Zerina and Hades both closed their doors, moving to step beside Mother.
Mother waved her hand at the ethereal soul. “Abby.” Then she waved her hand again at the dark soul. “Adam.”
The souls transformed into the man and woman.
Seeing each other in the flesh had Mother’s gaze softening. As the human couple tried to embrace, she used the opportunity to compose herself. It was hard to watch when the hands and arms moved through each other’s bodies that were no longer made of flesh and blood.
“My children,” she directed their attention back to her. “Abby, you have earned the right to grace my kingdom with your presence. Adam, your deeds have earned you a spot in Hades’ domain. While you helped the humans survive in their time of need and fought on my side, those deeds cannot rectify the crimes you committed in your past. Those deeds must be atoned for. And I am going to give you that chance. It will be up to you if you want to rectify those mistakes. Abby, it will be up to you if you want to join Adam in his punishment.” Mother took a step forward, using her hand to motion to the field below.
Abby and Adam both turned to watch as two horses carrying men wearing uniforms and hats slowly trotted in the pristine grass, trampling it under the horses’ hooves.
“What …?” Abby grabbed Adam’s arm as men, women, and children walked in the direction the horses were taking. They could hear the sounds of children crying as men on horses herded them together to keep them from moving.
“What are they doing? Is it a reenactment?”
“It isn’t a reenactment.” Mother answered Abby’s question. “They are being forced to leave their homes and everything they have behind. It happened long ago, but it did happen.” Mother took her eyes from the tragic images of many that wouldn’t live to the end of their journey.
“Adam, you earned medals for your bravery. You showed your courage when you faced the gods opposing me. Do you have the courage to fight for your own survival now?”
“Yes, if it means I don’t have to go back there.” Adam nodded his head to the doorway that was standing behind him.
“It won’t be easy. You will be carrying something that I made the mistake of taking. Hades has been protecting it. Are you brave enough to carry it now?”
“The stone?”
“Yes. If you accept it, you will carry it until your dying day. Everyone who has ever heard your name will forget it. You will still cease to exist in your time. When you die, your grave will be forgotten, and the grass and trees will overtake it. You will become lost to time. You and what I’m asking you to carry will become lost for all time.”
“Is there a third choice?”
“No.” Mother smiled at Adam’s angry expression.
“It’s not much of choice. I’ll go with them. Believe it or not, Hell never had much appeal for me.”
“Pity you didn’t realize before now.”
“I didn’t think a dead Tank would stab me. I was too shocked to react fast enough. If I ever see that fucker again—”
“You won’t. He’s in the bottom of my fire pit. Grimm is holding him down,” Hades spoke out.
“Hope you keep that fucker there this time.”
“I will.”
Mother gave Hades and Adam exasperated glances. “Do you mind? I want to get this finished before anyone else sees what we’re doing.”
“Sorry,” Hades apologized.
Adam looked at Abby. “She has the choice to go with me?”
“She does.”
“Don’t—”
“I lost my parents and my sister when the war began,” Abby cut Adam off. “I can’t lose the only person who makes me feel safe and loved again.” Abby tore her eyes away from Adam, who wasn’t able to deny he loved her. “I choose Adam. But what about Zandra? Broni, will you make sure she is safe?”
Mother answered Abby’s plea. “Broni cannot. She has earned her right to return home. She and Rhys will make their home in the skies. Another has volunteered to take her.” Mother motioned toward a man who was standing under the shade of a tree, watching them intently.
Mother watched Abby grow pale when Vlad took a step forward, still keeping to the shadows to avoid the sun’s glare.
“My vampires and I have offered to care for the child.”
“No!” Abby shook her head.
“She will be cared for and safe as the humans rebuild.”
“I don’t want her to be another captive who will provide you with blood.”
“Zandra’s blood will not be taken; you have my word. She will be raised with other children her age. When she gets older and wants to return to the human world, I will make sure Zandra is given the opportunity.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
Vlad hesitated, his eyes bearing down on Abby. “The choice will be hers, just as Mother is giving you the opportunity to make yours. I have given Mother my word that the vampires will care for Zandra and make sure no harm comes to her during her stay. I will honor that promise as I am subjected to Mother’s laws. If Zandra decides to return to the humans and then is unhappy and wants permission to return to the vampires, then she will be subject to my will.”
“You won’t try to hypnotize her to do what you want?” Abby’s skeptical voice had Mother trying to keep from smiling. Abby was no one’s fool.
Affronted, Vlad stepped farther back into the shadow of the trees. “That is an old wives’ tale the humans use to frighten children.”
Mother nearly rolled her eyes at Vlad’s ire. The truth hurt, and the king of the vampires was determined to keep the secrets of his subject just that—a secret.
“I will also be watching out for the child,” Mother promised, relieving Abby’s tension while giving Vlad a subtle hint of warning.
“I have no choice to return to earth to care for her?”
“That is not one of your choices.”
“Then I have to take your word for it, and that you have chosen the right caretaker for Zandra.”
“I have,” Mother replied confidently.
