A Taste for Blood (The Godhunter, Book 6) (3 page)

“
Kirill,” I smiled at my black lion, “if you're not in this bed in ten seconds, I'm coming out to get you.”

He grinned back and pounced.

Chapter Three

“Millions of dollars are literally wilting away this week as drought hits our nation hard,” the newswoman reported gravely.

“
Ugh,” I groaned and gestured at the TV. “This is why I don't watch the news. It's always so depressing.”

“
You should know vat goes on in vorld,” Kirill kissed me softly on the forehead before setting a cup of coffee down on the dining room table in front of me. “It may be important.”

“
Yes,” I sighed and sipped my coffee, “I'm sure it is. I just can't deal with it first thing in the morning.”

“
What can't you deal with first thing in the morning?” Trevor grinned widely as he walked in the front door.

“
A lack of kisses,” I grinned back. “Now get over here and give me some sugar.”

“
Yes, ma'am,” he laughed and hurried over to plant one on me.

When he was done to both of our satisfactions, he slid into the seat next to me. “Kirill, is there any...” Kirill put a cup of coffee in front of Trevor, “coffee,” Trevor laughed. “I love you, man.”

“Da,” Kirill sat down with his own mug and smirked at us both. “Zis I know. I am lovable man.”

“
Oh, and he's so modest too,” Trevor laughed and held up his mug in salute. “You guys have a nice night after kicking Thor out of the club?”

“
Yeah, that was fun,” I grimaced. “Why'd you even let him in?”

“
I didn't,” Trevor shrugged. “I just forgot to tell the bouncers he was persona non grata. Honestly, it never occurred to me that he might show up but everyone is now fully aware of the situation.”

“
Yeah everyone's aware,” I chuckled, “because I screamed at him to get the fuck out before I sicced you guys on him.”

“
That may have helped drive home the urgency of my request,” Trevor laughed. “I have to admit, that was one of the finest things I've ever seen you do. It was just beautiful.”

“
You should have seen from my view,” Kirill laughed. “Zor turn red all over face. Very pretty but not good color for him I zink.”

“
You're both idiots,” I grinned. “I probably shouldn't have been so mean to Epona, I don't know her and I at least like to get to know someone before I call them horse-face.”

“
Oh, Vervain, no,” Trevor groaned and laughed all at once. “She's actually very sweet.”

“
Yeah, when she's not crushing Constantin's heart. She knew exactly what she was doing parading through our club on Thor's arm. I thought Constantin was going to have a stroke. He's my employee, I'm responsible for him. She can take care of herself and she can do it somewhere other than our club.”

“
You don't know the whole situation though,” Trevor frowned at me. “All you know is Constantin's side of things.”

“
And that's enough for me,” I shrugged. “If you're one of mine, I take your side. Even if you're wrong. We'll sort it out later.”

“
Da, zat's my Tima,” Kirill nodded proudly while Trevor glowered.

“
That is not something to admire,” Trevor whacked Kirill on the arm. “This is how she gets into trouble. She sticks her nose into things she doesn't fully understand and then she has to deal with the fallout.”

“
Hey, I'm not just going to sit back and watch someone I care about get treated badly because I may not know the whole story,” I narrowed my eyes on my alpha. “If they're upset, it's enough for me. My loyalties are very clear.”

“
And so what if Constantin was abusive?” Trevor raised a brow and I frowned. That was a low blow, he knew how I felt about abuse in a relationship.

“
Constantin did not abuse her,” I growled. “First of all, he's not the type, his reaction to her visit said as much. Secondly, she's his goddess, she
created
him. He doesn't have enough power to abuse her.”

“
It's just an example,” Trevor shook his head. “There are probably lots of reasons they're not together anymore.”

“
Yes, and I'm not arguing with the fact that she had every right to break things off with him,” I sighed. I understood where Trevor was coming from, he didn't want me making anymore enemies than I already had, but I wasn't going to live my life in fear of pissing someone off. In fact, there are times I
love
pissing people off. I wasn't about to give that up just because I was dealing with gods. “What I don't agree with is her walking into our establishment on the arm of my ex-boyfriend, who had his own agenda to be a general jackass, knowing her ex-husband would be playing there with his band. She did it on purpose, just to irritate Constantin, knowing it would cause a scene in the middle of our business. So basically, she was messing with my friend and my money. She deserved what she got, she's lucky I didn't escort her out personally. Onto her face. Her big, long, horse-face.””

“
Well, to use one of your lines,” Trevor smirked at me, “at least you're not bitter.”

“
Shut up and go cook me breakfast,” I stuck out my tongue.

“
I worked all night,” Trevor snarled without any real heat as he got up to cook. “You should be making me breakfast.”

“
I'm still sleepy,” I laughed. “I just got up.”

As Trevor chuckled, the TV caught my attention again. A Maile Amber alert(Hawaii's version of a missing child notice, named after a little girl killed back in '85) was being announced. A picture of a cute little brown-haired girl took up most of the screen. A chill went down my spine as her dark eyes seemed to stare at me in accusation. I blinked and the sensation disappeared but I was still a little unsettled. A missing child is never a good thing but this felt ominous.

I clicked off the TV.

Chapter Four

The night air was bracing but sweet and my fur cloak kept the chill away. The braziers strewn about helped as well but the hottest thing on board the Viking longboat was Odin and his one-eyed gaze could've kept me warm all by itself.

“This is pretty amazing,” I looked over the beautiful table spread between us.

