“Well, he didn't waste any time, did he?” Re huffed.
“Marduk has Trevor,” I murmured as I took the envelope from Ty. I pulled out a sheet of paper and read, “You have fifteen minutes. Don't be late.” I slid a photograph out of the envelope and held it up. “Anyone recognize this place?”
“Let me through,” I heard Sin say. Then he was standing before me. He took the photo and grimaced. “This is in Saudi Arabia. It's where Marduk killed Tiamat.”
“Poetic,” I growled. “Fifteen minutes; he's nearly as anxious as I am.”
“He doesn't want to give us time to summon our allies,” Odin concluded.
“We don't need allies,” Arach growled. “We have two dragons.”
“Um.” I cleared my throat. “One dragon.”
“What?” Arach stared at me and then his expression smoothed in comprehension. “Your star is broken so you can't take full dragon form.”
“Exactly.”
“You have other magic, Vervain,” Azrael reminded me. “You've gotten accustomed to fighting with your dragon, but you are powerful without her. Remember that Love is one of the Great Nine Magics.”
“You want me to make Marduk love me?” I gaped at him.
“You can do far more than that,” he insisted. “Love can make conquerors or slaves of men. It can crown or collar. And that is a formidable power.”
I began to smile. “You're right; I have more than my dragon to fight with. More than love as well. I have the Moon and the Intare.” I smiled grimly at my lions. “And that's all I need. Now, let's get my alpha back. Intare!”
“Intare!” The Lions repeated.
“Um.” Odin cleared his throat, and we all looked at him in surprise. “You seem to have forgotten that I can shift into a dragon as well.”
Arach laughed wickedly as he slapped Odin's shoulder. “We have two dragons after all. They don't stand a chance.”
Chapter Fifteen
My army and I streamed out of the Aether and onto sandy soil. A bone-dry landscape done in shades of tortoiseshell and wheat greeted us. A bleak battlefield of packed sand surrounded by more sand. Desert dunes rose in gentle undulations on all sides, their soft divots painted with an auburn blush. The air scoured at my face, stealing moisture and making me blink rapidly. No clouds offered comfort in the washed-out sky above, just a relentless sun. But I like heat and so do my lions.
They shifted behind me then set to prowling and snarling like caged beasts. Just waiting for my signal; a command to kill. With them stood Sin and Ninkasi, just as eager to throw-down with our enemies, and Torrent, there for a chance at the action he'd missed earlier. To either side of me stood my men; all but one of them.
Several yards before us, a mass of gods stretched out and back. Hundreds of them. At their head stood Marduk, the Tablet of Destinies strapped to his chest in its specially-made holder. He had a hand on Trevor's shoulder and a grin on his face. Trevor's wrists were bound in manacles before him, but he was otherwise unharmed. He stared across the expanse at me steadily.
As I waited for Marduk to speak, I contemplated my choices. I could fill him with wild lust for one of the men or women around him. I could make the Mesopotamians desire each other so much that they'd fall to the ground right before us and start fornicating in the sand. I could simply break Marduk's heart and send him to his knees. Or I could use my Moon magic against him and turn him into a lunatic. I could even project an illusion before Marduk to make him believe that he still held Trevor while I rescued my mate. So many options but using magic against Gods can be tricky; there's always a chance it won't work.
“You're outnumbered, Godhunter,” Marduk finally spoke. “And I have your husband... one of them at least.” He gave my other men a disdainful look. “Come any closer, and I will destroy his destiny. I'll send him far away from you along with your son. I'll make them hate you forever.”
I swallowed past my dry throat before I responded. “But you don't want Trevor. So, what result did you envision for this scenario? What are you after, Marduk?”
“Good question.” Marduk nodded. “Very simply, I want you. Come here, Godhunter. Submit to the Tablet of Destinies. Allow me to hobble your magic, and I will allow you and your brood to live.”
Arach chuckled. “Shall I show him what else he's up against, A Thaisce?”
“No, not yet. He'll start frothing at the mouth if he sees another dragon.” I looked from Arach to my other men. “I can do this on my own.”
They stared at me for a long moment.
“Well? What shall it be? Your magic or your man?” Marduk shouted.
“Go,” Kirill said. “Kill him, Vervain.”
I nodded and tried not to grin and give myself away. “You have a deal,” I called out to Marduk.
Marduk's expression stuttered into surprise. Had he brought me here thinking that I'd refuse him? I suppose if I had, he'd simply destroy Trevor and then fight me; win-win.
“Then come here and kneel before me!” Marduk yelled in an annoyingly arrogant tone.
“First, you tell me not to come any closer. Now, you want me to come over,” I teased. “Are you sure this time?”
“Get over here!” Marduk shouted and shook Trevor.
Trevor angled his head and snarled at Marduk.
“Send Trevor over at the same time,” I bargained.
“Do you think I'm a fool?” Marduk huffed. “As soon as he's away from me, you'll all trace. No, he stays with me.”
“I assume those are magic-dampening cuffs you have on him,” I pointed out. “Which means that he can't trace without help.”
Marduk smirked mockingly. “Be that as it may be, I'm not letting go of him.”
“Then both of you meet me in the middle.”
Marduk's smirk turned into a grimace as he pushed Trevor forward. As soon as they started walking, so did I. We met halfway between
