Chapter 16

Fact Check. This was originally going to be my ending, but I decided there was too much of the story left untold.

 

Katerina walked softly into the room. The curtains hovered above the windows, lifeless and drab. It was stifling with no air circulating. Like a sickbed, she thought. How the girl could stand to sit in this room for hours at a time was beyond her. She found Devlyn curled up on the cushion in front of one of the bay windows, staring lifeless out into nothing, eyes unfocused through the crack between the curtain and the window’s edge. She wasn’t even looking out; as though she couldn’t get passed the images in her head long enough to focus on reality.

“Dev?” she called softly.

No response. Gods, how much worse could it get? The young woman had practically hid herself away after those first few days, and that was perfectly understandable. A woman’s first time naturally required serious thought and reflection. Being doubled with that first time appearing to be a one-night stand didn’t help matters either. Add to it that the perpetrator of such was supposed to be the one being in the entire universe who loved her unfalteringly didn’t help to ebb the pain. She was right in claiming a few days of solitary confinement and peace. But she had eventually come around and confessed what had happened. They had talked about it, with both Katerina and Mariad alternating and combining to offer her comfort. They discussed both of their lives, including Katerina's own night of passion.  They had drunk several bottles of wine and pronounced both brothers to be utter a******s, then laughed about it.

But that had been weeks ago now. Devlyn had spent a few weeks being relatively normal, albeit much quieter. She did routine work, spending much of her time reading novels from an outside table at Café du Monde. She had gone outside and been active. But now�"something drastic had changed recently, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on anything in particular.

She glided across the floor over to the window and put an arm around Devlyn's shoulders. “Sweetheart, what is the matter? This isn’t like you at all, doll.”

Devlyn looked down and Katerina watched as a lone tear wandered its way down her smooth cheek. “I know,” she whispered.

“He’s still not back?” Katerina questioned. If Bane had returned to the city, she knew Devlyn would have known, would have felt it.

“He’s not coming back,” she said quietly. She knew, deep in the hurt inside her, that he wasn’t going to return to her. Somehow, she had been found wanting, lacking, in his eyes in some way. Maybe she hadn’t been passionate enough, or maybe he had always just wanted one night. Either way, he had left her.

Katerina sat down on the other side of the cushion, her back against the wall. Her feet carefully curled under her, she made herself comfortable in the seat. She fully expected to be here a while with a heart to heart talk. “So, Devlyn, what are you going to do about it?”

She sighed and finally looked up. “I’ve thought about it long and hard lately. I need to go home. I miss my mother, my surroundings. Being on earth all this time has weakened me. And I want my throne. If Bane still wants to join with me, so be it. I can live mated the way my parents are. I don’t care. I want my throne. This place,” she said as she gestured around with her hands, “is all that matters in the scheme of things, at least to me. And I don’t want to lose it.”

There was a steady determination in her voice that Katerina had not heard in some time, and as she looked into the goddess’s eyes, she saw a cold determination, coupled with a hardness that made her heart truly ache to see.

“When?”

“Today. I’ve felt so drained physically here, until that fateful night. I feel better, more powerful than I have in centuries, maybe ever. I can’t explain in, but it’s rejuvenating. And I figure that while I have this new surge, I should try to take advantage of it and go back.”

That seemed to make sense. It hurt to see such a happy, loving individual feel and become so dark and brooding. Her innocence had left her and in its place was a hardness and solemnity that was shockingly out of character. She would kill Bane herself if she saw him. He had stolen Devlyn’s most valuable commodity, what had made her so special and unique. Wherever he was, she hoped he was rotting. Katerina’s sense of friendship and protection of those she loved ran deep, deeper than all of her musely charms, down into what had made her a great warrior once.

“You’re leaving me today?” she asked, her voice choking in her upset. “When were you going to tell me?”

Devlyn shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure. I think I always took you and your brother for granted. I’m sorry for that, Katerina. And I want to express my sorrow and penance if you feel I wronged you in creating you, making you what you are. If you regret becoming a muse, I am sorry for my part in it.”

Katerina narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why are you talking as though you’re giving your last goodbyes or your final confession or something?” D****t, why was Devlyn acting so strange? Something had been up for a while now, but this change was so damn drastic.

Devlyn got up from her perch. “I do not know if our paths will ever cross again. You’re Greek. I’m from an entirely different pantheon. I wanted to tell you before I left.”

“You’re leaving now?!” she demanded.

“Why not? Now is as good a time as any.”

“What about Aren? Doesn’t he get his own goodbye?” Katerina searched for any kind of delay or stalling tactic, anything to make Devlyn stay long enough to listen to reason and get her sanity back.

Devlyn’s eyes turned sad. “I don’t want Aren to see me this way. But I love him, tell him that. And that I have cherished the time I have had with the both of you. But I really must go, Katia.”

“Now?” Tears filled her eyes. It didn’t make sense, so suddenly deciding to leave. She had known the day would come when Devlyn would finally come to her senses, but she had never pictured it this way in her mind. She had never pictured Devlyn so…serene. It was disconcerting. Like a death, that’s what this goodbye reminded her of.

Devlyn embraced her. With Katerina standing, Devlyn only came to her chin. “Yes.” She stepped back and braced herself. She shimmered often as a mode of transportation, but this was quite a different journey.

Katerina watched as her body swirled and dissolved. The empty seconds filled the air and just when she wanted to break down in tears, Devlyn’s form reappeared.

Slowly, Devlyn opened her eyes, only to be deflated as she found herself standing once again in the middle of the Queen Anne bedroom. “D****t! Why am I still here?” she demanded with a stomp of her little foot.

