“I found it at an auction,” Re said. “A human auction. Can you believe that? It's a god mirror.”
“I thought it felt odd,” I murmured.
“Yeah; there's definitely some magic in it,” Re said. “Probably something to do with appearances. Just don't go asking it to do anything until I've had more time to research it.”
“You gave Vervain a magical mirror that you haven't researched?” Azrael asked in horror.
“Magic needs to be activated,” Re huffed. “It's been in human hands for years and no negative incidents have been connected to it.”
“That doesn't mean anything,” Az said. “For all you know, it could eat people and leave no trace of them behind.”
“There are mirrors that can eat people?” I asked as my eyes widened and I backed away.
“No; there aren't,” Re assured me with a disgruntled glance at Azrael. “This mirror is harmless unless you try to invoke something. Honestly, even if you did shout commands at it, I doubt it would work. You have to know what magic to activate and the correct words to use to do so. You can't just throw random spells at god items and expect them to function.”
Azrael simmered down. “Yeah; I suppose he's right.”
“I'll be careful with it,” I promised.
We all headed out of the dressing room. My eyes strayed to the mirror as I reached the threshold; just a quick glance. Something moved within the glass. I froze and did a double take but there was nothing there.
“Must have been shadows playing tricks on me,” I murmured.
Chapter Two
Later that day, I received a text from an old friend who I haven't heard from in awhile. My life had been consumed by the God world and it had been a long time since I'd had a free moment to connect with my human friends. I'd taken to keeping in touch through text. Not because I was too much of an ass to call but simply because texting from the God Realm was easier than calling. The transfer was made through a vein of Internet that was connected to my territory and text went through fine while phone calls often ended up getting garbled.
I felt horrible about letting my human friendships fall by the wayside, especially since my friends had been such strong supporters of mine, even after they found out about the godhunting. But, in the way of long distance relationships, several friendships had faded away. Tristan and Jackson had held on the longest but both of them had stopped texting me about six months ago. So, it was with surprise and pleasure that I read Tryst's text. He was asking if I had time for a visit, and it just so happened that I did.
I met him at my home in Hawaii and then traced him to Pride Palace so he could meet Lesya and visit with the rest of my family. I kept glancing at him while we took the elevator up to the top floor. The last time I'd seen Tristan, he had deep red hair and a smooth jaw. Now, he had platinum locks and a full beard. From boy to man; he looked fantastic. But he didn't look like Tristan. And then there were the faint wrinkles and dark circles around his eyes.
Living around immortals did a funny thing to you. Time became less important; at least in the way that it can affect a body. The years that had passed since I'd seen Tristan were etched on his face while mine had stayed the same. It hurt a little to realize that one day he'd be an old man, and I would still be as I was today. Would our friendship last through that? Between my ruling the Intare and the Fire Fey, being a mother to three magical children while being pregnant with a fourth, being a wife and girlfriend to seven men (Jiminy Cricket! I had seven men!), and being the Godhunter, it was hard to find time to have a moment to myself much less go out to lunch with a friend. It was seeming more and more unlikely that my human friendships would endure.
And that hurt. But not as much as Tristan was hurting.
“Why didn't you tell me?” I asked gently as I led him to the table in the small kitchen of my master suite.
As soon as I'd opened my door in Hawaii, Tristan had launched himself into my arms and sobbed. Then he'd told me that Jackson and he had broken up. He cried awhile, and we drank awhile, and then we decided to come up to Pride Palace so he could meet my daughter and congratulate Re on our recent nuptials. I hadn't been able to invite any of my human friends to my wedding since it had taken place in Osiris' Kingdom in Aaru and getting there would mean taking them through some scenery that humans shouldn't see until after they were dead. Even then, I don't think humans should see it; it was some frightening stuff.
“The last time I texted you, you sounded really busy,” he said softly. “I didn't want to worry you with my suspicions.”
“Damn him,” I swore under my breath. “I can't believe Jackson cheated on you.”
“And now, he's engaged,” Tristan said morosely.
As if he sensed that he was needed, my gray tabby cat, Nick, came sauntering into the room and rubbed up against Tristan's leg. Tristan smiled brightly and reached down to pet the cat.
“Hey, buddy! It's been awhile since I've seen you,” Tristan said to Nick.
Tristan and Jackson used to check on Nick every few days because I
