“The bitch caught a glimpse of our spread sheet, and phoned some guy she called ‘boss’ to send someone out to have a look. I think it’s past time she got taught a lesson in minding her own business.” Leiti looked smug. “Oh, and she pulled my hair.”
Walt stalked across the room.
“Don’t even think about coming near me.” Bee-Dee hissed, backing up. “I’m not afraid of you anymore.” But before she could conjure a single spell, he surprised her, lunging in and covering her mouth with one filthy hand, while pinning her to the wall with his other.
“I know the way you operate, sweetheart.” He growled in her face. “I’ve watched all the footage of you and your damned cat doing tricks. I know you have to speak some mumbo-jumbo to make things happen.” He leaned in close, and she smelled his foul breath. “So I have an idea. How about we cut out your tongue? We both know you won’t be able to do any magic after that.”
Bee-Dee’s eyes went wide. He was right. If she couldn’t chant her incantations, she had nothing. Damn, but she’d screwed this up. Better play nice and wait for Kulla. Tears came to her eyes and she nodded her head at her captor, like she understood. Something in Walt’s cold face told her he didn’t buy it.
“Go find some duct tape, Leiti,” he told his lover. “I don’t trust her.” He turned fully back to Bee, shifting his weight. “I think it’s time our witch got a little lesson on who’s really in charge.”
Walt’s powerful forearm pressed into her neck, cutting off her supply of oxygen. Obedience raked his skin with her nails, trying to loosen the pressure. Surely he didn’t mean to kill her?
He must have had second thoughts, or maybe meant to scare her, because just as stars appeared in her vision, he let up. Bee-Dee coughed and gasped, drawing air back into her lungs.
Leiti returned with a roll of tape, and broke off strips in Walt’s direction. The first piece covered her mouth, the second bound her hands behind her back. Bee-Dee didn’t try to fight him. The asshole wanted to scare her, and soon―she wished she could see the time―Kulla would be here to help. Walt would be sorry then.
Bee-Dee was totally unprepared for the backhand that sent her reeling across the room. She blinked in surprise as the pain caught up with her. What the fuck? Walt had never touched her before. The blow to her face shocked her. She could feel the swelling already, obscuring the view in her left eye. With her good one, she watched Walt come at her again. Oh gods, this could be bad. Bee-Dee locked her knees, prepared for the worst, and hoped her man arrived soon.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
A smiling Kulla misted into the woods one hundred and five yards away from the main lodge. It wouldn’t do to come crashing out of the sky when nearing his intended. Kabta became solid on the front porch, and laughed at his brother having to walk.
“Pick it up, brother. We have a divorce to get underway.”
Kulla whistled, so happy he couldn’t even frame an appropriate brash retort. He jogged the rest of the way to the entrance and clapped his brother on the back. “Let’s go wipe out some brain cells.”
The lodge’s lobby appeared just as Kulla remembered it. Vast amounts of native pine in unfinished form covered the floor and walls. Bright Native American tapestries adorned the stark structure, and light streamed in through over-large windows to give the whole place an outdoorsy feeling. Kulla breathed in. His woman smelled like this; fresh and woody. He hadn’t noticed the connection before. He walked up to the reception desk.
“Hi,” he said, sending one hand over the desk to shake hands with the naked blonde beaming a welcome. “I’m Kulla, and I’m here to see Obedience.”
The woman’s face fell, and she worried her lower lip. What the hell?
“She’s in the office.” The clerk hitched a finger over her shoulder and across the room. “But Walt told me that no one is to disturb them.”
“Who’s Walt?” Kulla growled.
“Walt’s her husband.” The woman didn’t look pleased about that, and Kulla decided he liked this woman for her discerning taste. He leaned a little closer, as if confiding.
“Not for long,” he winked. “As soon as we can get her divorced, she’s marrying me.”
The receptionist’s face brightened. “Then I say you should go right in.” She smiled and peaked around him at his brother.
Go take care of your woman. Kabta’s voice filled his head. I’m going to get to know this sweet thing a little better.