He'd brought us out there, to the middle of Asgard's lake, to have dinner, and although the water is not my favorite place, I'd never been on an honest to God – literally - Viking longboat before. So I went without complaint and I was glad I had. Odin had it turned into our own private dining room. Fine china, crystal, candles, flowers, and the open Asgard sky, were all framed by the sweeping lines of the dragon shaped boat. It was the most fascinating place I'd ever dined. Since our waiters were heading back to shore after serving dessert, I was hoping to make it the most fascinating place I'd ever made love too.

“Well, I have to compete with an angel now,” Odin's grin looked a little pained.

Right. Azrael. I guess making love on the longboat would be
one
of the most fascinating places, not
the
most. Not too many people could say they'd made love in the Garden of Eden after all. That and mid-air, flying sex is pretty fantastic, even when you're afraid of heights. Damn, Odin was right, he had some serious competition in that department. But he was also wrong.

“
No man can ever be what you are to me,” I took his hand. “You know that, right?”

“
We have history,” he squeezed my hand. “That's true but it's practically ancient history and it's hard sometimes to remember that you're mine.”

“
But I am and you've had more time with me, all to yourself, than any other man in my life.”

“
I know,” he pulled his hand away gently. “I know and I'm not complaining, I'm concerned. I just don't want to be pushed aside.”

“
I'm here, aren't I?” I frowned. This was a little unexpected, coming from Odin. “I'm trying to make time for you, for all of you.”

“
Yes,” he frowned. “Everyone's trying to make more time.”

“
Another reference to Azrael, I assume.” Now it was more clear. “It's not that there's one more man, it's that the new man is Az, isn't it? I was going to talk to you about this later but now is as good a time as any. I remember him. I remember dying, my family praying and begging Azrael to take me to Heaven, even though I didn't believe in their god. I remember him coming for me and I remember you asking him to take me to Hvergelmir instead of his Heaven.”

“
You do?” Odin stared at me with an unreadable expression.

“
I remember him putting me in the well,” I shivered and pulled my cloak in tighter. “His was the last face I saw before oblivion started to claim me. For some reason, I clung to that memory. The well tried to pull it from me but I held fast. I think that's why I was still Sabine when you came for me, why my memories hadn't been completely washed away. I was holding on without even realizing it and that must have been why I hadn't been sent back yet.”

“
That makes sense,” he sighed. “So you clung to the memory of an angel instead of me?”

“
The angel was the last thing I could remember of my life,” I shook my head. “You have to admit it was a bit unusual, my death. When you dove into the well for me, I knew I wasn't ready yet. I still remembered you, so I couldn't be ready to begin a new life. I tried to fight you but then I saw your face. You were so sad and it tore at me. I didn't just come back because of you, because of what you did, I came back
for
you. I love you, Odin. Centuries apart didn't change that and neither will an angel.”

“
Vervain,” he swallowed hard and pushed his way to his feet, coming around the table in a rush to lift me out of my chair. “I love you so much.”

His kiss was clarity and strength, a crisp wind through my soul that reminded me of who I'd been and who I was. The emerald necklace he'd given me when I was Sabine, warmed against my chest and added its own tune to the spell. Then I was being lifted and carried back to the prow of the ship, laid carefully down on my cloak and kissed everywhere.

Odin's lovemaking had always been, quite literally, magical. It was even better on that ship. The cool night air chilled my skin for only a moment before he rushed against it with both his physical body and his magic arsenal of invisible hands and lips. He was kissing me in multiple places while never actually moving away from my mouth. It was mind-blowing pleasure.

“
I knew from the moment I saw him look at you,” Odin pulled back and looked down on me intensely, “that damn angel would fall. I just never thought you might actually fall with him. But then magic always has a price. I asked him to go against the rules for you, knowing that there'd be hell to pay, but I didn't know you'd be the one to pay it.”

“
Odin,” I pushed aside his silky, shoulder-length, brown hair. “This is our night together and if you mention Azrael one more time, I'm going to strangle you.”

He laughed, his beautiful peacock-colored eye finally losing its intensity. Then he bent back over me, intent on other things and in more pleasurable ways. I sighed, happy at last, as I pushed his shirt up and over his head and ran my hands over the massive width of his shoulders. Talk about fantasy come to life, I was making love to a Viking god on a Viking longship in the middle of the lake of Asgard. He may not be an angel but he
was
a god and I loved him.

My passionate cries had just finished echoing off into the dark when a huge crack of thunder sounded above us. Odin's head jerked around to glare at the gathering storm clouds before he waved a hand in a sharp gesture and pulled a canvas topped shelter over us. Just in time too because the next second brought a sheet of rain plummeting down around us.

I shivered and Odin wrapped his body around me and the cloak around us both. It was kind of nice actually, pressed up against each other, warm in the fur, as we watched the rain attack the ship like an angry thunder god.

“
That lightning loving lummox!” I sat up and glared over at Bilskinir, Thor's hall, which happened to be located on the cliff that overlooked the lake we were on.

“
Leave be, Vervain,” Odin laughed. “It's not like he planned to have sex right after us.”

I blinked and looked back at Odin. That's right, I'd forgotten how Thor would call storms whenever we made love. I used to get so embarrassed that all of Asgard knew every time we had sex. I don't know why I'd automatically assumed he was trying to literally rain on my parade but knowing he was sleeping with that horse woman was kind of worse. I was over Thor and I absolutely did not want him back but being over a man and being forced to lie there listening to evidence of his lovemaking were two different things entirely. Especially when I'd just made love to his father. Can you say awkward?