How to Worship a Goddess (26 page)

Lucy leaned forward and grabbed Cat's hand. “I'm sorry. It was not my intention to spring this on you so abruptly. I honestly thought we'd have more time to work our way through this, to let everyone come to grips with what this meant. I never expected Charun to threaten my son or force my hand. But I can't allow Caeles to pay for my mistakes. And… there may be a way to hide the fact that you've taken my powers. At least for a little while. Long enough to keep you safe from Charun until you know better how to protect yourself.”

“Will I have to go away?”

The first hint of distress entered the girl's voice and it tore at Lucy's heart.

“I don't know. It may come down to that, yes.” Catene's gaze dropped but Lucy squeezed the girl's hand until she looked back. “But if my idea works, no one beyond the people we choose to tell will know what's happened. Besides, most of our people no longer hold to the old ways. They don't worship because they know their deities' powers are fading even as their individual power begins to grow.”

Another fact of life Lucy had been ignoring. “Change is coming, Catene. I don't know how or what will happen when it does, but I know you feel it too.”

Cat shot another quick glance toward Kyle's corner before she nodded. “Yes. It's almost like the pull I feel during the full moon. I can almost touch it, it's so tangible. But it always slips through my fingers.”

“Yes.” Lucy smiled, amazed at the girl once again and knowing she shouldn't be. “That's exactly how it feels. You are meant to help guide our people forward. They need strong leaders. You and Ty will give them that.”

Cat's gaze dropped and she started to worry her top lip between her teeth. “What if he refuses? What if he… rejects me?”

That was all the girl said, but Lucy heard the rest of her question as clearly as if she'd spoken.

What
if
he
rejects
me
like
he's been doing for the past year?

Lucy smiled, shaking her head. “Ty's known since the moment of your birth what you mean to him. He's been by your side since that time. But he's still only a man, sweetheart. And you were a beautiful young girl, who only recently became a woman. Cut him some slack for giving you a little breathing room. And for not wanting your fathers to behead him.”

Cat's laugh was short but natural. And it lifted a little bit of the fog Lucy had seen starting to cloud the girl's expression. When Catene lifted her gaze once more to Lucy's, it was with determination.

“Then let's do this.”

***

Carpenter Barbie, the Etruscan Goddess edition, waited for them in the dimly lit hallway of a building in center-city Reading, holding a hammer and two very large, old-looking iron nails.

“Nortia,” Lucy held out her arms to the other woman, who threw hers around Lucy's waist and squeezed tight before stepping away again. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

The blonde cocked an eyebrow and a hip in her skin-tight jeans and form-fitting black sweater.

“You didn't exactly give me a choice, babe. Besides, you and I both know you need me for this. Only I can cut fate's strings. For now, anyway.” Nortia shook her head as her lips curved in a grimace. “I mean, I saw the signs begin five centuries ago. I knew this was coming. I guess I just tried to put it out of my mind. Are you really sure it's come to this?”

Lucy nodded, arms crossing over her chest as if protecting herself. “Yes. I'm sure.”

With her hands rubbing her arms, Lucy looked cold. Without another thought, Brandon stepped up and wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her back against him. He thought she'd resist, want to stand on her own. Instead, she let herself sink into him. And that actually made his worry kick into overdrive. Goddamn it, he couldn't lose her, not now. It wasn't fucking fair.

“Brandon, a little tight, dear.”

He immediately loosened his arms. Shit, now he'd almost hurt her.

Lucy rubbed her hands on his arms, as if to comfort him. “Nortia, I'd like you meet Brandon Stevenson. Brandon, this is my sister goddess Nortia.”

He took the delicate-looking hand the little blonde bombshell held out to him and met her direct green stare straight on.

“So you're the hockey player everyone's been talking about.” Nortia looked him up and down as she released his hand. “Nice to meet you. I'm Fate, so don't fuck with me or my sisters or you'll find out why they say Fate's worse than death.”

He didn't exactly know how to respond to that as Lucy began to laugh. “I believe the saying is ‘a fate worse than death,' Norty.”

