Chapter 173

Chapter 173
Isla
"Does it have to be virgin blood," I ask Pesephone one day. "It can't just be a young child's blood. We have child donors. We never kill them, but I can get some of their blood."
"Virgin blood, fresh from the source. Your strange, cold stored blood doesn't work. It loses its... essensce."
I've been feeeling sorry for the goddess as of late. She's fading more with each day. She doesn't move, not even during the day when Aeron and I go to our bedroom to hide from the blazing son. Persephone sits on the balcony. Invisibile to others, but unfortunately I can see her and I'm very aware of her presence.
Aeron returns from his business as king and locks the door behind him. It beeps and then I hear the locks slam home. It's a new system - magic, vampire, werewolf, fae, and human-proof.
He leave Persephone to her misery and step inside to kiss my groom - hard and long - in a way I haven't done in quite some time. "Oh," he says, a little breathless when I break away from him. "Someone's in a better mood."
I am. I never told him about Persephone. The goddess who is slowly decomposing on our balcony. Vladimir is aware of her existence, but he never brings it up. Some nights, he comes up here to visit with her while Iperform my queenly duties with Aeron.
"I sent Valeria away today," Aeron says and kicks off his shoes. "She learned her lesson, I think. Time to return to her duties as queen fo the South."
"Will she listen to you? Follow your direction?"
"I think so. She's ready. What have you been doing all day?"
I take a deep breath in, then slowly let it back out. He has to know. He deserves to know. "Persephone has been staying here for close to three months now. Maybe four."
He's quiet for a long, long time. I can actually feel his anger vibrating in the air, "She is the shift you felt all those months ago. The danger that was coming for us."
"A danger only if we give in to her whims. If we allow her to use us to create more children for her."
"And is that your plan?"
I snort softly. "Don't be fucking ridiculous. She can barely move. I've been keeping her here... more specifically, Vladimir and I have been keeping her here, so she won't find someone else."
I walk up to Aeron and go on my toes, slipping my arms around his neck. "And even if she does find someone... I am the one who has to create her new realm. I will never do that for her."
"You say that, but gods... they are canny and they are... manipulative."
"Yes, maybe... some of them. Not this one. She told me stories... about virgins, what the fae did to human children. I don't like her. She's dying." I look over my shoulder at the balcony where I can see the greying goddess, picking at the scales of her skin. "Slowly, alas, but dying all the same."
Aeron sighs and starts to mix a drink. One of the many mixes I taught him. As soon as Persephone is dead, and our lives return to something that looks normal, I want to open a bar for the vampires. Something special. A cocktail lounge that only opens on weekends, where the vampires pay way too much for a way too cheap drink.
Aeron doesn't like the idea, but Nicolette already declared that she's in, and I could tell by the look on my groom's face that he knew he lost that particular fight.
I look at Persephone again. Sometimes, I do feel sorry for her. Like right now. She looks so alone, so forlorn, so lost. Maybe it would be better if I just kill her and get it done with. The one thing I was afraid Aeron would do, I want to do now. "You can't," he says, as always giving me the impression that he can read my mind. "She is a goddess and for the destinies to deal with."
"I'm a goddess too," I argue. "Maybe they want me to deal with her."
"No. If they did, they would have made that clear to you. They want her to suffer... she must have done some awful shit to her own people for the destinies to choose this fate for her."
"The fae did awful shit to people in general... all of them. They were just cruel for the hell of it," I kind of mutter and take the offered drink from Aeron.
"Yes, because their gods gave them permission Ours never will."
"You sound very sure of yourself, Aeron Stoneheart."
"Because I am. It's in our holy scripture. Humans are our food, but needless suffering is against our religion, our laws."
"And everyone beliefs. Everyone follows the laws?"
"Of course not," he says and sips his drink. It's not too bad, but it has a bitter under taste, almost like grapefruit. "That is why we have measures in place to punish them if they disobey."
"What will you do with Morvahn?" I ask. I can feel him - his desperation and fear. He is my son, and I want to protect him. It is my duty to protect him.
"Leave him where he is."
"But you are letting Valeria go."
Aeron nods curtly. "She is thousands of years old. She knows her place in the world."
"And how will Morvahn learn, if we just keep him locked up in the dark. He's not a miscarriage. He wasn't born wrong. He just needs a little... guidance."
To my surprise, Aeron's gaze suffer. "Do you think you can pull yourself away from your ailing goddess for a few hours tomorrow?"
"Yes," I whisper, almost holding my breath.
"Then we shall visit with out son. We'll... ascertain if he has come to his senses yet. He did what a lot of vampire sons do right after they are made... except he has magical abilities and he's dangerous to other, lesses vampires. I am not making any promises here, Isla, but if he improved we can see about letting him out of the dungeons."
I smile and nod. While I have the upperhand, I put my drink down and slide onto his lap. "Can we invite Rhema for a visit? Or go to the Northern kingdoms to see her?"
Aeron smiles indulgently. "You became a maker way too young in your life. But yes. We can see to it that you spend some time with your children."
I look at the balcony, at the goddess who is slowly fading to dust.
That will be all of us in due course. I just hope when it's my time, I take it with more dignity and die faster.