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  “Anything else?” I smiled evilly.

  “It's your dream,” I heard him chuckle. “You can do whatever you want in it, be whoever you want.”

  “Sweet,” I returned to the scene in my head.

  I changed it to an interrogation room. Blue was strapped to a metal chair, a harsh light shining straight into his face. He squinted up at me, shadowed in the dark of the room, and I laughed. Perfect. It was easy once I learned the trick of it.

  “No problem,” I opened my eyes and let the vision go.

  “Very good,” Teharon scooted up so he was leaning back against the wall. “Now we try the real thing.”

  “The real thing?” I looked back at him. “I'm not tired.”

  “I'm a healer,” he spread his hands. “I can put you to sleep and wake you back up again if need be.”

  “Oh,” I frowned.

  “Lie down,” he patted the bed beside him. “I can keep a light contact with your mind if I keep contact with you physically.”

  “Okay,” I eased myself down next to him and closed my eyes. I felt a little better knowing that Teharon would be there.

  “Sleep, Godhunter,” his voice washed over me and I found myself drifting down, my body heavy, limbs languid.

  Then I was in lying in another bed, in another part of the God Realm. I turned my head and Blue rose above me, a soft smile on his lips. I looked past him, took in the details of the rest of the room. It was his bedroom I was in now, his bed I was lying in. Big surprise.

  “Back so soon, little witch,” his hand played down my cheek. “Did I tire you out last night?”

  “What were you doing, just sitting around waiting for me to fall asleep?” I lifted a brow.

  “Your shields weaken as soon as you enter REM,” he rolled his body over mine and I realized we were both nude. “I can feel it.”

  “Whoa there,” I pushed him off and visualized my fighting gear on me.

  “Someone's been teaching you,” Blue's eyes narrowed.

  “You don't think I'm capable of learning on my own?” I got up from the bed and slowly, I started to change the room around us.

  “What are you doing?” He jumped up, still naked, and stared at the room in horror.

  “I just thought you might like to see the actual room I'm sleeping in,” I swept my hand out. “Do you like it?”

  “This is your bedroom?” He calmed and started to look around with interest. “It's not at all what I expected.” He peered at the huge cathedral crystal in the corner.

  “No, not mine,” his eyes shot to me. “I'm living with Thor now.” I failed to mention it was temporary. Sue me.

  “You're what?” The red of his eyes started to churn.

  “I tried to tell you nicely and you wouldn't listen. So you've forced me to be mean. The reason I'm so exhausted right now is because I just had amazing sex in that bed. With Thor.” I pointed at the dream version of Thor's bed.

  “You lie,” he stalked forward and grabbed my arm. The second he did, I pushed my consciousness into him and flew down the link into his mind.

  He screamed and tried to pull back but I gripped him with my other hand and I was amazingly strong in my dream. It was easier to filter through his thoughts now and I soon found what I was after: another plot to kill Maria. I knew the details in a moment and wasted no time in pulling out again.

  “Invading my mind won't stop me from coming here,” he growled.

  “And invading my mind won't stop me from cumming with Thor,” I smirked, relieved he had no idea what I'd been after in his head.

  He screamed in frustration, pulling away from me and raking his hands through his hair. “You're cruel, little witch. All I want is some of your time, some consideration.”

  “I might have been more inclined to give it to you, if you hadn't, oh I don't know, abducted and raped me!” I screamed the last part at him.

  “That again?” He looked truly baffled.

  “Yeah, that again,” I threw down my hands and felt my claws make a comforting click as they extended. “I oughta castrate you. Maybe then you'd realize how evil that was. It's only a dream right? You won't actually be missing your cock when you wake up.”

  “Hmph,” his lips twisted into a little smile. “You still haven't learned how useless your weapons are against me.”

  “Not here, they're not,” I smiled viciously and leapt forward, punching him in the face before he could react. Then I spun around into a crouch to take stock.

