by Amy Sumida
Thank you, Sissy Spacek and Stephen King.
“No,” he rubbed his fists into his eyes before lowering them decisively. “You'll never return to Thor. Once I change you, you'll be bound to me completely. You’ll be even more beautiful than you are now and you’ll live forever. Can’t you see what a gift this is, Vervain?”
“You were the one who said it was both a blessing and a curse,” it was really hard to be reasonable when you were naked and fearing for your human life. “I’m only showing you what you want to make me. You want to keep me with you, fine, but don’t turn me into a monster. Please, Blue.”
“You and I will share eternity together,” he took a deep breath and stroked a hand down my stomach. “You’re just frightened but that’s normal. I’ll be strong for you. I can take care of you. You’ll be my Queen, give life to my children, and no one will ever hurt you again.”
“No!” I screamed and sent him a picture of me sitting serenely in bed, breastfeeding a baby. He started in surprise and smiled, his features going soft, his eyes tender. I continued the image with me stroking the infant’s head, then crying out as blood seeped out around its mouth and down my breast. Blue screamed but I continued the images with me pulling the child away to show a wicked set of fangs glinting from its gaping, bloody mouth. I offered the child up to him. Another sacrifice for his bloody altar.
“One happy little family,” I stared accusingly at him. “Is it everything you expected it to be?”
“Enough,” he roared. “You’ll not change my mind by showing me twisted lunacy. Our children will not be such as that. Do you think I bled my own mother?”
“Your powers were different then,” I was shaking but whether it was from rage or fear I couldn’t tell. “You’ve no idea what a child of yours would be.”
“He would be a god,” he growled.
“Or a monster.” I made an exasperated sound. “Will I even be able to bear children after you turn me?”
“Of course you will. How many times do I have to tell you the mortals got it wrong? I'm not offering you death. I'm offering you life eternal. You will be as you are now, only better. Your body will be able to bear children with more ease and absolutely no danger to you.” His jaw clenched but he took another deep breath and calmed himself. “You’ll feel differently once you’ve born them.”
“So you're telling me there are vampires out there making babies?” I had pictures of happy little vampire families dancing in my head.
“No,” he sighed and made a dismissing gesture. “Only I have the ability to pass on life so purely. Only with me would you be able to have children. Without me, you'd be in stasis, unable to conceive.”
“I guess that at least is a relief,” I abandoned my dancing, vampire baby imagery á la Ally McBeal. Ooga chacka, ooga chaka.
“Enough of this,” his eyes narrowed. “I suspect you're stalling.”
I shivered and started shaking my head. There had to be some other way to stop him. The Nahual! I'd been meditating with my jaguar, ever since I'd discovered her through studying Aztec magic, and I'd been getting stronger and stronger with each meeting. Would she be strong enough to fight Blue?
She had backed down earlier but she'd done so reluctantly, almost as if she were biding her time. I wasn't sure if she could destroy Blue but I was suddenly sure that I could send her down the link between Blue and I and maybe she could find his own Nahual. Maybe we'd be strong enough to become Nahualli, a sorcerer who could control another person's animal twin.
According to Aztec myth, everyone was born with an animal twin but I was pretty sure the “everyone” meant all the humans. There was a chance Blue didn't actually have a Nahual but I was betting that, as an Aztec god, he was influenced by his people's beliefs and did actually carry an animal twin inside him. If not, I was screwed.
I called my Nahual with my need, sending my fear into the depth of my soul. Projecting my magic inward instead of outward, as she had taught me. I saw her clearly, a white jaguar with golden spots and dark brown eyes. Her body was tensed to spring and her mouth hung open on a snarl, she'd been waiting for my call.
She seemed to jump through me, running down the line connecting me to Blue without any prompting from me. In her wake, the butterflies of my Love magic stirred and then rushed to follow her. What the Hell?
My jaguar shown bright inside the darkness of Blue's mind, a star amidst his night sky, and it was easy to follow her progress. It was easy to see her pounce suddenly and pull back with her prey in her mouth. It wasn't easy to see the prey itself though.