His brother’s gaze was glued to the nicely shaped chest of the blonde. Fine, but keep your hands behind your back. Humans have sexual harassment laws…
If I get my hands on those fine breasts, it won’t be harassment, his brother grinned.
Kulla warned the woman. “That’s my brother Kabta, Miss, and he’s never been to a nudist camp before. You have my permission to slap him if he misbehaves.” Kulla hitched his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans and dared his brother to disagree.
“You just go retrieve your bride to be. I wouldn’t think of annoying…” Kabta made a big show of looking for the clerk’s name badge on her chest, before turning up the wattage on his pearly whites. “I’m sorry, you don’t seem to be wearing a nametag.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Like I haven’t heard that one a thousand times,” she smirked. “The name is Becky. Do you want the answer to your next question?” When Kabta looked puzzled, she moved to the little half door that enclosed the reception desk and threw it open. “Yes, I’m a real blonde,” she told him, standing proudly and in all her glory. She slammed the portal shut and went back to her post.
Kulla caught Kabta’s eye and they both burst out laughing.
“Okay, you got me,” Kabta told the brash young lady.
Kulla missed his next low words because he’d already made his way across the expanse of the lobby, more than ready to see his woman.
The smile died on Kulla’s face as he tried the knob and found it locked. He tuned into the office and heard sounds that he didn’t like. Sounds of distress. With a yell, he sent his shoulder into the door and crashed right through.
When his eyes adjusted to the low light, a howl escaped his throat, and his body started to harden into rock before the sound even had a chance to reverberate around the room.
Kulla was about to do murder. Of that he was certain.
Bee-Dee lay face down on the floor, her wrists taped together at her back. What he could see of her face had been ravaged by blows. Blood mingled with her wildly tossed hair. Also on the floor, straddling Kulla’s prone and naked mate, knelt an unclothed male, engorged member in hand. And if he believed his eyes, the gonna-be-dead man prepared to violate his witch in the most depraved manner imaginable.
“Get up.” Kulla roared, clenching his granite fists. He’d never felt so incensed in his entire life. The bastard hurt his woman. He would pay.
At Kulla’s interruption, the debased human moved off Bee-Dee, but stayed low and grabbed a knife from the floor. He moved quickly back to his victim and held the blade poised at the base of Bee-Dee’s skull.
“Don’t move,” he yelled. “I’ll kill her if you come a step closer.” Kulla ceased all motion. He needed time to think. Bee sobbed on the floor, and even though the man’s erection had lost interest, his weapon-hand remained steady where it threatened.
The mortal’s eyes were not focused on his, so Kulla couldn’t compel him. He reacted more slowly in rock form than he would have in his normal god persona, but he couldn’t quell his anger enough to convert back. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. His head buzzed. This had to be the other half of the duo who had bilked Obedience of so much money. His hand shot out and snagged the woman’s wrist. She screamed as Kulla drew her up against his stone body.
“Stand-off, asshole,” the god ground out. “I’ve got your woman, and you’ve got mine. What are you going to do?” He felt, rather than saw, his brother move in through the door, invisible, behind him.
Still holding the blade
to Bee-Dee’s head, Walt dragged her up from the ground. Kulla wanted to cry out. The damage to his mate’s face and upper body appeared much worse than he first thought. He wanted to rip her abuser limb from limb. Bee’s mouth had been slapped with duct tape, and her eyes blinked hazily. Did she know what was happening?
“You can have that bitch,” Walt tossed out, eliciting a gasp from the woman Kulla held in a death grip. “My wife and I are going to move real slow, and you’re not going to try anything stupid. Got that?” He eased around the perimeter of the room, dragging Bee-Dee with him toward the door.
Kulla breathed deeply to stay calm. Kabta. Free my bride, but whatever you do, don’t hurt her captor. Kulla’s voice held so much ice it would have made the god of winter shudder. That pleasure will be mine alone.
Don’t do anything that will send you back to the Underworld, his brother warned. My hotheadedness put you there. Stay in control. You have a lot to look forward to. Don’t blow it, brother.
Just get Obedience safely away, Kulla barked. Let me worry about my vengeance.