Adam tried to touch Abby again, but his hand went through her. Instead, he tried to soothe her with words. “Who can’t help loving Zandra?”
“Please be kind to her … If not for her, I wouldn’t have lived after Tank, my parents … She gave me a reason to live again,” Abby pleaded to the vampire king, whose hardened features didn’t relax and whose voice didn’t soften as he held the ring of truth.
“She will be well-loved.”
“Thank you.”
Vlad nodded his head arrogantly.
“So, both of your decisions have been made?” Mother gave them their last chance to change their minds.
“Yes,” Adam and Abby both answered.
Mother waved her hand, and Abby and Adam wavered as their bodies became corporeal and their appearance changed from the ones they had in their previous life.
Abby’s hair became jet black, falling in a long braid over her shoulder, and she was wearing a Native American dress. Adam’s long black hair was tied back, wearing a buckskin shirt and leggings. He tugged at the manmade stitching then reached out to touch Abby’s tan cheek.
“I won’t let you ever regret choosing me.”
Abby placed her trembling hand over his. “I’ll never regret loving you.”
“You both will face regrets. The journey you will be taking will have many trials and tribulations that you will have to overcome, but loving each other won’t be one of them.” Mother stepped forward, placing her hand on Adam’s shirt over his heart. “I give to you a heavy burden. May you carry it with pride, knowing that you have saved not only yourselves, but the human race.”
Mother stepped to Abby, placing her hand on Abby’s chest. “I am giving you my gift of appreciation, not to you or Adam, but to the children I will one day bless your descendants with. My gift is the gift of love, so they will always know they will bask in their Mother’s love.”
Stepping back, Rocque then stepped forwa
rd, his drawn face showing the devastation of losing his wife. He held his hand out to Abby to put her hand into his.
“My gift to your children is the ability to control nature. They will have the power to give life to the seeds that will feed them, build their homes, grow the grass greener, the flowers more beautiful. I gift you with the beauty of nature.”
Rocque then stepped back and let Asclepius step forward, reaching out for the hand Rocque had released.
“I gift your children the ability to always ask for my help if they need it. I gift them with the ability to heal.”
Asclepius stepped away, giving Hades Abby’s hand.
“I will gift one of your children something that I would have passed down to my own children if I were able to have them—the ability to manipulate fire and to astral project himself wherever he wants to be so he will one day see the beauty of what you both have saved.”
Hades lifted Abby’s hand to his lips, kissing her hand in gratitude before stepping back.
Broni moved forward, opening her arms to Abby and hugging the woman close. They cried as the ones around them witnessed the friendship that had transcended time.
“My gift to your children isn’t mine to give. It’s my father’s.”
Valentine came to their side, and when Broni turned Abby to face Valentine, he placed his hand on Abby’s shoulder. “My gift to your children is love. They will find great love if they are strong enough to fight for it, as both you and Adam both have done.”
“All of our gifts are special, but yours, I wish for myself. Thank you.” Abby humbly accepted Valentine’s gift with a kiss on his cheek. Then, turning to Broni, she hugged her again. “Thank you, Broni, for asking for your father to share his gift with us.”
Broni gave her a gut-wrenching smile before returning to her husband’s side.
“They are almost gone. You must go.”
Mother watched the couple as they took each other’s hand then ran down the sloping hill. She continued to watch lovingly as Abby stopped to pick up a small flower, showing the perfect daisy to Adam, before they continued to run to catch up to the others who were wearily moving forward at the army officer’s shouted commands.
When one sighted them, he used his horse to maneuver them into the line as they walked through the forest that wound around the Appalachian Mountains. It would be a trail of tears that would test their love and commitment, but she had every faith they would be victorious. They not only had her blessing, but each of the gods’.
Mother waved her hand, erasing each of those who had given their gifts to Adam and Abby, sending them home. With them gone, she stayed and watched her precious children until they were out of sight. Then it was time for her to go home and cry in the privacy of her castle.
Waving her hand, she disappeared, as she did, the sun dipping behind the burgeoning clouds.
Droplets of rain splashed down to the earth and the wind began howling. The sounds of Mother’s weeping fell on deaf ears, the humans unable to hear her cries.
The only remaining soul able to hear the weeping was Fate, whose duty it was to watch them and their children. She wouldn’t be able to interfere, but she stared out sightlessly through the centuries, smiling.
She remembered a line from a poem she had once read to Zerina when she was a child.
To appreciate the light, you must first live in the darkness,
To feel nothing but complete loneliness,
To be nothing but the space you take up,
Slowly letting the darkness consume you...
For when the light finally touches your face,
You feel what it's like to be truly loved,
That you are worthy and have always been worthy of letting the light consume you.
Fate lifted her goblet to her lips as she sat down on the balustrade on Mother’s balcony.
“Why do you allow him to do that?” she asked as she heard Mother come outside to escape her party, finding the harmonious silence of the heavens.
Mother leaned her hands on the balustrade to see what Fate was watching, laughing when she saw what Fate was referring to. “He amuses me.”