  He was screaming, holding his face as if it would fall apart. Blood gushed from between his fingers and he pulled his hands away to stare at it in shock. The whole left side of his face from cheekbone to jaw was in ruins. Flesh was hanging free and I could see the white of bone glinting in all that red.

  “Now,” I stood up. “Get the fuck out of my head.”

  He started to fade away, still naked and bleeding, but right before he disappeared, he smiled grotesquely. “You're the first woman to make me bleed.”

  “What the fuck?” I sat up in Thor's bed and looked into Teharon's worried eyes. “Is it just me or was he turned on by the way I flayed his face open?”

  “It's not just you,” Teharon ran a hand down his own face. “Huitzilopochtli has gone mad, I fear.”

  “At least I succeeded in taking control of my dream.”

  “Yes, well done. I just worry it's going to be harder next time, now that he knows what you're capable of.”

  I felt cold fear slide into me. Teharon laid a hand on my shoulder and I slid into his arms for a sympathetic hug. I just wasn't sure who was comforting who. Then the door opened and Thor was standing at the foot of the bed.

  “Do you mind taking your hands off my girlfriend?” He glowered but when Teharon and I shot apart, he started laughing. “Sorry, I've just been waiting for an opportunity to call you my girlfriend.” He laughed again, “Girlfriend, it's so quaint.”

  “Yes, lovely,” I sighed and sank back against Teharon.

  “I didn't mean it was okay to go back to hugging him,” he frowned and crawled up into the bed on my other side. “If you need hugging, I'm available.” I rolled my eyes at Teharon and transferred myself to Thor. “Why do you need hugging?”

  “I've never been in bed with two men before,” I waggled my brows at Thor in an obvious attempt to distract him. “How close are you and Teharon?”

  “Vervain,” Thor growled while Teharon laughed.

  “I'm so not getting into the middle of this,” Teharon scooted off the bed and made a hasty retreat.

  “So no threesomes?” I pouted.

  “Not unless it's you, me, and my cock,” Thor rumbled.

  “I can't seem to remember his name,” I crawled into his lap. “You might have to reintroduce us.”

  Chapter Thirty

  I stared up at the red castle walls stretching away from me to either side. They were topped by the occasional turret, complete with Russian guard. The medieval looking exterior was appropriate in my opinion. The Russian government was a collection of barbaric crusaders, torn between their desire to save their people and their greed. Or maybe I'm just a biased American.

  “How are we going to get in?” I stood in front of the Kremlin, those imposing red walls towering over us and the rushing river at our backs.

  “We're not,” Thor looked over at Horus, “he is.”

  “Me again, eh?” Horus smirked.

  “All you have to do is get in and replace the poison with this,” I held up the bag of regular sugar cubes. “Ilya will be under Blue's influence, he won't know the difference.”

  The poison Blue had given Prime Minister Medvedev's son to use on Maria had been dripped onto cubes of sugar with the intent of Ilya serving them to Maria Putina with her coffee, while her and her father, President Putin, visited with the Medvedevs. Ilya would be implicated in the woman's death with assorted planted evidence, which Medvedev would most likely cover-up, but the President would assume the poison had been intended for him an
d the seed would be planted.

  “No problem,” Horus changed into falcon form and gripped the little bag of cubes in his talons.

  “Be careful to stay invisible,” I called after him. “Blue's going to be close by.”

  “He knows,” Thor took my hand and led me down the sidewalk like we were two tourists out for a stroll. “We got people watching the perimeter just in case Blue shows his face. It'll be fine.”

  “My face is right here, Viking,” Blue was leaning against the railing next to the river.

  “You just don't give up,” I said as Thor angled in front of me.

  “Neither do you,” he frowned, his eyes losing focus for a second, as if he were watching another scene. “So you've thwarted me again. Enjoy your success, little witch. It won't last for long.”

  “I'm sorry, could you just say Bwahaha and rub your hands together after you say things like thwarted me again?” I smirked at him from the safety of Thor's side.

