“So, we're letting this slide?” Trevor asked.
I drew away from Azrael—slowly—to answer, “There's nothing to let slide.”
“First Lilith, then Persephone, and now you, Vervain,” Odin mused. “This seems to be a pattern.”
“Persephone did say she walked in at the perfect moment to misunderstand what was happening between Nyx and Hades,” I said with a hesitant glance at Azrael.
“Are you saying that Macaria planned for..?” Azrael trailed off as his expression went blank.
“What is it?” Trevor narrowed his eyes on Az. “You said that you could hear me approaching, which means that Macaria could as well. Did she grab you right before I walked in Was it all planned?”
“I don't know.” Azrael scowled. “It happened so quickly. We were talking, and Mac got up—I don't remember why—and then she tripped. I jumped up to catch her, and you walked in.” Az looked at Trevor. “But I distinctly remember hearing your approach just before Mac stood.”
Odin, Kirill, and Trevor grimaced. I sighed and rubbed at my tight shoulders.
“Zat doesn't bode well for Macaria's innocence,” Kirill said.
“No; she helped me,” Az said. “She is continuing to help me. I can't believe that Mac would try to hurt my marriage.”
“I don't know, but I'm getting really tired of these homewreckers,” I growled. “I'd like to know who came between Lilith and Samael.”
“And why,” Trevor added. “That's what I don't get; why are these women trying to break up these specific unions?”
“I'm not convinced that Macaria was trying to do that,” Az said stubbornly.
“Okay.” I held up a hand when the other men opened their mouths to go off on Az. “We'll figure this out later. The important thing is that we didn't let it come between us. Whether or not Macaria had nefarious motives is a question for another day... after we've all had some sleep.”
I gave the other men a weighted look, and they finally nodded. Kirill, Trevor, and Az each gave me a goodnight kiss and then went up to their bedrooms. I gave Azrael a huge hug along with his kiss, and I felt his happiness spread through our link. But it was Odin's turn in my bed, and he was the one who held me through the night.
We hadn't made a huge step forward, but with my new Olympian status, Azrael's possible infidelity disproved, and my family all safe and sound, I felt relaxed enough to get a good night's sleep. I slept deeply, without dreaming, and was awakened in the morning by a hungry lioness.
“Ugh,” I rolled over after Lesya started pounding both of her fists onto my belly. “You mean-spirited child. Why do you hate me?”
Lesya giggled as Odin snatched her up.
“I thought I told you to behave while I made breakfast?” Odin chided Lesya.
“Be, be, be!” Lesya sang.
“That is so very annoying first thing in the morning,” I grumbled as I sat up. “Why doesn't anyone ever warn you about the irritating aspects of motherhood? Not the stinky or disgusting bits, but the annoying parts. No one ever talks about being smacked gleefully awake, or how learning to talk includes hours of word repetition to the point of making rational people seriously consider the idea of baby muzzles.”
“People talk about it all the time,” Odin said as he secured Lesya into her high chair—still singing her “be” song. “There are videos all over YouTube showcasing it. Parents-to-be just ignore them; they don't want to know.”
“Be, be, be,” Lesya sang on.
“For the sake of my sanity, please put something in her mouth!” I cried as I sought the sanctuary of the bathroom.
Odin and Lesya both laughed as I shut the door on them. I emerged a few minutes later; refreshed and clean. But I headed toward the coffee pot to get a cup of sanity before I dealt with the demon I had spawned. After a few sips, Lesya's antics became cute once more, and the smell of breakfast was a balm that eased me further. I sighed as I sank down into a seat beside my daughter.
The scent of breakfast lured the other men downstairs as it usually did, and soon, we were shoveling food in our faces with about as much grace as Lesya was using. It had been a long week and we were all starving. Manners took a backseat to starvation.
The other Horsemen joined us in time to grab some grub, but Re and Toby showed up at the end of the meal and missed the food. It didn't seem to bother Toby as much as it did Re; Toby was ready to start our investigation. But I suggested that we have a little R&R before we began, and the men agreed.
We decided to take Zariel off her parents' hands and give them a break for once. So, we took Zariel and Lesya onto the longship Odin had built for me and sailed it across our massive lake. The girls went fishing with the help of their uncles, and I lazed in the sun like any happy cat loves to do. Odin had built the ship for pleasure, so there was a large daybed set out on one of the decks; surrounded by other loungers. I was laid across the bed—Odin on one side of me and Trevor on the other—while the Horsemen draped across their own seats. Kirill was with Toby and the girls; catching our lunch.
I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply of the scents of my territory; dry grass, rich earth, and fresh water. My lioness loved these smells; they represented home to her. The scent of feathers, fur, and sexy men laid over it all; representing home to me—making me feel comfortable and safe. The lap of gentle waves against the hull of the ship