Katerina blanched. “You…you’re not gone,” she pointed out belatedly, only to receive a stare saying clearly “duh.”

“But why?”

Katerina shook her head. “I’m as bemused as you. Why wouldn’t a god be able to jump?”

Devlyn searched her mind. “Another god could strip their powers, but I haven’t actually battled, warred, or been in combat with anyone to have that happen. I came here of my own free will and this is my domain. Earth itself is mine to rule. I should be able to come and go as I please.”

“Yes, exactly. Now, I could understand if you were ill, dying, out of your mind. If something was wrong or changing and developing inside of your body. But you’re healthy, nothing is going on, other than you feeling healthier than normal. Unless you were pregnant or something, there’s no explanation,” she said breezily, as she went through the list in her head aloud. “But you couldn’t be pregnant because you’re…a…vir-gin,” she ended slowly as the realization came to her. She had come to think of Devlyn as the innocent virgin for so long that it had been her fist inclination to dismiss the idea entirely.

“No.” Devlyn quickly dismissed the idea.

“It’s possible�"” Katerina started.

“No! It was just one night,” she argued.

“That’s all it takes, Dev. One time. And from what you’ve told me, there were a few more than one time.”

Devlyn glared at her. “So what do I do? It’s not as though a standard human pharmacy pregnancy test is going to work on me.”

Katerina shrugged. “It might. It recognizes hormones. We both know you have those aplenty.”

 

 

Devlyn was pacing back and forth in her room while Katerina was in the kitchen making tea to try to soothe both of their nerves. Devlyn was already counting on Katia slipping some sort of sleeping potion or serum into hers. If Katerina was half as astute as she claimed to be, she would know Devlyn’s sleeping patterns hadn’t exactly bordered on normal or healthy lately. Just because she physically felt rejuvenated didn’t mean her mental health let her rest.

And then she felt him. She whisked around, trying to spot him in the large room, but her room was empty. But she felt his presence. And then there he was, standing at her door before her.

He walked briskly over to her. “Oh Gods, here you are! Why didn’t you wait for me?” he asked before pulling her into his arms. She braced herself and pulled back as he went to draw her into a kiss. “What’s wrong, love?” he asked, cupping her face gently.

She withdrew from him completely. “Why are you acting like nothing has changed?” she demanded.

Gods, why did she have to go and make things so damn difficult every single time? “We made love. That has to change things between us,” he pointed out.

“Yes. But that was over a bloody month ago, you a*****e!” She knew it. Seeing him again would either unleash her anger, coiled and ignited by the hurt inside of her, or else she would break down and surrender her forgiveness to him of every damn trespass against her. It looked like forgiveness wasn’t an option today. He should have picked tomorrow for his grand return.

“I woke up and you were gone. Gone! Without even a by-your-leave. You damn b*****d!” she yelled as she hit his chest with her fists. “I believed you and you made a fool of me. You betrayed me and went gallivanting across�"”

“Devlyn!” he whispered heatedly, trying to find some grain of patience without wringing her neck in the process. “I was summoned that morning. I hadn’t even showered yet before I was called.” He had to make her understand that he had never meant to leave her. He had thought he’d only been gone a short time. It annoyed him at moments like these that time was nowhere near equal in both planes. In this case, it might have ruined everything he had just gained.

“Summoned by who?” she demanded, eyes narrowed, arms crossed at her chest. No one called her a fool for following blindly. If anything, they called her a fool for her skepticism. See present predicament, she thought wryly. Maybe he was telling the truth. It didn’t ease the hurt inside of her though. She couldn’t imagine anything he could say or do that would assuage that pain and feeling of abandonment.

“Your father, actually.”

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. It was one thing for Katerina and Mariad to know about their night, and it was only slightly mortifying to imagine Reisha finding out about it, but her father was a different matter entirely. “Does he know…what happened?” She knew the answer but asked anyway.

“Yes, he did. They all felt a shift there, Aria. We need to go home, do this right. I want nothing more than to take you back, commit our ceremony in proper order, and make you deliriously happy until you burst.”

Gods, that sounded good, too good. It was hard to resist. Damn hard. But she had already numbed herself. Her anger diffused, she was left with so little. “I already decided before you appeared. I will join with you. We can live separately, like my parents and many of the other mated gods do. But I want my throne.”

He shook his head. “Devlyn, I want you.”

She met his eyes. “Then you shall have me,” she answered, determined that she was not with child, and if anyone could get her safely back home, it would be him.

Katerina waltzed towards the room, soothing cup of chamomile tea in her hands. How was she ever going to admit this to Devlyn? This was a delicate matter. Whether she wanted the child or not, both answers had weighted effects. Abrupt. Yes, that was how she was going to be with the news. She swung the door open, and stated clearly before she could chicken out, “Devlyn, it’s blue.”

 

 

There were ten white boxes, with purple lettering in front of them. All ten sticks dipped individually inside ten small plastic cups, haunting the edge of the bathroom tub. Devlyn sat dejectedly on the toilet lid, knees tucked to her chin, arms wrapped around her legs, waiting impatiently for Katerina to tell her the glorious news that she wasn’t impregnated with Bane’s child, and rather was just carrying a deadly dose of West Nile or Bird Flu. She clung desperately to the hope of such terrific news.

“Devlyn, it’s ready.”

She braced herself. She was a goddess. She could handle this. “What does it say?”

“Devlyn, it’s blue.”

Great. She was a knocked-up unwed goddess. Now there was something new.