Read Online What a Goddess Wants by Stephanie Julian - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephanie Julian
Ads: Link
Uni or Tinia? To see if they’d help?”
She shook her head. “No. We’ve tried for centuries with no luck. Some believe they’ve deserted us for good.”
Cal’s gaze sharpened. “What do you believe?”
Another good question.
Did she, like some of her fellow deities, believe that Uni, the Great Mother Goddess, along with her consort, Tinia; sister goddess, Menrva; Ani, God of the Sky; and Voltumna, God of the Seasons, had deliberately abandoned their children, the Etruscan pantheon, and cut them off from Invol, the ancestral home of the Etruscan gods? That they’d hidden the entrance to Invol and forced their children to live forever on this plane of existence?
Some days…
Then she shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. I would like to believe they’re unable to answer us. That something is keeping them from us. But I don’t know what that could be.”
Something flickered in Cal’s gaze, something she couldn’t identify. “Could it be related to the problem you’re having now?”
She frowned. “Do you mean, do I think Charun has gotten to them? No. If he had their power,” she had to stop to yawn, putting her hand over her mouth before shaking her head and continuing, “nothing would stop him from leaving Aitás. The world would be overrun with the dead, and Charun would spread death and destruction in this world.”
Cal’s eyes narrowed as he thought about that, still holding her gaze. “You need to rest.”
Her mouth tried to quirk into a smile. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Then at least lie down. If you don’t, you’ll get pissy and not listen to me and then we’ll both be in deep shit.”
Now, she couldn’t stop her grin. “Oh my, Cal. You have such a way with words. Do you talk to all the girls like that or only ones you have sex with?”
The man didn’t flush, didn’t look away, didn’t show any sign of discomfort at her teasing.
And she was teasing. Salvatorus started to laugh, and finally Cal broke their gaze to give the salbinelli a glare.
“Sounds like you’ve been on your best behavior, Cal.”
“Yeah, well, fuck you, Goat-Legs. If you’d given me a heads-up—”
“You would’ve been long gone when she showed up.” Salvatorus gave Cal the finger. “Don’t piss me off, boy, or I’ll give you a tail.”
Cal shut up. Salvatorus had the power to do it.
“Lady, the kid’s right, though. You look beat.” Salvatorus stood, his hooves clopping against the tile floor as he walked to the sink. “Why don’t you take the bedroom at the top of the stairs? I gotta go out for a while, see a few people. You’ll be safe here for now. We’ll talk when I get back.”
***
The room was dark, spare, and comfortably cool, with a double bed, a wooden chair, and a television sitting on top of a low chest.
Cal immediately grabbed the remote, sat in the chair, and began to press buttons. Tessa had to stifle a laugh. No matter what race, religion, creed… hell, no matter the species, some things were universal.
Sitting on the bed, her back against the pillows, she let him flip around the channels for a few minutes.
“How old are you?” she asked when he stopped at the Syfy Channel for an X-Files rerun.
“Ninety-eight.”
“Really? I didn’t realize Cimmerians were so long-lived. But you’re still a child, comparatively.”
He flashed her a quick look. “Well, you did say you like ’em young.”
Yes, she did. And she really liked him. “Please, anyone is young compared to me.” She shifted into a more comfortable position on the bed. “So, how did you come to live in the States, Cal? You said you were born in Cimmeria. When did you leave?”
He didn’t bother to look at her, just continued to stare at the television. “A few years after my naming. I traveled for a while, did a few jobs. Discovered I liked this part of the world so this is where I decided to stay.”
Now, why did she think there was more to that story? “Are there many
She shook her head. “No. We’ve tried for centuries with no luck. Some believe they’ve deserted us for good.”
Cal’s gaze sharpened. “What do you believe?”
Another good question.
Did she, like some of her fellow deities, believe that Uni, the Great Mother Goddess, along with her consort, Tinia; sister goddess, Menrva; Ani, God of the Sky; and Voltumna, God of the Seasons, had deliberately abandoned their children, the Etruscan pantheon, and cut them off from Invol, the ancestral home of the Etruscan gods? That they’d hidden the entrance to Invol and forced their children to live forever on this plane of existence?
Some days…
Then she shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. I would like to believe they’re unable to answer us. That something is keeping them from us. But I don’t know what that could be.”
Something flickered in Cal’s gaze, something she couldn’t identify. “Could it be related to the problem you’re having now?”
She frowned. “Do you mean, do I think Charun has gotten to them? No. If he had their power,” she had to stop to yawn, putting her hand over her mouth before shaking her head and continuing, “nothing would stop him from leaving Aitás. The world would be overrun with the dead, and Charun would spread death and destruction in this world.”
Cal’s eyes narrowed as he thought about that, still holding her gaze. “You need to rest.”
Her mouth tried to quirk into a smile. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Then at least lie down. If you don’t, you’ll get pissy and not listen to me and then we’ll both be in deep shit.”
Now, she couldn’t stop her grin. “Oh my, Cal. You have such a way with words. Do you talk to all the girls like that or only ones you have sex with?”
The man didn’t flush, didn’t look away, didn’t show any sign of discomfort at her teasing.
And she was teasing. Salvatorus started to laugh, and finally Cal broke their gaze to give the salbinelli a glare.
“Sounds like you’ve been on your best behavior, Cal.”
“Yeah, well, fuck you, Goat-Legs. If you’d given me a heads-up—”
“You would’ve been long gone when she showed up.” Salvatorus gave Cal the finger. “Don’t piss me off, boy, or I’ll give you a tail.”
Cal shut up. Salvatorus had the power to do it.
“Lady, the kid’s right, though. You look beat.” Salvatorus stood, his hooves clopping against the tile floor as he walked to the sink. “Why don’t you take the bedroom at the top of the stairs? I gotta go out for a while, see a few people. You’ll be safe here for now. We’ll talk when I get back.”
***
The room was dark, spare, and comfortably cool, with a double bed, a wooden chair, and a television sitting on top of a low chest.
Cal immediately grabbed the remote, sat in the chair, and began to press buttons. Tessa had to stifle a laugh. No matter what race, religion, creed… hell, no matter the species, some things were universal.
Sitting on the bed, her back against the pillows, she let him flip around the channels for a few minutes.
“How old are you?” she asked when he stopped at the Syfy Channel for an X-Files rerun.
“Ninety-eight.”
“Really? I didn’t realize Cimmerians were so long-lived. But you’re still a child, comparatively.”
He flashed her a quick look. “Well, you did say you like ’em young.”
Yes, she did. And she really liked him. “Please, anyone is young compared to me.” She shifted into a more comfortable position on the bed. “So, how did you come to live in the States, Cal? You said you were born in Cimmeria. When did you leave?”
He didn’t bother to look at her, just continued to stare at the television. “A few years after my naming. I traveled for a while, did a few jobs. Discovered I liked this part of the world so this is where I decided to stay.”
Now, why did she think there was more to that story? “Are there many
Similar Books