“It doesn’t amuse me. Last time, it was bad enough that he brought a woman. This time, he brought a child. The next time I visit Zerina, I’m going to let Hades have it for giving that particular gift.”
Mother’s eyes narrowed on the child. “Don’t be too hard on my son. The child is special.”
Fate couldn’t hold back her smile when she saw the fireworks. “That human is a show-off.”
“He’ll calm down as he grows older.” Mother turned her back on the pair of sightseers, turning to her best friend. “Since you brought up my son, how is he doing?”
“I surprised them with a visit. Hades granted me and Valentine visits anytime we want. We caught them playing hide-and-seek.” Fate rolled her eyes at the youthful exuberance of young love. Then she raised her goblet to the one who was held in Mother’s hand. “We chose well.”
Mother chinked the goblets together. “Shh … I don’t want Broni or Cara to hear inside. They wouldn’t approve of our meddling.”
Fate smiled. “What they don’t know doesn’t hurt them.”
“Agreed.” Mother lifted her wine to her lips. “I must get back to my party. Coming?”
“No, I thought I would have an early night.”
“Good night, daughter.”
Fate smiled, bowing to Mother before transporting herself to her bedroom.
After bathing, she misted her body with the scent of lavender and changed into a sheer sleeping gown. When she finished, she stared around her room, committing it to memory. Like the bed she had loved Valentine on, creating the lives of her children, and the memories of her children through the years.
She replayed those precious memories before going to her balcony door, opening it to walk outside.
Without looking back, she transported herself to another balcony, one where a large man stared out at the dark sky, watching the stars.
Odin stiffened, jerking around when he heard her step onto the balcony.
“I was wondering when you would keep your word,” he snapped, crossing his arms arrogantly over his chest.
“I had to prepare my family. I knew once I kept my promise, you wouldn’t let me go.”
His hands fell to his side in shock. Seeing her nod at the question in his eyes, he gripped her by the forearms as she moved closer, crushing her to his chest with a groan.
“I’ve been waiting for you for so long I lost hope.”
“I always keep my promises.” She traced over his features with her eyes. “When you didn’t come for me, I began to doubt that you wanted me to keep it.”
Odin lifted the woman who he had fallen in love with. “Yet you came anyway.”
“My daughters are all happily settled. Even Zerina is expecting her first child.”
Odin laughed. “I know. Hades didn’t believe he could be a father.”
“Neither did Jericho. He adjusted and makes a great father, so will Hades, once he gets over the shock. How did you know Hades and Zerina are expecting a child?”
“I asked Mother for an audience with him. He told me about their news when I talked to him.”
“Why did you ask for an audience with Hades?”
“I wanted an engagement gift for you.” A necklace appeared in his hand.
Fate gasped at the beauty of the precious stone, while Odin carefully fastened the necklace around her neck.
Fate stared down at the necklace. “I’ve never seen one as beautiful, not even the ones he had made for Cara and Broni as wedding gifts.”
“Hades made it for Zerina, but she refused to wear it. He made an armband for her instead. He has excellent taste.” Odin placed a kiss on her collarbone. “Not as good as mine, but close.”
“It looks like the one Lakshmi wears at court.” The goddess had been gifted it by her husband, and she was always flaunting it at court.
“It’s larger. It doesn’t compare to yours.”
“I’ve never been jealous of other women’s jewels.” Placing a possessive hand over her new necklace, she thanked him with a kiss just as spectacular as the jewel resting at her throat.
Odin lifted his lips to stare at her dubiously. He was old enough to know women were always envious of other women’s jewelry. “You didn’t seem surprised when I showed it to you.”
“I didn’t? I was … very surprised.” Fate smiled smugly, trailing her hand down his bare chest to curl her hand over his hip, tugging his closer. She was rewarded with him lifting her high into his arms.
Circling his neck as he carried her into his dark bedroom, Fate laid her head on his strong shoulder. She wasn’t afraid of the dark. It had taken centuries for her to learn the same lesson Hades had to learn, and Destiny had learned to late.
The dark wasn’t the enemy. It was her lack of courage that kept her from reaching for the light of Odin’s love that was always there, always shining like a beacon, watching and waiting.
It was a hard lesson to learn. All she had to do was so simple. She had to reach for it, because love wasn’t coming for her. She had to reach for it and be willing to grasp it and hold on to it like a raft in a stormy sea.
Odin placed her down on his bed, leaning over her. “Say my name.”
“Odin … Odin … Odin.” She repeated his name as many times as she had denied knowing it was him the night Thor was conceived. “Satisfied?”
“Not yet, but I will be,” he boasted, lying down beside her on the bed.
Fate laughed, rolling on top of his broad chest as it shook underneath her.
“I don’t like that look in your eyes.”
“How can you see anything in the dark? It’s pitch black in here.”
“I can see in the dark.”
“That’s a gift I wish I had.” She lowered her lips to nuzzle his neck, snuggling her pelvis into his bulging cock under his leather pants. She was tracing her lips to his ear when she suddenly rose. “You also have the gift of foresight?”
“Yes.” Odin raised his head, trying to capture her lips.