The blonde flipped her hair over one shoulder and gave a shrug. “They also say ‘Fate's a bitch' and those who've gotten on my bad side know that's for damn sure.”

“Unfortunately, her bark is as bad as her bite.” Lucy smiled up at Brand, though her lips held a faint quiver. “She's the Goddess of Fate, if you haven't already figured that out.”

“I was kinda going in that direction, yeah. Lucy…”

She reached up and pulled him down with one hand on his jaw. Their lips met in a kiss that could have very easily combusted but didn't. They both knew it wasn't the time or the place. Her smile made him take a deep breath.

“I'll collect on the rest of that later,” he said, before pressing one more hard kiss to her lips.

“I'll make sure you do.”

He stared into her eyes for a few more seconds, willing her to see how determined he was. Then he forced himself to release her.

***

They were back at an altar but this one was in center city Reading. In an honest-to-God marble temple that looked like it'd been transported out of ancient Italy.

Mosaics covered the floor, marble columns reached to the ceiling, and an altar of marble ten times as ornate as the one in the woods sat large as life in front of the room.

This altar looked like it'd seen more than a few sacrifices in its time.

Christ, he felt like he'd been transported back at least a couple of thousand years. Cat and Lucy had exchanged their jeans and shirts for freaking togas, although they didn't call them that.

Only Nortia and Sal would be allowed in the temple during the ceremony. Cat's parents had wanted to be there but Cat had shook her head and told them no.

Kyle had argued in a low, furious voice. Kyle's mate, Tam, had turned away with tears in her eyes, while Margorie, Cat's mother, had tried hard to hold back her own tears while her mate, Dan, just shook his head and stared at the ceiling. Nothing changed Cat's mind. She just said no, hugged each member of her family, then turned and walked into the temple.

Lucy had already gone in, and Brand had started to pace like an expectant father. The hallway provided enough room for him to do so without rubbing up against anyone else.

He heard faint noises from the kitchens of The Cellar, the restaurant that occupied the front of the building. Christ, he'd actually eaten here a couple of times with the coach and his wife and he'd never suspected. Hell, who would suspect that a temple to an Etruscan goddess would be here anyway?

Sal was the last to enter the room, hooves clicking against the marble floor. He didn't look at anyone as he drew the heavy wood doors closed with an audible thud.

Brand slumped back against the nearest wall and prepared for an excruciating wait.

***

“Catene, I have to ask again.” Nortia stared the girl straight in the eyes, her gaze piercing. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? Knowing that your life will never be the same?”

Lucy realized she held her breath as Catene stayed silent. This entire plan hinged on the girl's willingness to assume her role. If she didn't, well, Lucy would still be trading herself for Caeles and Charun would be one goddess closer to escaping Aitás.

“I
am
prepared, Ladies. I just… there's so much I don't know.” Catene turned to Lucy, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Lady Lucy, I'm going to need your help. I don't want to do this alone.”

Lucy grabbed the girl's hand, her heart breaking at the fear she now saw in the girl's eyes. “You won't be alone, Catene. You'll have your parents. You'll have Sal and Nortia and Amity and the rest of the pantheon by your side. And Ty will be here for you. You know that. He won't let you down.”

“What if I'm not strong enough, Lady?” The girl had her
cimaruta
charm, much like the one she'd given Brandon, clutched in her own hand. “What if I can't be what they need me to be?”

Lucy smiled, knowing that in this, at least, Catene had nothing to worry about. “For the past millennium, I've been mostly useless to our people. I've been able to use what little power I have left to strengthen the wards on the
lucani
den and my own little village. I've also been able to boost Cole's powers, but Catene… I just don't have the power you do. Our people need someone young, someone fresh. They need you. Everything you do will be different because you're a different person. I can't tell you how things will go. Not even Nortia will be able to tell you that. A goddess's fate isn't set like a mortal's is. And even mortals can change their own fate if they're strong enough.”

“Or they beg enough,” Nortia added.

