by Sumida, Amy
“It’s okay,” I smiled over at Pan. “Yes, Trevor has graciously approved of Odin.”
“Trevor did?” Thor scoffed, only slightly cowed after Odin’s speech.
“Yes, I did,” Trevor’s hackles rose once more.
“Kirill is the other man Trevor’s approved of,” I met Thor’s angry stare.
“Sometimes I wish I’d never come across you stealing those plans,” Thor looked me up and down like I was something grotesque. Trevor growled but I shook my head and squeezed his hand.
“Well, our bond is severed,” I managed a cool tone even though I was raging inside. “You can start fresh and pretend you got your wish.”
“If only that were possible,” Thor barely even noticed the rest of the squad watching our drama in horror. “Unfortunately, Odin’s right about one thing: I am a fool.” He walked to the front door and traced out.
“You can say zat again,” Kirill mumbled and Trevor grinned over at him and gave him a quick fist pound. Men.
“I suppose this is a bad time to put in my application to share in the Vervain love fest?” Finn held up his hand with a cocky grin.
The phone interrupted my witty comeback with a shrill ring. So I had to settle for a stern glare at Finn as I answered.
“Rouva?” Samantha’s panicked voice screeched out of the handset.
“Samantha,” I gestured to Trevor to join me, “what’s wrong?”
“They’ve taken Fallon,” she sobbed. “Ares and his sons grabbed him as he was coming into work.”
“Ares? What the fuck does Ares want with Fallon?”
“He’s a means to an end,” Trevor growled.
“He wants you to meet with him, Rouva,” Samantha continued. “He said he’d entertain himself with Fallon until you got there. Please Rouva, I love him. I love him so much.”
“So do I, Sam,” I took a deep breath. “He’s one of mine and I promise you, we’ll get him back. No one is taking another lion from me. Where did Ares want to meet?”
Chapter Forty-One
Ares was actually very handsome. He had dark curls that fell in a boyish riot over his steel-gray eyes and strong features ruined only by a mouth that was a touch too greedy. Too selfish. He was of average height but had thick muscles and an athlete’s grace. Too bad he was such an asshole.
He stood in the center of the field, waiting for me, wearing a shiny set of armor sans helmet. We were in Greece, specifically Thessaly, the Larissa lowlands in particular. It looked like a big, open field ringed by mountains. Not too impressive but as good a place as any for a fight. Ares, if nothing else, was a master of the art of war. Maybe I should have read that book back in Duat, after all.
My enemy was flanked by his sons and attendants. Deimos, the name means dread, was dark like his father. Phobos, fright, had white hair, glowing eyes, and pointed teeth. His attendants were Trembling and Panic, both dark, large, and scary looking.
Behind them, chained at both hands and feet, was Fallon and I have to say I was impressed they’d gotten the best of him. Fallon was a big guy and definitely not a push over. From the way he was glaring at his abductors, he wasn’t too impressed but he was pretty pissed.
“I’m sorry, Tima,” Fallon called out to me. “They jumped me from behind, like the cowards they are. I never knew what hit me.”
“It’s alright, Fallon,” I smiled and I meant it. I was just happy to see him unharmed. “I needed to take care of this eventually.”
“You can’t seduce me, Godhunter,” Ares steeped forward. “How will you win against a god immune to your charms?”
“First of all, gross,” I looked him up and down. “Secondly… y-u-u-uck, I have no interest in seducing you, asshole.”
My hair was braided around my head like a crown, my fighting leathers were on, the claws in my gloves were extended as well as the knives that stuck out of my boot heels, and my kodachi was strapped to my side. I was ready to rumble and totally prepared when he broke formation and charged me.
I met him halfway, Trevor and the others holding back so I could get a few licks in before it became an all out war. I slashed at the juncture of his armor where the leather showed and there was a chance of actually harming him. The leather gave and his chest plate shifted to a satisfying tilt. Ares glared.
