Marked by Death (The Godhunter, Book 4) (4 page)

“
Thank you, Godhunter,” her voice was molten earth, rich and fiery. “I’d love a Bloody Mary if you don’t mind.”

“
Of course,” my mind was reeling. Pele drank Bloody Marys. I turned to Trevor and he motioned to one of our waitresses and went to go give her the order. “Please join us.” I indicated the couch, covered in a soft faux grass, which we’d been sitting on.

Pele flowed more than walked, a sensual swaying of limbs that somehow poured her forward and onto the furniture. I sat down on another “hill” across from her. Kirill remained standing, staring at the Volcano Goddess with wary intensity. She removed a cigarette from her little gold clutch and put it to her lips. The end smoldered, then started to glow red as she puffed on it.

“Okay, now you’re just showing off,” I smirked a little.

She blinked rapidly, taking the cigarette from her lips as they went slack. “You are kalohé, aren’t you? I like a little sass though.”

“Glad to hear it,” I smiled and waved Kirill back.

“
One of your lions?” She looked him over like he was an appetizer or maybe the whole damn meal.

“
Yes, my predecessor was a connoisseur of gorgeous men.”

“
I see that,” she smiled wider.

“
He’s also my Ganza,” I caught her gaze, “which basically means it's his job to protect me but I’d gladly do the same for him.”

One eyebrow rose as she lifted her chin to look me over. She made a curt nod, appearing to like what she saw.

“You’re definitely the woman I need.”

“
Me too,” Trevor gave Pele a half smile as he handed her a tall red drink. He sat beside me, casually slinging an arm around my shoulder.

She lifted her glass in salute to him before taking a deep swallow.

“What can I do for you?” I asked.

“
I know why you fight gods,” she frowned, taking another quick sip of her drink before placing it on the boulder between us. “They stir up wars, riots, anything to get humans to kill each other, so they can claim the dead as sacrifice. But there are other methods of sacrifice that you’ve missed. My people are dying, killing themselves and each other, and I can’t bear to witness it any longer.”

“
Dying?” I thought hard about any unusual activity in Hawaii and came up with a big blank.

“
The drugs, Godhunter,” she looked suddenly weary and I got a flash of her other form, the white-haired crone. Such sad eyes. “Cocaine, Crystal Meth, Ecstasy, they’re all bad but especially the Crack. It’s turned my people into crazed murderers and thieves. My proud, beautiful people are dying and it’s all because of that bastard Mayan, Acan.”

“
Acan? I’m not familiar with him.” I looked over at Trevor but he just shrugged.

“
Minor deity,” Pele made a noise that sounded a lot like a bubbling teapot. “He was god of some kind of wine the Mayans made. Well now he’s become a drug lord… a drug
god
.”

“
But there’s got to be lots of drug lords,” I still wasn’t sure where she thought I’d fit in. “He can’t be the only one bringing drugs into Hawaii.”

“
He’s not the only distributor but he is the power behind them all,” Pele took a long drag off her cigarette. “Whether they know it or not, Acan’s magic eases the way for them. The police would have a much easier time of it without his interference.”

“
So he backs all the drug shipments with magic,” I was starting to get the picture, “ensuring they get in undetected, and sending in his own merchandise to get a cut of the profits as well. Then he scoops up any deaths resulting from drug related incidents or the drugs themselves and feasts off the power all by himself since no other gods are in on it.”

“
Exactly,” Pele’s dark eyes met mine, flashing fire for a second.

“
That’s evilly brilliant,” I looked over at Trevor who was shaking his head in disgust.

“
For a drunken fool,” Pele growled, “it’s absolutely amazing.”

“
Do you know where to find him?”

“
I know he’s somewhere in Mexico,” she smiled grimly, “which is why I’ve come to you. I need back up and a locator spell... that’s not my area of expertise. He’s not in the God Realms so it shouldn’t be too hard for you to find him. Will you help me?”

“
No offense,” I held up a hand, “those seem like good reasons but you could get a locator spell from another god and I would think you'd have a whole pantheon for back up. I don't understand why you want me.”

“
The others in my pantheon are apathetic to the people's needs. They've grown lax, saying that worship has diminished so why should we care?” She inhaled a sharp, angry breath and when she released it, smoke drifted out her mouth. “These are my people. They gave me a home, gave me purpose, and gave me the power to both protect and destroy them. Can you imagine the amount of trust that took? I vowed a long time ago that I would not abuse this power or betray their trust. I've never been senselessly cruel and although I can be a bit volatile at times, I've always tried to temper my actions with love.”

“
That's admirable,” I nodded slowly. “I meet so few Atlanteans who take their roles seriously, especially since worship has waned, and it gives me hope to know gods like you exist.”

“
I have stood beside these people through wars, conquest, disease, and Christ's poachers. I gave their Queen strength when she was unjustly imprisoned and I helped gain her release so she could do more good for our people, even though she had turned from her gods and took the encroaching religion as her own. I helped her because she was still mine and she was in a position to help the rest of my people. I can't fathom how someone could love an entire race, accept their worship, and then simply cease to care,” she shrugged. “I admit I could go elsewhere for help but this is your home too, Godhunter. I thought you might be more inclined to care.”

“
And I can kill your kind easier than you can,” I smiled at her grimly.

“
There is that,” she grimaced, “but frankly, I'm so incensed by this, I doubt I'll need your help on that front. I only ask for you to assist me in finding him and then to watch my back. The rest, you can leave to me.”

“
I need to talk to the others,” I gave Trevor a quick glance, “but I think they'll agree to it. Can you meet me back here in two days?”

