She shifted, tipping her head upward. Perhaps she dreamed of the cloudy sky or the fullness of the moon. She looked so serene, I couldn’t help but smile along with her.
Her hand slowly settled over mine. It was innocent contact, or should have been, but with the battle I had been in the midst of, it felt like an explosion. I happily massaged the flesh of her arm and crawled into bed behind her. She murmured nonsense that sounded content, then nuzzled back against me. Heat surged through me like a challenge, sparking things to life in my already constricted leather pants.
I groaned against her, tipping my head down so that my forehead rested on her shoulder.
She whirled to confront me, and it felt like a horse kicked me in the chest. I flew from the bed and landed unceremoniously on the floor. The unexpectedness of it knocked the wind from me. I gawked and gasped in a way that was uglier than I would have ever aspired to admit.
Rather than go bat shit crazy on me, she unfurled her legs and slid from the bed. The woman all but prowled to my side and leaned in close.
“Have you ever heard the expression, “being under Love’s spell?”
My face crumpled in confusion before the understanding hit me. She had powers and abilities of her own.
“You all thought this would work. That I was some soft half-wit that you could trick?”
“Trick?” I repeated. My mouth was so dry, and fuck, my chest throbbed.
“Who hired you… Adira...Zaphori? You lot kidnapped me and thought to keep me prisoner here by pretending to be in love with me?” she accused.
“What...No… That’s ridiculous... What?” I laughed, still trying to find her line of reasoning. She made absolutely no sense at all. Rather than explain herself, Zhenni shoulder checked me and stormed from the room.
Chapter Six
Love and War
Zhenni
I couldn’t tolerate another second of the smug creature. I hopped down the stairs while trying to ignore the throbbing in my shoulder. The moment I threw the doors opened and stepped into the lower level of the tavern, the noise level dropped to a whisper. Thorne stood near a fire pit that was dug into the dirt floor. Kettles hung over the small flames, but he wasn’t interested in those. He was busy studying the pit, watching the golden dance that worked within it.
“I hate to interrupt your…pondering or whatever it is that you’re doing, but I need to get home. Enough is enough. This is not for me. I’m sorry that they involved you in all of this.” I was rambling, still unsure myself what all of this was.
I felt the many patrons’ eyes as they crawled over me. The vile thoughts and unspoken words were both deafening and palpable. Fighting a shiver, I forced my head to remain high and ignored the inebriated monsters.
“You won’t believe us until you see for yourself. And yet, you won’t be quiet long enough to see or hear anything.” Thorne sighed.
I was pissed, but his speech distracted me. The way his tone playfully rose and fell over the words. He rumbled the sounds in his throat long before the words were shared and somehow, still managed to sound quiet and gentle.
“Yeah. Not gonna happen,” I hurriedly replied once I returned to my thoughts. “Sorry, boys, I don’t sit pretty. I’m not a fuckin hound or one of your… critters.”
Something hissed behind me and my shoulders jumped toward my ears. I instinctively and regrettably shifted toward Thorne whose heavy arm encompassed my shoulders and drew me closer to him and the warmth of the pit. The embers sizzled beside me, and the air cracked in response. Captivated, I watched on as the heat ate at each little piece of charcoal. It didn’t take long before I floated past all of it. The heat gave way to a blaze and screaming erupted. I could smell thick, rancid smoke, it blended with the smell of chaos and the melting away of natural order.
Images of people abusing and taking advantage of one another flew past me. Teachers and caregivers without compassion or regard for the next generation. Homes without support or love. All the things that had stirred fear in the back of my mind. The insult of it all, the tragedy of it. I didn’t know how to stand there and watch it happen, and yet, I had no idea how to prevent it.
“What is the point of living forever if it will only end in misery?” I exploded.
“There is no point to living forever. It means that time and what we do with it, no longer matters. There is no reason to live right or to be kind to one another. The journey loses its purpose and value. There are no consequences, no rush to make amends with those we care about.” Thorne inhaled so deeply I could see the clearing of his broad shoulders and the hefting of his chest when he expelled it. “There is no purpose, only an ending...a horrific and ugly ending, if something doesn’t happen.”
I stared at him expectantly, but only found silence and a finger that extended back to the hearth. I followed its direction, and once again, found myself in the fog of heat.
The scorched scent of hair engulfed my surroundings. Hooves thundered beneath me and arrows flew around me.
“War!” Adira screamed the name like a curse, we locked eyes, but before I could charge my stallion toward her, Thorne’s hand pulled me back to reality.
