Trevor and Kirill were in the water with the kids, including Zariel, whose parents were getting some time off from babysitting for a change. The golden grasslands stretched out to my left, just past the slate slabs that paved the pool area and the collection of trees that formed a half-circle border along its edge. The slate went up to the rim of the pool where it smoothed into a curved lip and angled down to line the basin. The pool's irregular shape undulated out from the natural rock waterfall that also happened to be a slide. Lesya went squealing down the slide, through the falls, and splashed into the water only to surface seconds later, laughing gleefully. Vero shrieked and clapped his hands for her achievement.
Azrael laid out on the lounger on my right in a pair of swim trunks, soaking up the sun, and Re was next to him in a much shorter pair of trunks; all of his golden skin gleaming. Viper had taken the lounger on my left, his body still wet from a swim and looking delicious. But I couldn't relax to enjoy any of it; not my children's laughter, the afternoon sun, or the sight of my beautiful men. I was still too anxious, with this hard ball of nerves filling my belly.
“I'll be fine,” I murmured. “I'm just...”
“Scared,” Viper said softly. “So am I.”
I swung my head to stare at him in surprise.
“I've just started to live.” He shrugged and looked around. “And I like it. In fact, I love it.” He looked back at me. “I love you, and I can't lose you, Vervain. I'd sooner die and return to the Void than live without you. So, yes, I'm scared of the possibility of the Mesopotamians hurting you. That somehow I'll fail to protect you. But I know I'm meant to be here, and I can't imagine that fate would be so cruel as to bring me to life—bring us together—only to tear us apart. I need to have faith in that, and I think you should too.”
“Fate is fickle,” I said gently. “I can't have faith in it.”
“Then have faith in us,” Azrael reached over and took my hand. “Know that we won't give up until our family is safe.”
I smiled softly at him and was about to tell him how much that meant to me when my phone dinged. I winked at Az instead as I grabbed my cell phone. I had a text message from Sin.
“Sin wants me to meet him at Moonshine,” I said to my men. “He says it's urgent.”
“Are the Mesopotamians leaving Bahrain?” Trevor asked as he waded to the edge of the pool with a splashing Vero in his arms.
“Hold on.” I texted Sin and waited. A few seconds later, I got a reply. “No, it's something else. He's asking me to hurry.”
“Well, you're not going.” Azrael stood up. “I'll fetch him. Tell him that I'm tracing there now.”
“Okay.” I texted Sin again, and he responded just as Azrael reached the drawbridge/veranda—the porch that extended along the front of the palace but also functioned as a permanently-lowered drawbridge, laid across the moat. “Sin says he'll meet you up on the VIP floor,” I called after Az, and he waved without looking back. “We'd better get changed.” I stood up. “I don't know what this is about, but I don't want to meet with Sin in my bathing suit.”
“No, he'd definitely take that the wrong way,” Trevor muttered as he headed out of the pool.
“Give me Vero.” Kirill held his arms out and took Vero when Trevor passed him. “I'll stay here vith children.”
“Thank you, honey.” I waved at the kids. “You three be good.”
A chorus of “Okay, Mommy” and “Yes, Aunty Vervain” came back at me.
Viper and Re joined Trevor and me, and we all headed up to the top floor of the palace to change. I used the intercom to let Odin know what was happening and then headed into my dressing room. By the time I was presentable, Az and Sin had already returned. I came out of my dressing room to find them sitting at the little kitchen table with Re, Trevor, Viper, and Odin. Sin looked distraught; sleek hair mussed, cheek cut, and shirt torn. He lifted a scared silver stare to me.
“Vervain, I need your help.” Sin stood and met me halfway to the table. “Those bastards took Ninka!”
“Ninkasi?” I blinked at him. “Why would they...” I trailed off as I realized exactly why the Mesopotamians would go after Ninkasi. “The vampires.”
“Yeah; they found out that she was hosting them, letting them spy on the Mesopotamians in her bar,” Sin confirmed. “They stormed Sikaru and went after the vampires. The vamps got away, but Ninka didn't even think to run. She didn't expect her own people to attack her. I tried to fight them off but...” he let out a shaky breath. “There were too many of them. I had to trace away before they cuffed me too.”
“Cuffed?” Viper asked.
“I'm assuming that he means magic-dampening manacles or handcuffs,” Odin said with a lifted brow at Sin.
“Yeah. The Anunnaki teamed up to make them,” Sin growled. “I wouldn't have helped make them if I'd known they'd be used against me someday.”
“I'm so sorry, Sin,” I whispered. “This is my fault, and I promise that I'll do everything I can to get Ninkasi back.”
“Do you know where they may have taken her?” Azrael asked.
“I know exactly where they took her,” Sin growled. “Marduk's estate. He was leading the group that grabbed Ninka. He
