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It was rare for Killian and I to get assigned to a Coven case—pretty much because Coven cases were rare, so we weren't sure how to proceed after we arrived at the local Coven house. They didn't have a council as such and so there weren't any council members waiting to greet us. This was more like a Fey Wild Hunt house—a place for the local team to live.

Not wanting to step on any vex toes, Killian, Star, and I stood to the side and let them handle the prisoners. The Extinguishers did the same. Our alliance was several years old now, but that's nothing in the grand scheme of things. The truce between the Human and Fey councils was hundreds of years old. On top of that, Coven Witches could get touchy.

“Nice place.” Killian jerked his chin up at the peaked roof, crowned with statues of fanciful creatures, and then nodded down at the moat that circled the traditional Thai wooden house.

“It's better than being in Alaska.” I breathed in the scent of tropical flowers. “Is that plumeria?”

“I think they call it frangipani here.” Star, leaning against a carved pillar, scoped the garden, then nodded toward a tree bearing white and yellow flowers. No matter where we were, Star found something to lean on.

“Ah. Right. Same smell.”

Kill chuckled. “Literally.”

“Yes, that's what she said.” Star scowled at Kill.

“It's also a saying, dude. When you're comparing things, you say, 'same smell.'”

Star cocked his head and mimicked Killian. “But do you ?”

“Ha!” Killian pointed at him. “Precisely. That's another saying.”

“I believe that is merely something you say.”

“No, dude. People say that. I mean not those exact words, but when they're skeptical, they'll use that tone and say something similar.”

“Same smell?” Star lifted his brows.

As I laughed, Killian shook his head. “You're doing it wrong. Never mind. You shouldn't try to be like me anyway. It takes too much wit and skill.”

“And modesty,” Star tacked on.

I laughed harder.

“Yup. Now you understand me.”

“Haven't you learned by now that nothing will faze Killian?” I asked Star. “He went through so much crap with the Coven Witches that he's immune to insults.”

Star shrugged, his lips softening as he stared at me.

I looked away.

Killian cleared his throat. “I'm not immune to that,” he muttered.

“Ambassadors? Extinguishers? Would you like to join us for some celebratory refreshments?” Melissa, the Quake Witch, who was the only female vex besides Vanessa, asked from the doorway of the vex house.

“Sure!” Kill answered for all of us. “It's nice to get a mission done in one night.” He sauntered over the bridge that crossed the moat—or is it a pool since it circled a house and not a castle? A river maybe. Whatever it was called, Kill crossed it while I was still looking at Star.

Not because we were having a moment. It was more about Killian answering for all of us.

“You don't have to stay,” I said to Star. “I know it's been hard for you to get away and you've already been out—”

“One drink won't hurt.” Star cut me off and sidled into the house.

I followed. “But won't your King's Guard get nervous?”

Star paused in the doorway to look back at me. “What about your Star's Guard, Princess ?”

I think Star enjoyed bringing up the fact that we were both named Star. In a way. Seren meant “star” in Welsh, and I'd given Astaroth his nickname because it was right there, in the middle of his name.

“We've come to an agreement,” I said.

“Uh-huh.”

“Just like my husbands, my Star's Guard stays home if the mission only involves humans.”

“That crap in Korea involved humans.”

“ And fairies,” I reminded him. “And that human stole fairy magic. So, that would have been an exception. You know, if we had the agreement in place back then.”

“I see.” He grinned at me as he casually held out a hand.

I took it without thinking, and we walked into the living room together. It felt natural to walk hand-in-hand with Star. So, even after we entered the house, I didn't let go. He led the way, drawing me across the hardwood floor, passing low tables with wooden statues on display. A vaulted ceiling slanted sharply above us, crossed by thick beams, from which hung delicate paper and wood lanterns. Open windows let the night air in, their wooden shutters latched back. Low wooden couches featured more of the local artistry, with carved exotic designs in the frame softened by quilted cushions in vibrant colors. Killian stood near the kitchen counter—a barrier between the kitchen and the living room. He turned toward me with a smile and two drinks. Then grimaced.

“Really? You have to hold hands?”

I looked down at my hand in Star's and frowned. “You're right. This is beginning to feel too natural.” I let go of Star's hand. “Shit. This is Anu's influence.”

“Son of a bitch,” Star muttered and strode past me to the bar the vexes were setting up on the counter.

“Star,” I called after him.

“I know, Seren!” He slashed his hand downward. “Do you think I enjoy acting like a smitten teenager? This has got to stop.” He splashed some cognac into a snifter and turned to face Kill and me. “I can't follow you around like a puppy forever.”

“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?”

“These are not Astaroth's eyes.” His face shifted again, his eyes going from green to blue. “But don't you think it's interesting that you saw him in me?”

