Page 35 of Battle of Witches
Before I could even announce what I was doing, a sleepy, cranky Reyson appeared with Balthazar, who looked like he’d been snorting Pixie Stix and was ready to take out his sugar rage all over someone’s face.
I could work with that.
“Okay, we’ve got two gods, Sleipnir, the fastest horse who has ever existed, and a very fabulous vampire with everything that comes with that. Give me all the details about where Scooter and Asfrid might be keeping hostages at that house.”
Chapter27
Ravyn
My twin had only just given birth recently, but she wasn’t sitting this out. Reyson came with backup as soon as Loki asked. Loki reached out right before the library closed, so as soon as it did, Bram took baby Michael to Hell so Lucifer and Bram’s mom could babysit.
Asfrid had already shown she had no problem going after kids. She seemed fixated on Gemini Twins, but she didn’t just wantanyGemini Twins. She wanted everything that came with my sister and me. If Asfrid found out my sister had given birth to the only new angel in, like, forever, she’d want Michael.
Yeah, that was not happening, so great-granddaddy Lucifer was doing what he loved and babysitting.
I needed all the witches, warlocks, and support right now. So, Ripley brought Felix and Gabriel, and we were all brewing my new potion with Killian helping.
“You’ve always been better at potions than me, and it’s a little unfair since we’re identical,” Ripley said.
“Yeah, but you were alwaysvastlysuperior when it came to hexes.”
“Speaking of, I was intending on crashing Valentine’s bail hearing with a hex I cooked up just for him, but it would work on Asfrid, too, if Kaine is still on his thing that we can’t unleash your Vikings on her.”
“Asfrid went after a shifter’s cub and painted the entire Paranormal Investigation Bureau as being corrupt. Everyone is going to want a shot. Kaine is a daddy dragon now, and Valentine went after his whelp. He might have changed his mind about that.”
“What’s he doing over there, anyway?” Killian whispered.
“Trying not to set Loki on fire?” I asked.
Balthazar peered over Ripley’s shoulder and kissed her on the neck.
“Bringing down bad guys bonds people on a deep, emotional level. Those two are going to be besties when this is over.”
Felix snorted.
“You’ve brought down countless bad guys with Kaine, and he’s constantly threatening to set your arse on fire.”
“That’s just how Kaine shows love. I smell a budding bromance.”
Ripley grabbed Balthazar and kissed him.
“Be careful when you get to that house. Asfrid was created and raised by Loki.Wemight think she’s an idiot for being this stupid after she already betrayed him once, but you don’t do all that unless you think you can win. She’s not a mother, but she’s been around long enough to know what the supernatural community does if you go after a kid.
“Scooter is the type of nut that will have some kind of safe room to barricade himself in when his fictional battle with the government goes sour. Asfrid knows Loki can teleport and that he’ll find her, eventually. I’m sure she thinks she’ll be gone before that happens, but she’ll have precautions in place if he does.”
I hadn’t noticed Wyatt come over. He had been glued to Loki and Reyson’s side, trying to find out all their plans, but he had super hearing since he was a shifter and heard what my sister was saying.
“His basement is like that. Scooter wouldn’t let us inside, but when he gave us the tour, he claimed no one was getting inside, not even a god. He said in addition to the supernatural metals, he also had the walls lined with a special kind of stone imported from Egypt they used to use in the pyramids to keep the gods out.”
Reyson and Loki came over, and Reyson started giggling.
“I knew this stone mason named Tarik back in Ancient Egypt. He discovered this stone that is now known as serpentinite. Now, Tarik was a bit of a con man and tired of rich Egyptians using slaves to come to get his stone, barely paying him for it or not paying the slaves at all.
“Tarik and I used to get drunk and talk all night. He was fascinating. Tarik knew damned well the gods weren’t interested in breaking into pyramids and stealing from the rich people. That’s not to say graverobbing wasn’t a big fear back then. So, he ran this long con with me doing a little assist that his new stone would keep gods from portalling into some big important person’s pyramid and stealing the trinkets they left behind for the afterlife.
“Some of the other gods found out and got, like, really offended by the idea that they were sneakily stealing from the dead. So, they cleared up that rumor really fast, and I had to help my friend go into an early form of supernatural witness protection.
“Anyway, Scooter gotmassivelyscammed, probably by Tarik reincarnated in a new body who stumbled on a con he ran back in the day. That stone isn’t doing a damned thing except fleecing him of a good bit of money and making him look like a complete idiot when we get in there, rescue the hostages, and make a little mess.”
