Hear No Evil: Book 27 in the Godhunter Series Page 21

  “There are other ways to lose you, A Thaisce.” His hand fell away from mine, but I kept my palm pressed over his heart.

  “You have me right here.” I rubbed my hand over his chest, easing my fingers into the V of his tunic so I could feel his skin. “If I do lose myself, you will hold onto me; I trust you to do that. You will be my anchor. The currents may move me, but they won't be able to take me far, will they?”

  Arach smiled softly. “No. I'll pull you back to me; to us.”

  “Then Brevyn's right; we don't need to be scared.” I finally let my hand fall away. “Love can be a weakness but it can also be a strength. We decide what to make of it; when to be weak and when to be strong.”

  “I shall be strong for you, A Thaisce,” he vowed. “When you need me, I won't fail you. And I'll never let go.”

  “I know.” I smiled confidently. “And I will be strong for you. If you weaken, if you get scared, just reach down that cord that binds us and touch my heart. My love for you will never waver; it's invincible. No magic can destroy it. Even if I do forget you and our boys, that love will still be there.”

  “And I will find it and draw it forth again,” he promised.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  I headed upstairs with heavy footsteps. I had put on a brave face for Arach, but Brevyn's warning had done the exact opposite of what he'd intended. It had shaken me to my core.

  Odin had asked me to join him in his tower room for the night so I had even more stairs to climb after I reached my bedroom. But I took them eagerly; looking forward to finding some oblivion in my husband's arms.

  Odin was waiting for me in bed; naked beneath the sheet he used instead of a blanket. I didn't want to tell him about Brevyn's warning. I'd tell my other men later, after I'd processed. Right now, I needed to lose myself in pounding flesh and heartbeats; in the heat of Odin's tongue and the magic only he could work. I slid into bed and cuddled up beside him.

  “Give me everything you've got,” I whispered just before I kissed him.

  And he did. Odin poured love over and into me with slamming hips, clenching fists, and his special kind of magic that made it feel as if multiple mouths, hands, and cocks pleasured me. He made me forget in a good way. We writhed together until we roared, and then we fell into a deep slumber.

  I dreamed that he sang to me. Or played music. Something like that. When I woke, I couldn't remember it precisely. In the way of dreams, it was vivid when I first opened my eyes but then faded quickly into nebulous feelings and glimpses that lacked substance. Then Odin made love to me again, and I completely forgot about the dream.

  We went downstairs, where the other men were making breakfast and seeing to the children. I hurried through my morning routine; bathing, dressing, feeding Vero, filling bottles for later, and then eating my own breakfast. Samantha came by to take Lesya, Brevyn, and Rian out with Zariel, Fallon, and herself to visit the lake. Odin had made me a Viking longship that was moored in the middle of our lake, and Fallon liked to fish off its deck. I was happy to share the boat with my lions but since Fallon was taking my children with him, I was also grateful. They had just left, and we were cleaning up the dishes when I received a text. I checked my phone and made a surprised sound.

  “Qaus is back again.” I looked up at the men in surprise.

  “At that house in Portland?” Trevor asked.

  I nodded.

  “Why would he return there when he knows we're watching him?” Azrael asked.

  “I think he wants to talk to me,” I mused. “Yesterday, he seemed earnest.”

  “He may be trying to trick you,” Trevor said grimly.

  “Probably,” I admitted, “but I still want to hear what he has to say.”

  “Zis is likely a trap,” Kirill growled.

  “Then we'll be careful,” Odin countered. “Qaus is our only lead.”

  “He's right.” I stood. “Are all of you coming?”

  “Aren't we calling the Squad first?” Re asked as he got up.

  “There are eight of us,” I pointed out. “I think we can handle one rainbow god.”

  “Unless it's a trap,” Kirill said again.

  “We check out the house from the outside first,” Odin suggested. “Make sure it's safe to go in. Then we rush in and grab him.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” I shrugged.

  “I'm going to take Vero to Dad's hall,” Trevor said as he set our son in his bassinet and then went to get a couple of bottles out of the fridge. “I don't want Sam and Fallon to have to deal with him on top of the others again, and Dad has been asking to babysit.”

  “All right; meet us in Portland,” I said.

  Trevor nodded, grabbed Vero's diaper bag and then the bassinet before he headed to the elevator with the rest of us trailing behind him. I cooed to my son on the way down and then kissed him goodbye before Trevor took him to Fenrir's Hall.

  Before the rest of us left, I let Aidan know where we were going—in case Fallon and Sam returned early with the kids—and he offered to grab a group of lions to join us. That made my men feel better so I agreed. We took twenty lions along with us to Portland; the ones who stayed behind would give Fallon and Sam our message.

  A new crew had been watching the house; Felix and Jacob. We checked in with them at their rental van, and they told us that Qaus had been standing at the window intermittently, just staring out at them.

  “So, he knows right where we are,” I concluded.

  “You're right; he wants to talk to you,” Toby said.

