by Amy Sumida
It cocked its head at me and bared a set of the sharpest fangs I'd ever seen... and I've seen some pretty sharp ones. Exhibit A: Blue a.k.a. Huitzilopochtli. The sun glinted off the perfect white teeth, a little too well cared for, for an animal. His eyes surveyed me with more than animal intelligence, and then there was the fact that Hawaii doesn’t have wolves. Much less mutant, giant, killer wolves. My slow-processing, terror-filled brain finally put two and two together and came up with werewolf.
“Fuck,” I backed up along the chainlink fence which ran down one side of the parking lot. It wasn’t the best idea to retreat, everyone knows it's a sign of fear and fear gave werewolves big raging hard-ons. “Not another one,” I groaned as I forced my legs to stop and stand my ground.
I took a quick look around me. The lot was full of cars but thankfully empty of people. How long had it been watching me from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike? A chill went down my spine as I realized how pathetic my senses were compared to that of a true predator. I had completely underestimated my enemy again. This was becoming a habit, the kind of habit that could kill me.
It leapt at me and I side-stepped but it had jacked-up, animal reflexes and twisted mid-air. Pain rocketed through me as its teeth sank into my shoulder and we both went down. It landed on my chest, straddling me while it worried at my wound like a piece of meat. Even through the pain, I noticed the sharp claws protruding out of his massive paws on either side of my face. I was becoming more and more certain that this was the painful, bloody end Jackson had just foretold.
Straddling my body was a vulnerable position for the wolf but then it probably wasn't expecting a human to be armed with god weaponry. If my claws had been normal steel, they may not have even penetrated his thick hide. They weren't normal though, so when I punched both hands up into its underbelly and drug them down, I gutted the beast horribly. Blood gushed over me, along with the slide of thicker things, before the wolf fell back with a sharp howl to kick uselessly at the air.
I rolled onto my unchewed shoulder and stood up on shaky legs, clutching my wound to try and staunch the blood flow. The bite was deep, ragged, and wide due to the head-thrashing technique my attacker had employed. I tore away my already damaged sleeve and with some awkward maneuvering, I was able to bind my wound. Pain burned through me, threatening to steal my consciousness, but I breathed through it and focused instead on my would-be assassin.
The creature was panting furiously as its eyes rolled up to me in terror. Entrails oozed out of the shredded mess of its belly, blood pooling quickly and matting the beautiful coat. It was enough to turn my stomach and my automatic reaction was to turn away but I forced myself to look at it and acknowledge what I’d done. Death should never be easy… for either party involved.
So I looked and what I saw was just a wounded animal in horrendous pain. My pain seemed to dull in light of his and when he whimpered, my breath caught on a sob. I was a major animal lover and hurting one was so against the grain for me, it felt like a part of my soul was dying. I told myself this wasn't just any wolf, this was a werewolf sent to murder me, but my heart wasn't listening. He was just so pitiful and monstrously beautiful, I couldn't end his life. I just didn’t have it in me.
Rule number one when fighting gods and monsters: No sympathy and no mercy. But what had Jackson said? Something about pain to love and love to heal? It was all fuzzy at the moment but it resonated inside me and I knew that going with my heart was the right thing to do. I'd killed so many gods, giving up a part of my humanity to save humanity. Killing this wolf was a sacrifice I wasn't willing to make. Killing him would kill the only goodness I had left.
“If you shift now, will you be able heal?” I asked with as steady a voice as I could manage through the radiating pain of my shoulder. The wolf’s eyes narrowed and it nodded in a very human way. “Then go ahead and change. I’ll guard you while you do, and we’ll call this round a draw.” I was shaking and I wasn't sure if it was from blood loss or the possibility of having just made a fatal mistake.
