A Fey New World (The Godhunter #32) - Amy Sumida Page 0,97
slithered by and hissed at me. I hissed back and shouted again, “Mom!”
I made it into the backyard after what felt like a hike through the Amazon. My mother's favorite fig tree now bore crimson fruit and looked more like a willow... a willow that attracted glowing butterflies. Her wind chimes were tangled with sparkling webs and a pond bubbled up right outside her backdoor. She had several outdoor cats who could always be found lounging on her patio but not a single kitty snoozed on the wooden bench. My heart started to race. I went to the backdoor and knocked again.
“Mom! Hello?!” I went to the window and slapped the glass. “Is anyone in there!”
Azrael tried the handle and the backdoor opened. Before he could go in, I pushed past him and rushed inside. It was a mess but in a way that implied frantic packing as opposed to looting. I barreled through the rooms. They were empty. I went to the phone but it was dead.
“I'm sure they're all right,” Azrael said.
“You don't know that!” I shouted and shoved him in the chest. “Where are they, Az? Where's my family?! What did the magic do to them?”
“I don't know, my love,” he gentled his tone. “But I'm sure the Intare would have come for them.”
I let out a breath. “You're right. They would have. But I need to go to Pride Palace and be sure.”
“No.” Azrael grabbed my wrist.
“Azrael, let go of me,” I said in a warning tone.
“You promised, Carus. You said that you would stay with me. You said I could trust you.”
“I just need to make sure that they're okay.”
“You can mirror them. Your mother must have some eyebright here; she's a witch.”
“Yeah, okay,” I gave in. I ran to my mother's altar room and searched through the bottles in her cupboard. “Here it is!” I snatched the bottle of eyebright and hurried to the closest mirror. I practically smacked the glass as I rubbed the herb across it and called out, “Arach, King of Fire.”
“Why are you calling him?” Azrael demanded.
“Because he's fey,” I said absently. “He'll sense my call even if he's not near a mirror.”
It took Arach twenty seconds to appear in my mother's dresser mirror, during which time, Azrael scowled continuously. Once he saw that it was me, Arach went limp with relief, his shoulders drooping and his dragon eyes flashing fire briefly.
“A Thaisce,” Arach whispered as he ran a hand over the glass. “You're safe.”
“I am,” I assured him. “I'm sorry to have worried you. I thought you'd at least know that I was okay.”
“I did, I just... seeing you in videos taken by humans and actually speaking to you are two different things. I knew you were alive but I didn't know if you were safe.”
“I am.” I glanced at Az and then back at Arach. “But things have become complicated.”
“Is Azrael there?” Viper demanded as he pushed his way into view.
Arach snarled and Viper went flying. The Fire King came back into the mirror but was staring off in Viper's direction. “Don't make me break your nose again, serpent!”
Viper leaned back into, completely undeterred. “Is that feathered fucker there, Vervain?”
“That feathered fucker is right here.” Azrael came to stand behind me, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “What is it that you want to say to me, star-snake?”
“You'd better not have hurt her, dickhead!” Viper snapped. “That's what I've got to say. And I'm gonna—”
“I am fine!” I shouted and both men went still. “Now, will someone please tell me if my mommy is safe!”
“She's here, A Thaisce, and she's well,” Arach said gently. “She's here with your step-father, brother, and sister.”
“And a lot of cats,” Viper added. “We had to give her a big suite so she could keep them confined.”
“Austin, Tristan, Jackson, Krystal, and Sommer are here with Sommer's family too. And Thor said that he picked up Kaitlin,” Trevor leaned into view. He smiled and added, “Hey, beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I let out a relieved breath. “And hey, yourself, Honey-Eyes.”
“Why have you kept her from us, Azrael?” Odin's voice came through the mirror before Viper moved aside and allowed Odin to step into view. “Why did you mute our bonds?”
“She is no longer yours, Allfather,” Azrael said simply. “Vervain is now the Faerie Goddess and belongs with me.”
Viper snorted. “Faerie Goddess, what bullshit. She's the Trinity Star, you asshole!”
“What she is, is mine,” Azrael snarled.
“All right, that's enough!” I declared. “I just needed to know