by Amy Sumida
“I think we can rule out the goddesses we've been watching,” Odin pointed out. “It's been awhile and none of you have seen any suspicious movement with them, have you?”
Odin drew his gaze across Thor, Re, Hekate, Persephone, and Hades. They all shook their heads.
“Macaria hasn't even left the Underworld in days,” Hades said. “And I made sure that no one's getting in or out without my knowledge.”
“Both Bastet and Nefertum are with Sekhmet. I've given them instructions to let me know if she behaves oddly,” Re reported next. “Lately, they've been staying on Bast's private island in the Caribbean. Sekhmet can't trace on her own so I'm certain she hasn't left.”
“I've got the Lamia watching the Keres,” Hekate reported. “They've been hanging out with them and haven't noticed anything suspicious beyond their unusual obsession with Fireball.”
“Since when do the Keres have fire magic?” Hades asked with shock and annoyance. Fire is his thing, after all.
“Not fireballs, hot stuff,” Persephone said with a smirk. “Fireball; the cinnamon flavored whiskey.”
“Ugh.” Hades made a disgusted face. “Why would anyone put cinnamon in whiskey?”
“No one knows.” Hekate shook her head.
“I've kept a watch on Thrud's movements, and she hasn't left the God Realm,” Thor finished. “I even went to see her—under the premise of warning her to be careful if she left her territory because Gods were being abducted—and we talked about Vervain. Thrud's still upset but love for her brother eclipses everything else; she kept talking about how happy she was to see him and discover that he remembers her. I think it really helped her when Vervain invited her into Faerie for Brevyn and Rian's birthday.”
“Good,” I murmured as I stared at Odin.
It made sense to not waste efforts watching women who were obviously innocent. If these people, who knew the goddesses better than anyone else, said they weren't the war goddess we were after, I was inclined to believe them. They were my friends, and I trusted them.
“All right.” I shrugged. “I suppose we'll just have to hope that Torrent can find the right war goddess soon.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“Can I talk to you in private?” Odin asked me after we got home.
We had just made it up to the top floor of Pride Palace. The fathers had gone in search of our children, leaving Re, Toby, Az, Odin, and me to our own devices. I had gone straight to my dressing room to get out of my jeans. I was most comfortable in dresses. I kind of hated the confinement of jeans and the extra effort it took just to wrestle them over my significant ass. But they came in handy at times. Mainly because I didn't have to worry about my skirts being blown up. I mean; blown up by a gust of wind, not made to explode. Wow, that brought some interesting images to mind.
I quickly divested myself of my outer clothing then went to grab a soft, cotton dress; something flowing and loose that I could relax in.
“Sure,” I finally said. “You wanna go up to your room?”
Odin looked over his shoulder and then shut the dressing room door behind him. “This works.”
“Okay.” I took a seat on my chaise lounge and waited for him.
Yes, I have a chaise lounge in my dressing room; doesn't everyone?
Odin came over and sat beside me. “Haven't I always supported you?” He asked.
“Yes,” I said warily. “When you were you.”
“Why won't you support me now?”
“What do you mean? Support you how?”
“With the Finnish Gods. You counter me at every turn. I've proven their innocence, and you still seem to doubt them. Ilmarinen is a friend of mine, Vervain. If our situation were reversed, I'd trust you to know your friend.”
“I haven't countered you,” I protested. “I'm following the evidence and my gut. We're tracking Qaus now, not the Finns. What more do you want?”
“I want my wife to believe in me,” he growled. “To trust me.”
“I trust you implicitly, Odin. You know that,” I said gently. “Where is this coming from?”
“Where is it coming from?” He gaped at me. “How about marriage? Commitment? I don't think it's a lot to ask to expect my wife to have my back.”
“Of course, I have your back!” I snapped.
“We're forever, Vervain.” Odin slid to the floor in front of me and angled his bulk between my knees. It brought his head to the level of mine. His hair shifted forward, golden highlights gleaming against the walnut brown, and he slid his hand up my throat and around to the nape of my neck. “I've loved you through two lifetimes; no other man can say that. You were my wife first.”
“I know,” I softened my tone as I watched his eyes glitter through green, purple, and blue; sparkling jewels full of magic and love. “I loved you first; it just took me awhile to remember. I trust you, Odin; in all things. You need to trust me too.”
Odin's eyes closed on a sigh, and he pulled me forward to press our foreheads together. “I don't know why this thing with the Finns has disturbed me so much. I've felt so unsettled. I needed to hear you say that you love me. And you know I've never been a needy man, Vervain.”
“You found an old friend and it looked as if he might have turned into an enemy,” I said gently as I spread my legs wider so I could pull him into a hug. “It's okay, honey; I understand.”