  “Or trap her.” Kirill narrowed his eyes.

  “Stop saying that, Dude,” Trevor huffed as he stepped up. “We get it; we'll be careful.”

  “That was fast,” I noted.

  “I handed my dad Vero, dropped the bag, and shouted that I'd see him later.” Trevor chuckled.

  “Okay, let's go invisible and circle the house,” Odin refocused us.

  There was a time when my Intare couldn't perform that minor god magic. Their last goddess hadn't shared enough magic with them to allow it. When I came along, I shared without restraint, and we eventually discovered that the men were able to learn the ability when given enough energy, and they could now go invisible like any other god or demigod. Arach, however, didn't have god magic and no amount of training would give him the ability to mimic his environment so perfectly that he became one with it. He could make people not notice him, but he couldn't manage full invisibility.

  “You'll have to stay here,” I said to Arach. “Just until we make sure this isn't a trap.”

  “No,” Arach said. “I will stand directly in front of the house. This will distract Qaus and give you time to determine what his intentions are.”

  I blinked and looked at the others.

  “That works for me,” Re said.

  The rest of them nodded.

  “Okay, Dragon.” I kissed him quickly. “It looks as if you're on again.”

  Arach grinned and stepped out from behind the cover of the van. We couldn't all fit inside so we had huddled behind its bulk while we discussed our options. My dragon started moving across the street, to the sidewalk in front of Qaus' rental, and the rest of us went invisible and followed him. While Arach stood before the picture window and crossed his arms as he stared steadily inside the house, the rest of us spread out and circled the place.

  I could feel my lions and men around me and when I concentrated, I could even determine which man stood where. My connections to them showed me their locations. So, I knew who stepped up beside me as I peered in a low window.

  “I don't see anyone else,” I said to Odin. “Nor do I scent other gods. I don't think this is a trap.”

  “It is a trap,” Odin said in a strange voice.

  I turned toward him even though I couldn't see him. “What do you mean? What do you see?”

  “It's time, Vervain,” Odin declared.

  Something swept through me with his words; tingling magic that turned my limbs to water m
omentarily. I heard music playing in my head; a memory that I had thought was a dream. I saw it clearly then; Odin sitting beside me on his bed as a sweet song played on his little stereo. He had stared at me oddly, and I had tried to ask him about it, but I wasn't able to move. The voice had enthralled me. I recognized it... Vainamoinen! Just as that thought entered my mind, it left. All thoughts left. I stood there, visible again, and stared blankly ahead. Odin appeared, pulled me into his arms, and traced us away. As we disappeared, I stared into his equally blank gaze and tried to feel something, anything, but nothing came.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Odin and I reformed inside Portland's Sampo. He took my hand and led me docilely through its corridors. When we came to the end of a hallway, he slid aside a wooden panel to reveal a hidden elevator. We got inside and went down into Sampo's subterranean levels; the three floors beneath the club that Odin had said he'd been allowed to search. My husband took me down a bare, cement hallway, past several closed doors, and then into a modest room with a loveseat, a few chairs, and two gods; Ilmarinen and Vainamoinen.

  “Ah, there you are, my old friend!” Ilmarinen declared as he came forward to pat Odin on the shoulder.

  Odin stared at him blankly.

  “Sorry about all this, Allfather,” Ilmarinen said and then grimaced. “No; that's a lie. I'm not sorry. You had everything and you screwed it all up. You fucked every woman you wanted to, even when you were married, and what happened? You were handed your soul mate; a woman who returned to you even after she died. You were given children and worship and a kingdom in the God Realm while my people were forgotten and our magic dwindled inside us. While I was forgotten by both humans and you! You never once offered to help me. You gave Fenrir an island but did you ever think of your friend Ilmarinen who had once given you shelter? No. I suffered; no wife, no children, no kingdom, and, finally, even my magic was abandoning me.”

  Ilmarinen shoved me so that I fell back onto the loveseat he'd vacated, and Odin flinched.

  “Easy now,” Vainamoinen murmured to Ilmarinen. “You don't want your wife harmed.”

  His wife? What the hell was going on?

  Ilmarinen smiled cruelly at me and then Odin. “Now, I shall have your wife. You don't mind, do you? You share her anyway. I'll impregnate her soon, and she'll give birth to my children. Strong children. The world shall soon bow to my pantheon and progeny, and I will have my kingdom at last.” He smirked at Odin. “Go stand in the corner like a good boy, Oathbreaker.”

  Odin went to stand in a corner, facing in.

  “Face out,” Ilmarinen specified. “I want you to see this.”

  Odin turned to face us.

  Ilmarinen crouched before me. “I'm sorry, Vervain. None of this is your fault. You must pay for the sins of your husband.”

  Not my fault; the words echoed inside me. Oh, no; this was what Brevyn had warned me of. I was about to lose myself. I knew it with deep certainty; Ilmarinen was going to make me forget who I was and who I loved. No; Vainamoinen would. I glanced up at the other god's grandfatherly face in panic. He smiled gently at me.

