Master of Miasma (The Valhalla Series) (25 page)

“
Yeah, I'm okay,” I nod. “Mac, you take this for granted. You grew up learning all of this, it's all brand new to me.”

“
Understood and suitably chastised. If you have any questions, any time, don't hesitate. I'd rather you ask than be ignorant.”

“
Good, because I'm dying to know–”

“–
How old I am. We were born six months apart. We're the same age.”

“
Really? You're twenty-nine?
Only
?”

He laughs raucously, “Don't sound so disappointed.”

“I'm not, I'm delighted! I was worried you had two hundred years on me and I'd be left an old lady without a partner in my golden years.”

His cheer fades, his expression becoming serious and intent. Leaning over me he holds my face, “Oh little Em, I'd never leave you to fend for yourself, not ever. A legion of valkyries couldn't take me away from you.”

And boom, I melt, becoming stringy and molten inside where my reservoir of emotions pool.

You love me. The real kind, the kind that commits without fear, the kind that nurtures, the kind that heals.

Holy cow!

Cuddling my face in his big hands he squashes my cheeks and kisses me on the lips, “Yes I love you. Words mean nothing, Em. Actions are everything.”

I'm glad I'm on the couch because I'm depleting again. He still manages to weaken me in the sacred haven where my soul fuels my body. Relaxing I suck on his kiss, tasting cloudberry, dizzy with desire all over again.

Slipping my hands inside his waistband I tug him closer, unashamed to be demanding. I need to get a fix before I go out into the wilderness to flatten mountains. The first mountain I will name Guy. When I raise it back up again I will rename it Macala, and it will be a spire of solid rock, with a tempting trickle of a waterfall flowing down from its peak.

He laughs again, crushing me in a binding hug.

“
Fuck! I will never get tired of you!”

“
But if you aren't tired I'm doing something wrong,” I smile, wriggling to unzip his combat trousers, biting into the shoulder pressing against my face.

Chapter 27

Emma:

“
Wear white,” he tells me while I'm brushing my teeth.

“
Hmm?” I query through the froth.

“
It'll help you blend into the scenery better, plus it compliments your natural harii camouflage.”

I shrug agreement, rinsing out my mouth while mister 'all in black' goes off to clean up after breakfast.

Boy this hour sure approached fast. I guess the honeymoon period is over. Now we're back to stealth and war... or reconciliation.

After dressing in the items he's laid out for me I feel like a marshmallow, all white and very conspicuous. My hair is still pitch black in case you haven't noticed.

“Are you trying to make us look like yin and yang?” I ask as I join Mac in the open plan kitchen corner, watching him dry and pack things away.

“
No.”

“
Balance, feng shui, opposites attract, what gives?”

He grins at me and I note he's also wearing his contacts. They're hell to get in and feel horribly foreign.

“I hide in shadows, you hide in light. If you care to look outside you'll see lots of white fluff falling from the sky. I'll vanish well enough at a distance but I need you to be invisible out there.”

“
It's snowing?” I blurt, amazed.

Not waiting for a response I dash to the door and fling the faux log wide open, stepping out into the confetti of the ice queen.

The world looks like a syllabub divan, rich, creamy, and decadent. Overhead the sky is shrouded with nimbus. How are we going to get home in this?

I turn back to ask as much when I jump at him being silent as  a guilty secret behind me. He smiles that special smile, his eyes making the connection that hints at lovers trysts. It's the expression reserved for me, the one that sees me naked despite the layers on my frame.

I grin back, standing on tiptoes and planting a mushy kiss on his sensuous mouth. In a split-second I'm engulfed in a restricting hug, lifted up and squeezed within an inch of my life.

The joy snuffs and worry steps into my happy place. Are we going to die?

Sensing my mood shift he puts my feet back on the ground, tugging a hooded short white cape onto my shoulders, “Em, it's not a kiss goodbye. It's a kiss that's hell yeah, our first adventure together.”

“
You sure?” I fret.

“
Elskling I have every confidence you'll handle this.”

I nod, scowling when he pulls the door closed without his sword, without any supplies. How are we going to survive?

Taking my hand he pulls me close, wrapping a comforting arm around my waist, “Babes, stop undermining me and yourself. I am nothing if not prepared.”

“
What's the plan?” I ask, watching our feet sink into the few inches of snow, listening to the squeaky crunch unique to drifts of flakes.

“
We use the shadows to climb up, then we take the normal route to the catacombs, looking for scouts. If all seems okay we head to our next hideout.”

“
Our next hideout?” I squeal. “You could have mentioned that before!”

“
And ruin watching you go from doubting to excited? No fucking way. You're wonderful to watch when you get a surprise.”

His smile is so naughty I feel like kissing him again, and rolling him in snow just to muss up his perfect black ensemble.

Laughing guiltily he lifts my hand, kissing the back of it and then tucking it into his jacket pocket, still holding it.

It's the little things. Sigh. Smirk.

We've reached the sheer wall looming over our cove and protecting us. “Just do what I do,” he instructs, losing his solidity and becoming caliginous.

Concentrating, I do the same.

Copy me, then you go up first so I can catch you if anything goes amiss
, he says telepathically. It's the only way to communicate in shadow form. I paid attention in my classes.

Nodding, apprehensive, I watch as he holds to the shadows in the rock, bonding to them as easily as a gecko climbs a window. He boosts back down and his translucent wispy arm sweeps in the 'ladies first' gesture.

