by Amy Sumida
My experiences in India and Peru touched me on a deeply spiritual level. The Taj Mahal was a testament to the lengths a man would go to for love, and Machu Picchu was proof of the greatness humankind has always possessed. If I ever doubted my ability to reach a goal or conquer an enemy, I would remember those two places. If humans could create such things without magic, then I should be able to do anything.
My Valentine's Day/Week was going spectacularly. After Kirill and Toby, I went to Chile with Azrael. We went gliding over narrow, frigid rivers, between sheer, pastel-blue, translucent glaciers glowing with sunlight, Divinity departed before that frozen glory, leaving me feeling peacefully insignificant. Then Az and I made love in a wood-paneled refuge with a view of the Patagonian Mountains as a backdrop.
In the middle of the night, Azrael took me flying over the park; a gleaming river to one side and snow-capped mountains to the other. I kept us warm as we flew and even when we landed to have wild sex on a steep, rocky slope; my bare back pressed against the mountain as Azrael held my thighs. At first, he protected us with his wings, but I asked him to put them away so I could see the world stretching out behind him as we made love.
Despite our romp on the mountainside and our glacier glide, my day in Chile felt luxurious compared to my day with Trevor and the Wolf than. From a pampered experience of nature, I went into the untamed wilderness. But Trevor made roughing-it sexy. We ran free in our wolf forms through the forest during the day and then cuddled by a campfire beneath the stars at night. We made love in the open; a thick mattress Trevor's only concession to comfort. Flames and moonlight colored our skin in molten metals as the forest clicked, creaked, and cried out around us. It was savagely beautiful, just like Trevor, and our lovemaking became a primitive dance that neither of us could ever tire of.
“I wish we could stay here forever,” Trevor whispered against my neck after one particularly passionate session.
We had just been for a wolf-run and had shifted back to human to make love on the shore of a lake. We'd gotten terribly dirty—grass and debris everywhere—but neither of us cared. The lake was a few feet away, we could wash when we were done. Trevor was still inside me, slowly twitching back to life, so I wasn't sure when exactly we'd make it to the water. But, again, I didn't care.
“This is magnificent,” I agreed. “But there are other wondrous things in the realms. I've had recent proof of that with these Valentine's gifts.”
“Agreed,” Trevor murmured. Then he lifted his face to look at me. “But I'd give up the wonders of all the worlds simply to have you beside me, running wild through this forest for eternity.”
“I love you, Honey-Eyes,” I whispered.
There was nothing else I could say to that. We both knew that I wouldn't give up everything to be there with him. There were too many other people who I treasured. But instead of being saddened by that fact, Trevor accepted it along with my love.
“I love you more than the Moon, Minn Elska,” he said softly. “And I would give it to you if I could. You've given me the world, after all, when you conceived our son.”
And that was why Trevor could accept that I couldn't abandon everyone for him and his forest. Because soon, he'd have someone else he could never give up too. Having a dream of living alone with your lover is sweet, but the reality of a life full of love from family and friends as well as lovers is far more satisfying in its reality. We celebrated that growing truth under Trevor's precious Moon and howled with the beasts when we found our release.
In the morning, Odin arrived to trace me to Bali. The Four Seasons Resort at Sayan; dear Gods. I have never been so wowed by a hotel before. In the middle of a lush jungle, we entered the hotel through a covered bridge that spanned the treetops and deposited us on the top of the hotel. We stood on a platform in the center of the circular roof with a pond full of lily pads filling the rest of it and the most amazing view of the verdant mountains surrounding us. We headed downstairs into the hotel, checked in, and were taken to our private villa; entirely hidden in the forest. The rooms were all white and golden wood, with mosquito netting enclosing the massive bed and slatted doors making up most of the outer walls. Opening them turned the villa into a pavilion. A very luxurious pavilion.
We had the Royal Villa with one of those unique, through the roof entrances similar to the main portion of the hotel. It rose a proud two-stories with a private dining room, staff quarters, outdoor showers, a bathroom with a tub that might as well have been outside, and it's own pool overlooking its private gardens and the Ayung River. A Balinese masterpiece.
The hotel offered unique activities like cooking and wood-carving classes as well as private temple tours and hiking. I wanted to bring Kirill back sometime just so he could take one of the carving classes. But Odin and I weren't interested in taking classes, we opted for exploring on our own. We could get around a lot faster without humans hampering us.
Odin and I wandered through temples and jungles for hours hand-in-hand and sometimes much closer than that. Yes, I kissed my Norse-God husband in an Indonesian temple—it somehow seemed appropriate—and had sex with him pressed up against a tree in the jungle. We had a fabulous time and were heading back to our villa through the gardens when Odin spotted someone neither of us had seen in years; over four years, to be exact. I knew this because the last time I'd seen her was at Ull's funeral.
“Thrud?” Odin called out.