Blue's Nahual was a hummingbird, go figure, but the bird was coated so thickly in a black viscous fluid that I could barely make out its form. The substance dripped from it, hissing and smoking when it touched my jaguar. She dropped the foul thing, spitting and growling at it while it flopped pathetically.
The butterflies swooped in and I cringed. They wouldn't stand a chance against that oil slick of hatred, and I knew instinctively that the black fluid was hatred. Distilled and condensed hatred. Blue was weighed down under hate so thick that his animal twin couldn't fly anymore. How could my fragile butterflies hope to win?
As they landed on the poor hummingbird, one lone butterfly flew back to me. It came to rest inside my chest and I was immediately at ease. These weren't normal insects, they were pure magic. Pure love. Every butterfly was once a caterpillar. Fat and fuzzy, wriggling its way across the earth before it changed itself into something beautiful and learned to fly. Love held the power to transform, to take a grounded thing and give it wings. A bridge between earth and air, a link between spirits and hearts. The shape it had chosen wasn't a silly girlie symbol but a representation of its strength, its untouchable beauty, and its ability to soar.
I focused back on the hummingbird and wasn't at all shocked to see the darkness peeling away. The butterflies buzzed with intensity, their little legs working at the black shell and scraping it away into dust. It took only moments for the bright colors of Blue's Nahual to start to show through.
“What are you doing?” His whisper held a touch of fear.
“Teaching you to fly,” I turned my face to his and kissed him.
His arms wrapped around me and his kiss filled me with heat. I felt him pour his rage into me, press it against my magic like a shield. The black rose up in a wave, threatening to drown not only the hummingbird but my butterflies and jaguar as well. It was too late though. As the wave started to crest, Blue's hummingbird rose amid a flock of butterflies and shot up to meet it. My jaguar roared, calling my Love magic home as she turned away. She knew they were no longer needed there and sure enough, as she padded home with the butterflies flocking around her, the wave shattered and turned into a glittering cloud of light.
The explosion shot through us both as Blue convulsed above me. I thanked my Nahual and sent her back into my depths to recover. She blinked dark eyes at me and huffed, her warm breath filling me with peace, before she turned and sank into my soul. Then I was pulled back into Blue's mind.
The hummingbird hovered, the rapid beating of his wings pulling traumatic memories in and merging them with happier ones, blending them into a bittersweet confection palatable enough to be swallowed. The horror of his mother’s corpse was softened by the memory of her dark, laughing eyes and gentle smile. His sister’s decapitated head was covered by her laughter, a picture of her pointing to the Moon in delight. His father’s last screams were banished by the sound of his rich voice telling Blue that he was the hope of his people. The first child born off Atlantean soil.
Each memory shot through him, shaking his body over and over like a seizure before they were laid to rest. When Blue finally raised his head, I felt as battered as he must have but also relieved. His hatred was gone. I felt it wash away like filth in a mountain stream, replaced by the clear flow of pure life. My chest was wet with his tears but his eyes were dry when he raised them to me…and green, a striking jade green.
“Oh wow,”
I breathed and felt my own eyes fill with tears.
“What is it, little witch?” Even his voice was different. Still soft as velvet but warmer, richer.
I shook my head and reached to touch him but the chains rattled and stopped me. He looked down as if he’d just noticed them. With a cry he rolled off me and undid the chains. They fell away, clattering against the stone with the ring of freedom. I rubbed my wrists distractedly as he knelt beside the altar and retrieved the black silk.
“Forgive me, Vervain,” he handed me the silk and stared up at me with those bright eyes.
I wrapped the material around me and tied it securely, holding his gaze the entire time. “Your mother was right.”
“My mother,” he shook his head with a little frown, “about what?”
“Your eyes are beautiful,” I stroked his face as it filled with wary hope. “They’re not just jade but Imperial jade, a vibrant, translucent green. I’ve never seen eyes this color before.”
He closed those intense eyes and touched his fingertips to them gently. “It’s true, I see the world as it was,” he looked around him in awe. “I’d forgotten how vivid the colors were without the veil of blood.”