“Ilmarinen has had a hard life,” Odin said as he pulled out of my hug. “The only thing that hasn't failed him is his forging. He can make anything out of metal, but he can't forge himself happiness. The humans labeled him unlucky in love and that myth has cursed him. He's never been loved by a woman. Ilmarinen made the original Sampo—the mill that produced bounty—in exchange for Loviatar's daughter's hand in marriage. But when he went to claim her, the girl refused to wed him. He was too honorable to force her so he left in shame. After many years of rejection from other women, he forged himself a wife. But she was cold—both in temperament and body—and he ended up destroying her. I feel bad for him, Vervain. Ilmarinen deserves to be happy.”
“I get that; I want the same for my friends.” I thought about what I'd just done for Jackson and Tristan. Was it any different than what Odin was trying to do for Ilmarinen?
“I love you past the point of reason,” he murmured into my hair. “Perhaps it's having Arach and Toby here that's added to my insecurity. I don't know, but I don't like it.”
“I don't want you to feel insecure, Odin.” I pulled back enough to see his face. “I went to the Void for you, remember? When I let you leave me, it broke the future. Broke it. I had to bring you home to save myself and several people I love. You are integral to not only my life but all of our lives.” I paused to kiss him gently. “My sweet Raven.”
“You're integral to me too, sweetheart,” Odin rumbled low and sexy as he eased my skirts up. “I think perhaps I should show you just how much you mean to me.”
I lifted a brow at Odin, and he grinned wickedly as he pulled my panties down. Then he lifted my legs onto the chaise and moved around to the end to lie between them. As he pushed up my dress, I leaned back over the raised curve of the chaise. His thick arms swept beneath my thighs and lifted me to his lips, putting his hands in the perfect position to move up beneath my dress and massage my breasts.
“Just relax and enjoy.” Odin's talented tongue started moving over me while kept his beautiful stare locked with mine.
I wove my fingers through his silky hair and then swept them down; across the breadth of his broad shoulders. Odin's gaze was adoring and savage all at once. His tongue lapped long, possessive strokes over me; his mouth covering me and his teeth biting in just a little. He didn't use his fingers or even any of his sensual magic; just that silver tongue of his. I moaned and rolled my head over the curve of the chaise, but I couldn't close my eyes or look away from him. It felt more like a claiming—a sexual branding—than a gift of pleasure.
Odin watched me as his insistent, wet, hot tongue drove me
to my release; his intense, flashing gaze taking in every nuance of my face as I clutched at his hands desperately; pulling them tighter to my breasts. My body shook around him, and I half groaned/ half roared when ecstasy finally took me. But that tongue kept licking; kept driving me even higher.
“Enough, Odin!” I cried out.
Odin straightened with a triumphant look and glistening lips that he licked as he swiftly undid his jeans. While I panted through the aftershocks of an intense orgasm, he slid into me. I was so wet that he went all the way in with one thrust, and we both groaned with pleasure. He leaned over me and rested his forearms on the chaise beside my head; his body covering mine completely without crushing me. Then Odin bent to take my mouth in a wild kiss as he ground into me without withdrawing.
When I was cresting again, Odin pushed up and slid out of me to grab me around the waist and turn me around so that I draped over the rounded top of the chaise; hanging so far over it that my hands pressed to the floor and my ass lifted high. My dress was cast aside and then my bra before my husband set his feet on the floor to either side of the chaise and grabbed my hips. Odin shoved into me and began savagely slamming into me; rocking the chaise with every thrust so that I had to push against the floor to steady us.
I thought he'd ride that position to a glorious finish but before he came, he moved me again; turning me over as he sat down. Odin straddled the chaise as I straddled him; easing myself onto his shaft. I leaned back and started grinding over him as he angled up into me. His arms went around my back; hands pushing up at my shoulder blades to lift my breast to his mouth. He bit and sucked savagely as he continued to stare up at me.
Something in his gaze ricocheted inside me; made me slide a hand up to cup his face. Odin needed mental contact as well as physical; he needed to see that I was there with him, not thinking about another man. I could feel his need burning down the line that connected us.
“I love you, Odin,” I said fiercely. “I always have.”
My husband's head reared back as roared his release and a deep happiness rolled from him into me. His pleasure sent me surging into my own ecstasy, and we came together; clinging to each other as if this flesh and the sublime joining of it were the only real things in our world. No war loomed, no friendships were threatened, and no other men waited to claim me for themselves. It was only Odin and me in that moment of profound union. The man who I'd loved for lifetimes was within my arms; his heartbeat pounding against mine as the scent of sex and his own clean fragrance hung in the air.
I never wanted to leave my dressing room.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
That night was Odin's scheduled time with me so none of the men complained when we came out of the dressing room a little disheveled. We usually had dates once a month on top of the rotating bed schedule but with the Godalypse looming, we hadn't been able to go out. We were forced to grab our intimacies where we could get them.
I spent the rest of the day trying to relax; fighting the panic that rose inside me. Something was wrong, but I couldn't place my finger on it. I chalked it up to everything that was happening and all of these lulls of inactivity. We'd had more God Squad meetings over this issue than we'd had over anything else and yet, we'd gotten nowhere.
