Ascension - Book Eight - Man x Man

Chapter 121

The coming days march by in a blur, and we shuffle through periods of rest in between press conferences that taxed Verando more than I'd like, he was clearly exhausted. It would seem any time Fenrir managed to claw his way out, it left the gray-haired man in a near-comatose state of fatigue. 

I did my best to field the phone calls, finding him passed out on the sofa or cuddled up in the window seat, how a man of his stature could fit in the small spaces he crammed himself into continued to amaze me. The piercings, if nothing else, gave him peace of mind that he was doing more to keep the beast under control. 

Though the darkening roots did give me concern, worrying about it wasn't helpful when he was already drained.

Tiberius and Tucci finally surfaced when they were convinced that Fenrir was under wraps. Both the deities were supposed to meet us here to take us to Tucci's daughter's party though it felt like an unnecessary risk considering how long they'd been avoiding us. If they were truly so scared, perhaps having him around children was a mistake. 

Ron did his best to reassure me that they were both just following protocol, and Tiberius was putting in an effort to grow back his hand, a trait that I found disturbing even though plenty of shape shifters held the same ability. 

I settle into the crook of the couch, smirking slightly as Verando adjusts to rest his cheek against my thigh. Slowly, I drag my hand through his hair, marveling at the softness of the loose, messy tangles as I twist some of the strands through my fingers. My ring glitters against the sunlight streaming in, I'd be tempted to call our evening off and remain here if we weren't trying to get on Tucci's good side. 

Picking up the phone, I dial quietly, tracing my fingers casually through the hair of my sleeping warlord. 

"Oh, is this the Mercer's finally checking in?" the voice sounds irritated, I roll my eyes. 

"Good morning, Adam."

The French man had been exploding my text messages trying to figure out what was going on, it would seem our track record for trouble was a mile long and it never stopped making him nervous. Now that he was back in our lives, his involvement would apparently be necessary. Tough as it was to admit, I did like the feeling of someone holding down the front lines while we were away. Someone to answer to, a level above us again, it was nice to have someone who cared and was strong enough to have an opinion. 

"I check the news and all I see is word about a new drug and Verando on a rampage!"

I appreciate the thickness of his accent, it was much like Verando's in that it got stronger the more upset he was. "There is an Alpha serum that can replicate the scent, Ron is doing everything he can to analyze it and we have sent some off to Lotta to see if her team can do anything with it. It's tough though, nothing that has any animal influence can get close to it."

Adriam falls silent for a moment, I wait for him to take the bait only to sigh in relief as he sucks his teeth in disapproval. "Nonsense... there has to be a way to defuse it. I saw you activated the sprinkler system in your fight with Fenrir, it probably washed the scent away. Have you researched Fenrir at all? He consumes everything, you'd probably do best to stop letting him eat people..."

"Oh, I figured we'd just keep a steady stream of civilians to keep him happy." I muse, brushing the back of my fingers over Verando's cheekbone, "It's easier said than done, but Verando is taking more measures to suppress him, more silver.. you know. But the reason I'm calling you is actually some to do with Fenrir. Bastet gave me a cuff."

"Bastet, the Egyptian god?"

It felt like everyone but I knew about these gods. 

"Yes. She gave me a cuff to help with Fertility. She said my gift is incomplete, that I won't be able to maintain.. a-" Could I even dare to say it? Flinching, I sigh, wishing I'd picked a different time to have this conversation. I never knew when he was pretending and when he was actually asleep, though watching him now, with the slow movement of his chest and the light occasional snore, I was pretty convinced he was out cold.