“I've hardly been around him long enough to judge whether or not he's changed.” I pondered our little interlude at the riverside. “But if he needs to be freed in order for us to be, I don't care. Nemesis can always re-curse him.”
“Good point,” he said brightly. “I'll tell Aunty Nem. She'll probably love that idea. It might even cheer her up.”
“As soon as you can find her. You may want to try running around the God Realm calling, 'Aunty Nem! Aunty Nem!'” I suggested with a smirk. It sounded so much like “Aunty Em,” that I couldn't resist.
“Yeah; I'll do that, and I'll probably be the only one who gets the joke.” Morpheus chuckled and rolled his eyes. “But don't worry; Nemesis is a Greek, she won't be able to hide for long. Our pantheon is large enough that someone will spot her and tell her she needs to come home.”
“I hope so.” I chewed at my lip. “I was looking at this as a sort of vacation but now, you have me worried.”
“Nemesis will break the curse, V,” he repeated more confidently. “I told you not to worry.”
“No, it's not her that I'm worried about.” I recalled Narcissus' feverish eyes as he stroked himself. “It's Narcissus. Anyone that self-centered is bad news.”
“Just keep promising him freedom,” Morpheus said. “As long as you have something he wants, you should be safe. He won't jeopardize his chance at freedom.”
“Good point.” I grinned. “Okay; I'll make sure to lord that over him.”
“But, other than that, all of you are okay?”
“So far,” I said. “But our magic doesn't work in here. Narcissus says his magic is only a poor reflection of itself, and he warned us against trying to use our magic at all, saying that since the Mirror absorbs the dead, it may also absorb our magic.”
“That sounds... incorrect,” Morpheus murmured. “He may be playing you; trying to keep you weak. I'll ask Nem about it when we find her.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and Lesya says hi.”
“How is she?” I asked guiltily; hating myself for being a horrible mommy and not asking after her instantly. “I saw her crying.”
“She told Odin that she saw your face in the mirror, and you looked like a ghost,” Morph said with an impressed expression. “I don't know how she saw past the Mirror's curse, but she did.”
“The bond between a mother and her child is a miraculous thing,” I said softly as I stroked my belly.
“It seems so,” Morph agreed with a far-off look.
I inwardly winced. Morpheus' mother currently resided with her father, Dionysus, under a type of divine house arrest. I won't go into the reasons for her incarceration, it would take too long, but I hoped she stay that way forever. Despite my relief over her imprisonment, my heart hurt for my friend who had never known the type of motherly bond I'd mentioned.
“Anyway,” Morph went on, looking awkwardly away from my sympathetic stare, “Odin didn't believe Lesya at first, but she was so adamant. He said it gave him the shivers, and he got her away from the Mirror as fast as he could.”
“Smart man.”
“Then you mirrored him from the Mirror.” Morpheus snickered. “That was brilliant, by the way.”
“Thanks.” I smirked.
“You confirmed Odin's suspicions,” he went on. “He barred the dressing room door so no one could get in until we find Nemesis.”
“Good. At least he listened to one thing I said.”
“Lesya sounds just like you,” Morph noted with a wry look. “She was telling Odin off for not believing her. She said she isn't a liar, but he is a big poopy pants for thinking she was.”
“That's my girl.” I beamed at him. “Tell her that I'm fine, but I miss her, and I'm definitely not a ghost.”
“Will do.” Morph nodded. “Should anyone tell Arach about this?”
I grimaced. I had considered mirroring Arach, but the way things worked with my Ring of Remembrance—with me traveling through time when I went back and forth between the realms—I was probably with him. Arach had his own ring and could jump over to the Human Realm too, but I couldn't see how he could help. He'd made me promise to include him if I ever went to war in H.R. but this wasn't war, and I didn't want to worry him.
“No, let him have his ignorant bliss,” I finally decided. “Unless one of my guys thinks Arach can help. Tell them I'll leave it up to them.”
“Got it.” Morph hugged me tightly. “Take care of yourself, V.”
“I'll do my best.”
Chapter Thirteen
I inhaled the stifling air deeply as I woke and then scowled. I'd spent too much time in the steamy environment and as much as I love the heat, I needed to breathe some cooler air. I eased up on my elbow and looked around as I yawned. Damp tendrils of hair clung to my face and arms, but the rest of me had dried. My husbands slumbered on peacefully, their bodies curled around me, even their snoring had stopped. But Narcissus was gone. He must have gotten tired of waiting for us to wake up. I looked down at my swimsuit and frowned. I didn't like relying on Sir Wanks-a-lot for clothing.
I sighed and slipped free of my husbands' loose embrace. They shifted apart and settled onto the grass. I spared a moment to admire their sleep-relaxed faces and languidly sprawled bodies. Trevor was sporting a sandpaper shadow on his jaw and it made him look dangerous; the bad boy at rest. Beside him, Kirill was starting to sprout the same stubble but, ironically, his facial hair grew slower than Trevor's. I guess his hair put more effort into growing from his scalp. Even with the shadow on his chin, though, Kirill would never have the same
