Kirill wasn’t keen on the thrones. They were too far apart for a start. Getting up, making sure to keep an eye on Seth, Kirill stood by Ra’s side, resting his hand on his shoulder. Arvyn was also watching Seth, his wolf lurking behind his eyes. “It’s all right, babe.” Kirill really didn’t think Ra getting so upset was good for the baby he was carrying, even if he wasn’t showing yet. “Can you send Thoth back to where he came from. He’s looking like he doesn’t know where he is.”
“He doesn’t know. His mind is completely blown.” Ra turned, pressing into Kirill’s side. “Thoth still believes Poseidon cares for him, when in effect, Sei only fucked him in the first place to win a bet with Zeus. His jealousy and hatred of his son grew with every century, but it didn’t come to a head until Artemas and Silvanus claimed each other. The Mother, the Mother of us all blessed Artemas with the Tree of Life as a mating gift, and I think for Thoth that was the final straw. When I saw what Thoth had done to himself… He can’t be taken out of the fabric of life, millions would die…”
“But he can’t be allowed to run around causing havoc either.” Kirill understood. He didn’t think Seth did though. “Seth mentioned your library. Is that where Thoth was being held?”
“Don’t talk about me as if I wasn’t here.” Seth stalked forward, a brilliant sword suddenly appearing in his hand. “You have no business being here. This is the realm for the gods of Egypt, not malignant mortals who would hang onto our Father like leeches.”
“Put your sword away, Seth,” Ra snapped. “Now.”
“No.” Seth swung his sword from one hand to the other. “This mating business is a sham. There is no such thing as fated mates. Mates is just a term paranormals use to get their own way, suck the life out of unsuspecting gods, using them and abusing them, before the god gets tossed aside like last week’s trash. I’ll…”
“Is that why you didn’t tell the others that Ra has mates?” Arvyn asked. “Because you don’t believe in them?” He stood up, gripping the neck of his shirt and ripping it. “What’s this then, asshole?” He pointed to the tattoo Ra left as his claiming mark. “This was left by your beloved Ra; this mark tells everyone from any realm or species that I’ve been claimed. Ra claimed me as his own, and our beloved Kirill wears the same tattoo. This is proof…”
Arvyn ducked as Seth’s sword slashed across where he stood, and seconds later his oversized wolf form replaced him. The wolf lunged, faster than Kirill had ever seen him move before, and Seth fell to the ground, rolling and slashing…
“NO!” Kirill roared, his own second form bursting free as the smell of Arvyn’s blood hit the air. He dove into where the wolf and man were fighting, grabbing hold of Seth’s sword arm and breaking it with his bare hands. The sword fell to the floor with a clatter. Arvyn was trying to get to Seth’s throat. Kirill’s claws slashed through Seth’s abdomen causing the god to curl over in pain, before he punched Seth’s jaw hard enough to make him fall over backwards. That was all Arvyn needed, his huge teeth latching onto Seth’s throat…
“Enough!”
The Ra that stood on the edge of the stage was full of power and fury. “Seth, get on your knees before me.”
Arvyn shimmied back, leaving Seth to rub his throat with his unbroken hand. “My Lord,” Seth gasped as he tried to get up.
“I said get on your knees.”
When Seth didn’t move, Kirill grabbed him, flipping him over onto his knees, and pushing his head down towards the marble.
“You were warned Seth.” Ra’s robes brushed against Kirill as he suddenly appeared in front of them. “For daring to swing a sword at my fated mate, I sentence you…”
“You can’t make me live among the dead.” Seth sounded horrified.
“I don’t intend to,” Ra sneered. “Osiris has done nothing to deserve being tormented by your presence. He seeks the quiet life, and he has every right to it. No. You will join the living. I am stripping you of the bulk of your powers and sending you to earth. You will still be able to feed, clothe and look after yourself, but I suggest you get a job. In six months’ time, you will present yourself to me and my mates, and apologize. If an apology isn’t forthcoming, then you will suffer the same punishment for another six months and another and another, until you learn some damn respect for me and the men who mean more to me than anything.”
“My Lord, please…” Seth was shaking his head. “You don’t understand. Vampires are like the winter to your sun and that wolf will leave you broken before the year is done – heed my words.”
“Heed mine. The punishment is set by my decree for I am still the Father of Everything.” Kirill felt a waft of power and then Seth was gone.
“My Lord. Ra. Is that you?” Thoth stumbled over, his hand trying to flatten the mess of his hair. “Did you call me?”
“Not this time, Thoth,” Ra said kindly. “It’s time for you to get back to the library.”
“Oh yes. The library. Thank you, Ra, there’s so much I need to do.” For a moment, Kirill could see the kind of god Thoth used to be, and then he was gone too.
“Well.” Kirill looked down at his transformed self. Just as he suspected, he was a lot bigger than he used to be and his razor-sharp claws were almost a foot long. “So much for the celebrations. Did you have anywhere else you wanted to share with us before we blow this popsicle stand?”
“What’s a popsicle?” Ra tilted his head slightly to one side.
Kirill chuckled as he transformed to his human side, Arvyn shimmering through his change beside him. “Somewhere where we can get more clothes?” Kirill asked with a grin, standing in his now tattered shirt and pants.
“Hmm.” Kirill could feel the heat of Ra’s eyes as the god eyed them both up and down. “I’m not sure clothes are necessary right now.” Kirill felt a tug on his cells, and suddenly he, Arvyn and Ra were transported onto one of the softest beds Kirill had ever felt. Better yet, somehow Ra’s robes hadn’t made the journey with him. Kirill pounced.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ra’s soul hurt and his mind reeled with confusion. Seth’s anger, usually hidden by snide comments and passive aggression, had never been so blatant. To involve Thoth – to move Thoth from the library Ra insisted he stay in when the god showed how unstable he’d become – was a punch firmly below the belt. Ra carried a lot of grief about Thoth. He blamed himself for not realizing how deep-set and damaging Thoth’s jealousy over his son had been. By the time Ra had been told, Thoth’s mind and magic were mere shadows of what they used to be and Ra had no choice but to ensure the once wise god couldn’t do any further damage to himself or others.
His mates were the only ray of sunlight on an otherwise bleak day. Ra wasn’t worried about other members of his pantheon’s failure to show up for his celebration. He doubted Seth told anyone about his mates – his hatred of them clear even if Ra didn’t understand why the man felt that way. Seth hadn’t even taken the time to get to know Kirill or Arvyn, he just hated them on sight. I just don’t understand.