They had pulled her back to her room, forced her to sit down, and she growled until Bast joined her, her growling cutting off as the warm presence found her and she settled into a resentful glare at the shadowy figures around her. They were talking and trying to figure out what to do with her.
"She must eat," the feline said, and Etani turned to her, looking up when a soft hand touched her cheek. Her eyes slid shut at the warmth, pressing her cheek into the soft touch.
Someone said something, but she no longer cared what they were doing, she had Bast, and that was all that mattered. Bast was there; she was safe and warm.
"Meat," the Goddess replied to some question she hadn't heard, and one of the shadowy forms left.
Inching closer to the black feline, Bast's arms went around her, and she sighed as she pressed close, the aura of safety around the Goddess trickling into her and warming her from the inside out. It was peace and love, understanding and welcome. It felt like home.
A smell caught her attention not long after and she whipped around, her eyes coming down on a heavy plate of raw meat.
Her eyes snapped up as someone shifted and she found Jagum, another feline bigger than that of the one who had tamed her, but he was not as domineering, he was not as strong, though he might have been able to force her to submit. She did not think he would have resisted the urge to mate, though, and she was glad he had not been the one to catch her.
Bast nudged her forward and her fingers released the chains at her back, keeping her long-fingered hand on her shoulder as she inched closer and slid off the edge of the couch, her eyes flicking over the shadowy forms that were beginning to take shape.
One had her wary, and his tall ears and sharp teeth made her anxious. He was all wrong, dangerous and irrational, unlike the felines.
Extending one hand, she curled her fingers in the pile of meat and retreated to the safety of Bast, her eyes flicking between Jagum and the dog.
Sitting with her back against Bast's legs, she watched the two and tore into the meat, fresh and cool. She thought it was likely human, and someone shoved the plate closer.
She growled as they touched the plate, but they retreated quickly and as the plate emptied, her head rested against Bast's knee and she closed her eyes, warm and safe with a full belly and those long fingers working through her hair.
***
It took another hour before the shapes around her took form, and she could tell who they were, though knowing who they were wasn't all that much better than when she hadn't known who they were.
The dog was still there, glaring down at her, but she didn't care. Hades was nearby, his coldness calling to her, but she stayed with Bast. They were all watching her, and it was making her nervous. Her head lifted to look up at Bast who was smiling very slightly, her white eyes warm.
"There you are," she said gently.
Etani dropped her eyes, turning slightly to wrap her arms around the Goddess' legs, her ear against the Goddess' knee.
"Etani?" a soft voice asked.
She could only close her eyes at his voice, pain pulling through her. He would hate her for her failure, would be disappointed, and she didn't want that. Not at all.
His hand was soft on her shoulder, and she flinched away from it, but he refused to let go of her. Kneeling at her side, he slid his arms around her middle and pulled her back across the carpet and into his chest. He ignored her warning growl and her tension, but then his warmth enveloped her, and she whimpered, not deserving his kindness, nor his love.
He pulled her tight against him, his cheek resting on the top of her head as he crushed her.
She didn't know when she had started to cry again, her head bowed over her knees until he turned her and she pressed her face into his chest, hating that they were all there and saw her weakness.
Blood and tears stained his shirt, but he only held her closer, warm, and safe with the scent of vampire and his particular brand of male.
Kai rocked her gently, murmuring into her ear until she had fallen silent, and the room emptied, leaving her alone with him, and those who were closest to her, Daemon dragging Dirdos out when he refused to leave at first.
They all sat on the floor around her, the couch moved out of the way while they waited for her to show signs of being willing to talk to them and finally Kai shifted, looking down at her, but she couldn't meet his eyes.
"You're okay now; we have you," he murmured.
She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, and he caught the scent, lifting her chin. She couldn't look at him; not directly. He frowned at her avoiding his gaze and gave her chin a little jerk to try to force her to look at him.
"Etani, talk to us," he demanded, fear coming out in a spark of anger that was rare for him. Finally, she looked up at him, his dark eyes burning. "Just talk to us, please."
"I'm sorry…" she whimpered, tears swelling in her eyes. "I couldn't do it… I couldn't stop them… it hurt so bad..."
Closing her eyes, she didn't want to see his disappointment in her, but he sounded more confused when he spoke in a low whisper.
"What did they do?" he asked.
But Etani couldn't say it. She couldn't admit she had been so weak as to give in, only shaking her head and fight to keep the tears from falling.
"She renounced the Winter throne to Megara," a new voice added.
There was a feral snarl as those around her moved into defensive positions around her and Kai. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked up at Kai and a tear rolled down her cheek, betraying her just as her body had betrayed her.
"What are you doing her, Hunter?" Jaia growled, a sword in his grip that she didn't know he had been carrying.
"Megara sent me to finish the job, apparently Winter won't obey her. She thinks Etani has to be dead, fully dead."
Kai's eyes were on hers and his thumb brushed away the tear, his face still and tense.
"I tried…" she whispered, needing him to forgive her. "I'm sorry…"
"What did you do to her?" Versalis growled, the group of men moving to circle the Hunter.
"What I had to do, to get her to do what was needed," the Hunter said flatly.
Kai's eyes hardened, and he leant forward to press his lips against her cheek in a hard brush before he looked up at the Hunter. "You can have her over my dead body."
"If that's what it takes, little vampire," the Hunter said, enjoying the sight of their protecting her.
She didn't see very much of the fight, her chin lifting to see Kai standing and moving away to help, but she heard it, and she clenched her eyes shut, wanting it all to stop.
Blood splashed against her leg, and she looked down at it, turning to see Jagum at her side, his chest heaving as his pores bled. Then her heart froze as she saw Kai with a deep gash across his face that had left his right eye blinded. Panic filled her as Vincent turned on him and she stood, unable to let her most beloved Kai face the Hunter. She couldn't lose him. Not him.
Vincent saw her as she stood, his eyes lingering on her for a second before turning to Kai again, torn between the need to get to her, and the need to kill Kai.
"I'll go with you," she whispered, ignoring Jagum as he tried to grip her ankle as she stepped over his limp form.
"No!" Kai snarled, turning on her.
Vincent took advantage of his distraction. The bow lifted, aiming for his back, and she moved on reflex. Gripping Kai's arm, she yanked him off balance and twisted to put herself between the vampire and the Hunter. The bow twanged and her back exploded with pain as the wooden bolt rebounded against the upper edge of her shoulder blade and shattered her clavicle.
It was far from fatal, but it hurt, and she strangled down her scream of pain as her right arm went numb.
She didn't have time to deal with the pain, however. She threw the vampire back from her, tripping and falling over the form of Jagum. The Hunter's hand came down on her shoulder and he leaned closer, a smile in his voice as he whispered to her. "Don't worry; I'll be gentle."
Etani shivered. She took in the room in a beat. Jaia was leaning against the wall with his sword arm missing from the elbow down; Versalis was sitting on the carpet in a pool of blood, his eyes vacant and staring. Kai scrambled to his feet, screaming her name, and Jagum had lost consciousness.
Her eyes met his, and she smiled faintly, simply glad he was safe. She whispered a soft "I love you," to him before the world disappeared around her.