The wolf shifted immediately and I glanced around to be sure we were still alone. When I looked back, there was a large, naked man sitting against the chainlink fence, and I mean large. No wonder the wolf was so big, the man was almost as big as Thor. Short, black, silky hair poked out from his head in clumps, giving him a wild, unkempt, and very sexy look. His eyes were still the color of honey and still tilted in the same manner, more wolf than human. Those eyes stared at me with animal intensity and an intelligence superior to most humans. I tried hard to focus on them and ignore the fact that he was naked, hot, and well-endowed. Not that I looked. Much.
“Why?” His voice was raspy and his breathing ragged. For a second I thought he was asking me why I was trying to avoid looking at his nudity. Then my mind snapped back into focus and I almost slapped myself for being such a perverted werewolf-ogler.
“I guess I’m just a sucker for a wounded wolf,” I tried to look casual and yet still be prepared for an attack. He had a distinct advantage over me now. My shoulder wound would make self defense difficult at best. “I’ll probably regret it later but it felt like the right thing to do.”
“You’re the one who killed Kenny,” he swallowed hard and I realized he was no threat to me. He was still weakened from the effort it had taken to heal. I pulled up the levers that sheathed my claws.
“Is that the werewolf who attacked me the other night?”
Naked wolf-man nodded.
“You've got to be kidding. I killed Kenny? Great, my life has just morphed into an episode of South Park.” Kenny the Werewolf? Werewolf Ken? Wouldn't you know it, Barbie's Halloween date had tried to assassinate me. “Look, he attacked me first, Fido. I was just defending myself.”
“It’s just a job,” his lips twitched. Was he going to laugh at me? Of all the inappropriate… oh, who the hell am I kidding?
“Time to find a new line of work then,” I looked around again. “You need to go. Someone could see.” I waved vaguely to include his still, very naked, very sexy body and my tied off shoulder. Did werewolves have extra pheromones or what?
“You’re really just going to let me walk away?” His voice caressed me with a lilting measure of both wonder and fascination, as his eyes continued their intense scrutiny.
“No, I wanted you to heal so I could stab you all over again, it’s more fun that way,” I rolled my eyes and grimaced around the throbbing pain of my shoulder. “You may wanna change back to a wolf. I think you’d garner less attention than if you walked around naked, although it's a tough call.”
“You’re not even going to ask who sent me?” His wolf eyes widened, his brow lifting.
“Would you tell me if I did?”
“No,” he grunted with a twisted grin.
“Well, there you go,” I looked around again. There was an elderly couple coming out of the antique store. I could just see the headlines: Double Heart Attack, Elderly Couple Shocked to Death by Werewolf Flasher. “And you should go… like now.”
“I’m Trevor,” he crawled over to me and I barely controlled my urge to back away. He sniffed the air around me thoroughly, then grabbed my hand and rubbed his face against it like a cat scent-marking its owner.
“I'm Vervain,” I shook my head and laughed a little, “How very lovely to meet you.”
“Vervain,” he stood and it took all my willpower to focus on his face. “I’ll find you again but I’ll hunt you no more. You’re safe from me and I’ll do everything I can to keep the others away from you as well. I swear it on the life you gave back to me.”
“Thank you but really, that’s not necessary. Don’t come after me again and we’re all square.” I didn’t want to get him killed by his family for disobedience or something like that after I just saved him.
He blinked as if I’d said something profound and then shifted. One second he was a hot, naked man, the next, a giant fur ball. I sucked in a shocked breath as he circled me three times, rubbi
ng against me as he went, then lowered his head in a bow before he ran off in great, lopping strides.
“Well what the fuck was that about?” I mused as I watched him leave. Then I shook my head and stumbled to my car. I had to get home so I could trace over to Bilskinir. I needed to get to Teharon before I passed out.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Vervain, where have you been?” Thor started as I lurched through the door. “What the hell? Teharon!” He caught me just as I was about to fall.
“I'll be okay,” I smiled weakly, “it's just a little bite.”
“A little bite?” Thor carried me to the bed before shouting again, “Teharon!”
