“Are you heading back to Faerie soon?” I asked Arach.
“Of course not. This isn't over,” Arach said with surprise.
The other men gave me steady stares of agreement.
“Yes, it is,” I said softly.
“What?” Viper asked in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Marduk has already proven that he can take everything I have,” I said. “I won't risk it again. Our bargain was that once he had the territory, he wouldn't come after me or mine ever again. I have all of you back now and that's what matters. We'll find another territory. The Mesopotamians can have that one if it keeps all of you safe.”
“We can't let them take anything from us,” Odin said firmly. “If we do, it lets the rest of the God World know that the Godhunter can be conquered.”
“So let them think that.” I shrugged. “As far as they know, I'm human again. All of my enemies will be coming after me. Which means that we have bigger issues than Marduk. We should focus on getting the word out that I'm strong again.”
“And getting your territory back would be the fastest way to do that,” Trevor said.
“Or it may destroy us.” I shook my head. “Let's just focus on getting our lives back to normal.” I looked down at my children and smiled. “We need to have our priorities, and mine are right here.”
“But you blew up your palace,” Viper said in a baffled tone. “Don't you want vengeance?”
“House blowing up builds character,” Kirill delivered the Deadpool line with a straight face, his accent perfect for it.
Kirill waggled his brows at the children, and they giggled until we all started laughing with them. The men gave up the argument, but I knew it wasn't over. Behind their smiles, I could see their fury brewing.
Chapter Forty-One
After the children were in bed, my men and I went back to my bedroom to have a private reunion with just us. I could feel their anxiety, and I knew exactly what they wanted to say.
“You've already apologized,” I said before they could start. “I don't need to hear it again.”
“Ve need to say it again,” Kirill insisted as he pulled me into an embrace. He nestled his face into the curve of my neck and breathed in deeply. “I remember zings I said to you and...” He let out a shaky breath. “It tears at me.” Kirill lifted his face and met my stare, his eyes full of tears. “I can't believe I vould ever speak to you like zat.”
“I said horrible things to you too.” I looked from Kirill to the rest of them. “To all of you. And quite recently, I might add. I went evil and all of you were under a spell; that gives us a pass. We've forgiven each other. It's over. Now, let's forget it.”
“I won't be able to forget until I feel your body pressed against mine.” Trevor eased me away from Kirill and started to slide my dress up. “I need my scent on you, Minn Elska. I need it now.”
The other men slipped out of their clothes as Trevor undressed me. Then I was wrapped within muscular arms and wolf musk. Trevor nuzzled his face into my hair and breathed deeply, just holding me a few minutes before releasing me into Viper's embrace.
“My star,” Viper whispered in my ear. “Your light called me from the Void, and I turned on you. It was worse than when you made me evil. Even in that darkness, I loved you. I thought that if evil couldn't break us, nothing could.”
“Nothing can,” I said vehemently.
“Not for long,” Azrael agreed as he slid a hand over my hair.
Az pressed his body against my back, and Viper eased away to give us a moment together. I turned into Azrael's arms and laid my head on his broad chest. His wings were put away, but I still felt completely surrounded by him. We stood that way for awhile, just breathing each other in. Just feeling. Then Arach laid his warm palm on my lower back, and I slipped away from Azrael to hold my dragon.
“A Thaisce,” Arach murmured as he lowered his face to mine, “my mind was a bleak wasteland of rage and insanity. There was this screaming—constant screaming that I couldn't stop—it blocked all thoughts except one; that you had betrayed me.”
“It was the same for me,” Re admitted. “I couldn't concentrate; couldn't move past the feeling of betrayal.”
“I felt it too,” Odin added. “Similar to grief but darker. A well of fury shrieking incessantly.”
The other men nodded and murmured in agreement. They'd all experienced the same thing.
“The Tablet had to break you.” I stroked the scales at Arach's temples as I glanced at the other men. “It had to crush your minds and crack open your hearts to force me out.”
“When my heart healed and the screaming echoed into silence, I was even more crushed.” Re kissed my cheek.
Arach let me go so I could turn into Re's embrace, and the Sun God pulled me in tightly against his golden chest. His whole body trembled as he let out a shaky breath.
“Everything I had said and everything I had felt became clear. I saw it all truly,” Re whispered brokenly. “All those desolate thoughts. All the unjust anger. For a brief moment, I thought I had lost you forever. But then I felt your love, La-la. Your forgiveness,” he said the last word on a sob. A tear slid down his cheek and onto mine.
“Your love; so bright and strong and certain,” Odin added as he lifted my hand and kissed it gallantly. “After we rejected you and abused you, you surged back to us without reservation and healed our pain. Took us back
