Redemption [malexmale]

Chapter Twenty-Four

What a woman.

My ring burned and I hissed, shaking my hand out, glaring at the ring before looking at Dania, who was giving me a droll stare, her hands on her hips.

"You just don't wanna work hard enough," Dania decided after a moment, "Let Raven and I deal with Xenon. You just get close to Ambrosius."

"No way," I warned, glancing over at Xenon, who was following Ambrosius toward his tent, "He's a god, Dania."

"So was Thor, but I dealt with him quite well, didn't I? Come on, bro, don't worry about it," She clapped me on the back before rubbing the spot and sauntering away, "You'll get a piece of Ambrosius before nightfall." That made my stomach churn. Not the thought of doing it with Ambrosius, that just made my cock swell, but the thought of Dania, and Raven, getting in Xenon's way of his job? That was mildly concerning. I knew Xenon wouldn't kill them, for fear of triggering a war, but he probably wouldn't hesitate to bash their heads together. While they needed that wake up call, I'd rather they get it from me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, peering up into the bright blue sky, wide and open and stretching on for eternity. A tingle of relief went through me as I dropped my hand and closed my eyes, savoring the warmth of the sun on my face.

I loathed that dark cold place the wraith had sent me to. I despised places like that. It almost reminded me of my father's home in Hell. Granted, it was more lit and a bit more cozy, but it was still not my kind of place. I needed to be able to see the sky, to see the sun, to feel it on my face. While most people would despise the desert, I loved it. I could think of no place better than this, with open blue skies, endless fields of hot sand, warmed by a golden sun.

This was where I felt most comfortable.

I kept that in mind as I wandered across the yard, heading for the stables. I had a sudden need to keep away from the crowded environment of people. I walked around the house, towards the stables where the horses whinnied and stomped eagerly. I approached Bethani first, stroking her face and kissing her on the nose. She nickered and nuzzled my cheek. I moved to the back of the stables, collecting some treats for them. Remi's ring quivered on my finger and I sighed as he twirled out as a cloud of smoke, then appeared beside me, wearing his black parachute style pants and a cropped tank top. There were times when he looked more like a genie than a shapeshifter.

"If you wanted them fed, you could of told me to do it." He scowled, his arms folded over his chest. I didn't look at him as I gave an apple to Bethani, who munched on it happily.

"I don't need you to do everything, Remi."

"Yeah, but--"

"I'm tired, not weak," I reminded him sternly, turning to Reti and giving him an apple, "Stop fretting, Remi, it doesn't suit you." Remi huffed, but he didn't return to his ring. He just stalked behind me as I worked in the stables. I ignored him, going through a list of the troops in my head and trying to figure out just who Hades would make the spy, but there were just too many people here. I couldn't even keep track of everyone's names.

"Your sister is gonna crunch your nuts if she sees you working." A voice said. I frowned, standing up and turning to see Castiel coming over with the Sumerian demon, Enki, who scurried along behind the wraith like a frightened kitten.

"What are you doing outside the house, again?" Remi asked him pointedly, stepping in his path to block his entrance into the stables. Castiel pouted while Enki just slipped past Remi and came over to stare up at Reti as if he were awed by the size of him. Reti just nickered and leaned down to sniff at him.

"I got bored," Castiel declared, shifting his arm in his sling, pausing to grimace before he cocked his head to look past Remi at me, "You shouldn't working, should you? You're exhausted after Cruxis had his way with you."