“
I will,” she stood, shook our hands, gave Kirill one last, hot look, and left.

“
Somebody likes Kirill,” I teased my somber lion. “She's hot too. Smokin'! Also, she's pretty awesome. Anyone who has that kind of loyalty, is alright in my book.”

“
Tima,” he groaned. “Please stop girlfriend quest. I am content.”

“
I think Pele could make you even more content,” I waggled my brows at him.

“
Lions do not like fire,” he grumbled and looked away. “Burnt fur smells bad.”

Chapter Six

I looked down at the two sleeping pills in my hand and then up at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I was so exhausted, my eyes were starting to lose focus but I was afraid to go to sleep. Anubis’ visits had become a nightly affair and I was about to resort to drugs to get some peace. I frowned, thinking about how drugs seemed to be the topic of conversation for the night.

Picking up a glass of water off the Art Deco counter, I flung the pills back into my throat and chased them with the liquid. I looked up at the framed black and whites of old Hollywood celebrities that hung on my bathroom walls, stopping on Mae West’s enigmatic smile. I smiled back and sat at my dressing table, above which was painted my favorite quote of hers: “It’s better to be looked over than overlooked.”

This was one night I was hoping to be overlooked.

I pulled a brush through my tangled hair gently, starting at the bottom and working my way up, before braiding and securing it. If I didn’t braid my hair at night, I wound up with a huge mess in the morning. Besides, I needed some time to let the pills kick in and hopefully, in combination with my extreme exhaustion, they’d send me over into such a deep sleep that even Anubis wouldn’t be able to reach me.

I finally got up and went back into the bedroom. Trevor was already in bed, the room dark except for one little lamp that rested in a nook on the bed's wall above his head. The light filtered out through the carved walls of the Chinese wedding bed we shared, making pretty patterns on the thick red carpeting and back-lighting his body to perfection.

I stared at him through the wooden filigree, knowing it wasn’t the only wall between us. I’d allowed Anubis to invade our relationship. I was hiding things from Trevor and it was all because of that jackal-headed ass.

Trevor never held anything back from me, being a mated Froekn has that affect on wolves. There's a need to constantly reconnect for them, to strive for that moment of oneness that came with the consummation of the bond.

I had felt at one with Trevor but I didn't experience the full knowing of him as he had of me. I could sense things about him, what he'd like or need, but I wasn't aware of every nuance of his soul. It was such a strange, unbalanced connection we shared, coming with restrictions that didn't apply to a normal Froekn bond. Even though Trevor had the upper hand when it came to knowing all about me, his insight had ended with the consummation. One look was all he got before the door shut on him. Now I could hide anything from him. I'd just never had a reason to before.

Dropping my bra on the floor, I crawled into bed in just my panties. I sighed as the thick covers welcomed me down, cozy with the AC making the room a cool sixty-eight degrees. I liked to keep my bedroom cool enough to cuddle; werewolf lovin’ could get a little warm. The rest of the house was set to seventy.

Thick arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back against a wide, warm chest. I smiled sleepily as Trevor buried his face in my neck and gave me a kiss. The drugs were starting to kick in and I let go of consciousness quickly, hoping that only oblivion awaited me.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up feeling more rested than I had in days. I snuggled happily under the covers, stretching a hand out to stroke the heat Trevor’s body had left behind. I could hear him puttering around in the kitchen and the rich smell of coffee was already creeping back to me. The sounds and smells of home combined with a release of my pent up anxiety, made me giddy.

I laughed, hugging Trevor's pillow to me and inhaling his spicy scent. I was free! You don’t realize how much you need pure, undisturbed sleep until there’s a lack of it. I laughed again, throwing the pillow back as I sat up and stretched my arms above me. My back cracked happily and I sighed, crawling to the bottom of the bed, where the wide opening let me out onto the unsuspecting world.

Bwah ha ha, I was back!

I stripped off my panties, picking up last night's discarded bra as I headed into the bathroom for a shower. I threw the clothes into the black and white hamper and turned on the hot water to give it some time to heat up. I was humming happily as I went through my morning routine, anxious to go about my day without fear of the night to come.

When I finally walked into the shower, the bathroom was filling comfortably with steam. I added some cold water to the mix and stepped under the spray. It was heaven on my aching muscles. I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been over the whole Anubis thing. I mean, my life isn’t the calmest around but worry was not usually a part of my MO. There really was no point in worrying; what will be, will be.

I seemed to have made an exception for the God of the Dead.

My head was back, my eyes closed as I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair, when I felt strong hands slide up the sides of my stomach and take possession of my breasts. I sighed and smiled knowingly. I loved it when Trevor surprised me in the shower, he could do some great positions with his werewolf strength.

The hands continued their trek upwards, slipping up my neck and holding my face under the spray as his lips sucked in one of my nipples. I moaned, the sensation of a hot mouth on me as the water caressed me everywhere else, making me writhe. His lips made their way up to my neck and then he turned me swiftly, pressing me against the back wall and pulling my hips against his. He pressed hard against me and I spread my legs wider to help him. Right before he slid into me, I looked back at him over my shoulder… and screamed.

It wasn’t Trevor. The man behind me, with his large hands on my hips and his eager appendage pressed to me intimately, was Anubis. His dark eyes stared intently at me as I yanked away and shrank back against the wall. He pressed forward, holding me up with a hand on both of my upper arms. His eyes were swirling violently, his lips curled up in a snarl, and his wet hair writhed about him like venomous snakes.