Page 6 of Beauty At Stake
“It's not going to be forever. Just until—”
“Until what? What exactly is going to happen to change this? Do you think Anu will just give up?”
“Maybe.” Killian looked at me. “Maybe if someone talks to him, he'll give up faster.”
I stared at my husband. It was the simplest solution and one that had already occurred to me. Of course, talking to Anu was the way to go. So why hadn't I? I searched my heart for the truth. It's always better to be honest with yourself. And there it was. I was enjoying this. I liked having Star follow me around like a puppy! Ugh! How awful was that? Monstrous. But now that I recognized it, I could rectify it.
“All right.” I waved at the drink Kill had made for me. “Hold on to that, babe. I'll be right back.”
“Now?” Star asked, his voice going up a pitch. He cleared his throat and tried again. “You're going to talk to Anu now? Just . . . what? Call him?”
“I'm going to try.” I shrugged and headed for the front door. “We'll see if he answers. He's not as reliable as his sister.”
“Holy shit,” someone said. I wasn't sure who, just that it wasn't one of my men.
Ugh! Star was not one of my men! What was wrong with me?
“Anu,” I growled as I tromped across the bridge and into the garden. “He's the problem.”
“Am I?”
I spun to see a man standing under the canopy of a mangrove tree, its dangling roots trailing down from its branches to form what looked to be multiple twisted trunks. An entire forest in a single tree. Were they roots if they came from branches? They lodged in the ground so I assumed that's what they were. But I wasn't sure. Things stemming from branches were technically more branches or leaves. These appeared to be neither. Mangroves were the most confusing trees on the planet. How appropriate that Anu appeared beneath one.
“Hello, Seren.”
As I stepped closer, Anu's body shifted, going from an Angel to a dark-skinned human. He kept transforming, just as Danu liked to do when she appeared to me. But unlike Danu, Anu didn't have stationary eyes for me to focus on. And his voice was tough to hear as well since it transformed with him. God is all.
“Hello, Anu. Thank you for coming.”
“You're welcome,” a thin Asian man said.
Despite his shifting appearance, I couldn't look away. Anu was fascinating. To say the least. Being in the presence of the Divine was something I'd grown accustomed to. But that didn't mean I wasn't affected. I still felt awe when I stood before one of the Twin Gods.
“I know you want me with Astaroth.”
“Do I?” Anu smiled.
“You're nudging us together. Danu told me.”
Anu chuckled. “My sister tattled on me?”
I snorted in surprise. “Yes, I suppose so. But I asked.”
“Seren, I told you; Be my sword and I will be your shield. I protect you. In all ways.”
A shiver ran over my arms and I whispered, “In all ways?”
“Body, soul, and . . .”
“Heart,” I finished lamely. Then I shook myself. “This is going to mess up my heart. It isn't protection. You're making me want something I can't have.”
“Is that what I'm doing?”
“Isn't it?”
“No, Daughter. I would never force love on anyone. Especially not my chosen one. I want you to be happy.” He stepped closer and the light from the house's windows slashed over his face. He looked like a Demon and his eyes were . . .
“Damn it, Anu!” I pointed at his face. “Really? You had to toss in Star's eyes?”
