by Amy Sumida
“I do?” She looked over the men with new eyes, as a smile spread across her lips. “I can really have one?”
“Hell, baby,” I giggled, “take 'em all.”
“Oh, UnnúlfR will be so pissed,” she whispered.
“Please tell me that's not who you were crying over,” I grabbed her shoulder.
“He broke up with me,” Sam bit her lip. “Said he didn't think I was the one.”
“Well you dodged that bullet,” I sniffed. “You can do so much better than that asshole.”
“You think?”
“Hello? Look around you,” I waved at the waiting men. “Hey, who wants to get my friend another drink?” Hands shot up everywhere. “I rest my case.”
“But UnnúlfR is the second born,” she looked like she was trying to understand quantum physics. That shit always gave me a headache. “He's the best a Froekn girl could get, next to Trevor and he's already taken.”
“He's the best according to who?” I thought about how he had threatened to rape me at my trial.
“According to us,” she shrugged. “It's all rank in the pack and he's two steps away from being in charge. It's sexy, you know, power and all that.”
“So why not go after Ty?” If I hadn't been in my unusual situation with Trevor already, I might have been interested in his baby brother. Ty was smokin' hot. “He's the next in line and has a much better personality.”
“Ty doesn't want me, UnnúlfR does.”
“Actually,” I smiled gently at her to soften my words, “you just told me he doesn't.”
“Right,” her face fell.
“But he's a dick,” I pushed her shoulder to get her to look at me. “Wouldn't you rather have a regular guy who treats you like a Princess than someone who could actually make you a Princess but treats you like shit?”
“Huh,” she tilted her head, looking for a second like a hound who'd just caught a new scent. “I'd never thought of it like that before.”
“Well get on your thinking cap, girl,” I waved at the waiting men. “She's drinking amaretto sours. Why doesn't she have a fresh one yet?”
The men scurried off and we giggled like little girls.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I rolled over gingerly, expecting a splitting headache and a good dose of nausea after last night's activities.
No headache. I sat up. No nausea. Not to complain but what the hell? I must've had four Long Islands and then there were all those amaretto sours that Sam couldn't drink. The last round of men had brought her five. Two Long Islands put me in a bad way, three and a hangover was guaranteed. I felt great and I'd had four plus those extras.
“Must be magic,” I said to Nick, who was curled up at the foot of the bed.
Then I stopped and really thought about it. Was it magic? I'd taken Aphrodite's power, every last drop till she dropped dead. I had changed a little physically. Maybe it had improved my health as well as my looks. Maybe I could do more than I knew now. Like trace the Aether worldwide. I gave a little gasp of possibilities.
I scooted out of bed with a hopeful bounce. Ever since I'd met Thor and the God Squad, I'd lamented the fact that I couldn't trace from location to location in the Human Realm like they do but instead had to be given a piggy back ride.
I could trace from here to the God Realm and back with no problem but that was only because I had the spells for it. I'd found them in the book I took from Ku's house. They were very specific though, only allowing me entrance to certain god homes and back again. I assume they were meant to enable him to visit his friends, as no god can enter another's home without the proper entrance chant. They had come in handy back when I was hunting gods alone but I'd used most of them and none of them are for a location in the Human Realm.
I asked Thor about it once and he'd said it was something they learned by experience. As children, they would trace with their parents until they got the hang of it. It was something unexplainable, like telling someone how to walk. You could describe how to lift one leg and then the other but would you be able to explain how to use the muscles? Not only how each fiber flexes and pulls together but how to make them flex? He said tracing for him was simply asking the Aether to take him to his destination. When I commented that he made the Aether sound like it was sentient, he said that in a way it was.
Every time someone worked with it, they left some of their energy behind. So the Aether wasn't a single consciousness but a collection of little parts of many minds. I admit that kind of creeped me out. Traveling through bits and pieces of other people's minds just sounded icky to me but he insisted that it was an untapped resource. If someone could find a way to not only trace through it, or use it to manifest spells, but to simply sort through the knowledge stored there, they would have access to amazing amounts of information. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, no one's been able to master that ability yet.
