by Jackie Ivie
That white skin was centered in black satin sheets. It made the perfect target.
Ethelstone made a decision. Tiptoed into the bathroom and pulled a towel from the bar. Started twisting it into a rope as he approached the bed. And when he was in range, he slapped at her with it.
Stephanie yelled, jerked, and was on her feet, the sheet held to her as she glared at him. Her mouth was open. Her skin was flushed. Her hair was a dark, tangled mess. She was stunning. And Ethelstone couldn’t help laughing.
“You...jerk! What the hell did you do that for?”
He sobered. Then, shrugged. “You have a very underligr backside.”
“Talk English, okay?”
“That means wondrous.”
“Right. Wondrous. Oh, brother. And that’s why you decided to smack it?”
“It was in the perfect position for a towel slap.”
“You call that towel slapping? Oh. Icelander. You are an amateur.”
She jumped off the bed and stomped into the bathroom. She made small indentations in the polished wooden floor with each step. He wondered if she noticed. The water faucet turned on. Ethelstone craned his head to see what she did. He couldn’t tell, but he didn’t have to wait long to find out.
Stephanie came charging out of the bathroom, wearing a red and black spa robe, and twisting a hank of bath towel before her. She looked like a vengeful Valkyrie. Ethelstone couldn’t help it. He grinned.
“Oh! You can just wipe that grin off your face, mister. You are looking at a professional towel slapper. You need to wet the end, buster. If you want to really leave an impression. It takes extreme skill not to leave one. Like this!”
She flung the towel out. It sliced into his thigh. Stung. Ethelstone slapped a hand atop the wound with his left hand, and snapped his own towel toward her with his right. He barely grazed her leg. His swat raised a painful-looking welt on the perfection of her skin. He instantly felt bad.
“You call that a strike? Take that. And that! And that! And, let’s not forget this!”
Ethelstone used his towel to fend off a flurry of swats. She was good. Quick. Precise. His defense was shabby. He had cuts on his forearms and one knee as she finished. And then she stopped. Dropped the towel. And put both hands to her mouth.
“Oh, Ethelstone! You’re bleeding! What the heck? I never raise welts! I am so sorry.”
“It is nothing, elska.”
“Don’t do that skoru-whatever stuff again. I don’t care how manly you think you need to be! I’ll get some cold water!”
“Stephanie. Wait.”
She was already in the bathroom. He heard the water running again, even as his wounds ceased bleeding, scabbed over, and then faded. They were almost gone when she returned. And her face was flushed. As if she’d been crying.
“I am so sorry. I don’t know how that happened.”
“Stephanie. Elska.”
“Here. Put this on the worst cuts, and—.”
She looked at him. Finally. Her jaw dropped open. Ethelstone was very close to laughing again.
“Where are your wounds?”
“I keep telling you, love. I am a vampire. I am an immortal. There are very few ways to truly harm me.”
“A crucifix? Holy Water?”
He shook his head. “No. I was pagan.”
“A wooden stake through the heart?”
“That would work.”
“Okay. Well...explain why I don’t have any injuries? You opened a cut on my thigh, too. I saw it. Here’s the blood proof.” She looked at her fingertips and then at him. Her eyes went so dark, they looked like ancient silver. “I am craving this, Ethelstone. Like...massively. What the hell have you done to me?”
“We shared blood, elska.”
“So, now I’m a vampire, too? Is that it? Don’t you think somebody should have asked?” Her voice rose. He had a good idea what that might mean.
“I would never do that, Stephanie. You are my mate. My love. I would do nothing to harm or betray you. I swear to it.”
“Then...why do I feel so...weird?”
After a quick glance at the floor, then the wall beside her, and then behind her, he took a quick breath. Met her gaze. And told her. “You are half-turned.”
He must be getting good at reading her expressions. She gave him one that looked like she didn’t believe a word he’d just said. He immediately started explaining.
“You now have heightened senses. Sight. Hearing. Touch. And you have strength. Agility. Resilience. Health. Your injuries will heal quickly. And you cannot sicken.”
“I’m like...super human now? Is that what you’re saying?”
He nodded.
Stephanie stuck out a leg and tensed it, defining all kinds of strength amidst the shape.
“Really?”
“You are very hard to convince.”
“I’m a reporter. We don’t believe much. And this is...well. What can I say? Pretty damned unbelievable. So. How long does this last?”
“Until you die.”
“I’m not immortal?”
“Not yet.”
The cell phone at his hip started humming. Nigel was probably looking for his update. Ethelstone smacked the phone to quiet it. “I must go now.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I will return.”
“Why can’t I go? I’ll stay out of sight.”
“I have to find my brother.”
“But...he’ll try to kill you again!”
She was instantly at his side, looking up at him. Her silver eyes had a sheen atop them. As if she might actually care. Ethelstone’s heart dipped. His knees wavered.
“Don’t go! Please?”
“Stephanie. I must handle this. But before I go, I need your promise to stay here.”
“I don’t have any clothes, Ethelstone. How can I leave?”
“This suite was designed by Sasha. She is your height. Probably your size. She should have some clothing here. Check the closets.”