  “You'll slip up,” Blue scowled at me. “I don't know how you're getting your information but the flow is going to stop. I'll find your spy and plug the leak. Just a warning between friends.”

  “Oh you should put a plug in it alright,” I taunted him further.

  “There will also come a time when you won't have your bodyguard,” he lifted his shades and looked me up and down. “I count the hours.”

  “I'll give you something to count,” I growled as I dropped my claws. “I don't need a bodyguard.”

  “Vervain,” Thor put his arm out to hold me back, “not here.”

  “Yes, listen to your thug,” Blue dropped his shades back in place. “I'll see you tonight.” He traced out before I could say anything more.

  “Oh, I hate it when he does that,” I seethed.

  “Threatens to abduct you?” Thor turned to me and stroked his hands up and down my arms.

  “No, leaves before I can have the last word.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “I thought we could go out today,” Thor said casually as he handed me a cup of coffee. We were having breakfast on his balcony. “The only time you've left Bilskinir has been to stop Blue from killing Maria and I know how you hate being cooped up.”

  I poured some cream and sugar into my cup as I considered. “Where did you want to go?”

  “I thought we could take my boat out.”

  Me and him alone in the middle of the ocean. No Aztec invading my dreams, no Russian woman to save, it sounded like heaven. Well, except for the ocean part. “I’d like that.” I think.

  “Great, take your time here while I go gather some things.” He got up from the table, kissed me quickly, and left humming A Pirate’s Life.

  I laughed, then relaxed and ate my breakfast. The previous day with Blue seemed like a nightmare, dispelled with the coming of the sun. Horus had been successful and Maria was still alive but part of me knew this could become a never-ending battle. I needed to find a more permanent way to stop Blue's attempts on her life.

  “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” I sang into my coffee. “How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?” I giggled when I realized I'd reduced my Blue issues to a song from The Sound of Music. Truly though, there was nothing to be done about it immediately, so I let it go. I started to feel better with every mouthful of food, every sip of coffee. Humming Julie Andrews songs helped.

  When I was through, I got up and went to the closet to get dressed. I threw on a bikini, which I didn’t intend on actually swimming in but which showed off my cleavage nicely, and then a batik sarong over it. I tied the sarong at my waist. I could always retie it into a dress if I needed to cover up more later. I slipped on some sandals and a pair of sunglasses, then pulled my hair back in a ponytail. I was ready.

  I found Thor in the kitchen, which was a huge stainless steel monstrosity so modern it made me ill. I liked cozy kitchens with baskets, center islands, and pot racks hanging over them, not brushed steel. I tried to hide my distaste as I wandered over to him. He had a large bag stuffed with food and was wearing a pair of green swimming shorts. He looked heavenly.

  “You ready, babe?” He slung his free arm over me and led me to the tracing room.

  “Yep,” I slid my arm around his waist, loving the feel of his tight stomach. “Let’s go.”

  We traced to his ship’s dining room. The place where I’d first met everyone. He put the food in the fridge and then took me up top. I waited while he undid the moorings, fascinated by the play of his muscles, and that’s when I realized that the boat was obviously way too big for him to man alone. Not that I knew anything about boats.

  “Don’t you need a crew?” I followed him to the helm, which was up a flight of stairs and in an enclosed, air conditioned room.

  He stopped and did all but pat me on the head. “I’m a god, remember? Not just any god but a god of seafaring. I think I can handle one little ship all by myself.”

  “Oh,” I watched in fascination as he started the engine of the “little ship” and steered it out into open waters. “Aye, aye Cap’n,” I saluted and he chuckled.

  “I hereby hire you on as my First Mate.” His face filled with so much joy when he looked out on the wide expanse of sea. He was completely at home. Too bad the place where I felt completely at home at was fading fast behind us.

  “Ooooh, First Mate, eh?” I snuggled up against his back and wrapped my arms around his waist as he steered.