Inhaling, nervous, I jump up to grip the first shadowed rock, slipping right off it and plopping in an undignified heap from the short drop.

Frowning in consternation, he says,
Try the nodules covered in snow.

Lacking confidence, I am shaking when I jump up to try a lightly iced lump of rock. I stick! Rock climbing up, I look down, planting my feet on frosted surfaces, the snow somehow an adhesive that also gives strength. Then I tweak, I have no gravity in this form, that's why this is such easy going.

Scampering up the wall like a demon I crest the top in no time, not even out of breath.

This is fucking awesome!

He emerges from the shadows, standing next to me, surveilling the forest with his Odin eye before grabbing my hand and moving silently over the landscape. Ha! Not just no gravity, but the speed of a shuttle heading into orbit to boot.

Squeeea! I love this!

Watching our feet I'm amazed we leave no footprints for a tracker to find. We have become harii shadows, for real!

He pauses, looking back at me and flashing me his happy smile. He's tuned in and knows what I'm feeling and thinking. I beam back at him, too excited to ruin the moment with speech.

Ghosting through the trees, sliding effortlessly between trunks scarred from the previous battle, he halts, stepping back and completely covering me with his body like a shield.

We've got company.

Huh?
I think back.

Turning to me he lifts my hood over my hair, pulling it down so I can barely see out the white furry opening.
They're Eagle, I'll have to take them out. They'll see me.

Mac wait!
I snap hysterically, my mind racing until I hit on a solution,
I can hide you. Turn into Raven and hide in my hood. I can walk right past them as a human, plus I belong to the Fallen Fraternity. They'll know where it is if they are any good at researching enemy territory. I'll just tell them I'm on my way back, no sweat. You'll be with me if anything goes wrong.

No Em! I refuse to hide behind my woman like a coward.

Mac! It makes sense if we're off to meet with their leader. More bloodshed of his herd will not go down well, and he'll know because he's one of us! Like you said, we can't lie, the truth is all over us as loud as graffiti. It's worth a shot Mac, you know it is.

But they're camping either for reinforcements, or to attack again. It's my duty to defend the people inside.

No! It's your duty as third in command to diffuse this entire conflict, and killing more soldiers won't resolve a damn thing.
And
your duty is to protect me! Try it my way before you go all batshit.

Batshit?
he frowns.

Mental, berserker... you get the picture.

He shakes his head, rifling stress through his hair. He swivels back to look down the incline, then back at me, hingeing back and forth for too many seconds before finally nodding curt assent.

I don't like it, but you could talk a hole in a saint.

Because I'm right
, I smile.

I'm afraid, I won't lie, but I'm not ready to watch him kill a man. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to witness that with any measure of comfort.

He diminishes, solidifying, fluttering up to my shoulder while I solidify. He clambers inside my hood, pretty well hidden in the roomy covering.

Nodding, I pull my misty haze camouflage around me and the hood down further, descending the steep incline silently until I reach the mountain pass.

Turning to face their direction I send the haze out ahead of me so they'll think it's just misty, sweating with the effort to produce so much thick vapor in one go.

He tugs reassurance on my hair with his beak, blowing sweet cuddles into my nape. It makes me feel a little better. Even as a bird he's a romantic sugarplum.

Emerging from my decoy I'm right on top of the men in black before they see me.

I nod, smiling with a rendition of shy, “Morning. Love the snow, don't you?”

The tallest steps into my path, “Good morning. What are you doing out here?”

Did they really think they could blend in? It's obvious they're giants because you don't get wrestlers that tall, in any country, in any city, anywhere. Holy cow he's colossal.

Pointing nonchalantly up the road, I explain, “I stay at the Fallen Fraternity just down there. I like the mountains and went for an early morning stroll, but there's not enough snow for a snowman. I know, I've looked for a deep pile for some time and found none.”

He glances at his wingman, who nods I'm telling a truth, then looks at me, “Be careful ma'am. We've heard of wild bears about, we're keeping a lookout. Best you stay indoors for a few days.”

Smiling my thanks, I nod slightly, “Will do. Holy shit, yeah, I'm off then. You boys take care.”

“
Yes ma'am,” they all nod, leaving me to walk away without incident.

It's excruciating walking away with six eyes boring holes into my back. I'm so grateful for my contact lenses now. I'm too new, my eyes haven't fully developed yet, I got away!

Yes!

Playing it safe I wait 'til I'm a good distance downwind from them before slowly pulling in mist, until low cloud billows down the mountainside in thick swathes, dripping off the trees and melting the snow. It smells fabulous. Pine needles in moist air are heady.

Risking a glance back I'm satisfied they can't see me, or anything much at all. The bonus of cloud is it's a sound barrier, even our voices won't carry. Halting, I pull my hood back. “You can come out now, we're in the clear.”

He wings off my shoulder, nipping my neck playfully on his way past, turning into Mac as soon as his claws hit snow, standing in front of me with an incredulous smile, “You're awesome. You were born for this.”

“I know,” I smirk, batting eyelashes theatrically.

Stooping he grabs my face and pulls me off my feet to smack a big wet one on me.

Giggling, I pull back down, “We need to change back into shadows, no messing around big boy.”

“
And I thought I was diligent,” he laughs, kissing me again before adopting disguise, his body becoming translucent and truffle dark. My Shadow lover hooks his darkness through my misty white halo, managing to hold my hand even when we're both nothing more than ether with awareness.

We'll walk past the caves, just to see how it looks, then we fuck off out of here
.