“You can adjust the water inside a body, right?” Sin went serious. “The lions I talked to said that's one of your talents.”
“Yes; it's a Moon thing, and I have Moon magic. Just like you.” I winked at him.
“Good. I assume it's a pull like mine,” he said. “As the Moon has on the tides.”
“Yes, that's it precisely.”
“Then you have all you need to defeat Marduk.” Sin smiled wickedly.
“Okay...” I drew out the word.
“Marduk is a God of Light, but his light manifests as electricity.” Sin looked at me as if it should click. “Electricity, Vervain. And if you add water to electricity...”
“You short it out?” I asked hesitantly.
“No, Vervain, you don't short electricity out. You're thinking of electrical machines.” He laughed. “Water conducts electricity.”
“So, how would raising Marduk's water levels affect his magic?”
“If you raise his water levels high enough, his magic will become unbalanced. It will surge right through him until it drains itself. Then, he won't be able to defend himself.”
“Seriously? Water? That's Marduk's weakness?” I gaped at Sin while he nodded. “What is he; the Wicked Witch of the West?”
“I think that's the Wicked Witch of the East.” Sin frowned in thought. “The one who melted.”
“Uh, I'm pretty sure it was the Witch of the West,” I said in a sassy tone. “The East was the one Dorothy squished with her house.”
“I don't think so.”
“I'm a mommy. I know about kid movies.”
“Yeah, okay,” Sin conceded. Then he went serious again. “I'll help you if you need me to.”
“With drenching Marduk?”
“Yes. I have the same talent, remember?”
“Nah, I think I can handle a little water.” I grinned.
“All right, Godhunter. Get down with your bad self.”
I cringed. “Oh, that was dated.”
“It was not,” he protested.
“Um, yes, I'm sorry, playa, but it was.”
“Ugh, is this how you seduce men? You frustrate and confuse them till they just kiss you to shut you up?”
“Yes, you have discovered yet another of my diabolical plots,” I said in a nefarious tone.
Sin laughed softly. “Diabolical indeed. But, as I mentioned, I like the mean girls.”
“Well, this mean girl is grateful for your advice,” I said softly. “Thank you, Sin.”
Sin blinked at me, something flashing within the silver of his stare, and then nodded self-consciously. “Yeah, sure. No problem.” He stood up abruptly. “I'll, ah, let you get on with whatever you were about to do before I interrupted you.”
“Goodnight,” I called after him.
“Goodnight,” he replied without looking back at me.
“Water,” I murmured to myself. “So many damn jokes and no one I can tell them to.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“We can't fight a battle in the middle of Bahrain,” Thor argued.
We had gathered to discuss our next move. The God Squad was all there, seated at the long dining table in the Pride's hall, along with my men, several Intare, Zimri-dagan, Sin, Ninkasi, Athena, Fenrir, Ty, UnnúlfR, and Luke. Yes, I had the Devil on my side. Lucifer looked anything but intimidating, dressed in khakis and a yacht sweater. He didn't even have his sparkling wings out. Sitting beside Fenrir, Trevor's ferocious father, Luke looked downright frail. His wife, Holly the Holy Spirit, had stayed home in Hell or he would have looked even more unassuming. Instead of Holly, Azrael sat on his father's left, his wings put away as well. Morpheus was the only winged god at the table.
Until the Archangel Michael walked in.
“How's it hanging, God Squadders?” Mike grinned and posed just inside the doorway, snowy wings extended dramatically.
Michael looked as if he should be painted or sculpted or made into a fountain. Those classic, Angel features were sweet enough to give me a toothache. Mike tossed his golden curls, light flashed off his pearly grin, and mischief twinkled in his sky-blue eyes. All I saw was trouble.
“Hey, Big M, what are you doing here?” I called out to him.
Thor rolled his eyes. “Nothing has changed.”
“Vervain!” Michael pointed at me. “Girl, I heard you needed some help, and your husband didn't bother to ask me for any. So, I took it upon myself to bring you a little present.”
“Let me guess; you're the present?” I smirked. “Gee, Mike, and it's not even my birthday.”
“Oh, come on. I'm not that egotistical,” Mike huffed.
A snort of laughter echoed in from the hallway outside.
“Damn it, don't ruin my surprise!” Mike shot over his wings at whoever the snorter was. Then he grinned at the room again. “I have brought you... the Horsemen of the Apocalypse!” He snapped his wings down and stepped aside with a wave of his hand toward the doorway.
“Well, three of the four,” Sam, AKA War, drawled as he strolled in with Ira (Famine) and Thaddeus (the Antichrist).
And yes, the Antichrist is a horseman.
“Aw, Mikey, you shouldn't have,” Azrael declared with a grin as he got up to welcome his fellow horsemen.
“Death!” Thaddeus—another buff, golden angel like Michael—opened his arms to Az.
“Hey, Ted, it's good of you to come.” Az gave him that back-pounding hug that men give each other.
“Wouldn't miss it for all the free buffets in Vegas,” Ira—gaunt and gorgeous like an androgynous male model—declared as he flicked his white bangs out of his face and grinned at Azrael.
“The Horsemen ride again!” Samuel shouted and pulled all of the men together into a group hug. “This is going to be awesome!”
Sam, like Az and Ted, looked as if he were built for battle, with sleek muscles and thick shoulders. His hair and eyes were somewhere in-between the other men's; a medium brown that made him seem more down-to-earth. Just your average guy next door. Except for the pair of crimson wings rising proudly over his shoulders. All of the horsemen had their wings out; all except for Death. Ted's gleaming white, Ira's hawk-brown, and Sam's blood-red feathers enfolded Azrael. But even without his wings, none of them could hold a candle to my husband's angelic yet devilish allure.
When they broke apart, Azrael went to hug Michael, his dark appeal even more startling against Mike's brightness. Sleek,
