Chapter Forty-Two

My husbands and I traced to the Golden Citadel. We were trying to make as much of a spectacle of our arrival at the hotel as possible without being obvious. We didnt rent limos or anything like that since we had never done so before, but we had an impressive parade, nonetheless. A line of five black SUVs rolled out of the citadel gates, some of our ex-Wild Fey employees driving while the two cars behind and in front of us held citadel knights.

Everyone was on guard, waiting for Katila to show himself, even those we were leaving behind at the citadel. It would be harder for him to sneak up on us while we were moving, even with his ghost magic. A vehicle driving on its own would be pretty noticeable. But no one lowered their guard, and we made it to the Feyview Hotel without incident.

Before we got out of our car, the knights got out of their vehicles and did a sweep of the area outside the hotel and the lobby. The hotel manager came out to meet us, but one of the knights stopped him from getting too close.

“Its all right,” Az said as he climbed out, his wings drawing in to exit, then expanding. “You can let him through.”

Pedestrians stopped and stared. Phones popped up. The knights formed a wall between the excited humans and us, their stares continuously scanning the crowd. I was hoping that if Katila hadnt seen any of the advertising wed been doing online and on television, hed at least see something on social media. But who knows how modern he was? Our little get-to-know-each-other conversation had been cut short.

Azrael reached into the car and helped me out, then the others climbed out after me. The crowd got even more excited. People started shouting Azraels name. Well, not his name, his title in that body. Cameras flashed—professional ones. The paparazzi were there. For the first time, I was thrilled to have them. I almost waved.

But we couldnt look eager. And truly, my delight to see all the cameras was outweighed by the fact that Katila could be standing among the paparazzi, watching us.

“Welcome to the Feyview Hotel, Sir. Im Daniel Clark, the hotel manager.” The man who approached us was slim, in his forties, and of average height.

I didnt look any closer than that since Id smelled him as he was walking up, and he was pure human. I just let Az handle him and went back to searching the area with every sense I had. A non-scent amid all those people would stand out to me. As it would in a packed ballroom. I just had to keep breathing deeply.

Azrael spoke to the manager while we went into the hotel, but again, I didnt catch everything said. It was the standard stuff—if theres anything I can do for you, were so glad to have you here, yada yada. We went through a lobby with a ceiling tall enough for me to shift into my dragon form. I stared up at the magnificent chandeliers hanging from gilded beams. Hand-blown glass, shaped to resemble sprays of purple flowers glittered from the lights set inside them. Beautiful. Id have to remember the design and try to recreate it at home with territory magic.

Being a goddess has its perks.

Beneath those glass flower chandeliers, a nature theme became evident. Chairs were upholstered in green fabric, a forests worth of plant life was strewn about in giant porcelain pots, and statues of faeries posed beside the greenery. Real faeries. They even had an accurate likeness of a Red Cap.

We followed the manager to the back of the hotel, past reception, the elevators, and then the casino. The chaotic clang, whistles, bells, and dings of slot machines and pop music were definitely loud enough to drown out most other sounds. Not the sound of a battle, but that was all right. There was more than one reason we were arriving early.

“Are you certain you dont need any of our servers to help with the buffet?” the manager asked.

“No, thank you. We prefer to keep this as private as possible.”

“Our staff is very—”

Azrael lifted a hand, and the man shut up. “The arrangements have been made by the staff, not by me, Mr. Clark. If you will recall, Im only a guest at this event. Ive brought my security team, but that is all.”

“Oh. Yes, Sir. One of my staff is speaking to Mr. Webb in the ballroom. I wanted to be the one to welcome you.”

“Thank you for the welcome.”

The citadel knights whod been marching in an impenetrable shield around us came to a halt and two of them opened the ballroom doors for us. Azrael and I swept in, leaving the manager behind to gape at us, and then the rest of my husbands followed with the knights bringing up the rear.

