Page 15 of A Single Thread Of Hope

Of all the foolhardy, stupid things to do…

“She’s a literal Goddess of winning damn battles, Néit. Pull your head out of your arse.” Clio was getting riled too, but I was seconds from pulling my ax. Wren must have caught my tension, because she put a gentle hand on my arm, a gesture that wasn’t missed by either of the women in front of me.

“I am also closely tied to the destinies of men, so who better to aid your lover than me?” Badb teased, and I narrowed my eyes at her. “Relax, Néit. I mean no harm to Wren Mahone or her children.”

“My children,” I snapped. “These children are mine, Badb, as if they were my own blood. I will slay you where you stand if you evencontemplateharming them or their mother.”

She tilted her head at me, so like the crow she sometimes embodied. “The God of War, finally softened, and by a mortal? I never thought I would see the day.”

I curled my lip at her. “Exile will do that to a man. Gives you a different perspective on life.”

“You are no man, Néit, son of Indui, King of North Lands.”

I wanted to spit, I was so angry. Wounds I’d thought were long healed broke open at the title. Thoughts of my father weren’t pleasant. “You should leave. I neither need nor want your help, Badb.”

Clio was muttering under her breath about my stubborn ass, but I knew she wouldn’t push it.

Badb just shook her head. “Always so stubborn. It was what led to your demise, and apparently, you haven’t learned too much in your exile. Are you willing to sacrifice this woman—who even I can see you love—for your pride? Again?” Old pain and shame surged through me.

“Again?” Wren whispered.

Badb turned to Wren. “I wasn’t his only wife.”

With those words, I pulled my ax. Milo stepped in front of Wren, pulling her behind him and shifting into his Minotaur form, ready to have my back, even though he had no idea what was going on right now. Appreciation of my new family—for that was what Wren had created—flowed through me.

Wren was as stubborn as I was, however. “Nate, I swear to fucking god, if you don’t put that ax down, I’m going to jam it somewhere unpleasant. Move, Milo.” The fucking traitor stepped away, though he hovered less than a breath from her. “Should I call you Morrigan? Or Badb?” she asked, addressing a literal Goddess of Death like it was nothing. The brave, stupid, love of my eternal life.

“Call me Morrigan. Badb died the same time Néit did.” Her voice was almost vulnerable, and I glared at her. She’d always be Badb to me; the idea of calling her by her warrior title was insanity.

Wren nodded. “Do you intend to murder me or anyone in this house in their sleep—Nate included?”

Badb snorted a laugh. “If I wanted Néit dead, I could have done it a hundred times.” She rolled her eyes at me, likeIwas being ridiculous. “Cliona is correct; I am uniquely qualified to keep you alive, and I once upon a time cared if this big oaf lived or died. I only have to see how he looks at you to know you hold his life in your hands. He has my battle loyalty still, despite the centuries between us.” She smiled, and it was the same one that tended to lead soldiers between her thighs and then on to their death. Beguiling, in the worst way. “Not matrimonial loyalty, however. Many a man, woman, and monster have given me happiness since our marriage.” She winked in my direction, as if I gave a fuck.

Now it was Wren’s turn to eye this Goddess, like she could see inside her soul. And in a way, maybe she could. She could see the threads—could she tell if someone had good orill intentions? She hadn’t suggested she could, but it might be worth experimenting.

“And are you trying to, uh, win your ex-husband back? Because I’m not going to lie, I’m attached to him and I won’t give him up without a fight.” Wren stuck out her chin, and Cliona coughed to cover a laugh. It was like a lamb before a lion, but she was so fucking brave. I could see respect flicker through Badb’s eyes, fleeting but there.

“No, Wren Mahone, I don’t want him back. I am here because I wish to be on the right side of the wheel as it turns. I am here because it is time there were new Fates, and if the Greek Pantheon think they can fuck with the will of fate, then that affronts me personally.” Yeah, I could see that. “But Cliona is also correct; I enjoy a good battle, and there hasn’t been a decent God battle in a thousand years. I don’t want to miss it.”

Silence fell over the group, and I realized there were more of the guys at my back. They would protect Wren with their lives, as would I.

Finally, Wren shrugged. “Fair enough. Come in, we have lemonade.”

Clio didn’t manage to hold back her laugh this time. “I love this one, Néit.” She stepped around me and followed Wren inside, but deliberately didn’t show me her back. Clever, that little banshee. She was on my shit list for this stunt.

Badb hesitated. “I mean it, Néit. On Fea’s eternal soul, I don’t have any ill intentions.”

Like a dagger to the heart, she made her point.

She sauntered past me, and I let her go. Because Badb might be a heinous bitch at times, but no one had loved Fea more than her, not even me.

I didn’t even notice Erus hanging back until he stepped up beside me, laying a hand on my shoulder as we followed. Iturned to the Demigod, who I barely knew, but who’d taken a place on the short list of people I would care about if they died.

“Are you all right?” he asked softly.

“Yeah,” I muttered back. I could have done without this little family reunion.

Erus raised an eyebrow at me. “She seems… intense.”

---