I smiled as he got to his feet and spun around, taking everything in. His priests came through the trees slowly, warily watching his strange behavior. They looked at me, unbound and unmarked, and then back at him. Their eyes widened and they fell to their knees.
“Vervain,” he turned back to me and I felt it then, the connection my power had made through the healing. I loved him, as I loved Fenrir before him, and I’d carry it with me always. I'd carry him with me. Instead of scaring me, I found it comforting. I held my arms out to him and he picked me up to twirl me around.
“I love you, little witch,” he whispered in my ear as he set me down.
“I love you too, Blue,” I smiled but some of my hesitation must’ve shown through because he searched my face with concern.
“There’s more,” he sighed, “you don’t love me as you do Thor.”
“No,” I said as gently as I could.
He nodded and took a deep breath. “I think I can accept that now. Do you need to leave immediately?”
“He’ll be very worried,” I bit my lip. “I'm sure Trevor's told him by now.”
“Then you must return,” he took my arm and escorted me inside. “I think I need some time to process all these changes anyway.”
Chapter Seven
I traced into my living room wearing only the black silk and a smile. The entire God Squad was there, filling the space to capacity with the addition of Trevor. Thor's face filled with relief and then happiness as he rushed over to me but it was Trevor's face that would haunt my dreams.
I stared at the wolf, over Thor's shoulder, while Thor hugged me, and from Trevor's eyes to mine, passed something I have no name for. Relief was too mild a word for what I saw in Trevor. His were the eyes of a drowning man in the moment he clasped hands with his rescuer.
“What happened?” Thor finally choked out, loosening his hold marginally and forcing my eyes away from Trevor. “Trevor came to me after you called him. He said he caught traces of both you and Blue but was unable to follow you. I reached for you down our link but it was worse than blocked, it was like you were lost behind a void.”
“Blue's known where I lived this entire time. He was just playing with me and he finally decided to end the game. He wasn't prepared for Aphrodite's magic in my hands though, and I won.” I pulled back and smiled at everyone. “Thank you guys for being here for Thor.”
“We’re here for you, Vervain,” Trevor pulled me from Thor and hugged me, burying his face in my neck and breathing deep. A shudder wracked his body before he finally let go and passed me along to the others. I even got hugged by Horus.
“Did you kill Huitzilopochtli?” Teharon’s calm voice asked what I’m sure they were all wondering.
“Yes,” I smiled, “in a way.”
Chapter Eight
“Are you ready yet, darling?” Thor called from the living room. “The party's already started. We have to go.”
It was December 22 and we were going to the Yule celebration at Valhalla. It was a sacred holiday for the Atlanteans and the only time Thor saw his father anymore. He was acting like a cross between an excited child and a nervous groom. No matter that they were on opposing sides of the God War, Thor loved his father deeply and he missed him. This was a big night for Thor and I didn't want to spoil it.
I was just a tad concerned about going into Bad Guy Inc. as a guest though.
“I’m almost ready,” I called out as I applied my powder and then stuffed it into my little red bag.
I looked my reflection over, checking that the red lipstick was perfect, the black eyeliner smudged properly, my cheeks blushed just slightly, and I nodded. I’d curled my hair and pinned little pieces of it around my face with red crystal pins but left the rest loose to hang about my hips. I still couldn't get over the changes in my appearance. It was like staring at a stranger sometimes. After all the changes my life had been through in such a short time, I kinda felt like a stranger too.
I stepped back and smoothed the deep ruby gown Thor had bought me. It had a tight, corset bodice which showed off my cleavage to its best advantage. I always said it wasn't what you had, it's how you display it and this dress did the trick. Made of heavy silk taffeta, it belled out a little from my hips, falling all the way to the floor. I loved the swishing sound it made when I walked and the sparkle of the Swarovski crystal encrusted bodice. The ruby colored gems spread down and spaced out over the skirt till they were just a sprinkling at the hem but around my decollete, they formed a solid front. My purse and shoes were covered in the crystals as well. I sparkled and swished with every step and I adored it. Isn't it funny how a wonderful dress that swishes can turn you into a little girl?