Kulla could see his brother come up behind Walt, but the humans couldn’t. He momentarily wondered what the natural blonde at the front desk had inferred from Kabta’s disappearing act, and just that small distraction brought Kulla’s brain back under his control. He lost the red haze that covered his vision, and focused on the task at hand.
Kabta’s invisible fingers quickly acquired the knife, and he spun Bee-Dee away to safety, cradled in his arms so as not to hit the floor.
With that accomplished, Kulla looked down at the spitting woman he held and stared deeply into her dark eyes. “Stop fighting and sit down,” he ordered. The evil bitch slid to the floor. It only took a second to compel her, but in that short time, the bad guy, Walt, realizing he was weaponless, sprinted for the exit.
Little blonde at the front desk had witnessed the whole thing, and thank the gods, she didn’t have a faint heart. She yanked the fire alarm, and picked up the phone while Kulla went after his prey. 911 would have the place crawling within minutes. He needed to take care of business before that happened.
Kulla’s stone legs would only move so fast, but his anger carried him forward. He followed Walt into the parking lot, caught up as the man fumbled with his keys, and grabbed his quarry. He threw the fleeing man against his car, surrounding Walt with a wall of stone. His anger was under control, but he would still put a world of hurt on the fucking prick.
“Hit me,” he growled, leaning in, menacingly.
“What?” The man whined and caved in on himself when faced by a worthy opponent; a small man confronted by a gargantuan stone immortal.
“I said hit me. With all you’ve got.” Kulla stuck his rock chin up, tantalizingly. Walt struck out.
“Argh.” The mortal screamed. The coward’s hand smashed to bits as it connected with his granite jaw.
The god laughed, not with humor, but with fury. “Now the other hand.”
He could see the pain on his enemy’s face, and also the exact moment understanding dawned. That Kulla didn’t plan to hurt him. The asshole would accomplish that, solo.
“I won’t,” Walt squealed, horrified. “You can’t make me.”
“I can.” Kulla didn’t have to elucidate. He let Walt see the intent on his face. The evil prick could strike out at solid rock, or have his life end in something akin to an avalanche. He became tired of waiting. “Hit me with the other hand.”
The asshole whimpered and he couldn’t work up the tiniest sliver of sympathy.
Walt gave a yell and let loose with a second fist. He smashed it into Kulla, this time on the side of his head. His fist met solid stone again, and Kulla, satisfied, heard bones shatter.
“Enough. Please.” Tears and snot combined on Walt’s face, but Kulla wasn’t through. He backed up a few steps.
“Kick me,” the god said.
“Noooo…” The word leaked from the mortal’s mouth in a long wail.
“I said kick me.” This time Kulla looked deep into the man’s eyes when he said it, and a slobbering yowl dribbled from the man’s mouth as he shook his head from side to side, but he couldn’t stop his foot from rising to land a devastating blow to Kulla’s side.
The god stood, resolute, as Walt went down in an agonized heap.
“One more, human,” Kulla commanded.
The mewling pile of shit couldn’t get up, so Kulla stood over him, patiently, and spread his legs. This time, the god didn’t have to compel. Walt, in his hysterical state, thought he saw weakness, and using his one good foot, aimed a deliberate blow to Kulla’s balls. His foot splintered.
Kulla wrapped the confrontation up.
“They’re not called stones for nothing,” he said, disgusted with the human, and himself for having to take the asshole down. Going up against a worthy opponent was so much more satisfying. There was no gratification in this at all, had it not been for the hurt this man caused Bee.
Obedience. Kulla’s body morphed from stone back to flesh and he sprinted the distance between the parking lot and the lodge, sending various pleas back to Massachusetts as he ran. He hurried to where his mate lay on the floor with Kabta on one side and the blonde with an ice pack on the other.
“You’ll be fine, Bee-Dee,” the pretty clerk crooned. “Help is on the way.” Kulla knew she spoke the truth. He’d made his own calls, and he could hear sirens in the distance. He reached for Obedience’s hand and held it to his lips. He thought she tried to smile.
