Chapter Five

Even with my immortality giving me a little boost, I was exhausted by the time we stepped out of Pride Palace's tracing room. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. I trudged into the elevator with my husbands and went up to our suite on the top floor of the palace. After trudging down the short corridor, we opened the suite's door, then filed into the main room—an open-concept space with a kitchenette on the left, a sitting area with a TV on the right, and a massive bed on a dais in between.

And on that bed, there was an Angel.

“Hey, babe,” I said to Az as I walked past him to go into the bathroom.

“Hey, what happened?” he asked.

Odin started explaining as I unzipped my dress. As I tossed it in the hamper, I realized the shower was running. Right. Kirill was home too.

“Hey, honey,” I called out. “We're back.”

Kirill poked his head out of the shower to say, “Is Hermes all right?”

“Yeah, he's fine. He just had something stolen.”

Kirill grunted and ducked back into the stall.

I washed my face while several more of my husbands came in to get ready for bed too. That's why the bathroom was enormous and we didn't just have double sinks; we had quadruple. We all did our nightly routines, then headed out, no one even glancing at Kirill when he came out of the shower. Especially not me. I left the bathroom to find Odin and Azrael still talking, but I was too tired to get involved. I climbed under the blankets and tried to go to sleep.

It wasn't their talking that kept me awake. Well, not entirely. I did hear them, but my thoughts were the problem. They kept bombarding me with images of a dark-skinned man with short, curly hair and brown eyes full of mischief. Unfortunately, that wasn't the trickster. It was the face he used to trick me yet again. That face belonged to Ekwensu, the Igbo God of Confusion. Yes, Confusion, which the trickster used. The disguise was ingenious, sending us off after an innocent god. We apprehended him and questioned him, but while Ekwensu was in our custody, the real trickster had struck, launching what I thought was the culmination of his plans. I mean, they were. He ended his game. With us.

Now, the trickster was starting a new game. With new players. Except that we had just been invited to join it. Would the trickster target us again if we got involved? Or would we be treated like pieces on his gameboard? It was stressing me out. A burning sensation was growing behind my breastbone and my face was getting hot again, but not for a naughty reason. I hadn't been this anxious since the time I'd been turned human and my family had turned against me. Although back then, my stress had been buried beneath a mountain of misery. At least this time, I had the support of my family and friends. I could do this.

I took a deep breath and let it out.

“Vervain?” Azrael asked.

I opened my eyes and looked over at him. Odin was sitting on the bed beside Az, and both of them looked concerned.

“I'm all right.” I turned to face them and stroked Azrael's leg. “I was just having a tiny little panic attack.”

“If this is the trickster—and that's just a theory at this point—he may have messed with our lives, but he also saved us in the end. I don't think we have anything to fear from him,” Odin said.

“I agree.”

“However.” Azrael paused to look from me to Odin. “He's not a sane individual. You can count on crazy people to behave in only one way—erratically.”

I grimaced. “Thanks, Az.”

He shrugged. “We need to be on guard.” Azrael's expression softened. “We've got too much to lose, Carus.”

Carus was Azrael's pet name for me. It was Latin for beloved and it normally made me feel warm and fuzzy. Not so much at the moment.

“Yes,” Odin said. “I'm sorry to say this, but Hermes is not one of our allies. He's done us a good turn in the past and Pan is his son, so we will try to help him. But if the trickster starts targeting us because of this, I'm going to suggest we step back.”

I sighed. “It will be hard to get Pan on board with that.”

“Yes, but he's a father. He will understand.”

“This is about his father. I don't think he will.”

“Then he will have to try harder,” Odin said firmly. “Or he will be upset with us. But I'd rather that than my family be in danger.”

“You just said that you don't think we have anything to fear from the trickster.”

“I don't. Not at the moment. But as Azrael said, he's insane, and so things could change. Rapidly. Then we will have to change our plans.”

“I need to go to sleep,” I said. “I can't process all of this right now.”

“All right. I think I need to let this stew awhile anyway.” Odin leaned over Az to kiss me goodnight, then he went up to his bedroom.

It was Azrael's night with me.

“I'm sorry,” I said to Az. “I'm too tired for—”

“Carus,” he interrupted. “Stop. Just come here.” He pulled me in against his side and then turned to spoon me. “Thank you for tonight. The fundraiser was a success, and you were a big part of that.”

“Of course. I just wish I could have stayed till the end.”

“It was fine.”

“Are you going to go into the toy business?” I grinned at him over my shoulder.

“We'll see what Mr. Gray's proposal is.” Then he frowned. “The man's name makes everything sound naughty.”

I chuckled. “Maybe use his first name.”

“Good idea.” He kissed my cheek. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Az. I love you.”

“I love you too.”