Inside, Torrent and Artemis were speaking to a woman. I only recognized them by smell. Both wore glamours. Torrs was as nondescript as the hotel manager, with mousy brown hair, watery blue eyes, and no chin. Artemis was the female version of that, though her horn-rim glasses added some charm to her skirt suit.

“Ah, Mr. Webb,” Azrael said as we approached them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Faerie God!” Torrent strode over to us with his hand extended. “Thank you for agreeing to endorse our event.”

“My pleasure,” Az said and shook his hand. “Anything for the children.”

“Please, make yourselves comfortable.” Torrent shook my hand next. “The main table along the wall there is for you, of course. Ill be there shortly so we can go over the schedule. Im just finishing up with a member of the hotel staff.”

“Very well,” Azrael made a show of escorting me to the table while the hotel employee watched with wide eyes.

She didnt protest when Torrent escorted her to the doors and practically shoved her out. She was too dazed.

As soon as the doors were closed and a pair of knights stationed before them, we got to work. Well, Odin did. He was the best at laying wards. And this ward needed to be left incomplete. Once I sensed Katila or he made himself known, Odin would complete the spell and seal him in. A trap wasnt a trap without a, well, trap.

The rest of us inspected the ballroom as Odin did his thing. The buffet table was set up, waiting for our Froekn servers to pick up the food prepared by the hotel and bring it in. We had been reassured that an endless supply of our selected dishes would be available to refresh the table as soon as needed. But I didnt think wed get that far.

The room was full of round tables set with fine linen. Here, the décor kept with the artsy nature theme but in a more neutral palette. The brightest color in the room came from the butter-yellow curtains that swathed mirrored panels made to resemble windows. The tables had the same color for their under tablecloths, with another piece on top that was pure white. This was all done to showcase the enormous floral arrangements on every table.

Crystal vases held bright pink roses, pale pink camellias, white tulips, and purple . . . flowers. I dont know what they were, but they had tall stalks that bent under the weight of the blooms. Youd think nature would have made the stalks strong enough to handle their own flowers. I wondered if any of those arrangements would make it through the night in one piece.

“Its ready,” Odin said as he joined the rest of us.

“My fathers here,” Trevor said.

“And mine,” Azrael added. “Good timing.”

The citadel knights outside the ballroom opened the doors for the Wolf King and the King of Hell. The two knights standing guard inside stood aside to let the royals pass. Which was which, I couldnt say at first. One man was larger than the other, with dark hair, so that could have been Fenrir. But that would mean that he hadnt changed his hair color at all. The other man was smaller, but not slender. He was thick to the point of being portly, with red hair that nearly matched his cheeks. And he didnt have a date. The taller man had a stunning brunette on his arm. She oozed old Hollywood, with Rita Hayworth hair and big breasts on display in a low-cut gown.

Was that Holly? It had to be. She had insisted on attending while Fenrir had insisted on leaving his wife Emma behind. Emma had been through a lot before she ate an apple of immortality. So I wasnt surprised that she agreed to stay home. She wasnt a fighter. Not in the least. Which was kinda odd, what with her being Rouva of the Froekn. But Fenrir, if that plump redhead was my stepdad, had brought plenty of wolves to take her place. Not only did he arrive with a few of them, but, as I mentioned, the Froekn would be our waitstaff for the event. A group of them was probably on their way to the kitchen.

Then their scents hit me. Yup, the redhead was Fenrir. That would make the other two Luke and Holly.

I went with Azrael to greet our guests. He, of course, knew his parents immediately. But then a new group walked in, and Az frowned at the unknown faces.

I took a sniff, then whispered, “Thats Samael and Lilith.”

“Really?” Az lifted his brows at the couple as they joined us.

Samael was blond and big. He could have been mistaken for an actor. Not Viking-god-huge, but still larger than his usual self. I dont mean height-wise. He was about the same there, but hed gone for some impressive muscles. Despite his new physique, Samael wasnt the one who had lifted Azraels eyebrow.