Then he punched me and I went flying. I didn’t think people could actually achieve that kind of height and velocity just by getting knocked a good one but I, evidently, was wrong. I landed hard, tearing up clods of grass and breaking something important.
It would have been really bad if I hadn’t been immortal.
My bones knitted almost as soon as they had been broke, so that I still don’t know for sure which ones had been damaged, and my head was back to normal after one small shake. I guess my healing abilities would slow down in time but since my Grayel drink was so recent, I was in super hero healing mode. I stood up and sped back to Ares, grass and dirt flying off me as I went.
I had a second to appreciate the shock in Ares’ face before I dove into him and then I was tearing at his throat. Warm, wet blood hit my skin and my lioness roared in delight. I looked down at the liquid life covering me and I couldn’t help it, couldn’t stop myself, I licked it. Yech!
Ares had hit the ground and rolled away, healing as I was preoccupied with my little taste test. He staggered to his feet and pushed away his sons’ hands as they tried to help him. They stepped back. I guess the fight was just between us. That kind of surprised and impressed me. I thought Ares was more underhanded than that. It must’ve been some kind of ego thing.
Ares pulled his sword and after a moment’s thought, I pulled mine. We circled each other more warily this time, looking for weakness before moving in for the kill. Neither of us had very much luck with that so Ares finally took a chance and swung. I blocked him easily but the return swing caught my upper arm pretty deep.
The cut barely had time to bleed before it knitted up.
“What the fuck?” Ares had finally noticed my speedy healing. Hooray for him.
“You’re even slower than I thought,” I shook my head as I circled him again. “Haven’t you heard the details of my escape? I’ve taken a drink from the Grayel, buddy-boy. I’m one of you now.”
“You’ll never be one of us, you disgusting little human.”
“Too late,” I smiled at his horror, “neener, neener, neener.”
“Then I’ll just have to remedy that,” he swung his sword in an angry arch, “immediately.”
He launched himself at me, sword first, but I’d been practicing with Fenrir and my sword skills were pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. I blocked his thrust and brought my blade up and under, slicing beneath the hanging breastplate and opening up his belly. He bellowed in pain and spun away.
“Have you seen Dementor lately?” I taunted him…yes I believe in taunting my opponents. “I gave her a little haircut.” I waved toward the long braid that dangled off Kirill’s belt.
“You’ll be missing a lot more than your hair when I’m through with you,” Ares swung again but this time it had a strength that numbed my arm when I parried the blow.
I barely held onto the sword. Thankfully, the blade was magically enhanced and was able to take the blow but I had lost precious seconds and Ares knew when to take the advantage. He brought his blade around again and sliced through my arm, clean to the bone. My kodachi dropped from my useless fingers.
I heard Trevor and Kirill growl but they stood their ground and let the fight continue. I was proud of them… I think. Honestly, I wasn’t feeling too much beyond immense pain when I saw Ares move his sword into position for a killing blow. I would’ve been dead, goddess or not, if he hadn’t made a huge mistake.
He forgot who I was.
I transformed into the lioness, shredded leather and weapons flying as I went straight for his throat. Anubis wasn’t there to pull me back this time, so Ares’ throat gave way like spun sugar beneath my teeth and his blood filled my mo
uth like Duat wine.
I vaguely heard shouting and the clash of fighting around me but nothing touched us, nothing stopped my jaws from closing completely. I heard a wet sucking sound and then a soft pop as his head pulled free of his spinal cord. I tossed it from the body with a shake of my head, then sat back on my haunches and began to clean myself.
Chapter Forty-Two
Four hours later, I was completely clean, completely healed, and completely sober, even though I was on my fifth Long Island Iced Tea. These rejuvenation powers could be a little annoying if you wanted to get drunk. I did not, at the moment, so it was just one more thing to drink a toast too.
We were celebrating after all.
Fallon was reunited with Samantha without so much as a scratch, Ares was finally dead although his sons and attendants had got away, Demetor was beaten and on the run, I had escaped matrimony to Anubis, and my gloves had made it through my shapeshifting bit intact. Life was good.
