“It's a pop culture thing.” I waved it away. “Trust me; it's applicable.”
Demeter narrowed her gaze at me.
“Now, are there any clothes I can borrow?” I asked Kirill. “I don't want to free the slaves naked; I'm not the Mother of Dragons or anything.”
Alaric started laughing again.
Chapter Twelve
Kirill and I got the Intare—that was the name of my Pride—settled into their new relative freedom. I say “relative” because as much as I wanted to free them completely, I couldn't. I held the magic that kept them immortal, and they owed me their fealty if nothing else. But the Intare offered me much more than that. They wanted me to lead them; to truly be their Tima. Kirill explained that this was necessary for their wellbeing; that without my guidance and control, the Intare would regress into their beast natures and become true lions forever. So, I performed a bonding ceremony with them; involving a lot of sniffing and rubbing. Nothing sexual; it was just a Pride tradition. They basically scent-marked me like the cats they are.
When the Pride felt secure in their new roles, Kirill and I bid them goodbye and escorted Demeter to her territory. I held Demeter's hand while we traced; I didn't want her slipping away somehow. Greek goddesses are tricky.
Demeter led us up to the central temple and into its little room. There was an elevator inside; hovering over a shaft in the ground. We took it down to a small room and then used a tunnel to access a vast cavern. Demeter strode ahead of us, but I could have led the way; I already knew the way through Demeter's underground gardens.
And I knew just where to find the prison.
It didn't look like a prison; more like an upscale barracks. It was a long, rectangular building with one central hall and rooms branching off both sides. Demeter tried to walk by it, but I grabbed her arm and shoved her toward the building. She hesitated at the door.
“Go on,” I said. “Open the doors; all of them.”
Demeter huffed angrily and went into the building. We followed her down the hallway as she opened each door. I heard muffled sounds coming from the rooms; all but one. I left Kirill the task of explaining to the men that they were free—I thought it might be good for him—and went to the silent cell. I opened the door and stared at an empty room.
“Who was in this room?” I asked Demeter with a growl; like, a real growl.
Demeter paled and cleared her throat. Her prisoners were starting to fill the hallway; shoulders hunched as if they weren't sure if this were a trick and they were about to be attacked. Demeter looked back at them and narrowed her eyes. The men shrank away from her.
“Don't fucking look at them!” I snapped; a little relieved that I was able to swear again. “You don't deserve to look at them. You look at me, Demeter, and you tell me who was in this room.”
“Griffin,” Demeter said as she lifted her chin. “The man you named; he was in this room.”
“Where is he now?” I stalked up to her, and even though I was shorter than she, I felt as if I loomed above her.
“He died,” she said simply.
I punched Demeter in the face, and she crumpled to the floor. As I stared at my fist in surprise, the freedmen cheered and started hugging each other. I guess that punch had proved my intentions toward them.
“Watch that bitch,” I said to all of them as I pointed at Demeter.
“Yes, Ma'am,” one of the men said as they all gathered around Demeter.
Demeter had a bloody nose, but she already groaning and getting to her feet. She cringed when she saw the men closing in around her while more of them pouring out into the hall from the opened cells. I ignored her and went to the last door on the right. I opened it warily and peered around the door frame. I knew that Emma had spunk.
Sure enough, she came barreling at me; fists up, with a sheet wrapped around her naked body like a toga. Oh yeah; they were all naked, but the lioness in me wasn't bothered by it, and the men were too happy with their freedom to be concerned with a lack of clothes.
“We come in peace!” I shouted as I grabbed Emma's wrists.
Emma blinked her big, hazel eyes at me and then looked at the men filling the hallway.
“She's telling the truth, Em,” one of the men said. “We're free.”
“We are?” She asked and then crumpled.
“Whoa now.” I caught Emma.
I became stronger when I took Huitzilopochtli's magic, and now it looked as if the lion magic had compounded that. I caught Emma's much larger frame with ease and held her until the man who had spoken earlier came over and took her from me.
“It's all right, sweetheart,” the man whispered to Emma.
Emma nestled in against him and sighed. It was sweet, but something inside me wasn't happy about it. This wasn't right; Emma was meant to be with...
“Fenrir,” I whispered.
Emma flinched when I said the name, and then she lifted her head to stare at me.
“What did you say?” She asked.
“I... I'm sorry; it's been a strange day,” I stuttered.
“No shit,” Demeter snapped.
“That name.” Emma disengaged herself from the man and stepped over to me. “Please; say it again.”
“Fenrir,” I repeated.
Emma's eyes filled with love as she inhaled sharply. “Who is he?”
“He's the Wolf God,” I said in surprise. “Do you know him?”
“Not yet,” she whispered. “But I think that I will. Will you take me to him?”
“I don't know the guy, but uh”—I glanced at Kirill, and he shrugged—“I think we