  His laugh rumbled through his back and into my chest. “First and only, darling.”

  The amount of joy those four words filled me with was ridiculous. I thought back to my previous life and couldn’t believe where I’d ended up. If you'd told me a month ago that I'd wind up happily setting off to sea wrapped around a Viking god in just a few weeks, I'd have called you several names, the least of which would be crazy.

  “You seem different,” I drifted off to the side and took a seat in one of the huge chairs bolted to the floor.

  “Different from what?” He spared me a quick glance.

  “From when we first met,” I thought about how serious he'd seemed to me. “You get these moments when you act like a different person, more playful I guess.”

  “I used to be a different person,” his smile wavered a bit. “I don't know if you've ever read any of the stories they tell about me but I was a live in the moment kind of guy.”

  “Does this have anything to do with that rock in your forehead?” I smirked.

  “Not my finest moment,” he grimaced, “and not the most light-hearted of stories. You know, I dressed in drag once.”

  “Shut up,” I laughed and leaned forward in my chair.

  “It was a long time ago,” he grinned back. “I was more fun then.”

  “I think you're pretty fun now.”

  “I think you've brought back the joy to my life,” he shot me a quick look that warmed me down to my toes. “Fighting against my father has robbed me of most of my humour but with you, it becomes easier to remember how to laugh.”

  “You are so getting lucky today,” I laughed and got up to kiss his cheek.

  An hour or so later, I was wondering if he was ever gonna stop the ship so I could get on with the getting lucky portion of our escapade. I was once more plastered against him but he didn't seem to be getting the message.

  “Where we headed, Baby Thunder?” I peered around his back and saw a dolphin break the surface. “Look, look,” I pointed.

  He laughed and put an arm around my shoulder, bringing me in beside him. “They’re playing, you want me to stop the ship so you can join them?”

  “Uh, no, I prefer to play with you,” I smiled nervously.

  “Are you scared of dolphins?” He looked like he was surprised I’d be scared of anything. It made me fall a little harder for him, seeing his high opinion of me so clearly.

  “No, just a little paranoid of deep water.” I looked away, a little worried he’d take it badly.

  “You’re afraid of the ocean?”


  “I don’t like my legs dangling into someone’s backyard,” I tried really hard for a light tone. “Especially when that someone has sharp teeth. I just feel like bait”

  “Bait?” He laughed and it was his booming, glass-shaking laugh. I glared at him but it only made him laugh harder. “You live on an island.”

  “I didn’t say I couldn’t swim,” I crossed my arms and looked away. “I just don’t want to frolic in the deep blue.”

  “Oh you’re going to frolic,” he pulled me against him, crossed arms and all. “You’ll frolic with me in the deep blue and you’ll like it.”

  “Anyone ever tell you you’re a pompous jerk?” I kept my arms crossed, even though he was pulling me tightly to his chest and it was getting uncomfortable. That’ll show him.

  “Vervain, nothing will hurt you when I’m in the water with you,” he shook his head at me like I was being a silly child. “The predators can feel my presence and will keep their distance.”

  I heaved a sigh. “I know you’re right but paranoia doesn’t make sense, that’s the whole point.”

  He kissed my forehead. “It’ll be alright, you’ll see.”

  He let me go and stopped the boat. Great, this so wasn’t what I wanted him to stop the boat for. He took me by the hand and led me down to the back of the boat. I looked at the ledge that slapped up and down on the water with each wave, and blanched. I could feel my breath coming faster and I was pretty sure I was shaking but everything kind of took a back seat to the sight of all that blue I was about to get into. Blue, huh, guess there was more than one I didn't like.

  There were things in all that water, things that liked to nibble on the toes of stupid humans who dangled them into their territory. The ocean was so deep, we couldn’t even explore it all. Deep sea was like deep space, who knew what was down there? Who knew what could come up at any moment for a look see? Or a light lunch.