“Don’t move, my love. Dr. Dani’s coming to come fix you up. And I think Vesca banked some of that yummy milk.”
He heard what might pass for a chuckle.
Jake, the DEA agent turned god who’d been called earlier, chose that moment to pop in. “Obedience said I had to look into a crime?” He spotted her on the floor. “What the hell?”
She spoke through a split lip. “My computer. The girl on the floor in my office. You’ll figure it out.”
Kulla shrugged, confused, but made a suggestion. The sirens drew closer. “Whatever it is, you better make it quick. The locals are about to make the scene.”
Jake nodded and sprinted off in the direction indicated.
“What about the other bad-guy?” Kabta asked, obviously realizing that Kulla hadn’t brought him back in.
“He’s not going anywhere,” Kulla assured him. “He broke both feet.”
Kabta smiled. “That will teach him to fight with a pile of rock.”
They both noticed the little blonde at the same time. She gave them the stink eye while rising to her feet and slowly backing up.
“Exactly what are you two, anyway?” she asked.
Instead of answering, Kabta sighed and rolled his eyes. “Me or you, brother?”
“You can do the honors,” Kulla shrugged. Kabta looked closely into the woman’s wide blue orbs and compelled instructions.
“You’ll remember everything except the appearing and disappearing stuff…oh, and the rock-man,” he intoned. Kabta sat back, figuring his work was done.
“In your dreams, asshole.” The blonde stuck out her jaw and stared back.
Kabta looked nonplussed.
Kulla laughed. “Oh brother.” He could barely hold back his amusement. “I’ve seen this before. Sometimes you find a special human who can’t be compelled.”
Bee-Dee tried to speak from between them.
“Shhh, babe. Stay calm.” He applied another ice bag to her jaw. “Just another few minutes. What are you trying to say?”
“Becky…” Bee-Dee raised her chin at the clerk. “She’s…okay. Won’t tell…”
“We get it,” Kulla stroked the hair back from his witch’s face. “She’s a strong one, and it will be fun to see if she ends up as a mate.” He sent the girl a look that held part amusement, part threat, and she had the audacity to stick out her tongue.
He chuckled. Boy. Some god, somewhere, had big trouble coming.
Jake’s voice from the other room, ra
ng out. “Shit.”
What did you find? Kulla asked, unprepared for Jake’s answer.
These two have been trucking in illegals and selling them into what amounts to slavery. It will take months to sort through all this, Jake told them both, and any other god who happened to be listening. Sure as shit this is federal jurisdiction…just not mine. I need to put in a call.
“And I need to go wipe two minds clean of god-activity before those sirens get any closer,” said Kulla.
“You stay with your Chosen,” Kabta replied. “I’ll go.”
“Make sure he agrees to a divorce.” Kulla reminded his brother.
“Of course.” The god of bricks took a quick look at Becky, shrugged, and misted out to the parking lot.
Kulla felt Bee move beneath his hands and realized she attempted a giggle at his brother’s audacity in disappearing. She and Becky exchanged looks that amounted to an understanding before the blonde leaned down over Bee-Dee to wipe away some blood.
“This better mean a damned good raise is in my future,” she joked.
Obedience nodded, willingly but painfully.
Kulla put in his two cents.
“I think you’re headed for more than a good raise,” the god supplied, and loved how the flush worked all the way up from Becky’s pink nipples to her rosy cheeks. How about that. A blonde was almost as good as a red-head.
****
The cops showed up, and it took several hours to sort things through.
Walt and Leiti were eventually taken into federal custody. Jake had called in agents from ICE who were busy removing all Bee-Dees hard drives.
The paramedics ascertained that Obedience had no broken bones, and as long as she signed off, agreeing to be treated by her own doctor―Dani had shown up with the ‘magic’ elixir and just wanted the helpful humans gone so she could get Bee-Dee to drink―they would leave her alone.
The unshakable Becky, who turned out to be the witch’s assistant manager and had long harbored suspicions about her boss, assured Obedience that she would stay and run things while events such as weddings and honeymoons took place, then watched with rabid curiosity as Bee-Dee healed within minutes of drinking Vesca’s milk.
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