“Is that really you, Lilith?” Azrael asked the blonds gangly date.

The woman had stringy brown hair pulled back in a bun, a thin face, and no curves. Her only noteworthy feature was her eyes. They were a rich blue.

“Well, you said we should disguise ourselves,” Lilith said. “This is about as opposite from me that I could get.”

“Indeed,” Azrael agreed with a little chuckle.

It quickly became apparent that our guests were making the most of the situation and having a bit of fun. A masquerade battle. Now, we just had to wait for the Phantom to appear.

Pan sauntered in as a big, African-American man, and no amount of money could have enticed me to ask why he selected that glamour. Anyone who had ever played Cards Against Humanity with Pan would know automatically. Hell, anyone who knew Pan.

I have to admit, it was interesting to see who selected what glamour. As gods, they had spent most of their lives as attractive, powerful people. So when given the chance to wear a different face, they didnt automatically go with an attractive one. In fact, most of them took great delight in going with something, if not unattractive, then unexpected.

Jesus surprised me the most. He came as a woman. Yup, a woman. And instead of going plain, he selected a body that would have been right at home between the pages of a naughty magazine and a face that would have made her a star. Him. Them. Whatever. Honey-brown hair cascaded down to his tiny waist in luscious curls, and his hips flared out to swing with every step. He sashayed over to my group and flung a lock over his slim shoulder.

“Pan, please stop lusting after my brother,” Azrael said.

Pan cleared his throat and, in a deep voice, asked, “You seriously think that I can look at that and think pure thoughts?”

“Why thank you, sugar,” Jesus drawled in a Southern accent.

Pans big body swayed like an oak about to fall.

Azrael ignored him to ask Jesus, “Did you bring Abaddon?”

“Oh, you mean my date?” Jesus waved at the space beside him.

The empty space.

“Donnie?” Jesus called. Then, “Donnie!”

Abaddon trudged over looking as if he belonged in the South as well. The old South. He had on a seersucker suit to go with his lanky body, lanky blond hair, and lanky expression. Okay, his expression wasnt lanky, but it was very hound dog. Someone didnt want to be there.

“Ah, there you are, sugar,” Jesus said as he took Abaddons arm. “Dont wander off like that.”

“I will not forget this,” Abaddon muttered. “Or forgive.”

Jesus giggled.

“Ill be happy to step in for you,” Pan said.

“Thats still the J-man under there,” I whispered.

“Call me shallow.” Pan shrugged.

“Shallow!” Jesus smacked Pans chest.

“I cant watch this,” I said. “Im going to get a drink.”

There was an open bar, manned by one of the Froekn. I headed over to it and along the way, a little Chinese man joined me. I sniffed, then cocked my head. “Anubis?”

“Hello, Vervain.”

“Hi there.” I reached the bar and ordered a white wine.

“Ill have a whiskey sour,” Anubis said.

The Froekn man nodded and whipped up our drinks.

Meanwhile, Anubis asked, “Have all the guests arrived?”

I looked around the room. “I think so. What time is it?”

Anubis peered at his watch. “Ten till eight.”

“Dinner starts at eight so Im sure everyones here.”

“Everyone?”

I met his stare. “Well, there may be a couple of stragglers.”

“Ah.” He scanned the room. “Im looking forward to dinner. Especially the main course.” He picked up his glass, nodded to me, and walked away.

I thanked the bartender as I took my glass of wine, then turned to head over to Kirills group. Thats when I smelled him. He of the non-existent odor. As casually as I could, I changed direction and went toward Odin. I was halfway there when Odin spotted me. He narrowed his eyes, and I nodded.

Odin went to lean against the wall.

And finish the warding.

But suddenly, Odins expression changed. He slid down the wall, his legs bending at the knees, and his stare went distant.

“Odin!” I ran for my husband.