Either way, I was still left unable to figure out how to trace to anywhere on the globe.
I looked at it as the difference between jumping up in a straight line and pole vaulting. The Aether was sandwiched between our worlds, so leaping through it and out the other side was more or less a straight shot. Tracing without exiting but instead turning around and coming back, was a curve. A completely different equation. The question was; could I make the curve now?
It was food for thought. An even bigger question was, did I have the nerve to test it? If something went wrong, I could be stuck in the Aether. Basically floating around in magic til I died of starvation. Or worse, living on forever. I swallowed hard and sat back down. Trapped in the Aether forever. That threat alone would keep me from trying. Add to that, the fact that I'd been tracing with Thor and company for over a year and still hadn't caught on. Attempting it on my own would be plain stupid. It wasn't worth the money I'd save on plane tickets and gas.
Mind made up on not tracing alone, I went in search of coffee and food. My stomach was rumbling hard. I found my purse abandoned in the hallway and picked it up with a smile. I must have been seriously plastered to drop my purse on the floor. Not that I was a huge neat freak, it was a Chloe and I had spent way too much money on it, for it to be dumped on the floor. Hell, for that kind of money, it should have its' own niche in the wall, with a spotlight to display it. I placed it carefully on the sofa and nearly tripped over Nick, who'd been following me, chastising me in meows for my base behavior.
“Hey,” I defended myself, “at least I didn't bring anyone home.”
Then I noticed a handful of paper scraps spilling out the top of my purse. What in the world? I went over to investigate with Nick following closely on my heels. They turned out to be phone numbers. Lots of phone numbers with names written above them. I groaned as it all came back to me. Drinks thrust into my hand followed by phone numbers, drunken moves on the dance floor, ending in more papers being tucked into my bra. The worse part was, I'd encouraged it all. I had enjoyed every minute of it.
“Oh wow,” I gathered them all up and took them to the kitchen garbage can. “I'm not calling them,” I said to Nick's accusing glare.
He stuck his tail in the air, obviously unsatisfied with my answer, until I filled his dish with food. Then happy purring ensued and I was once again in his good graces. I laughed over the fickleness of felines as I made coffee and pondered my breakfast options, while simultaneously trying to block out the rest of the night. It didn't work. Along with my new powers of recuperation, came a great memory.
What really stuck out though, wasn't all those sweet country boys. It was my dance with Blue. I guess I'd known we'd eventually come to this. The attraction between us had been enough to tempt me, even when he was my enemy and a fucking psychopath. Now that he was a changed man and I was a free woman, it was nearly impossible to resist. What really confused me though, was how I wanted to resist, and it had nothing to do with timing. It wasn't because I was fresh out of a break-up. I just knew Blue wasn't for me.
I knew we'd be hot together. Literally hot, since heat
was part of Blue's magic, him being an Aztec god of the sun and all. We'd be amazing in bed. I'd already had a hell of an experience with him in a shared dream, back when he was still my arch nemesis. It made me shiver every time I thought about it. He was incredibly sexy, intelligent, refined, and occasionally quite funny. Why then, did I not want to leap into his bed?
I had no freaking idea.
A knock on my door interrupted my confused thoughts. I answered it after peeking out the window and confirming it wasn't someone who wanted to kill me. No, not paranoia, just common sense.
“Ms. Vivian Lavine?” A disembodied voice wafted through a huge floral arrangement, along with the scent of narcissus.
“It's Vervain,” I nearly groaned at the common mistake.
“Huh?” The vase lowered so I could see a pimply faced blonde boy.
“My name is Vervain, like the herb.”
“An herb?” That seemed to peak his interest.
“No, you can't smoke it,” I grimaced and his face fell.
