It was strange to think this was his life now—this mix of magic and family and pack that was all he’d ever wanted since being infected by the werevirus and never thought he’d get. Looking out over the gathered crowd, Jono realized he wouldn’t change anything in his past that had brought him here.
“You’re thinking,” Patrick said sometime later after the pizza had arrived and been devoured. “Terrible habit, you know that, right? That’s why we have Sage.”
“Shut it,” Jono said with a laugh.
Patrick finished off his whiskey and set the empty glass on the bar counter. He kicked out his leg to hook his ankle around Jono’s. Whiskey and the warmth of the bar left a flush across his cheeks, putting his freckles on display.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing. Just…” Jono’s voice trailed off as he looked around the bar at the werecreatures, mundane humans, witches, and immortals who were all mingling. “Long way from London.”
Patrick leaned forward, resting both hands on Jono’s knees. “Do you miss it?”
Jono looked down into the face of the man he loved, the man he’d move every heaven and every hell for, and shook his head. “Not when I have you.”
The Fates had given Jono a twisted road to walk, but he would always think it was worth every last bruising hit, every hard-won step, if it meant he made it here—standing beside Patrick, ready to fight a war they couldn’t win alone, but together they had a chance.
Jono curled his fingers under Patrick’s chin and kissed him, easy and sweet. Jono could taste the whiskey on his lips and smell the happiness that cut through the bitterness of Patrick’s scent.
“I love you,” Jono said beneath the cacophony of the bar, not caring who could hear him.
“I know,” Patrick murmured softly. “Just like you know I’ll always come back.”
The truth in Patrick’s words and in his scent was something Jono believed with all his heart. It was a promise of a future together Jono would do everything in his power to keep safe—from the gods, from hunters, from Patrick’s family, and from death itself if it came down to it.
Because Patrick was every bit of hope Jono had ever wanted—bright and shining and worth a war.
~~~
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GLOSSARY
Short descriptions of words, acronyms, and phrases used in the story that weren’t readily explained in text. Included as well are character names.
Abuku, Setsuna: Witch. Director who oversees and leads the Supernatural Operations Agency.
Academy: K-12 school that teaches magic to practitioners of all affinities and designations. All provide boarding options to students.
Æsir: Immortals. Principal Norse pantheon of gods.
Allfather, the: See Odin.
Asgard: Location. Norse realm of the gods. A heaven.
Ashanti: Immortal. Goddess and mother of all vampires. Takes the shape of an Asanbosam vampire out of West African myths.
Beacot, Sage: Weretiger. A Diné lawyer who works for the fae law firm Gentry & Thyme. Dire to Jono and Patrick’s god pack.
Bifröst: A burning rainbow bridge between Midgard and Asgard.
Breckenridge, Gerard (Captain): Immortal. Current identity of Cú Chulainn. See, Cú Chulainn.
Brigid: Immortal. Celtic goddess associated with fertility, spring, healing, smithing, and poetry. Spring Queen of the Seelie Court. Daughter of the Dagda and member of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Brynhildr: Immortal. Leader of the valkyries and a shieldmaiden.
Cailleach Bheur, the: (Pronunciation: KAI-lach burr) Immortal. Goddess and divine hag. Considered a creator deity and Queen of Winter. Has various Irish and Scottish origin stories.
Carmen: Succubus. First known recorded appearance was in Venice, Italy.
Casale, Giovanni: Human. Chief of the NYPD’s Preternatural Crimes Bureau.
Caster Corps: Military branch under the purview of the US Department of the Preternatural. Accepts all magic users except mages.
Cerberus: Immortal. Hound of Hades and guards the gates of the Underworld.
Citadel: United States military academy for magic users. Located in Maryland. All Academies across the nation feed into the Citadel. Mages get automatic inclusion. All other kinds of magic users need recommendations.
Collins, Patrick: Mage. Former combat mage with the Mage Corps, currently an SOA special agent. Has a tainted soul and crippled magic. Is technically a mage in name only due to a soul wound. Co-leader of the god pack he shares with Jono.
Cú Chulainn: (Pronunciation: ku CULL-ann) Immortal. Celtic god and son of the god Lugh. Member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Irish warrior. Carries the Gáe Bulg in fights. Currently hiding under a mortal identity by the name of Gerard Breckenridge.
Dagda, the: Immortal. Celtic god affiliated with life, death, crops, and seasons. Member and king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Husband to the Morrígan.
de Vere, Jonothon: God pack werewolf. Originally from London, England, currently resides in New York City. Alpha of a god pack he co-leads with Patrick.
Demeter: Immortal. Greek goddess of harvest and agriculture, fertility, and sacred law. Mother to Persephone.
Dire: A rank held only within a god pack. The moniker is taken from the dire wolf but has been shortened to account for different werecreature species. Essentially a rank held by a loyal pack member who helps enforce the alphas’ orders.
Dominion Sect: A shadowy terrorist group consisting of mundane humans, rogue magic users, immortals aligned with the hells, and other preternatural creatures intent on destroying the veil between worlds so that hell and its denizens can reign on earth. Some members are attempting to steal godheads in order to ensure their hold on power in the new world they hope to create.
Eir: Immortal. A valkyrie and goddess associated with medicine and healing.
Espinoza, Wade: Teenaged fledgling fire dragon. Part of Jono and Patrick’s god pack.
Fae: Supernatural beings who reside in Tír na nÓg. There are lesser