The atmosphere shifted instantly. From casual conversations to wary silence, the gods and demigods searched the room for their target. Then Trevor went down. Machar fell shortly afterward. I saw them out of the corner of my eye. Cursing, I came to a stop and searched the room with both eyes and nose. Odin and Trevor would be fine, but I had to stop Katila before he took us all down and left us drooling into our cocktails.

There! I smelled him. With a yank, I got rid of my cumbersome skirt and ran for Katila.

Re, who was coming toward me, shuddered to a stop.

“Re!” I shrieked.

Wolves dressed as wait staff surrounded my fallen Froekn prince, facing outward and snarling. The citadel knights did the same with Azrael sans the snarling. But Az shoved his way out of that protective circle and ran for me. Everyone was running for me.

“Hello, my Queen,” Katila was suddenly standing before me.

He just appeared, but he didnt startle me. I had smelled him coming.

“Hello, Katila the Hun.” I punched him in the nose like youre supposed to do with sharks.

I dont know if that actually worked on sharks, but it didnt do much to Katila. His head swung back a little, but he only smiled bigger and reached for me. Impressive, considering my strength, but no biggie. That was just to buy me some time to summon my claws. And my magic.

I blasted Katila with Moon Magic. Not Lunacy. Hell no. I didnt want that guy any crazier. Instead, I tried to dehydrate him. I say tried because he turned incorporeal again, and my magic found nothing to lock onto.

But now everyone else had seen him.

Blast after blast of magic came at Katila. I jumped out of the way and dove for the cover of a table. There was a crash, then another. Without the ward up, someone outside might hear us. Or worse—Katila might escape.

I crawled to the wall and got to my feet. Behind the lines, as it were, I made my way over to Odin. Meanwhile, Katila laughed. The blasts went right through him, every one of them. A chill ran down my spine. We had enough god power there to win a war against another pantheon but a single god was defeating us by simply going ghost. But he had to get solid sometime, right?

“Odin?” I grabbed my husband by the shoulders and shook him.

Odin blinked.

“Odin?”

He was a god of knowledge, not just death. If anyone could get out of that confusion spell, Odin could.

Odins stare shifted toward me.

“Hey,” I said.

He just stared at me.

“Damn it!” I shook him again. “Come on, Odin! Snap out of it!”

I glanced around the room. Gods were stumbling away from the fight, all of them dazed. Katila just laughed and danced, twirling in his spectral body. And he was wearing a suit. The crazy son of a biscuit had dressed up for the party.

Then he vanished.

“Oh, fuck,” I whispered. “Odin!” I gave up on him and smacked my hands against the wall. He wasnt the only one who could lay a ward. But then I hesitated. Did I really want to trap Katila in there with us? Who would really be trapped? “Shit,” I muttered.

The hesitation cost me.

Katila hit me with his Confusion. I swayed on my feet, staring at the wall and trying to remember why I was touching it. My mind couldnt process what was happening. I heard all these sounds that didnt make any sense. Someone grabbed my arm and jerked me around. I hit something solid. A chest. My head swiveled limply. My hearing had gone hollow. But then my dragon, who had been sniffing out Katila, offered me another way of seeing.

Katila held me. I tried to gather the will to fight him, but it wouldnt come. Around me, the others had gone still. Either they were as confused as I was or they didnt want to risk hitting me. Things went fuzzy again, then I scented him. My black lion. The God to my Goddess. Moving closer. Running toward us. Then Kirills scent changed slightly, becoming colder in every way. Death moved toward me now. And Winter. Yeah, it has to be said—winter was coming. I would cheer for Kirill if only I could.

Impact. We rolled. Katila was solid while he held me. Good to know. Snarling filled my ears. I laid on the firm carpet and stared up at the ballroom ceiling. Focus, Vervain! Scents wove a tapestry for me. Non-scent grappled with Death. Non-scent altered, tainted by a rush of fear. Death was solid. No fear. No hesitation. Only the icy determination of Winter. Strike. Shrieking. I wanted to help, but couldnt remember how to move.

Then an arm wrapped around my waist, and I was gone.