Thrud was strolling down one of the paths as we had been, looking as stunningly beautiful as the last time I'd seen her, though a bit more relaxed. She had Thor's golden red hair and Sif's icy eyes, and both were shown off to perfection. Her hair hung loosely down her back in soft waves, her eyes brightened by a soft application of sienna liner, and a flowing, cotton dress revealed just enough of her curvy body to tease without being tasteless. Thrud tensed when she saw me, and I knew exactly why; she blamed me for Ull's death.
Not only that; Thrud also blamed me for placing his soul in my son's body. She either hadn't believed me when I told her of Ull's wishes or didn't agree with her brother's choice to start fresh in a new life. She hadn't contacted me once since he'd been reborn. I'd thought she'd at least want to meet Brevyn, but it seemed as if she was still a bit bitter. And really, four years is nothing to a goddess.
“Grandfather.” Thrud nodded respectfully to Odin. “Godhunter.” Her look was far less respectful when she slapped it on me. But then, she had more than Ull to blame me for, I had also killed her mother. “What are you doing here?”
“The same as you, I expect,” Odin said. “We came to enjoy the hotel.”
“It's lovely,” her tone softened as she looked around.
“Have you seen your father recently?” Odin asked.
Thrud sighed heavily.
“I know he misses you,” Odin went on. “If you could spare a few minutes to trace over to Bilskinir, he'd be delighted to see you.”
“I'll think about it.”
“All right. It was good to see you, Granddaughter.” Odin hugged her.
Thrud stiffened but then awkwardly hugged him back. We started to leave, but I paused.
“If you'd ever like to see Brevyn, I'd be happy to take you into Faerie,” I offered.
“Does he even know who he is?” She asked angrily.
“He's starting to remember, yes.” I nodded. “He remembers Kaitlin so I'm sure he'll remember you.”
She looked surprised. “Oh. Maybe I will stop by.”
“It's his birthday soon,” I said. “If you'd like to attend the party, let your father know. Thor will be joining us in Faerie; just tell him I invited you.”
“All right.” She nodded stiffly and turned away.
“You're welcome,” I muttered.
Odin laughed and steered me back toward our villa. “How about a couple's massage on our private veranda to ease those muscles my granddaughter just tensed?”
“That sounds wonderful,” I agreed as I watched the gleaming goddess glide away.
As much as she annoyed me, I hoped she would accept the invitation. Brevyn would be thrilled to meet another sister, and I had a feeling that it would be good for Thrud too.
Chapter Thirty
After making love to Re all night in a Scottish castle, I finally returned to my normal life. I took a nap with Re before I faced it but my sleep was interrupted by a dream god. This time, he wasn't in my dreams.
“V!” Morpheus shouted as he rushed into my bedroom.
“Huh?” I groggily opened my eyes.
A broad, golden chest blocked my view, but I was okay with that. I smiled and ran my hands over the curves of Re's muscles and then up the side of his throat. He mumbled happily in his sleep and automatically lowered his mouth to mine. Re woke mid-kiss; his body twining around me; his center seeking mine.
“Um, hello!” Morpheus shouted from the foot of our bed.
Re and I looked over at him in irritation. My husband kept maneuvering himself between my legs beneath the sheet.
“What do you want?” Re asked before he lowered his lips to my neck and began sliding his way downward.
“Nemesis is gone,” Morpheus said. “Just up and disappeared. I was supposed to meet her at her place this morning, but she wasn't there, V. That's not like her.”
“Wait, what? Did you find any clues as to where she went?” I pushed Re back gently, but he only pouted and set his hands to the task he had originally given his mouth.
“No, but she's been watching Narcissus, and she told me that his father gave him a portion of his territory.” Morph scowled as Re casually followed his hands beneath the covers. “I'm still here, Re.”
“I know,” Re muttered angrily before he sucked in my nipple.
“Re!” I pushed him away. “I may have lost all my inhibitions but that doesn't mean I've suddenly turned into an exhibitionist. Cut it out!”
“Fine.” Re grimaced and got out of bed. “I'll be in the bathroom taking a shower if you want to join me.”
Re walked to the bathroom completely nude, and Morpheus averted his eyes. I averted my eyes too but for a completely different reason. One glance at Re's nudity, and I'd be hopelessly distracted.
“Go on, Morph.” I sat up and tucked the blankets firmly around me.
“Aunty Nem said that she tried to get into Narcissus' territory and couldn't.” Morph sat heavily on the edge of the bed. “We were meeting today to talk about it.”
“That's not unusual,” I said. “Gods ward their territories.”
“But once Nem has cursed a god, they can't ward against her,” Morph said grimly. “Narcissus should not have been able to keep her out. Something's wrong, V. I can feel it.”
“Okay. Give me a few minutes to get dressed,” I said. “I'll meet you downstairs.”
“Thank you.” Morph sighed in relief and hurried out of the room.