“Sasha, huh? And just who is that?”
“A vampire I know.”
“Sounds like you know her pretty well. You want to explain?”
“You are...worried over that?”
“Let’s just say, I’m dealing with a lot of emotions I can’t explain right now. Okay? Now, start explaining.”
“She is another associate. She’s been mated for years. It was her hand behind all the Inferno Suites throughout the world. That is how I know of her.”
“Good explanation. So...I’m just supposed to try on clothing and languish in this acre of luxury while you’re gone? And not worry?”
“You will worry?”
She blinked, and an actual tear slipped from one eye. Ethelstone left the floor with the instant joy. His head smacked into the ceiling. He looked down. Stephanie hadn’t moved. She didn’t look amused, either. He dropped back, making a further dent in the floor.
“Oh, elska! How I wish I could stay here with you! But I will return to you. You have my word.”
“Fine. But...what if I get hungry? I can order from room service? What kind of limit do I have?”
“Unlimited.”
“Really? You have that much credit?”
“I have lived a lot of years.”
“Right. And I might develop extremely expensive tastes.”
“You will not bankrupt me, no matter what you try. But I need warn you. Your taste has been altered. You will prefer red meat. Extremely rare red meat.”
“I’m a vegetarian, Ethelstone.”
“Oh. Not anymore, my elska.”
He snatched her to him. Hugged her for the briefest moment, and then set her back on her feet. Stepped back. Took a second to memorize how she looked.
And then, he left her.
CHAPTER TEN
The ice cave was dark. Cold. Eerily silent. They’d built this cave shortly after being turned. It was deep inside Vatnajokull, Iceland’s largest glacier. It consisted of a maze of tunnels cu
t into the ice. Some led to resting chambers. Most went nowhere. There were two ways to enter the cave, both undetectable. One was a staircase consisting of thousands of steps. The other was an ice slide.
The brothers had fashioned the furnishings from the ice, as well. They’d crafted shelves to display statues and trophies. Long platforms to rest atop. Benches to sit upon. Most of the cave was rough-hewn. The only place they’d smoothed the walls and floor completely was the great hall. It was the center of their complex. All tunnels led outward from there.
The brothers hadn’t installed any means of permanent lighting. Heat generation. Or any kind of sound system. The lack of amenities didn’t hamper Ethelstone, but it was odd that he even noticed. Regeneration had given him back many gifts. Awareness of the elements was just one of them.
Ethelstone stepped onto the ice slide, accomplishing the three hundred foot drop in seconds. There didn’t seem to be much oxygen down here. It also seemed tight and cramped. He couldn’t have brought his mate here prior to giving her a taste of his vampire blood. She’d have perished.
Athlerod was in the grand hall, exactly where Ethelstone expected. He had an LED lantern hanging from the ceiling. It gave the room a light crystalline blue tone. Everything had the same bluish tone. The ice. His clothing. Skin.
Athlerod wasn’t sitting on one of the carved ice benches, formed in a circle. The benches framed a piece of wood from their shipwreck. And their turning. They’d each carved out chunks from the wood. This piece was what had remained. They’d used it as the Yggdrasil. No Viking hall was complete without a replica of the world sacred tree. Since Iceland hadn’t any trees, they’d had to substitute. The ancient ship beam looked rather forlorn and small, now that he studied it.
Athlerod was lounging in the structure they’d made for a throne. Ancient metal gleamed, catching the light as Ethelstone moved, sending glints through the ice. The brothers had fashioned it by pouring water on a pile of shields, axes, javelins, and swords and then waiting for it to freeze. Then, they’d carved out a throne chair. It was a massive sculpture. Worthy of any Viking chieftain. It hadn’t been desecration. They’d been venerating the ancient weaponry. The artifacts should have stayed buried in Icelandic graves with their ancestors – and would have – if archeologists hadn’t started excavating their family site.
Athlerod had covered the seat with a mass of white furs. He had his sword propped to one side. He regarded Ethelstone from a superior height without expression.
“Oh, look who has arrived. Finally.”
Ethelstone walked around the Yggdrasil and stood before the throne. He slid the leather thong from the hilt of his sword as he moved. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
“No.”
“Ill?”
“You know better than to ask that.”
“Then why aren’t you answering calls from the league?”
“I see you have fully mated. Congratulations. So. Where is your mate? And why didn’t you bring her?”
“Because I don’t trust you.”
Athlerod sat straighter. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, making the metal squeak. “Those are fighting words, Brother.”
Ethelstone smirked. “Every word is a fighting word with us. You know that.”
“You just called me untrustworthy, you rasshole.”
“It’s a good thing we don’t feel much emotion, because if this had happened to you, I would be feeling something very close to anger. And jealousy.”
“Shut up, pokker.”
“And I would be extremely bitter. That’s why I don’t trust you. I wouldn’t trust me,” Ethelstone continued.
“I said, shut up, you haestpeis!”
Athlerod stood, lifted his sword, and took a step down toward Ethelstone. Ethelstone didn’t move.
“This won’t help,” he finally said.
“You want to know what I feel? Do you? Well. I will tell you. I feel betrayed!”