“Oh, like a spice then?”
“No,” I sighed. “Just a plant.”
Why my Mom had to name me after a magical plant very few normal people even knew existed, was a puzzle I'd been pondering for most of my life. I mean, yeah, vervain was a powerful herb but the only people who knew that, were fellow witches. Oh and gods. That was a plus to joining the god world. No one ever screwed up my name.
“Uh, okay,” the boy was obviously too young to process the workings of a female mind. “These are for you.” He thrust the flowers at me and I took them, nearly staggering under the weight. “I need a signature.”
“Okay, hold on,” I huffed as I deposited the arrangement on the low Moroccan table in my living room. It looked pretty good there.
I grabbed some cash as I went back over to the kid and his face brightened out of his confusion when I handed him the tip.
“Thanks!” He took back his clipboard and nodded to me. “Have a good day Ms. Vervain.”
“Thank you,” I almost tipped him more just for remembering the correct name. “You too,” I closed the door and eyed the blooming monstrosity. I was almost positive there'd be a name on its card to match one of the scraps of paper I'd just thrown away. “I need coffee for this.”
I grabbed a mug of steaming salvation and sat down in front of the flowers. There was a little white card tucked in among the dark purple irises and narcissus. What an unusual selection. I liked that, it showed a certain amount of creativity. Maybe I'd have to give the country boy a chance after all. I plucked the card from its little pitchfork holder and prepared myself for what it probably said.
“What the...?” I plopped back against the multitude of cushions on my low sofa and re-read the card.
I know it's barely been a week
But you know it's your heart that I seek
As soon as you're ready, I'll be here
As long as it takes, a day or a year
Give us a chance and you will see
Just how amazing we can be
Finn
“Wow,” I blinked. “That was so not what I was expecting. Who knew Finn could be so cheesy?” I looked over at Nick, who stopped his almost OCD fur cleaning to look back at me. His tongue was stuck half out of his mouth due to the interruption, and I laughed. “Exactly.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“So what are you gonna do?” Samantha peered in morbid fascination at Finn's ridiculously large floral arrangement, sitting on the table between us.
“I have no idea,” I let my chin fall into my cupped palm.
“What did he say when you told him you didn't think you'd make a good match?”
“He said it was the heartache talking,” I sighed, “and that I'd change my mind after I had time to heal.”
“Crap,” she frowned.
“Exactly,” I shrugged. “What can I say to that? Or rather, what can I say that won't crush him like a bug?”
“Why worry about it?” She narrowed her eyes on the blooms. “Men never give us that kind of consideration.”
“Baby girl,” I snapped my fingers in front of her distracted gaze. “You've been around the wrong kind of man. There's a whole world of good guys out there, you just have to wade through the bastards to reach them. They're like little islands of goodness amidst a sea of stupidity.”
It occurred to me that her opinion had been very close to my recent views on men. I guess it was standard operating procedure for us women to go through the I hate men phase after a break-up. Must be part of the healing process but I think seeing her so bitter was helping me heal even more than being bitter myself. It showed me how silly I was being and forced me to be rational once more. I could feel my cynicism easing back a bit.
“Maybe you're right,” she sighed. “So why am I drowning in the sea?”
“Because he's really good in bed?” I shrugged. “It's called oxytocin. A hormone that's released during orgasm. It makes you bond with your partner, think about them, obsess about them. Basically, it makes us insane.”
“Oxytocin? Are you telling me this is all chemical?”
“Partly, not all,” I winked. “Don't worry, it'll fade in about a week. That's why they say nothing gets you over the last like getting under the next. The jerk just knows how to make you feel good and unfortunately women forgive a lot for that.”
“Yeah,” she laughed. “That's probably it. Though Kurt was pretty damn good.”
“Kurt, eh?” I waggled my brows. “Is that the blonde you left with the other night?”
“That's him,” she confirmed. “He's a jeweler.”