I sighed. “I'm obsessed. There. I said it. I am obsessed with him. And it's not fair to the men I love. They've gone through so much to be with me. I just had a baby, for Christ's sake.”

“Why do humans always bring Christ into things?” Anu cocked his head. “He has nothing to do with their troubles. And yet they call on him, use his name when relieved or as the opposite. His name has become the panacea of expressions. But I suppose that holds true for my name as well. Or rather, my title.”

“Can we focus, please?”

Anu smiled. “You will not meet the same end as Jesus, Seren.”

“That's not why—ugh!” I tossed my hands up. “Just stop. Okay? Please, stop torturing Star and me. If you want to protect my heart, take this obsession away.”

“Very well.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You blame me for your attraction to Astaroth. I understand why, after what you've gone through with my sister. But a nudge from me is not like Danu's Call. Yes, I turned your minds toward each other. I made it difficult for Astaroth to walk away from you. But that was for you, Seren. It was for both of you. I gave you the excuse you needed to take what you want.” He leaned forward, his eyes glittering like diamonds. “What you need. Your husbands would have eventually accepted Astaroth because I pushed you together. Now, you'll have no excuse and no way to comfort each other. You and Astaroth will have to confront the truth in your hearts and then walk away from it. Your honor demands it. And that will leave you both suffering forever.”

I shivered, knowing he was right. Of course, he was. It was a fact I'd already accepted. Danu had even mentioned it. Anu was nudging us, but he'd have nothing to work with if Star and I didn't already want each other.

“I know I have genuine feelings for Star,” I said. “But that's life. You can't always have what you want. Without you turning this into an obsession, we'll be capable of walking away. And nothing lasts forever, not even suffering.”

“I think you'll discover that you're wrong about most of what you just said. So, let me ask you this; are you sure you want me to remove the compulsion?”

I opened my mouth, and he held up a hand. “Think first, Seren.”

My throat went dry. If I said no, it would mean that I wanted Star—that I wanted him despite what it would do to my husbands. It would be an admittance of . . . something I didn't want to admit. But if I said yes, that I wanted Anu to stop interfering, it would mean confronting everything head-on, with no excuses. And Star would be . . .

“Anu completed my thought by saying, ‘He’d be lost to you.’” “You will never have him. You will never see the future you could make together. The children you are meant to have with him.”

“Children?” I whispered, something twisting inside me. “Children I'm meant to have with him?”

“Yes, Seren. I see many paths for you. I'm trying to lead you down the one that will bring you the most happiness. And it also happens to be the path to peace.”

“You had to go there,” I muttered.

“I don't mean to burden your heart with the fate of worlds. That's not what I'm saying. You can hold the peace without Astaroth by your side.”

“Good.”

“You will just suffer a bit more.”

“Son of a bitch!”

Anu chuckled. “Make a decision. I will abide by it. You know I don't like to interfere. I did this for you—a gift to my chosen one.”

“Great. Now, you're making it sound as if you've been doing me a favor.”

Anu, now a very pale man, lifted a blond brow.

“You've been doing this for us,” I said.

“Yes.”

“And the children?”

Oh, fuck. Anu was getting to me with kids that hadn't even been conceived yet. But when he first said those words, an image of Star's face came to mind—of how he looked when he stared down at Miri in my arms. I'd do anything for my husbands. Anything. And yet, I'd do even more for my children. Evidently, that included those who hadn't been born yet.

Then Anu said the words that sealed my fate. “If you do not marry Astaroth, they will never exist.”

I crumpled to the grass, head hanging under the weight of the best things in life—love and family. They could lift you up and give you light in the darkness. Or they could crush you, as they were currently doing to me.

“Seren.”

A tingling on my shoulder had me looking up. Anu had a golden-brown hand on me. He had an appearance that went with the garden, some type of Asian. But his eyes were glittering again, clear as diamonds. The tingling from his palm spread through me, and as it went, my muscles relaxed. My heart slowed. I took a deep breath and let it out in relief.

“I am always with you. I accept you as you are. You don't have to justify anything to me. Just decide. Do you want Astaroth and that future? Or will you cast him aside?”

There went my calm.

I shot to my feet, dislodging God's hand. “Really? You had to go that dramatic with it?”

Anu grinned. “Those are your choices. I won't apologize for offering them honestly.”

“Brutally, you mean,” I muttered.

“Enough, Seren!” Anu's voice deepened and went stern. And when God goes stern, the world trembles. I mean that literally.

Cries came from inside the house as a minor earthquake rocked Thailand. Just a little one, but big enough to knock some sense into me.

“I choose him,” I said, my voice steady and my shoulders squared. “I choose Astaroth and our children. There is no choice, really. It is always love for me.”

“For me as well, Daughter.” Anu smiled and disappeared.