“You what?” He gaped at me. “I told you that your body may not be able to handle so much magic! You could have killed yourself.”
“I know, but I had to save them,” I said. “She was torturing them, Thor.”
Thor took a deep, calming breath.
“I survived, and I feel great,” I pointed out.
He lifted a brow at me.
“And a little lightheaded,” I added. “I need you to help me feel grounded again.”
“I can't do that, darling,” Thor said as he started to slide my shirt up.
“Why not?” I gaped at him as I lifted my arms automatically.
Thor tossed my shirt aside and yanked me close. “I'm the God of Sea and Storms; I can't ground you, but I can love you with a savagery that will make you forget you ever longed for the shore.”
“I love you, Sea God,” I whispered as I lowered my lips to his.
“I love you too, Goddess of Blood and Lions.”
I pulled back to stare at Thor in surprise. “What did you call me?”
“I thought it sounded poetic.” Thor smiled softly. “You killed the Intare goddess; that makes you a vampire lioness.”
“I think I like the previous title better,” I grumbled.
“And I like your previous mood better,” his voice dropped to a sexy tone. “Before I made you pull away... again.”
“Then hold onto me,” I said as I slid in closer. “You can rage all you want, Thunderer, as long as you hold me tightly.”
“I've got you, darling.” Thor's hands slid over my body. “And I'm not letting go.”
Chapter Sixteen
When we finally rejoined the God Squad, they were in the dining room with Kirill and Demeter. Ull had already taken home most of the men Demeter had enslaved, and the rest were resting inside guest rooms. It was as if they didn't want to hang out with Dementor. Huh.
“Hades sent word that his army is assembling; he'll be ready by tomorrow night,” Teharon said.
“Good; we can head over sometime in the afternoon,” I said.
“Ze Intare vill vant to join you, Tima,” Kirill added. “Ve should go over in ze morning and gather zem.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “They've only just been released; I don't want to ask them to risk their lives for me.”
“You risked your life for zem,” he pointed out. “And you barely knew zem at ze time. Ze lions vill stand vith you; zey'd be offended if you didn't take zem.”
“Well, it looks as if the strays you brought home are going to come in handy,” Pan said with a grin. “No offense, Kirill.”
“None taken, Horned God,” Kirill said.
“Horned God.” Pan whistled. “It's been a long time since I heard that title.”
“Yes; it's usually 'Horny God,'” Horus drawled.
We all laughed at that; even Pan.
“Valid,” Pan finally said.
“Zere is nice camaraderie here,” Kirill observed. “You are family more zan friends.”
“We are,” Mrs. E agreed with a soft smile. Then she went grim. “And our sister was murdered.” She turned to Demeter. “We all want vengeance for Persephone, but I think that you should have the kill.”
Demeter glanced at me, and I nodded.
“What was that?” Finn asked in shock. “Did you just look to Vervain for approval?”
“Let it go, Finn,” I murmured.
“No; let's get this out, shall we?” Demeter said.
“Think before you speak,” I said in a low, dangerous voice that had everyone sitting up and taking note. “What you say today may interfere with that vengeance tomorrow.”
Demeter pressed her lips together and looked away.
“Oh, that's not good enough,” Pan chirped. “I need some answers.”
“If I give them to you, you won't want to work with Demeter,” I said. “And we need to finish this.”
“We already know about the slaves,” Teharon said gently. “Ull told us. We don't approve, but it's hardly unheard of in the God Realm.”
“First; that attitude sucks balls, and I'm shocked to hear it from you, Teharon,” I said.
Kirill snorted back a laugh.
“Second,” I went on, “I'm not referring to the slaves. You don't want to hear this right now, but I'll tell you after we kill Nyx and Aion.”
“I've informed them of Aion and his capabilities,” Demeter segued smoothly. “Dealing with a time god can be tricky, but it's not impossible. Aion has one defense, and it's a big one, but it's so powerful that he'll want to hold it in reserve as a last resort.”
“So, we'll most likely be dealing with Nyx and her Darkness,” Morpheus said. “It's substantial, but not insurmountable.”
“And we'll have two armies with us,” I added. “We should be—”
“Do not say it,” Demeter cut me off. “The Fates are Greek, and they're also the daughters of Chronos and Ananke; the Primordial God of Time and the Goddess of Compulsion.”
“No shit?” I whispered.
“No shit,” Demeter confirmed. “Chronos and Ananke are a rare breed of Primordial; they are untouchable—beyond the reach of us other gods, even another time god. I don't doubt that they have extended their protection to their daughters; it's best not to tempt the Fates.”
“Got it.” I swallowed roughly.
“The Moirai don't have power over gods,” Thor scoffed. “We don't sacrifice to them.”
“Don't be so certain, Thor,” Pan cautioned. “The Fates have been known to make use of an opportunity, and we don't know what side they're on.”
“Let's just agree to not push our luck,” I said. “Why don't you all go home and get a good night's sleep now that we know when we need to meet Hades. We can gather here around noon and settle our plans then.”
The God Squad agreed and headed out; all except for Ull, who stuck around to help us with the humans. He had bonded a little with the men and wanted to see them all home safe. That was