I glanced at the bathroom door and sighed too. I didn't have time to indulge in a shower with Re. I went to my dressing room instead and pulled on a pair of jeans and a tank top. Normally, I'd put on a dress but since I'd be investigating Nemesis' disappearance, I thought I'd better wear something more practical. I glanced at my full-length mirror on the way out. It was back in its proper place and all of the dust from Narcissus' mirror had been vacuumed up and taken out of my territory for disposal. I didn't want any part of it near me.
I poked my head into the bathroom to tell Re that I was leaving with Morpheus, but I didn't even glance toward the shower. I knew better than that.
“I'll go with you,” Re called back. “Just give me a few minutes.”
“I'm just going to Nemesis' territory with Morph,” I said in exasperation. “I'll be fine.”
“You're not going alone, Lala,” Re declared as he climbed the steps out of the pool-like tub and started drying off. “Where are the others?”
“Trevor's at Moonshine, Kirill is with Lesya, Toby's gone home, Az is at school, and Odin's upstairs sleeping, I think.”
“Why don't you tell Odin we're leaving while I get dressed?” Re walked by me, rubbing his dark hair briskly with his towel. When his hair was wet, I could barely see the golden highlights in it.
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes and headed for the stairs to Odin's tower.
“I see where Lesya gets it,” Re's voice followed me up the stairs.
I grimaced and grumbled all the way to Odin's room. I couldn't help acting like a child if I got treated like one.
“Odin?” I knocked on his door but there was no answer. “Odin?”
I went into the room and smiled softly when I saw Odin passed out across his bed. The room spanned out in a near circle from the doorway, the bed's square bulk leaving an odd hole behind it even though it was pushed up against the far side of the tower. I'd made Odin a table curved on one side to fit the space precisely. He had set family pictures on it; him and I together, our sons, Thor, and Ull. I hadn't realized it before but there wasn't a picture of Thrud there. Not that I blamed him; from my experience, Thrud was more like her mother than Thor; cold, unyielding, and unreasonable. Odin may love her, but he probably found it difficult to like her.
I went to the bed and gently shook him awake. “Odin?”
Odin blinked his eyes open and stared up at me sleepily; his peacock-colored irises glittered a deep, iridescent purple. He smiled after he focused them on me.
“Hey.” Odin pulled me down beside him.
The scent of crisp mountain air surrounded me, and I sighed. Odin always smelled fresh, even when he shouldn't. I snuggled in against him and just breathed him in for a second.
“Morpheus is here,” I told him. “He says that Nemesis is missing. She was supposed to meet him this morning to talk about Narcissus.”
“What about Narcissus?”
I told him what Morph had told me, and Odin sat up, got out of bed, and started putting on his clothes. I admired his thick, muscled body and the perfect curve of his ass while he did. I started to wonder if I might spare a few minutes to appreciate that divine display when it occurred to me why Odin might be getting dressed.
“You don't have to come along; Re is already insisting on joining us,” I said.
“I want to go.” Odin glanced back at me. “This whole situation feels unfinished to me, Vervain, and I don't like leaving things unfinished.”
“Neither do I.” I sighed deeply and stood. I had promised myself I'd be more careful so I didn't have the right to complain about backup. “All right, come on.”
Odin followed me downstairs where we found Re ready and waiting. He nodded at Odin in approval, and we took the elevator to the first floor where we met up with Morpheus. His eyes widened at my escort.
“Is this a family outing?” Morph asked.
“This is family security,” Odin corrected with a pointed look at my belly. “She's not leaving this territory with only one husband.”
Morpheus nodded. “Fair enough. I don't mind the extra help.”
“Alan,” I caught one of my lions as he went walking by.
“Yes, Tima?”
“Could you let Kirill know that I've gone with Odin and Re to help Morpheus find his aunt?”
“Of course.” He frowned. “Do you need some lions to go with you? I can grab some of the guys.”
“No, we should be fine with the three of us, but thank you.”
Alan nodded and ran off to find Kirill.
“Can we go now?” Morpheus asked impatiently. “I'm worried about Nem; she never misses a meeting, and she's always on time. She thinks to do otherwise is disrespectful.”
“Then something or someone has prevented her from showing you respect,” Odin said. “Let's find out what it is.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“Wow,” I said.
“Huh,” Odin added.
“What the fuck is this?” Re asked.
We stood before an English cottage. It had a traditional thatched roof, white plaster walls (Is it plaster? Spackle? Bone-dust? I don't freak
ing know.) with a wood framework, and casement windows. A wild patchwork of blooming flowers in all sizes grew exuberantly to both sides of a cobbled path that led to the front door.
“Aunty Nem likes things soft and feminine,” Morpheus explained as he led us to the cottage.
“It just goes to show that magic may influence a god's appearance but it doesn't change who they are underneath,” I said.
“I don't know,” Odin murmured. “Nemesis seems to be pretty tough inside and out.”