“I will, Dark Star.” Sin bowed to me.
“For my dragons, I have another celebration planned. A wild hunt.”
The Dragons perked up, attention fixed on me eagerly. I knew their needs better than anyone. I knew they craved blood, but they also longed to chase their prey. War wouldn't satisfy them as well as a good hunt.
“Human prisoners who we've captured, the rebels who have refused to accept my peace, will be released,” I went on. “I have several prisoners for each regiment at every outpost so all of you will have a chance to chase and participate in the kill.”
The Dragons roared with happiness and my wild heart lifted with their joy. My savage children. Bloodthirsty beasts. They were so beautiful to me. I looked up at Viper, who stood at my right, and smiled. He returned my smile as he lifted my hand and kissed it. Yes; he could appreciate wild beauty as well.
“When you have caught your criminal and dispatched justice, we will feast,” I went on. “Now, go forth, my dread of dragons, and hunt. Rend and tear and claw and bite. Glory in who you are and what your powerful bodies can do. Then come home to me, and we will celebrate your glory together!”
The Dragons shouted, “Dark Star!” as they rushed from the room, off to enjoy their hunt.
I almost wished I were going with them.
“And you,” I looked from left to right at the Star Gods. “What can I give you, my commanders? Is there anything you desire?”
“Only victory,” Beast declared. “That's all we want.”
“There must be something else that I haven't given you,” I tried again.
Beast got a strange look on his face as he glanced at the others.
“Not that,” Viper hissed. “We've talked about this.”
“It's easy for you to dismiss it. You have her love,” Hound growled. “All we have are replicas of her.”
“So you want her to give you her body as a reward for doing what we were born to do?” Viper countered. “Do you think that will make her love you as she does me? She is a goddess, not a whore.”
The other men looked chastised.
I looked from them to Viper and then to Sin. “Take care of our allies, Sin. See to their posts.”
“Yes, Dark Star.” Sin bowed and strode down the dais to the waiting gods.
I watched Sin for a moment; he had come far from the man he had been. And I had helped him change. I had brought out the warrior inside the flirt. Given him purpose; a mission to motivate him. Sin had become the man I knew he could be.
“All of you, come with me,” I said to my commanders.
We strode down the curving aisle, gods bowing as we passed, and then took the central elevator up to the 14th floor; the lower level of the Star Gods suites. I didn't speak until we came to their shared living room. I turned in the center of the airy space and held my arms out to them. They rushed forward to surround me, and I hugged them tightly, one at a time, turning between them until I had given every man the attention he deserved.
“I've neglected you, haven't I?” I asked gently. “I brought you into a new life fully grown and expected you to behave like grown men. I didn't give you the guidance you needed or the love. I vowed to myself that I would but somewhere, that vow got lost. I'm sorry that you've felt the lack. That I haven't shown you how much I care about you. That this deficit has led to other things; to thinking that sex with me would fill some void in you. That joining your body with mine might bring you the love you haven't been feeling from me.”
Shoulders dropped as the men looked from me to each other.
“Why do you look so sad?” I asked gently as I went among them and kissed their cheeks as I stroked their hair. “I'm telling you that I love you. That I will try harder to show you that love. You don't have to make love to me to feel loved by me. Sex is an expression of a different kind of love, a love that may bloom between us one day or may not. Either way, we will always have the love of family to bind us. You are mine, and I am yours. I want you to be happy. Believe me; if I knew that sex would make you feel loved, I would give it to you. But without my heart in it, I think it would only make you feel worse and it might even hurt the love we already share.”
“We're not sad, we're ashamed,” Snake whispered. “We acted on her orders, but we also wanted it. We wanted you. I'm so sorry, Vervain.”
“What are you talking about?” I frowned at all of them.
“While you were under the control of the blood your ex-lovers, Star tried to use your weakened state as an opportunity to trick you into taking all of us as your lovers,” Viper explained. “First, she said that she couldn't help you, that the blood had to run its course. But then she tells us that if we all joined with you, it would complete your star and give you the power you needed to overcome the blood.”
“Join with me,” I whispered as the memory of hands on my body returned. Viper's voice echoed within that memory. He had defended me from Star and his brothers. I looked up at Viper and felt my love for him burrow even deeper. “You stopped them.”
“I swore to protect you,” Viper said softly. “And I will. Even from my brothers.” He nodded