Oh, and did I mention I had a gorgeous hunk of a man on each arm?
Trevor, Kirill, and I were seated cozily on one of the “hill” sofas in Moonshine with our friends spread out around us. They were all drinking as much as I was and it was all on the house. It was the least we could do after they had bailed me out yet again.
After I’d taken down Ares, his boys had gotten cranky and tried to attack my back. It was a good thing I’d brought my own reinforcements, including the Intare. Hello? Don't take one of my lions because then they'll all be gunning for you. They're like the Three Musketeers, only a lot more than three, and they had claws, and sharp teeth, and could get really big and furry. Okay, so they weren't really like the Three Musketeers at all, except for that All for one thing. But it was a good thing they were there because numbers alone made it a lot easier to chase off Ares' gang. Even though there were only four of them, they weren’t named scary synonyms for nothing. They were all affiliated with the God of War and it showed.
But win we did and drink we would. That was the proper procedure.
Unfortunately, my lack of inebriation prevented me from forgetting about the bad terms that Thor had left on and I began to brood a little. I had more than any woman had a right to. I was a mother without childbirth, a wife without limitations, a Rouva without being a werewolf, and a mate without being monogamous… while all of my men stayed monogamous to me. Was that or was that not heaven?
Oh, and did I mention I’m a goddess?
So why was Thor’s face popping up in my head, wearing that horrible expression of anger and betrayal? It was almost sick for me to still love him, after all the men that had come into my life… including his father, whose impassioned speech made Thor look like an angry toddler. There was no way I'd go back to Thor. I was so not going to sleep with Thor while I was involved with his father. A girl had to have her limits.
But I missed him. I was so pissed at him that I could’ve spat vinegar, but I missed him. He was the first man to make me feel really beautiful and really cherished. He was the first to make me think about forever and wish I could have it. I had wanted so much that I didn’t think I could have with Thor and he’d been intent on giving it to me anyway. He was honorable, romantic, loyal, and… and possessive. Trevor was right. Thor never would have been able to share me, even if it meant my sanity or my health.
No, Thor and I were never going to be more than friends. Our bond was gone and so was our relationship. If I couldn’t hold back the lioness with three men, then I’d find another lover. It would not, could not, be Thor. I didn’t need anymore drama in my life. Also, Thor obviously didn't love like I did, because as much as I was excessively pleased about my new love life, I would have done the same for any of my lovers if they needed it from me. Love was more important than pride. I think I'd proved that when I agreed to marry Anubis. Thor? He'd let guilt win over our love and as much as I wanted to, I could never forgive or understand that. I just wasn't wired that way.
No, I felt bad that I had hurt him but that was all. I was done with Thor and his mood swings. I had so much more to focus on. I could be his friend if he was able to get past his anger but if not, I wouldn't waste anymore time on feeling bad about him. Thor was a drain on energy better spent elsewhere. I looked over at Kirill and smiled. Now there was someone I'd be happy to spend a lot of energy on.
My eyes drifted away from my beautiful lion and scanned the crowd as I thought over the possibility of having to add more men to my life. I had the Pride but I didn’t want to tie my lions to me like that unless they absolutely wanted it. No, if the time came, I’d have to look elsewhere.
Through the crowd, a familiar pair of dark eyes caught mine. Jewel tones swirled over them like an oil slick in the sun.
Keep reading for a sneak peak in the next book in the Godhunter series:
Green Tea and Black Death
Chapter One
There’s nothing like a Hawaiian sunrise. The sky starts to blush shyly before the china doll pink darkens to an angry orange, then brightens to proud yellow before clearing to simply illuminate paradise. Emotions across the sky, that’s what it’s like to see the sun awaken Hawaii.
Unless you’ve been hunting a tiger goddess through Chinatown all night and are too tired to appreciate it.
I stumbled up the steps into my little house, not even noticing the spectacular sunrise… or the lip of the door. I almost fell face first into the living room. It’s a good thing two of my lovers were coming up behind me and caught me, one under each arm, before the shameful cherry could be placed on the sundae of my horrible night.
