Page 38 of Dragon in Boots

Dear gods.Damien went into the bedroom and snatched his phone from Pet’s tiny hands.

“Hello?” he said.

“Tailor, why haven’t I received any updates on your search for Cimil?” Votan did not sound happy.

Damien toggled through the options in his mind. He could lie, but if Votan found out, he would not be very forgiving. Then again, if Damien disclosed Cimil’s whereabouts, he’d lose the chance to make one last-ditch effort to help Sky. It was a question of saving his own neck versus keeping the door open for Sky.For a body she does not want, though she might change her mind.

Damien cleared his throat. “Votan, I was going to call you later today. I have a lead on Cimil, but I need more time.” That last part was true.

“Well, stop jerking off so much. That should free you up.”

“That’s abigrequest, sir, but I’ll see what I can do to resist my stellar manhood.” For the record, Damien hadn’t touched himself in weeks. After his breakup, his dick was sad.Like it has a bad cold, only without the sneezing.

Votan continued, “All right, well, keep your eye on the ball, tailor. I’m schedule to depart in three days.”

“I am on it.”

“Where are you now?” Votan asked.

Why did he wish to know? “Dallas.”

“I am sending Belch to assist you.”

“The god of wine and tightie-whities?”No…

“Yes. And tailor? Make sure he stays out of trouble. I promised his mate, Margarita, that he would stay busy. Apparently, retirement is too boring for him, and he keeps organizing pop-up wine tastings. At Target. In the boxed-wine section. They’re threatening to sue.”

“Sue?”

“I think the DJ and free spankings scare the customers away,” Votan said, dead serious.

Damien had known Belch for years. The god often got smashed and then lost his clothes. One year, Damien sold over two hundred thousand dollars of custom-made underpants to the guy and an equal amount in trousers. However, after his mate, Margarita, came along, Mr. God of Wine straightened out and stopped drinking. Mostly.

That god was born to party. And vomit.

The odd thing was that before the gods retired, they’d all had a run-in with the demon king, who was now exiled back to his world along with all demons. Damien didn’t have the details, but the king had imprisoned the gods, and they escaped through a demon portal. Then the tainted, demonic energy of the portal jumbled up their powers. Votan had inherited the Love Goddess’s powers. Cimil supposedly had Votan’s gifts of Death and War. Damien did not know what Belch got, but apparently, he still loved to party, just like Cimil still enjoyed creating mayhem.

Perhaps at the end of the day, the gods were who they were regardless of becoming infused with new powers.Votan still busts balls like a war god, that is for certain.

“It’s really unnecessary to send Belch,” Damien said. “He’ll just get in the way with his quest for fiestas.”

“You need all the help you can get stopping Cimil. The last thing anyone wants is war. Even if I love war with all my heart. Gods, I miss it.” He sighed.

See.There it was. He “loved” war. Not liked, considered it his duty, or even enjoyed war. Votanlovedit.

The love, death, and war god.

So if Damien was right, that would make Cimil the underworld, death, and war goddess. Not good. She’d been dangerous enough when she’d just been in charge of punishing wicked souls.

“I must go now,” Votan said. “Emma is packing for our ancient Pompeii trip, and I know she’s going to leave me with nothing but loincloths.”

Votan hung up.

What is wrong with these deities?The answer was everything.

Damien needed to tread carefully from here on out because Cimil was more dangerous than he’d realized. Unfortunately, she also held all the cards.

Someone really needed to end her for good.

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