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“No, you did promise me a whole football team once upon a time.” His nose traces the span of skin from my ear to my shoulder as he pulls the strap of my dress down.
“I’ll enjoy all the trying till we get there.”
My sight returns and Essos is standing before me, looking bewildered. “Daphne, can you hear me?”
“Yes, why are you shouting?” My emotions are calmer than before, and I can’t remember why I was so worked up. I know what we’re doing and why, but the small girl chasing butterflies lingers in my mind. I look around our group to see we’ve been joined by Bria, who might be the most armed out of anyone here.
“Why am I shouting?” His laugh sounds crazed and he crushes me to his chest. “I’m shouting, love, because you were catatonic, standing here with your eyes pure white.” Essos looses a shaky breath, unafraid to show our friends this side of him.
“It felt like a dream,” I whisper, trying to puzzle over what just happened.
“Unfortunately,” Xavier interrupts, “we don’t have much time before the wicked witch descends with her flying monkeys.”
Tink edges to close to where I stand, shoulder-checking Galen as he goes. “Besides, Daph is our secret weapon.” Tink gives me a wink before gesturing at me. “May I?”
I have no idea what to expect, but I nod, watching him drop to his knee beside me.
“I hate to break it to you, but she’s already married,” Essos points out with an amused smirk.
“No reason it can’t be a party,” Tink teases. His sure fingers grip the side of my gown at the hem and tear it straight up along the seam. He draws the freshly-made dagger from his bag and sets to strapping it to my leg. There is a question in his eye, as he has to reach between my legs to secure it, and I nod, trying to give him the space he needs.
Essos frowns as he runs a hand through his hair, mussing it. “Is this necessary? I would like to keep my pregnant wife out of this as long as possible.”
Tink tightens the straps before looking at Essos. “And that’s why we need her to have the blade. Posey is going to expect you to keep Daphne out of this. She is going to expect Daph to be sheltered and protected. She’s not going to see it coming when Daphne buries this into her side.” Before sliding it into the holster, Tink hands the blade to me so I can get a feel for the weight.
It’s heavier than I expected. It has a silver handle, and the blade is as red as the blood that made it. The handle is intricate, with skulls and flowers that I imagine was not strictly necessary. I enjoy the feel of the weapon in my hands. Sitting atop the hilt is the same stone that once held Galen’s soul.
Tink nods as I inspect it. “The stone was surprisingly easy to snap off, but maybe those are just my big brawny muscles. You need to stab her with it and leave it in as long as you can for it to steal her powers. Cutting her with it won’t drain her powers. Shoot for at least ten seconds, twenty if you can manage it.”
I think of the last time I stabbed Posey, when I had to leave the other God Killer blade behind in her flesh. And how she crushed my windpipe during that same encounter.
“Will it kill her?” I ask, marveling at the blade. It’s smaller than its twins, but the edges are curved in the same way.
“If you stab her in the heart or face, yes. But if you did something like slit her throat, she will probably recover, albeit slowly, and she will need a healer to keep her alive. She’ll be left with a nasty scar, but the intent was not to kill, I thought.”
Dave, Spot, and Shadow trot in, and I wish I had some sort of protective covering for each of them, but it doesn’t make sense. If my great protectors are getting involved in this fight, they’re doing it in their other form, and when they’re like that, there is little need for protection.
“What did I miss?” Dion asks, strolling down the stairs. He has on a beige fedora that flattens his afro. His casual button down and shorts affect the look of a man headed to a vineyard for day drinking, not one that is headed to a fight.
“Nothing. Is Finn safe?” Essos asks. My husband has a hard time tearing his eyes from me as I slip the blade into its holster.
“Yes, I’m here for the last of my charges, Cat and Daphne?” Dion holds out a hand to Cat and she takes it. His head swings to me, and I shake my head.
“I’m not going,” I reiterate. My heart thunders in my chest, knowing what today is going to bring, but I won’t be away from Essos when it happens.
“Good, because I have onelastgift for you,” Tink interrupts as he pulls a small metal badge out of his pocket and affixes it to the front of my dress. This time, he’s too focused on his task to ask if it’s okay to touch me, and it’s when his fingers brush the swell of my breasts that he realizes his error.
“Enjoying yourself?” Essos asks with an eyebrow raised.
Tink looks beyond my dress to where he’s touching and lets me go immediately. “I’m so sorry. I should have asked.”
“No, no, you’ve already started, finish what you’re doing. Ignore my husband. If you keep touching me like that I might wonder howelseyou touch a woman,” I joke. Over his shoulder, color rises on Callie’s cheeks.
Tink goes back to what he was doing, rubbing the surface of the little metal attachment so it blends in better with my dress. I tilt my head down, and it looks like it’s just a broach. It’s not ornate, but it’s the simplicity that lets it match my gown.
“That’s the second time in as many minutes that you two have propositioned him. Since when are you swingers?” Xavier interjects.
I scowl at him. “You’re just jealous that I never slept with you.”