“I'm here,” the Indian walked in with his perfect forehead creased into lines. “What's the problem? Ah,” his eyes fell on me. “Trouble again, Godhunter?”
“When is she not in trouble?” Thor grumbled.
“Thanks, babe, really helpful.” I grimaced when he untied the torn sleeve from my shoulder.
Teharon gently nudged Thor aside and came up to carefully inspect the damage. He made some pensive noises as he prodded lightly. I hissed, sharp pain streaking through the numbness that had been taking over. Teharon frowned and held up a hand when Thor started to move forward.
“Give me space,” he touched the edges of the nasty wound, my shoulder had been reduced to so much meat, and I felt a tingling warmth start to spread. I watched as his fingertips began to glow, the light growing brighter till it left his hands and sank into my flesh. It itched like crazy but I held my hands still at my side while he finished. When he finally pulled away, my skin was whole again, a little pink, but whole and pain-free.
“Thank you,” I took his hand and squeezed it. “You must be sick of saving me already.”
“Not at all,” he patted the top of my hand. “My magic is happiest when it's being used. Your constant need fuels me.”
“Well, stick around,” I laughed. “I've just been told I've got a boatload of blood and pain coming my way.”
“What?” Thor took a seat near my feet as I scooted up into a sitting position. “What exactly were you out doing today?”
“I think I'll leave you two to it,” Teharon nodded to me and discretely left.
“I went to breakfast with some friends.”
“Vervain,” Thor shook his head. “You know better than that. How could you go out alone and unprotected?”
“I wasn't alone, I was meeting friends,” I frowned down at the huge bloody mess that used to be Thor's tunic. “I need to go home and get some clothes.”
“Does that mean you're staying?” Aha, the one thing that would distract him.
“For now,” I grinned, “I just need some more stuff. My paints and some canvases. There's a couple of portraits I need to finish by the end of the month. All us non-god types have bills to pay.”
“I'll go with you to get them.”
“I'm staying but I'm not going to barricade myself in Bilskinir, babe,” I got up when I saw Nick come striding in. “Hey you,” I reached down and scratched his chin.
“You can't be gallivanting around with fragile mortals when the wolves have your scent,” he looked like he was going to start yelling at any second.
“Look, it's cool okay?” I left Nick to go curl up in one of the heavy chairs by the fire. “The werewolf that attacked me today is on my side now.”
“I figured that was a werewolf bite,” Thor gave me an exasperated look. “Wait, what? He's on your side?”
“I demolished him,” I gave him a saucy grin. “Then I felt bad, so I backed off and let him heal. He said he'd try to stop the others from coming after me.”
“One wolf is not going to make a whit of difference against the whole Froekn family.”
“Froekn?”
“It's what the wolves call themselves and it's also besides the point,” Thor got up and pulled the useless tunic off me. He inspected my shoulder before he picked me up and carried me back to bed. “If I have to, I'll make you too exhausted to leave Bilskinir.”
“That may not be such a bad idea,” I wrapped my arms around him but then I frowned as I recalled Jackson's prophecy in full. “Does Sif call herself the Queen of Love by any chance?”
“Not that I know of,” Thor pulled his face back to look down on me. “What else happened while you were out?”
“A good friend of mine is a clairvoyant,” I sighed. “He read me today because I mentioned I had a new boyfriend.”
“You told your friends about me?” He got the cutest goofy look on his face.
“Yes, and they want to meet you but focus,” I snapped my fingers and he blinked. “Jackson said some nice things about you,” I blushed when I remembered what he said about Thor already being in love with me.
“Did he now?” His face was going from goofy to cocky and I preferred the goofy.
“Cut it out,” I slapped his arm. “He went on to say how you were terrified of me getting hurt but you had good reason to be scared. He said there was going to be a lot of blood and then he mentioned something about the Queen of Love only bringing pain. I don't know what it means but it doesn't sound good.”
