Tell the Thunderer to tone down the bluster; this doesn't concern him, and it won't affect Asgard.
“Alaric wants me to tell you to shut the hell up and let it go,” I summed up.
Thor glowered at me.
“I'm just the messenger,” I said as Alaric laughed inside my head.
“Can we get back to the part where a human took a god's magic?” Pan asked. “I don't know about you guys, but I'm having all kinds of ideas of how that could be helpful.”
“It could indeed,” Thor murmured as he cocked his head at me. “We may not need my hammer at all.”
“What are you saying?” Re asked warily.
“You said it yourself; it's a good thing that she didn't take all of your magic,” Thor said. “Because if she had... ”
“She probably would have killed me,” Re whispered. Then he stood up and bared his teeth at Thor. “No! You're not putting Vervain in that kind of danger. You said that she would be safe.”
“But she could drain him,” Thor pointed out. “Vervain could take all of Huitzilopochtli's magic until he died, and she wouldn't even have to touch him.”
“I could probably manage it from ten feet away, but no more than that,” I said thoughtfully.
“No.” Re turned to me. “You're not managing anything, Vervain. This is going too far. We're leaving; pack up your things. Thor has his death hammer; he can proceed without you.”
“Re,” I whispered as I laid my hand on his arm. “I want to help.”
“And I want you to live,” Re countered. “You took my magic by accident, and now you think that you can safely drain another god? Have you considered what you'll do with all of that power once you have it? If you can take a god's magic in its entirety, then I think it's safe to assume that you will become its new host.”
I gaped at Re.
“That's right,” Re said smugly. “You didn't consider becoming the new Vampire Goddess, did you?”
“He's also a god of the Sun,” I whispered. “We would have similar magic.”
“And you think that would be a good thing?” Re asked.
“Wouldn't it?”
“I've known other Sun Gods, and I've felt a connection between us,” Re said.
“See? That sounds good,” I said.
“But I felt nothing more than the bond of magic for them,” Re went on. “And one of them was a gorgeous Japanese woman.”
My face fell.
“Well, damn; if you didn't want to get into a hot Asian woman's pants, then something was wrong,” Pan said.
“Exactly,” Re confirmed as he kept his gaze on me. “Opposites attract. If you took the magic of a Moon Goddess, we'd literally be in Heaven together. But there's no room for two Suns in one bed.”
“Fuck!” I swore.
“None of that either,” Re teased me. “That was the whole meaning behind 'one bed.'”
“I won't risk my relationship with Re,” I said to Thor.
“Thank you, La-la,'” Re said with relief.
“But I could drain Huitzilopochtli until he was weak, and then you could kill him with your hammer,” I went on.
“I like that idea.” Thor smiled at me.
“Vervain!” Re snapped. “You will not!”
“Watch yourself.” I narrowed my eyes at Re. “You're treading very close to the edge of chauvinism.”
Re sighed deeply as he stared at me. “All right, La-la. If this is really what you want to do, I will support you.”
“Thank you.” I hugged him.
“But if you become a vampire, I'm going to be very put out.”
Been there; done that, Alaric shocked me by saying.
Chapter Thirty-Three
As I mentioned before, even though the Gods could make themselves invisible, I could not. So, I took lead through the crowd; clearing a path for the invisible gods behind me. There were a few confused people who tried to slide into the empty space in my wake and bounced off it. But we made it to the podium without drawing too much attention and found a relatively calm place to stand while the presidential candidate gave his speech.
“There he is,” Thor murmured in my ear. “Can you see Huitzilopochtli? You should be able to catch the haze of his magic.”
“Got it,” I said. “Should I just drain him now?”
“No time like the present,” Thor said.
No kidding. Alaric snorted; which I thought was amusing since—as far as I knew—he had no nose. But then again, he didn't have vocal chords either.
I focused on the hazy area just behind the politician and was about to reach down through the earth when I realized that I could already feel Huitzilopochtli's magic. It was warm like Re's, but there was a metallic edge to it; a sword's edge or perhaps it was the taste of blood; I couldn't decide which. Whatever it was, I took hold of it and pulled.
The haze flared and started to move, but I kept a firm grasp on the magic. It was intoxicating; the sound of battle filled my ears as the Sun warmed my skin. I could taste blood on my lips, and I liked it. My whole body shivered as the world came alive around me; the heartbeat of every living creature calling to me. I could sense where life was, and where I could bring death.
“He's coming,” Thor murmured. “Huitzilopochtli knows that you're the one taking his magic, Vervain. Move back with me; help me draw him away from the humans.”
I felt Thor's hand slip into my free one; my left hand was already claimed by Re. The three of us moved together; the rest of the God Squad shifting around us. I knew they were all watching Huitzilopochtli; ready to close off his escape when
