Page 34 of Laverna

Laverna gave his dick a not-so-gentle squeeze. "Maybe later if you are a very good boy."

"I'll do my best," he promised, and she left her hand where it was.

The thieves had holed themselves up in a small apartment in a housing estate in Corviale. The estate had been part of a government building project in the 1980s, and the long, concrete block apartment buildings were an eyesore.

Laverna eyed the building, all humor vanishing from her face. She pocketed the lollipop stick she had been chewing on, her aura already shimmering with power. Roberto didn't seem to notice the change in her, but Claudius took a cautious step back.

There were people lingering about in the narrow hallways, but all of them took one look at Laverna and the three men behind her and looked the other way. They were smart enough not to get involved.

When they reached the apartment, Laverna didn't bother knocking. Her divine power was riding her, and all she had to do was touch the door, and all the deadbolts unlocked. Roberto wasn't concerned though Claudius's brows shot up.

The apartment smelled of takeout Chinese food, beer, and bong water. Voices were shouting in German in the lounge room, and it took the men a moment to look up from their video game and notice they had guests. A bong sat on the coffee table, and all of them looked bleary-eyed.

"Buona sera," Laverna said, her smile menacing.

"What the fuck are you doing in here!" one of them demanded, his accent thick.

Rom picked up the TV remote from amongst the filth on the coffee table and turned it off, making the room fall into an eerie silence. The three men looked at them like they weren't sure they were real. They had to be on more than just weed.

"I know you are all high right now, but I'm going to need your puny brains to pay attention," Laverna said.

Roberto dragged a chair from a small dining table and placed it in front of the TV for her to sit on. She crossed her legs and looked them over.

"What the fuck do you want, bitch? You can't—" one began, and Laverna raised a brow at him. The man shut up.

"Look. You clearly don't know who I am, and so if you tell me who hired you and where you took the black stone, I will be lenient with you. Understand, this is my city, and you did a job here without my permission." Laverna took out one of her daggers, tossed it in the air, and caught it again. "What was the old punishment for thieving again, Rom?"

"Cutting hands off was always a favorite," he replied, not taking his eyes off the men.

Laverna pointed her dagger at the man with bleached hair in spikes. "You. Linkin Park. Tell me who hired you."

The man licked his lips nervously. "She said her name was Claire. That's all. She contacted us using the usual dark web channels. She said if we managed to pull off the job, then she would pay us five million euros."

Laverna took a folded picture of Canidia from her pocket and showed it to him. "This her?"

All three of them nodded. They were smarter than they looked.

"Where did you deliver it to?" Laverna asked.

When none of them answered, her eyes began to glow.

"How strong were those mushrooms, liébling? I think I'm getting a second high," one of the thieves whispered to the blond.

"Oh, then you'll love this," Laverna said cheerfully and unleashed her divine chthonic aspect. She floated off the ground, a black and red gown streaming around her. A crown of bones and laurel leaves sat on her wild hair, and a thick band the color of blood was painted across her eyes. All three men screamed and tried to scramble off the couch. Laverna held out a hand, and they were locked and frozen in place.

"Tell me, pathetic, mewling mortals, where did you deliver the sacred stone of my beloved?" she commanded, her voice echoing with an unnatural timbre.

Rom's pulse was racing, and he fought the urge to drop to his knees. She was at her most terrifying, and she had called him her beloved. Fates, he was going to kiss her stupid the first opportunity he got.

The blond put his arms protectively around his boyfriend and pointed to a piece of paper that was under a laptop. "There. That was the order for the job and the address. Big house. Very expensive. We put the stone in the garage and left as instructed. We saw nothing."

Laverna floated back down to the ground, and she was dressed in jeans and an oversized jacket once more. She gestured to Roberto, who dug out the piece of paper.

"He's telling the truth. They gave them this apartment to work out of while they were here," he said, scanning the page.

"The big house?" Rom asked.

"Aventine Hill," Roberto answered.

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