Stone Rose (30 page)

As one, the four men looked up, eyes widening with panic. "What—" the man who tried to speak abruptly stopped.

Cortez stepped closer to them and touched the throat of each one. Magic flared, and the men screamed in agony as bands of black wrapped around their throats. It sank into their skin like ink being absorbed, leaving behind a tattooed collar of  thorny vines wrapped around and around with a rose in full bloom nestled at the collarbone. The entire tattoo was black save for a single red petal at the center of each rose.

"Death is necessary to the continuation of life," Culebra said quietly. "It is not something to be callously used for selfish ends. All life is sacred and should be treasured. You will live until your good deeds make up for all the wrongs you have committed. When the roses are red, return to us. Go."

Stiffly the four men rose and left the temple, pale-faced and trembling. When they had gone, Midori shook his head. "Harsh."

"But fair," Cortez said. "So I am a god, now. This is going to take getting used to."

Fidel shook his head, staring at her in wonder. "I cannot believe you are ... there was a knife if your throat, caro."

Cortez held out her hand and when he took it, she tugged him close and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She kissed his brow. "I am sorry. I do wish events had played out less dramatically, but I do not think we gods know how to do anything in non-dramatic fashion. I hope you do not mind too much that I am a god."

"I don't care what you are," Fidel said. "Just do not disappear or die on me again."

"That I will not do, I promise," Cortez said. "Now, come, let us explore this place further and find you some suitable rooms." She winked at Culebra over his shoulder and led Fidel away, vanishing through one of the doors on the far side of the sanctuary.

Midori stared after them. "I find all of this hard to believe myself." He reached up to touch his hair, but it felt no different, and it was too short for him to see for himself that it was black.

"It does look good," Culebra said with a smile. "I like you belonging to me, Midori."

"I ... it is very strange," Midori said. "Have I really changed so much?"

Culebra shook his head. "Not so much." His eyes shimmered and suddenly he was holding a small mirror framed in silver. He handed it to Midori. "As I said before, it's just a side effect of being under my protection, rather than under the protection of the dragons. If Dario wanted to belong to Verde, say, he would take on the traits unique to them.  Changing your appearance does not make you mine, it's not even necessary. It's just that the process of making you mine changed it. It is my power that protects and guides and sustains you, and that power is reflected in the way you look. But if you do want your hair and eyes changed back, I can do that."

Midori did not immediately reply, too startled by his own appearance. Though they had warned him, it was still quite the shock to see that he had, indeed, changed. His face was the same shape, but his skin had taken on more of the dusky shades of Piedre, rather than the somewhat lighter, more sun-gold tones of Kundou. His hair, as they'd said, was black, and he could only just tell that his eyes were blue they were so dark.

It was unusual, but ... he rather thought he would get used to it quickly. He liked the idea of starting fresh, of having a chance to be someone new. Not a captain, not a noble. Just Midori.

Glancing up from the mirror, he looked at his new life. Culebra and Dario watched him. "It will take getting used to, but I think I like it. If I decide I don't, I'll ask you to change it. So what do we do now? You have to admit this—" He gestured to the three of them. "Is a bit sudden."

"More than a bit, I'd say," Dario said, mouth quirking in amusement. "I have no idea. A god hardly has any use for a bodyguard."

"I'm not even that much," Midori said. "I don't think I'd be much of a priest or anything, either."

Dario laughed. "I cannot see us as priests."

"We'll work it out," Culebra said. "Maybe it will work, maybe it won't. You may both decide you do not want to be so close to a god. No one did before; people are more intimidated by me than my brothers and sisters. It's not an easy life being the beloved of a god, and it's only more complicated when we are three rather than two. We can only give it time."

Though the words were lightly spoken and matter of fact, Midori knew pain when he heard it. He knew how that loneliness felt, at least in some small measure. As one he and Dario stepped closer, wrapping Culebra in their arms, holding him close, holding each other, coiled like snakes basking together in the sun.

The Lost Gods
will continue in
Poison ...

Verde is ruled by the mortal reincarnations of their Lost Gods: the Faerie Queen, the Pegasus, and the Unicorn, slain nine centuries ago at the base of their Sacred Oak. Every one hundred years, the tragedy repeats itself, plunging Verde ever deeper into despair.

Now, the Tragedy of the Oak draws near and Gael, the Unicorn, grows increasingly afraid because of a dark secret kept by the Three: If he cannot find a way to break the tragic cycle, the Twelve White Beasts and his secret lover are cursed to die right alongside him.

Megan is a long time resident of m/m fiction, and keeps herself busy reading, writing, and publishing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. She loves to hear from readers, and can be found all around the internet.

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