Thor sighed and got to his feet. “We need to tell the others,” he pulled another tunic out for me to wear, this one in powder blue. “You get dressed and I'll go call them all together.” He took one last long look at my nudity before handing me the tunic. He groaned as he left.
Fifteen minutes later, I was dressed and telling the God Squad about my latest upheaval.
“It has to be Sif,” Finn was pacing the library, he seemed to be taking it the worst. “You have to do something, Thor,” he stopped in front of us and glared at my guy, who was seated on the couch beside me. “You swore blood to mouth to protect her, you have a responsibility.”
“Don’t remind me of my vows, Black Swan,” Thor was about to stand up but I patted his thigh and he relaxed a little. “I want her safe even more than you do and I’ll stop at nothing to see that she is.”
“I have to say I’m not too impressed with your results so far,” Finn’s eyes narrowed.
Thor stood up and I jumped to my feet to stand between them.
“Enough, I’m not some child needing to be protected. I’ll be happy for any help anyone would like to offer in this but I’m not going to cower behind any man, even if that man happens to be a god.”
Thor looked at me, then back at Finn with a twist of the mouth which clearly said, You see what I have to deal with? Finn nodded and snorted as he backed away.
“Fine,” Finn sat down and we followed suit, “but I still think Thor should handle his ex-wife.”
“We’re not even sure she’s behind this,” Horus was perched on the end of his chair and I don’t mean he was sitting close to the edge. He crouched on it like a bird, balanced on the balls of his feet with his forearms braced on his knees. How he managed to make it look both elegant and casual was beyond me.
“Who else could it possibly be?” Pan was twisting his hands together. I’d never seen him so worried. It was unsettling. Pan had two moods: happy and happier, the later usually due to besting Horus.
Everyone looked at me and I shook my head. “I haven’t got a clue but I have to tell you, it sucks having someone gunning for me without even knowing what they look like. They could walk by me on the street and I wouldn’t know it.”
“I’ll do it,” Thor looked grumpier than I’d ever seen him.
“You’re going to talk to Sif?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.
“What else can I do?” He pulled me against his chest. “I can’t allow these attacks to continue.”
“Thank you,” Finn fell back into his seat and threw his hands up in the universal finally gesture.
“Thank you,” I whispered and he kissed my forehead. “When are we going?”
“What?” The whole room seemed to ask the question.
“Well, I’m going with you of course,” I looked around at the others like it was a give
n.
“No you're not,” Thor shook his head like the discussion was over. I thought he knew me better than that.
“I want to meet her,” I stood up so I could glower down at him for once. The room emptied out behind me quickly but Thor barely spared them a glance.
“It’s not a good idea, Vervain.”
“Why not?”
“For one, if she is behind this, she may try to kill you.”
“So?”
He groaned. “Vervain, this is not a contest of who’s the toughest. She’s a goddess. You're a hunter of gods. I understand that it’s in your nature to confront her but I don’t want to deal with the fallout.”
“You mean you don’t want to referee,” I started to smile.
“Exactly,” he stood up and grabbed my waist. His smile spread as he looked down. “You’re so tiny. I can span your waist with my hands.”
I’ve waited forever for a man to call me tiny and give me that hand-spanning, romance novel line. My waist is small in comparison to the rest of me, I definitely have an hourglass figure, but in comparison to women's waists in general, it wasn’t all that little. There was a bit more sand in my hourglass.
“That’s because you have huge hands,” I tried to hide my pleasure but it was difficult. You tiny girls will never know the joy of a comment like that and I pity you for it… hate you and pity you but I’m not bitter.
“The better to touch you with, my dear,” he growled and let his hands wander.
I laughed in delight. “Oh, Grandma what big…”
“Don’t you dare,” he laughed and picked me up.
“What?” I blinked up at him innocently. “You know what they say about big hands.”
“Would you agree with them?” His eyes twinkled.
“Hmmm…”