Two of my lovers… I was still getting used to that. Not that having a werewolf Prince, a werelion, and the Viking God, Odin, as lovers was anything to complain about but I was raised to want a husband… a… not many. I’m all for monogamy and if any of my lovers cheated on me, I’d probably throw a fit... and some knives. I know, totally unfair but that’s the way I felt. The really funny thing was, if I cheated on them, that is with any man other than the three, they'd be just as upset. Any new lovers had to be approved of by my alpha first.
Trevor caught me up in his arms and started carrying me down to our bedroom, his werewolf strength making it seem effortless. I looked over at Kirill, my sweet black lion, and he winked at me before he headed for the bathroom. He was going to give me some time alone with my alpha.
“I haven’t been this tired since I fought Balder,” I tried hard to smile as he set me down on the edge of the bed and started removing my heavy boots.
“Let’s take a quick shower and head straight to bed,” he kissed my forehead before pulling my leather bodice off. Leather, it seemed like I was always wearing leather lately, and not for fashion reasons. Fashion I loved but it was fighting that required me to wear the thicker, tougher clothes… fighting gods.
Soon, our clothes were in piles on the floor and Trevor was heating up the water for our shower. I heard Kirill’s shower running in the bathroom down the hall and hoped my water heater could take the strain. The last thing I needed was for the water to go cold.
I seemed to catch a break on that one tiny detail and the warm water continued to blast, feeling like heaven and easing some of the tension out of my tight muscles. I sighed as Trevor came in behind me and started soaping up my body. It felt wonderful but I was thankful that he was quick about it. I was just too exhausted to have shower sex.
As good as the water felt, my Chinese wedding bed was ten times better. The carved walls encircled us like sanctuary and we snuggled down into the soft mattress with a shared sound of contentment. The sandalwood oil I used to polish it, scented the air lightly, wafting in on the currents of the a/c.
Trevor kissed my neck, where one of his love bites was still healing, and I tried to push away thoughts of the scar that used to be there. The one that Thor had given me to cover Blue's vampire bite. All of my scars were gone now; the bite mark, Thor’s lightning bolt, and the scar from Anubis' blade, ever since I drank from the Grayel. I was healed co
mpletely, free from Anubis’ power but also free of the oath Thor had made me.
Thor had been my first god boyfriend… godfriend. Whatever, he’d been my first… in this life at least, and it was sad to know that our friendship and our relationship were both over. I didn’t need his protection anymore, I was technically a goddess in my own right because of the Grayel, but it would have been nice to know I could connect with his mind if I needed to.
I was too exhausted to monitor my thoughts, so my head automatically filled with Thor, images of our relationship before I’d even met Trevor. I saw the massive Viking on his boat, happy and teasing me as his red hair whipped in the breeze; in his library, standing before the fire, all shadows and gold; and in his bed, covering me with kisses, fierce in his passion. Thor had been hard to get over.
“Vervain?” Thor’s shocked voice echoed in my head.
“Thor?” I bolted up in shock, dislodging Trevor.
“Thor?” Trevor sat up and looked around. “Here? What the fuck are you talking about, Vervain?”
“Hold on a second, Honey-Eyes,” I patted Trevor back into the bed as I tried to calm my racing heart. “Thor, is that you?”
“Yes, darling,” my heart clenched to hear the endearment he hadn’t used for me in ages.
“How?” I motioned to Trevor that it was alright because he was starting to get those little lines between his eyebrows. “I thought our connection was broken with my drink from the Grayel.”
“The Grayel heals scars, poisons, things of that nature,” his voice mused. “It healed Anubis’ scar, which was the source of his control over you and it healed my scar that I placed on you with magic but the oath I made to you had nothing to do with the scar. I made you a blood oath, that’s not something to be healed.”
“But Jesus said I was free of you as well as Anubis.”
“He probably thought our bond was through the scar, like that jackal bastard’s.”