  “You will be happy with me; I swear it,” Ilmarinen went on. “You will never know what you've given up.” His hand went to my cheek, and I began to tremble with both rage and fear. “You are so lovely.” He drew the length of my starlight hair forward and stroked it. It sparkled against his rough palm. “With so much passion.”

  Ilmarinen placed the lock of hair gently over my chest and stroked it again; pushing in with his fingers so that he rubbed my breast along with my hair. My whole body tensed, but I couldn't pull free of the spell that held me.

  “I wanted you from the moment I saw you; standing in my club. Your beauty was evident even there, under those garish lights. Long hair—as a woman should have—long and thick enough for a man to wrap his hands in.” Ilmarinen twirled my hair around his finger and pulled. “Full lips perfect for kissing, exotic eyes, and a body made to fill a man's hands as he fills it with his cock.” He let go of my hair to fully grab my breast; no attempt at subtlety this time. But he quickly let go. “Then I learned of your perversions; your marriage to multiple men. I learned that you belonged to Odin.”

  Jealousy and fury flared over his face. He swung his head in a downward arch to glare at Odin. His shoulders bunched and his hand fisted. I thought he might attack my husband then but instead, he turned back to me and his anger vanished beneath a smile.

  “When Odin came to speak to me the other day, I knew it was fate,” Ilmarinen said with a satisfied tone. “He was meant to return and give me a way to possess you. Vainamoinen worked all night; weaving the complicated layers of songs into Odin's mind so that he would lead your people away from us and then bring you back to me. He even gave Odin a recording of a song to take away your will so you would come peacefully. Now, Vainamoinen will sing again, but this song will be so much simpler; it will make you mine.”

  I started to jerk; fighting against the compulsion in my mind. I made a promise to my son that I intended to keep; I wasn't forgetting him. I wasn't forgetting any of them.

  “She's coming out of it,” Ilmarinen exclaimed in surprise as he stood.

  “You can't control a strong will for long,” Vainamoinen chided him. “I warned you of this. Even now, with all of the power I've taken, I cannot hold Vervain's will forever. We'll have to renew the spells weekly, possibly even more often than that. Are you sure this is what you want, Ilmarinen?”

  Ilmarinen looked at me and nodded. “I'm sure. Do it.”

  “Very well,” Vainamoinen said on a sigh as he sat down and picked up his instrument.

  I stared at it in horror.

  “Do you like it?” Vainamoinen asked me as he showed me the strange harp. “It's called a kantele. I created it.”

  “Hurry up, Vai,” Ilmarinen urged. “You can show off later when she thinks she's my wife.”

  “It's under control, Ilmar,” Vainamoinen said gently. “Trust in me.” Then he stroked his kantele as he began to sing.

  And I began to fade away.

  Chapter Forty

  “Wear the blue dress,” Ilmarinen came up behind me, his hand idly stroking my back down to my ass. He cupped me there—his fingers easing up between my legs to tickle at my panties—as he leaned around me and pulled the blue dress out of my closet. “You look wonderful in blue.”

  My husband kissed my cheek sweetly as I took the garment from him. He was already dressed in one of his suits, and I took a moment to admire him. I loved the juxtaposition of his rugged handsomeness and thick, blacksmith body in the clean lines of his elegant suit. It was damn sexy; confined savagery.

  “Those eyes,” he murmured as he laid his hand on my cheek. “I love the way you look at me.”

  “You're beautiful.” I leaned against his chest, and his arms immediately swept around me. “I don't want to stop looking at you.”

  Ilmarinen's ocean eyes closed, and he sighed as if he was savoring my words. When he opened them again, the joy in his gaze made my own happiness surge.

  “You are the most amazing woman, Vervain.”

  “Am I?” I asked with a little grin. “I haven't exactly done much with my life. I've painted a few paintings and then I met you. I think you made me amazing.”

  “No; I didn't,” he insisted. “In fact, I'm fairly sure it will be the other way around.”

  “Will be?” I teased him and brushed a kiss across his lips.

  “We're still evolving; you and me.”

  “I like that; evolving.” I tried to deepen our kiss, but he pushed me away reluctantly.

  “I have to get to work,” he said and cast a longing stare down my body; his hands quickly gliding over me from breasts to hips. “We slept far too late today and the club is already open. Now, put on the dress and come with me; you'll make it easier to bear.”

  “I'll make what easier?”

  “Everything.” He smiled brilliantly. “Perhaps we can find some time to be intimate.
”

  I ran a finger over his thick lips; the only soft thing about him. My husband was all hard planes and wide muscles, but his lips were gentle. At least they were with me.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  Ilmarinen growled and pulled me closer. “Say it again.”

  “I love you, Ilmar.”

  He blinked in surprise.

  “What is it?”

  “When did you start calling me Ilmar?” He stammered.

  I frowned. “I don't know.”