I found Thor in the living room with Nick on his lap. He looked up when I entered and his mouth fell open. He stood, Nick pouncing from his lap with an annoyed cry, and as he walked to me his eyes roved over me from head to toe. By the time he reached me, he was smiling so wide, I thought his face was in danger of cracking.
“You like?” I twirled so I could sparkle and swish for him.
“I like,” he growled low in his throat, “I like a lot.”
He pulled me against him and I pushed back laughing. “You said we had to go.”
“Fuck the party, fuck Odin,” he dove into my neck, “and fuck me… please.”
I laughed deeper and felt him shudder. “Later, baby, if you’re a really naughty god.”
“Oh, I can be naughty,” he pulled me in tight again.
“I know but right now we have to be good little children and attend your father's party.” I pulled my face back to eye him. “You know you want to see him. It's been a year.”
He groaned louder and pulled away. “Alright! Let’s go before I lose all familial loyalty.”
He held me and I held a large bag filled with Yule gifts, as he chanted the spell to take us to Valhalla. When I opened my eyes, we were in the tracing room. I took a deep breath and looked around. The last time I’d been there, was the first time I’d met Thor. He'd been trying to steal the same battle plans that I had. Then he invited me to join him and his little band of merry gods.
It was just a plain, empty room now, nothing to fear. The walls were carved wood, runes snaking down them, the ceiling beams carved the same. The floor was polished stone, completely unadorned. Very simple, as I'd found most tracing rooms to be.
A short, dark-haired man with a buff build came running up to us and bowed to Thor. “My Lord, please follow me and I shall announce you.” He took my bag for me and walked down a stone corridor.
Thor squared his shoulders and held his arm out to me. He had a black suit on with a red shirt to match my dress. It made his shoulders look even broader and his chest massive. His bright hair was slicked back into a braid and looked very debonair. The sever
e hairstyle made his jaw seem more rugged, the angles of his face sharper, and his eyes gleamed from their bright lining of lashes. He was breathtaking and I was proud to be walking in on his arm.
“His Majesty, Thor Odinson,” the man announced as we crossed the threshold and his voice rang out into the crowded dining hall, “Prince and Defender of the Realm of Asgard. Master of Thunder, Storms, and Sky. God of the Sea and Justice. Accompanied by Rouva Vervain Lavine. Mistress of Love, Lust, War and Victory. The Godhunter.”
I hesitated when I heard the last bit but Thor’s grip on my arm was steady and he propelled me forward without a hitch. “It’s a title of respect,” he whispered to me. “They’re trying to honor you as a great adversary.”
I smiled and spoke through clenched teeth, “You promised I wouldn’t need my weapons tonight,” I scanned the room, “I’ve only got my bodice dagger on me.”
“You brought a dagger even though I told you it wasn’t necessary?” His voice was filled with humor.
“I didn’t want to go into the lion’s den unarmed,” I smiled at Ull, Thor's stepson by his ex-wife Sif, as we passed him and the gorgeous blonde woman with him, before we continued on to the head table. The table was on a raised dais and we had to climb a couple of steps to get up to it.
“You can be very silly, darling,” he whispered to me and I laughed low.
“Only you would call me silly when I’m armed with spelled steel.”
“You’re never defenseless, Godhunter,” he kissed my neck, right where his lightning scar snaked down. He'd given it to me to cover a bite scar Blue had left.
“Welcome to my hall, Godhunter,” a large Viking with long, dark-brown hair and a leather patch over one eye, stood to greet us.
He had harsh but handsome features and his one eye was a piercing, peacock blue. I don’t mean it was a bright blue. I mean it was blue but shimmered purple and green depending on how the light hit it, like a peacock feather. It was framed with sin-black lashes and was so beautiful, it made me mourn the loss of the other. His mouth was framed by a neatly trimmed beard, at odds with his lumberjack physique clad in rich blue velvet.