“I have never betrayed you. And I never will.”
“Your mating is a betrayal! For all these years, we had each other. We kept each other company. We trained and fought. And played. We had each other’s back. And now? Well...just like that – you get a mate. And I got nothing!”
Athlerod jumped from the throne and took a swipe at the Yggdrasil, cleaving it down the center. The frozen old wood shuddered and then split, one side teetering toward the ice floor.
Ethelstone pulled his sword. Took a step backward, crouching slightly. “You know better than to anger the gods.”
“Who cares about the gods?”
“Stop this, Athlerod. It does not help.”
“How would you know?”
His brother made another hit at the tree. The weakened side fell. A crack immediately spliced the floor. And then the world shuddered. Ice groaned. Ethelstone careened off a wall before shoving his blade into a crevice and clinging to it. Iceland was a country of many earthquakes. This wasn’t the first they’d experienced here, but it was the most massive. The longest lasting. The throne chair cracked, and then toppled. Shields and weaponry spilled out, the metal clanking as it rolled outward.
The ground finally ceased roiling. The sound of ancient iron settled. And then a cacophony of Viking horns split the room at a deafening level. His brother had placed his phone pack in an optimum place. The tunnel worked like an amplifier. Ethelstone didn’t know if it was intentional or not. He let go of the sword hilt and slammed his hands to his ears for protection.
“Is that your phone?” he yelled the moment the noise ceased and the chamber quit echoing.
“Yeah.”
Athlerod was also weaponless. He’d shoved his sword into the ice beside the Yggdrasil. That way he could hold the split piece of wood back into place. He unstrapped the thong about his thigh with his free hand, and started attempting to tie the wood back together. The chorus of raiding horns started up again. Ethelstone kept his hands clamped to his ears as he gained his feet and approached his brother. The moment the ring ceased, he grabbed one end of the thong, looped it around his side and passed it to his brother.
“Your phone is set too loud.”
“I needed to hear it. But not anymore.”
“Why not?”
The horns started up again. Ethelstone dropped the thong and smacked his hands to his head. Athlerod watched him for a moment and then grinned. He didn’t say anything until the din ceased.
“Mating seems to have weakened you, Ethel.”
“Why don’t you just answer the blasted thing? Or, point me to the right tunnel, and I’ll get it.” Ethelstone tensed for another round of ear-splitting horns. It didn’t come. He relaxed and held his fingers out for the thong again. Athlerod handed it to him. He laced it around the branch and passed it back.
“I’m quitting the league.”
“What?” Surprise made him clumsy. Ethelstone dropped the thong, but had it snagged again before anything loosened.
“I said I’m done with the league.”
“You cannot quit.”
“Who says?”
“It’s against the rules.”
“I have gone over everything Akron told us that night. You remember? He told us of mating. Blood lust. Assassinations. The need for stealth. The other rules. He has never mentioned quitting.”
“Because nobody quits!”
“Call it a leave of absence then. I do not care.”
“Athlerod, I’m sor—”
“Do not say it! Ever! I would rather be detested. Reviled. Feared. But I refuse to be pitied! Nobody better feel sorry for me. You hear me, brother?”
Athlerod snarled. He pulled the thong tight. The branch groaned. Ethelstone regarded his brother for a long moment before holding out his hand for the thong again.
“I cannot change your mind?”
“There. That should suffice.”
Athlerod knotted the leather on his side. Stepped back. The split section slid down slightly but didn’t separate.
; “Athlerod?”
“The answer is no. You cannot change my mind.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Does it matter?”
“Where will you go?”
“Wherever I want.”
“What will you do?”
“Whatever I feel like. As many times as I want to.”
“You will find it lonely.”
“Ah.” His brother put a finger up. “That is where you are wrong. I do not need you any longer, either. I have a new companion, too.”
He put two fingers in his mouth and gave a loud whistle. And from somewhere in the series of tunnels came a small whine, followed by a lot of scratching noises.
“What is that?”
“My valdr.”
“You have a wolf?”
“Ja.”
“And it comes when you whistle?”
“Again. Yes.”
“We’ve been apart a few hours, Athlerod.”
“So?”
“Where did you get a wolf? And how could you train it so quickly?”
“What do you care?”
“You are still my brother,” Ethelstone replied.
A ball of fur peered around the corner, gave a yelp, and half-slid/half-ran over to Athlerod. His brother scooped the pup into his hand and brought it to his chest. A moment later, he had it beneath his leather tunic. Ethelstone couldn’t prevent the smile, although he had it conquered before his brother looked over at him again.
“That is not a wolf,” Ethelstone remarked.
“She will be. Give her time.”
“Does she have a name?”
“Valdr.”
“Wolf. Good name.”
“I thought so.”
One of Ethelstone’s cell phones hummed at his hip. He smacked at it without looking. Athlerod’s eyebrows rose.
“You should answer that. It’s probably the league.”
“I know.”
“Are you avoiding their calls now, too?”
“No.”
A little head stuck out of Athlerod’s neckline. A moment later, the pup was licking his brother’s chin. Ethelstone couldn’t stop the chuckle.