

“You cant because you dont know or because you refuse to tell me?”

He just continued to stare.

Whoosh! Fire in my veins. My magic returned like an explosion. I rocked forward with it, spilling coffee into the saucer.

“Vervain?” Katila sat forward.

I looked up slowly, savoring the moment, and let my dragon come forth. I let her shine out of my eyes and set them to burning.

Katila gasped and drew back. “No. This isnt possible.”

“You should run now,” I growled, scales coming to the surface of my skin. “Not that it will do you any good.”

Katila didnt run. He yanked the Pasha from his neck as he stood to face me.

Damn it, Vervain!Al shouted. Run!

Alaric had never sounded so afraid. That fear broke through my dragons dominant nature and echoed into my heart. I jerked to my feet, fire rising inside me, but now it was only a defensive measure—something to hold him off while I ran. I blasted Katila with it.

Katila went transparent.

A ghost. The motherfucker was a ghost.

My flames went right through him. The only thing that remained solid was the Pasha, and it only glowed in the flames. The couch, however, caught fire.

With a growl, Katila waved at the couch and the flames went out. Whatever territory we were in, he had full control of it.

Hes taken souls!Alaric shouted. An entire territorys worth. Run, Vervain!

Fuck.

I ran.

Which way?I screeched in my head. Wheres the tracing point?

Straight ahead. That door. Take it.

I ran for the door opposite the terrace.

“Where are you running to, little dragon?” Katila growled, his voice gone deep.

The door in front of me changed into a steel wall. I stumbled to a stop.

Vervain!

Tell the others where I am, Al. Get help!

No reply. I assumed he had gone to get help. But then I remembered that I was the only one who could hear Al. Me and Aradia. Aradia, a half-God-half-Fey woman, had been an avatar for Alaric in the past. He would have to go to her first, then get her to go to Pride Palace. But the wards were new, and Aradia didnt have the chant.

I was on my own.

“If I have to drain your magic, I will, my Queen,” Katila said. “But you will not escape me again.”

I turned to face him. “Great job on the seduction.”

Katila grinned. “I think maybe you will respect this more than conversation. He flung the Pasha out. It unraveled from its noose shape and cracked like a whip.

I still had my star. It didnt always work, pretty much only when it chose to, but I didnt think it would let Katila drain my magic. Normally, I asked for its help and directed it with a specific request, but before I could do that, a powerful rage gathered inside me. It built and built in seconds, then blasted out of me in a blinding glow.

Starlight. The Trinity Star hadnt failed me!

Katila went tumbling backward and the steel door behind me flew off its hinges. I glanced over my shoulder to see an Asian garden with a pagoda in its center. That was the tracing room. It had to be. But Katila was down and my beasts wanted to tear into him. It took all I had to turn away from Katila and run. It was a good thing I did. Even as I ran, he got to his feet and gave chase. I could hear him behind me. The ground began to roll.

I leapt into the air, wings sprouting from my back.

Katila screeched in fury.

I dove for the pagoda—the only solid thing in a sea of rolling land. I went through the opening. Knocked my wings against the pillars. Hit the ground.

Then I felt the Aether reaching for me. I reached back. And I vanished just as Katila entered the pagoda.