Lucy gave her sister goddess a slight smile, knowing Nortia's defense mechanism against emotional turmoil was sarcasm.

“You will find your way just as we did. And it will be the right way because it will be yours. Do you understand?”

After a few silent seconds, Catene nodded. “Yes. I understand. Okay.” Catene grabbed Lucy's hand and squeezed tight. “I'm ready.”

Lucy felt her lungs release the breath she'd been holding in. “Okay. Nortia?”

“Well, since we're all winging this,” Nortia twirled the hammer in her hand like a baton, “we better get started. Lucy, Catene, on the altar. Sal, get your chant on. And let's all pray to the Great Mother Goddess that we don't fuck this up.”

***

Lucy didn't know how much later it was when she opened her eyes.

She only knew she felt empty. As if someone had taken a giant ice cream scoop and used it to clean out her body.

“Lucy, don't move.” Nortia's voice seeped through the ringing in her ears. “The transfer's almost complete.”

Forcing her eyes to focus, Lucy stared at the ceiling above her.

She felt the warmth of Catene's body next to her as they lay side by side on the altar but she couldn't tell if the girl was awake or unconscious.

Probably the latter.

Lucy had lost consciousness for a short period of time after Nortia had given her the hammer and she'd pounded one of the nails into the wall of the temple right by the door.

Every December, in her role as the Goddess of Fate, Nortia cut the strands of fate of the past year, basically wiping the slate clean for the next year, by hammering one of her nails into the doorway of this temple.

When Lucy had pounded her nail into the wall, she'd cut her own fate's strings.

She was pretty sure that's when she'd passed out, so she wasn't sure what had happened to Catene when she'd removed the same nail and repeated the ritual, making Catene the repository of Lucy's power.

It shouldn't have been painful. But that emptiness
hurt
.

She refused to cry, though. Instead, she thought of Brandon. His warm dark eyes. His easy smile and the intense look he got when he was making love to her. Yes, thinking about Brandon making love to her was much better than thinking about anything else.

“Lucy, how are you holding up?” Nortia's hand gripped hers.

“I'm fine.” Physically. “How's Catene?”

Nortia didn't answer right away and Lucy turned to focus on Cat's face.

Her breath caught in her throat. Blessed Mother Goddess, the girl looked so pale. Beautiful, but so still… like Snow White in the glass casket. All they needed were a few dwarves to make the scene complete. Of course, they had Sal, but he certainly wouldn't want to be compared to Sleepy and Grumpy, although Grumpy did occasionally fit him…

Lucy closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off again, dreaming of her own Prince Charming waiting to kiss her back to life.

***

Brand heard the faint sound from inside the temple at the same time Kyle and Dan stood abruptly.

Apparently
berserkir
heard just as well as
lucani
.

Margie and Tam, who'd taken his place pacing the hallway for the past five minutes, stopped and ran back to their mates just as the door opened and Sal stuck his head through.

“Everybody made it through.” Sal put out his hand to stop Kyle from barging past him. “You're gonna need to give Cat a few minutes. She doesn't want you to see her yet.”

“Is she okay?” Margie's voice held tears and she had to take a deep breath before she continued. “Is everything…”

She couldn't continue and Dan tightened his arms around her.

Sal reached for Margie's hand. “She's gonna be fine.” Then he turned to Brand. “You need to come in.”

The air left his lungs in a rush, as if someone had hit him.

Something had happened to Lucy. He knew it. He could barely smell Lucy. How was that possible? Pushing off the wall, he slid past Sal. The
salbinelli
wouldn't have been able to stop him. He had to get to her and nothing was going to stand in his way.

But when he saw here, so still and pale on the altar, his heart fell into his stomach and he nearly stumbled. He barely noticed Cat, standing at the side of the altar as Nortia helped steady her.

Reaching for Lucy's nearest hand, he laced their fingers together. “I know she looks bad but we can't find anything wrong with her.” Sal let his hand fall on Lucy's shoulder. “We just haven't been able to wake her.”