It wasn't until later that evening, when I was helping Arach put our sons to bed, that I discovered my instincts were on point.
“Mommy,” Brevyn whispered as I tucked him in.
My breath stuttered in my throat. When Brevyn called me mommy, it meant he was scared.
“Yes, honey?” I finally managed to ask.
“I have to tell you something.”
“Did you have another vision?” Arach loomed over my shoulder as I sat on the edge of Brevyn's bed.
“Yes, but I can't let you see it,” Brevyn said in a worried tone.
“Why not?” I asked gently.
“It won't let me.”
“What do you mean, Son?” Arach sat down behind me and took Brevyn's hand. “The vision won't let you?”
Brevyn nodded. “I'm sorry.”
“It's okay, baby.” I pulled him up into a hug. “No one's mad at you.”
Brevyn sighed and sat back. “You're going to change, Mommy, but it will be okay. Don't be scared.”
“How is Mommy going to change?” Arach pressed.
“She won't remember us,” Brevyn whispered. “She'll be different.”
“I will always remember you,” I vowed. “Nothing can take you away from me.”
“It's okay; it has to happen.” My son took my hand and squeezed it as if he were the adult.
Damn it all; that crushed me.
“Why would I have to forget you?” I asked. “Is there anything more you can tell us? Anything to help us prepare?”
Brevyn blinked and a tear trailed down his cheek.
“Oh, baby,” I whispered brokenly and pulled him close again. “Don't cry; I'm not going to forget you. I don't care what your visions showed you. I won't let that happen.”
“You won't want to, but you will.” Brevyn sniffed. “And Daddy is going to be sad. Sad and very angry. Everyone is.”
Arach cursed violently, and Rian started to cry.
“Go hold your other son,” I hissed at Arach over my shoulder.
He grimaced at me but went to comfort Rian.
“What else happens?” I asked Brevyn. “Can you tell me anything more?”
“You'll remember.” Brevyn smiled softly. “You will come home. Don't be scared.”
Oh, Gods; why did he keep saying that?
“No, baby; that's what I say to you.” I kissed his cheek. “You don't be scared; Mommy and Daddy are going to protect you. Nothing will hurt you, and I'm not going anywhere.”
“I know I'm going to be okay,” he said confidently. “But I'm going to be sad too.”
“No; you won't be sad,” I promised even though a painful knot was forming in my chest; Brevyn had never been wrong.
“It's not your fault.” Brevyn laid back down. “Stop crying, Rian,” he called over to his brother. “You'll be okay too. Don't be scared.”
Rian hiccuped and sniffed. “Okay.” He moved out of Arach's arms and laid back down.
That's how much my boys trust each other; Brevyn told Rian not to be scared, and he simply wasn't. But Arach was still worried. In fact, my dragon looked terrified.
“What isn't your mother's fault?” Arach came back over to us and knelt by the bed, close to Brevyn's head. “Please, Son, you need to tell us as much as you can.”
“It's okay, Daddy,” Brevyn said as he closed his eyes. “I'll be with family.”
Arach and I gaped at our son. Arach started to reach forward, but I grabbed his hand, yanked him to his feet, and pulled him out of the bedroom. When the door was shut behind us, he turned on me.
“Vervain, we need to know what he's talking about,” Arach hissed.
I pulled him further away, into the living room.
“He can't tell us, honey,” I used the same tone I'd been using with Brevyn. “He's told us what he can, and we have to trust him. He said it's going to be okay; that we shouldn't be scared. Let's have faith in that and in each other.”
Arach's body shook; a light trembling. I smelled something I rarely smelled on him; terror. A sheen coasted over his eyes and he blinked rapidly in an attempt to remove it. But then his lips started to tremble, and he yanked me forward into his arms as his tears slid free.
“I can't lose you, A Thaisce,” Arach whispered into my skin as he buried his face in my neck. “It nearly destroyed me in that future you changed, and I know it will do the same to me now.”
“You won't lose me.” I eased him over to the couch and sat down with him. Then I wiped away his tears. “Your tears slay me, Dragon. They're so rare that I wish I could treasure them, but all they do is cut me.” I kissed the lingering wetness from his cheeks and then laid my hand over his heart. “Do you feel me here?”
Arach laid his hand over mi
ne and pressed tightly. “Always, A Thaisce. When you cut us off to save Kirill, it was the most terrible pain I've ever experienced. That's how I know I can't survive the severing. It will break something inside me.”
“But that's not happening,” I said firmly. “Only you or I can sever our link, and neither of us will. I'm the one who saw you down in the caverns, guarding my body. I'm the only one who has that memory; of you in your dragon form, insane with grief, draped around a corpse in a glass coffin, with only a stubborn nurial to keep you company.” I dropped my voice to whisper, “That image haunts me, Arach. It's burned into my brain; impossible to remove. But I won't box it away and ignore it because I know it will keep me on the right path. I will do whatever I have to do to ensure that you never mourn me.”