“Judgment, eh?” I asked dryly. “That explains a lot.”
Ninkasi chortled.
“Stop telling the Dragon about me!” Marduk snapped at Ninkasi.
“I already know about you; I saw a documentary.” I grinned. “It was what inspired me to come here.”
“What?” Sin gaped at me. “He's the reason you came to Bahrain?”
Marduk eyes flashed again, and he leaned across the table toward me with grim anticipation. “What do you want? Why are you here?”
“The documentary was on your entire pantheon,” I amended. “Actually, it was Tiamat who interested me the most.”
“Of course!” Marduk spat as if I'd confirmed his suspicions. “The Dragon drew another dragon here. Even dead she brings us trouble.”
“Mar, you need to let that shit go.” Sin rolled his eyes. “That happened eons ago. Vervain isn't here to slaughter our pantheon.”
Not if you behave and do what you're told, Star sang in my head.
“From what the documentary said, it sounded as if Tiamat was avenging her husband,” I pointed out.
“Apsu attacked us!” Marduk slammed a fist on the table. “We were defending ourselves. Then Tiamat assembled an army and sent it to slaughter us.”
“An army of monsters and dragons,” I whispered wistfully. “What an amazing woman she must have been.”
“You see?” Marduk waved his hand toward me as he looked at Ninkasi and Sin. “This is what excites Dragons; blood and war.”
“And sex.” I nodded. “Although I think that's more due to the fact that I'm a love goddess with War and Victory as sub-magics than my being a dragon. And I'm not here for war. I'm here for peace.”
Marduk snorted.
Don't go telling him all of our secrets just yet, Star warned me.
Yes; you're right. I thought I might enlist these gods into my army, but I don't think they're ready to sign up.
We don't need them. The point of you being here is to check out the locals and see if you like it enough to stay.
“She just broke up with her husband, okay?” Sin huffed at Marduk. “Leave her alone. So, she saw a documentary and was interested in roaming the land where another dragon once walked. So what?”
“Is that why you're here, Dragon? To walk in your ancestor's claw prints?” Marduk sneered.
“First of all; I'm a dragon-sidhe. A faerie, you ignorant racist. I'm not related to Tiamat. Second, if I were here to bring you trouble,” I leaned across the table, got into his face, and let my eyes go fiery as I dropped my voice into a menacing tone, “you'd already be dead.”
Marduk's glare trembled, and he slowly eased backward. He got to his feet as he kept that wide stare on me. “I killed the greatest dragon to ever live, and I can kill you too; faerie or beast, it doesn't matter.”
“Baby, you don't know who you're talking to.” I smirked. “You don't even know my name.”
“I don't need to know your name to tear you into pieces,” he snarled and stormed away.
“You should learn it before you attack me,” I called after him. “So you can scream it when you beg me for mercy.”
Marduk turned and started heading back toward me but another man stood, grabbed him by the shoulder, and whispered something into his ear. Marduk pulled away and stormed out of the room.
“Damn,” Ninka exclaimed under her breath. “That was amazing. I've never seen anyone deal with Marduk like that.”
“Yes, you make friends wherever you go, Godhunter,” Sin noted brightly.
“She's the Godhunter?” Ninkasi gaped at me.
I rolled my eyes. I announce that I'm a faerie dragon and imply that I can kick Marduk's ass all over Bahrain, but she's more impressed that I had once been a human who hunted Gods. Go figure.
Chapter Twelve
“You are the most fascinating woman I've ever met,” Sin announced after I gave him and Ninkasi a summary of my past.
“I've had a lot to deal with.” I shrugged. “It's been rough but there have been rewards.”
An image of the love bower Trevor had made for us popped into my mind. Flowers strewn through the woven branches and pillows cast across silk sheets with my wolf lying naked in the middle of it all. I shivered as my eyes filled with tears.
Stop that! He couldn't even face you. He made the Wolf do it. And what did that animal do? He told you that you smelled wrong and took your son away from you.
Vero, I whispered brokenheartedly.
He's fine. Those men love their children. That, at least, I'm sure of. They'll take care of the babies and your cat. You can get them back later, after we've made the world safe for them.
“Vervain?” Sin asked in concern.
“Have another shot, girl.” Ninkasi refilled my glass. “Mar can be an asshole, but he's harmless. All bitterness and no bite. He's probably on his way home to sleep it off.”
“Oh, I'm not worried about him,” I said flippantly. “I really could kill him if I wanted to; I don't bluff. Bluffing is foolish.”
Sin and Ninkasi shared wide-eyed looks.
“Sorry. Did that sound arrogant?”
“Well, I always say; it's not arrogant if it's true.” Sin winked at me. “So, will you at least dance with me, dragon lady?”
Before I could answer, a shimmering haze sparked blue directly beside our table and then solidified into a man. An angel, to be precise.
“Azrael?” I gaped at my husband.
“Carus,” Az whispered with relief. Then his gaze swung out to include Sin. “Who are you?”
“I'm Sin. Who are you?” Sin shot back as he looked Az up and down.
“Yes; I'd like to know that as well since you just traced into my club,” Ninkasi added with a cocked head.
“I'm Azrael Morningstar, Ruler of Shehaquim, Guardian of the Garden of Eden, Son of Satan, and Vervain's husband,” Az declared as he spread his midnight wings with a dramatic whoosh.
The room went silent beyond that feathered wall.
“You forgot; Angel of Death,” I noted dryly.
“Technically, I stepped down from that position so I didn't think I should
