Destiny yelped and dropped the chains, gripping Helga’s neck with both hands, trying to pry herself free.
Pete shot upright and raced toward them. “Let her go.”
“Never!” Helga gurgled, her mouth full of angel blood.
He grabbed her wings, wrenching them behind her body and pulling with all his might. Destiny yanked on her neck, adding to the force and ripping the goose’s fangs from her flesh. Blood squirted from Destiny’s neck like a fountain. She covered the wound with her hand, but the blood continued to ooze through her fingers. Anelfenotter fainted at the sight.
Helga lunged and wiggled, trying to free herself from Pete’s grasp. He tightened his grip on her wings, wrapping them around her and holding her tightly against his chest. He needed to end this. To endher. An iron stake to her heart would do the trick, but he didn’t keep the poisonous metal laying around in his studio. That left beheading. But if he chopped off her head in front of hiselfen, they’d be traumatized for life.
“Honk, honk.”In the seconds it took him to contemplate, Helga twisted her long neck around and chomped on his. Her fangs pierced his skin, the searing pain making him lose his grip. She jerked away, taking a chunk of his flesh with her as she flapped her wings and flew to the ceiling.
“I’ll be a goddess soon,” she squawked. “So I better kill you all while I can.”
She dive-bombed the unconscious otter, taking him into her bill and shaking him. Destiny stumbled, the blood loss too much for her to bear. Pete rushed to her, pulling his trusty jar of salve from his magical pocket and smearing the enchanted goo over her wound. The bleeding stopped instantly, and the gash began to heal.
“Are you okay?” He brushed the matted hair from her face.
“I will be.” She sat on the edge of the platform, her body swaying as she took a painted goose egg from the nearest box and hurled it at Helga.
The impact made the goose drop the otter, and Max dragged him to safety while the rest of theelfenfollowed Destiny’s lead. Helga flapped, rising to the ceiling as goose egg after goose egg soared toward her.
Most of them missed—elfenweren’t known for their athletic abilities—but a momma possum with her babies on board chunked one right into Helga’s face.
The goose fell, thudding on the floor before rising to her feet. “You can’t hurt me. I have the healing power of multiple magical beings running through me.”
Pete hurled another egg at her head, and she grunted. Theelfenfollowed suit, gathering eggs into their arms and chunking them as hard as they could as they encircled her. She tried to fly, but every time she lifted her wings, his beloved team of artists threw more and more eggs.
“Stop!” Helga lowered her head and charged, her webbed feet slapping the ground as she plowed through the crowd. She knocked over threeelfenbefore taking to the air and soaring toward Destiny.
“I don’t care how many beings you have in your pocket, you’re still just a silly goose, and that’s all you’ll ever be.” His angel picked up the iron chain and swung. It crashed into Helga, the force making it wrap around her slender neck two times before Destiny yanked her to the ground.
Stunned silence filled the room as if it had been stuffed with cotton. The pregnant pause expanded, no one speaking, no one moving, everyone barely breathing. Destiny’s mouth dropped open, and she covered it with her hand, swaying on her feet as she took in the scene. Pete rushed to her side, steadying her with his hands on her shoulders.
“I didn’t mean to do that.” Her fingers trembled, and she fisted her hand, lowering it to her side.
“I know.” He rubbed her shoulders and followed her gaze to where Helga the golden vampire/Voodoo/goddess-touched goose lay headless on the floor. “But I’m glad you did.”
Theelfenmurmured, still clutching their makeshift weapons as they crept toward the body. With the help of the poisonous iron and the strength of one pissed-off angel, Destiny had ripped Helga’s head from her neck. Their muttering grew to a chitter, the looks of shock fading from their faces as the energy in the room lightened. A ferret dropped a goose egg onto the floor, stomping on it, and theelfencheered.
Max tipped a box of painted eggs over, spilling them onto the floor. Theelfenlaughed and stomped, singing “Ding Dong the Goose is Dead” as they turned the studio into a giant platter of egg salad.
“They shouldn’t be celebrating.” Destiny stared straight ahead, her expression blank. “They don’t understand what I’ve done. What’s going to happen. This is bad, Pete. So very bad.”
Theelfengasped in unison, lifting their gazes, and Pete turned to find Eostre standing behind them.
“You know you’ll have to clean this up before the hens’ eggs arrive, right?” The goddess fought a smile. “Have your fun, my children, and then it’s back to work. The hens are already laying.”
“I’m sorry,” Destiny said, and Pete wrapped his arms around her, pressing his front to her back.
“You ripped it clean off, didn’t you?” Eostre said. “That was quite a feat for someone with her magic bound.”
“I didn’t mean to.” Destiny clutched her hands over her heart. “I know what this means. An angel killed a fae. That’s grounds to start the war to end all wars. I’ve single-handedly ushered in Ragnarök, haven’t I?”
“No.” He held her tighter, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “Eostre didn’t tell you the full prophecy. ‘A sacrifice, giving up one life, can stop the war and end our strife.’ With Helga out of the picture, the balance will remain intact. You stopped the war.”
The goddess’s smile faded, and she shook her head. “I’m afraid Helga’s life is not the sacrifice the prophecy requires. Take Destiny home. I must meet with the council of gods.”
His heart plopped into his stomach to take a swim in the bitter acid. “Eostre, no.”
