The gasp was uniform as they saw her sitting there, intact and small in the massive throne, her eyes lingering on Epharis before she looked down at them all with her cheeks a delicate pink in her embarrassment. She didn't know what to do, and had no way of speaking to them. Instead, she searched the faces with as much greed as she felt from them looking back at her.
Daemon's eyes were burning, and his entire body was frozen in place, as though he had been turned into a statue. Loki was leaning against the door, a massive grin on his face and his horns gleaming as he stood in all his natural glory. Bast was staring at her with mouth slightly open, her black fur glistening with tears. Sobek looked like he was going to faint, along with Hades, who looked oddly afraid. Jaia had fallen to his knees in the doorway, his arms limp at his side and his face drawn. Aelen and Izziah looked like they had seen a ghost. Catherine seemed to be fighting to control her features, while Nayishma and Adela were both crying openly. Jagum had sat down, his paws linked on his head. There were others she had not expected to see: Dirdos the dragon looking frightened, but pleased, Versalis and Alaric looking in with delighted smiles, Anubis standing in the back with a shocked Aurora, though they seemed to have come to the party late, and not by request.
No one said a single word. No one moved an inch, except for Etani. She searched the crowd again and then again before her eyes turned to Epharis. Where were Kai and Letari?
He was watching her as well, and he shook his head, unable to bring himself to speak.
"Etani…?" Daemon whispered.
Her eyes snapped back to him as he approached the dais, uncertain and scared that if he moved too fast, he would break the spell that had her there before them.
Stepping up onto the dais, a low warning growl from Epharis was ignored and his fingers were trembling as he reached a good foot away from her still.
She watched his hand for only a moment before she lifted her hand, and her fingers interlocked with his.
In an instant he had closed the distance, and his embrace was crushing, painfully hard but she didn't protest, instead she hugged him back and his sob broke the spell.
Everyone rushed forward to meet her, everyone talking as she clung to the demon and her cheek rested on his shaking shoulder.
She hated that he was crying, but she would have cried too if their roles had been reversed. Instead, she simply held him as he dropped to his knees before her, pulling her down, and she turned her head, finding his lips with her own. He tasted better than she remembered, like honey and a million souls all mixed up into one. His hand slid around the back of her neck, and he kissed her back, hard, and yet there was a deep pain in it.
She broke away only reluctantly, and she rested her forehead against his, staring greedily into his eyes as people shouted and hands stroked her hair or her arms. He refused to let go of her hand, sitting back on his heels. Her attention was dragged away to Jagum, his musky scent close at her side and his face nuzzled against hers in greeting.
She smiled at his rough greeting and her fingers curled in his fur, allowing her to nuzzle him back in return, which he seemed all too happy about.
Jaia was still at the back of the room and her eyes met his, his distraught face sending chills down her spine. She had no idea why he looked so devastated, but it made her afraid.
A warm hand gripped the back of her head and turned her, her eyes finding those of Bast as the Goddess stared down at her and then her furry arms were around her head, hugging her against her stomach. Etani's eyes slid shut at the embrace and Bast ran her long, sharp clawed, delicate fingers through Etani's hair.
"Stop hogging her!" Sobek yelled, and Jagum was thrown aside before the furious God was dragging her out of the seat in a bone-crushing hug, lifting her bodily off the marble floor and growling.
Releasing Daemon only long enough to hug him back just as tightly. There was an ominous crack, and he jerked, her hug breaking something. He glared at her, but she was smiling at him.
A light touch on her hand had her looking over Sobek's shoulder and she found Jaia, his fingers intertwining with hers, and she smiled at him though the smile faded as she felt something hard and cold between her fingers. Her eyes slid to the side, and she felt her stomach drop out of her at the sight of a simple silver band around his finger.
Why it bothered her, she had no idea. But the fact that he had gotten married drove a stake through her heart and her jaw clenched as her eyes slid back up to his face, his chin lifting slightly in challenge.
Her fingers released his, and she turned her face into Sobek's throat, refusing to let him see her distress.
Why should she care? He was free to marry anyone he wanted and besides, she loved Daemon. But there was a part of her that had clung to Jaia, that wanted him like she had never wanted anything in that world.
She couldn't look at him, instead focusing on those around her and she was pulled into a tight, awkward hug by Hades. His face was wary. Something in him had changed, but she didn't know what it was.
Passed from person to person, it was an hour before anyone noticed that she hadn't said a word and could hardly stand on her own, let alone walk, and finally Versalis got his chance to talk.
"Her body needs time to remember how to talk," he explained.
The room fell silent, eyes turning to her. She gave a slight shrug while Sobek set her down on the throne and she looked down at her feet, able to lift her foot off the ground but the limb trembled at the effort.
"Everyone get comfortable, we have a lot of explaining to do."