“Oh I like him already,” I grinned. “You're practically guaranteed good presents.”
“Who cares about diamonds, when he can kiss like that.” She grinned back.
“So what's the problem?”
“The problem is,” the grin disappeared. “I keep seeing UnnúlfR's face when he stops the kissing.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah.” She sank back into the sofa. “What do I do, Rouva?”
“Well first you stop calling me Rouva,” I took a sip of my soda. “We could always rearrange UnnúlfR's face.” She grimaced. “No? Fine,” I huffed as if extremely disappointed. “Then there's only one thing you need,” I smiled. “Revenge.”
“Revenge?”
“He broke your heart, right?”
“Right.”
“So let's see what we can break,” I smiled. “Starting with that precious ego of his. Do you think Kurt can come out tonight?”
“Oh yeah,” she was beginning to understand.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Samantha was right on time, walking in looking gorgeous, with her long, dark hair in a pin straight curtain down her back. Kurt had ditched his cowboy duds for slacks and a dress shirt, open at the collar. The white shirt showed off his tan and his shoulder-length, blonde locks made him look more professional surfer than professional jeweler. He was eye candy, top of the line... we're talking Godiva.
I smiled gleefully as I watched UnnúlfR glance over and then do a double take. He looked like a cartoon, his jaw practically scraping the floor, when Sam walked by without even glancing in his direction. Her eyes were all for her date and then for me when she located me up in the VIP section. I smiled and waved her up, the Froekn bouncer at the bottom of the stairs gave her wide-eyes as they passed.
“You're stunning,” I said as they approached and stood to give her a hug. I whispered quickly, “He's dying, you're absolutely killing him.”
“Thanks,” her smile went up ten notches. “You remember Kurt?”
“Of course, how are you, Kurt?”
“Great,” he looked over at Sam, like his state of well-being should have been obvious to me, given the gorgeousness of his date. “This place is amazing, thanks for the invite.”
“Anytime,” I sat back down on my little “hill”. “Want something to drink? To eat?”
“I'd love a Jack and Coke,” he
smiled and took a seat on the hill across the flat-topped boulder table from mine. I waved at one of the waitresses hovering around the VIP level.
“Hey, Jess,” I smiled at her shocked expression when she took in Sam's human date. “Could you bring us a Jack and Coke, a Long Island, and...” I waved to Sam.
“Oh, uh, could I get a Long Island too please, Jess.”
“No prob,” her face started to clear and then brighten. She looked the way I imagine I had, the first time I walked into Sephora; as if a whole new world of possibilities had just opened up. I think dating humans was about to catch on.
Jess rushed off with a new bounce in her step. I felt like jumping up on the railing and shouting Fortune favors the brave! Or Failure is impossible! Or some other suffragette slogan. I settled for winking at Sam.
“Vervain,” Ull approached our group warily. That uncertainty hurt my heart a little. He was my friend and there was so much I wanted to erase between us. So much I wanted to say.
“Ull,” I got up and tried to sum up my feelings in case he was here to say goodbye. “It's so good to see you. I've missed you.” Sam and her date were staring but I didn't care. Pride was a non-issue for me when it came to friendships. He meant more to me than that. I held an arm out to him and miracle of miracles, he took my hand and pulled me into a warm hug.
“I've missed you too, V.”
I settled into his arms, burying my face in his chest as I fought back tears. I didn't realize how much I might have lost when Thor had told me we were through. To have Thor's step-son holding me, forgiving me for my part in his mother's death, was more than I'd thought I'd get. Was more than I thought I deserved, on some level.
“It's going to be alright, V,” Ull whispered into my hair. “You're doing just fine.”
“I know,” I pulled back and smiled at him. “I just didn't consider that I might lose all of you when I lost him.”
“You didn't,” he squeezed my hand. “We're all still your friends. Nothing's changed there. We just thought we'd give you a little time to work things through.”