Page 41
Story: Hel Hath No Fury
“Oh, I know how.I am an Omnipotent Being.I know how to wreak havoc when I need to.Yes, I Hope, but I, like all of us, am equipped with the tools and the skill to kick some ass when necessary.And there is still the…”
“Yes, I know there were floating letters in the sky, and it freaked out one of the greatest warriors the world has ever known, Empress Scathach, but that does not tell youwhoyou are dealing with,howthey got past a shield made of not only your Magic, but also mine, andwhythey are targeting Hel.”
“Why isn’t part of the Rules of Engagement, and there isn’t…”
“You have to make the time.”Pat held up his hand when Hopper once again started to interrupt and Hop bit his tongue, literally.“What good will you be doing Hel, or anyone else for that matter, if you are tied up with Black Iron and hanging upside down from one of those ginormous palm trees with big, round coconuts about to drop on your ass from a considerable height?Huh?How much help will you be to Hel then?Do you really want your Mate to have to come save you?Is that the image you want our Cousins to get when I happen to let it slip from my mind to theirs?”
So taken off guard by Pat’s colorful depiction of the trap he could ‘potentially’ fall into that he was speechless, Hopper stood as still as a statue for what seemed like forever.Then it hit him that Pat had threatened, albeit gingerly, to tell their Cousins all the gory details if he did happen to fall into a trap and Hopper was finally able to speak.It was the need to be sure Hel was okay that overrode all his other senses, even his trepidation at being the butt of a joke for several centuries, that moved his feet to the left in preparation to scoot around Pat.
Unfortunately, Patience was quicker.Not only because he was just plain Super-fucking-Man but because he had been reading Hopper’s mind the entire time and knew what he had planned.It didn’t bother him that his Cousin knew his every thought, it was just what they did for one another when things got hairy.But the fact that Pat refused to get out of the way and stop arguing was adding fuel to the fire of Hope’s fury as nothing else ever had.He was quickly approaching out of control and irrational–both new feelings for the Omnipotent Being known as Hope.
Attempting to fake to the right, then make a break to the left, Hopper shook with frustration and roared when Pat once again stepped in his way.Done fucking around, he needed answers almost as he needed his Cousin to get the hell out of the way.“Okay, riddle me this, why do you so adamantly believe that reaching out to Hel is gonna do anything but either A) …?”He held up his index finger.“…embarrass me more than ever when she ejects me from her mind with extreme prejudice?Or B) …” His middle finger popped up beside the other.“…I get no answer and have a meltdown that brings the other Cousins and the Aunties running?Or C) and this is the biggest…” Her ring finger appeared next to the other two.“…She answers, I can hear someone threatening her life, and I have a meltdown ten times bigger than Chernobyl?Or have you not entertained any of those?”
“Yes, I did think of those ‘probable’ outcomes.I also so imagined that she might answer talk to you, and…”
Doing as his Cousin had and interrupting, Hopper kept right on going.“You what?You think she might talk to me?She hasn’t said two words to me in centuries.Wait!She’sneversaid two words to me.”
“But you…”
Still not stopping, he continued, “Not only has she never spoken to me, but she ran away from me at the Halloween party without even a hello, how do you do, whassup, and didn’t even make an appearance at the Valentine’s shindig all because she knew I was going to be there.Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that speaks volumes.Don’t you?”
“That’s just not…”
“Yes, it is true, and it is the case.You know it and I know it.”Hand returning to Pat’s shoulder, Hopper applied pressure and added, “But none of that matters.Sheis all that matters.Hel is everything.”
“I know.”
“I know you know but you are gonna listen.I don’t care if she ever speaks to me, ever looks at me, ever even utters the word hope as long as she’s okay.I have to know that she’s safe.”
“She’s a goddess, Hop.She can…”
“Sure, she can take care of herself innormalsituations.I mean, I have replayed what we saw when Fate and Arawn and the whole crew were in the Chihuahuan Desert, and she was nothing short of magnificent.But think about this…” He pushed against Pat’s shoulder for a second time and squeezed to be sure he had his attention.“Someone knows that she means something to me.They also knew that Dreki Island means something to me.Furthermore, they know that Amazonian Clans are there.Why else wasthatmessage placed onthatisland with Hel’s name in it?And who, besides you and me, knows all of that information?”
“Well, shit,” Pat spat, huffing an exasperated breath as he pushed his fingers through his hair.
“Exactly.So, you see, I really have no choice.It doesn’t matter if it’s a trap, a practical joke, or anything in between.Ihaveto go.Whatever happens to me happens.It’s not like I can be killed.Sure, it would suck to be… to be…”
“To be trussed up in Black Iron, hanging upside from the thickest part of the frond of an overgrown palm tree with coconuts about to fall on you?”
“Yeah, that,” Hopper scoffed.Fingers once again raking through his out-of-control curls, he added, “So, either get out of the way or come with me.I don’t care, but I’m…”
Stopping when Pat raised the index finger of his left hand, Hop shifted from one foot to the other to keep from barreling through his Cousin as he rattled off, “Either you contact Hel, or I will.Better yet, if you don’t call her, I will reach out to Faye and Desi, and you know what that means.”
“Fine, fine, fine!I’ll do it.”Turning to the side, he was just about to mentally reach out to his Mate when a thought crossed his mind.Something he’d said to Pat echoed in his mind.Why else was that message placed on that island with Hel’s name in it?And who, besides you and me, knows all of that information?
Shaking off the sinking feeling that he was not going to like anything that happened in the next little bit, Hopper bit the bullet and did as Pat asked.There was no way come Hell or highwater he was going to have Faye and Desi joining Pat’s team and listen to all three of them giving him nonstop advice.
“Nope, not gonna happen,” he mumbled under his breath.
Then continuing to turn until his back was facing Pat, Hopper let his eyes slide closed.Picturing Hel’s gorgeous face, the lovely way her eyes sparkled when she laughed and the irresistible curve of her hips, he opened the mental connection he shared with his Mate as wide as it would go.Forcing himself to smile, not knowing if it would make a difference how his voice sounded mentally but not taking a chance of screwing anything up, he tried as hard as he could to be pleasant as he drawled in his best Southern accent,“Hey, Hel.It’s Hopper.I know we haven’t talked much…”He chuckled to relieve the tension–his, not anything he felt coming from her side.“But I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing.”Another chuckle, and he added,“So, how y’all doin’?”
Feeling nothing.Actually, less than nothing, not even the Magic that was always there even though they weren’t conversing or sharing anything, he slowly counted to ten.Inhaling deeply, he tried again,“I promise I’m not being a stalker.I just wanted to check in.Are you there?”
Starting to count for a second time, he made it to four before turning around, glaring at Pat, and announcing, “Saddle up, Partner.”
“She didn’t answer?”The sadness in his Cousin’s voice was profound.“At the risk of repeating myself, I gotta say,shit.I was sure she would and everything would be okay.”
“Yeah, well, this is the one and only time I get to be right.”
Table of Contents
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