I shoved him away from me and stared in disbelief. He didn’t even seem surprised. We glared at each other, neither of us willing to look away for what felt like another eternity.
“It is the only way. You must be our Goddess of War. War is the only thing that can balance out the evil of the world. Love is good medicine, don’t get me wrong, but there are some hearts—unfortunately, now a’days, many hearts—that are too hard and cold for you to reach.”
What the fuck was wrong with this big lug? Did he even hear himself? Goddess of War. I’ve never even killed a fly. My job is to breathe happiness and shit hope. I’ve thrown some amazing parties, but never arrows. I wanted to shake him, but I could already tell that whatever help I would need to get back home wouldn’t be coming from Thorne.
Dejected and tempted to slap the smugness from him, I whirled about and stormed from the tavern.
“Zhenni!” Alexavier frantically called. He bounded down the stairs, and Thane cackled from the back of the bar. I slammed the door behind me, leaving the pair to their amusement.
The thicket bit at my ankles, but I was determined to march onward. I could make it on my own! Zaphori always said you couldn’t get lost if you knew that the moss grew on the….
Well fuck, it grew on a particular side of the tree! What side was it? Hopefully, if I kept the moss on the same side, it would lead me out of this Hell hole that I had fallen into.
Leaves crunched, and branches swayed eerily with the wind. An owl screeched in the distance, and something trampled behind me on the path. I turned but saw nothing, which only made my pulse race faster. A loud snap sounded nearby, nearly giving me an overdose of adrenalin. I sprinted without care, frantically trying to put distance between myself and whatever was back there.
My legs and lungs burned in competition. Wind flew past me, puffing my ginger strands until they fell half-heartedly from their pins. I stepped wrong and it sent pain shooting up my ankle. The earth and leaves slid beneath me. Echoing my misery across the forest, I screamed and landed with a thud. It took a few minutes to find the bravery necessary to check myself over. Who was I kidding, I had survived a waterfall that ended on a boulder. Of course I was fine. But so was the stocky, braided Norn staring down at me.
He reached down, offering me a hand. I batted it away. Somehow, I found my feet and my voice. All the emotion I had kept bottled in me from the entire ordeal came hurling out. My fists pummeled his chest until tears stung my eyes.
He didn’t fight me back. He didn’t even look angry. Alexavier simply absorbed the blows and the vile words I began to spew.
“I want to go home!” I shrieked “You have no right to take women from their homes.”
“We have no right, but we had no choice either, Goddess…” His crystal hues stared down at me. The weight of his arms soon bl
anketed my shoulders. For a moment, I allowed it. In my confusion and fog, it felt safe. Even nice. My eyes shot open, realizing the familiarity I had fallen prey to. I shrugged and placed both hands to his chest. A definitive shove sent him over his own feet until it was he who was sprawled on his ass.
I had never fought a day in my life, but fear flooded my senses. I had bested him, possibly even insulted his pride. It was too late to back down to civil conversation now. It was a choice made in the split of a second. Before the man’s eyes could open fully, I planted myself atop him and began to screech and slap.
His body writhed beneath mine. My knee slid, and the world whirled about. His weight was atop me, the scent of his ale and leather overwhelmed me. His calloused fingers wrapped about my wrists and secured them firmly over my head.
“Zhenni…” he whisper-hissed, giving my wrists a tug. The stubble of his jaw and chin grazed against me as I fought to try and bring my arms down to guard my face. I was certain that he was about to pummel me. “Zhenni stop, by the Gods, woman… what is wrong with you?”
“Get off of me! Get off!” I screamed. As if someone in this hellhole might’ve heard or even cared.
“Zhenni, I didn’t come out here to hurt you.” His voice was tender, and soon his grip loosened on my wrists. His pale gaze almost looked wounded by the fact that I thought he would hurt me. His full lips parted but only a sigh came out.
“Alexavier,” I ventured. “You’re crushing me.”
He rocked to his knees and instantly began patting my sides and ribs.
“I didn’t mean…” He looked as confused as I felt; something in his eyes was just as lost and desperate. And yet despite it all, he was rugged and beautiful. I wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. And the truth was, his chest had felt more than a little comforting.
“Hold me. Please,” I whispered.
He flinched, but eventually strong muscular arms wrapped around me, snaring me to him with ease.
It was going to end. My children, the mortals, have abandoned me once again. Forsaking love for the false promise of immortality.
His arms contracted, and I swayed in his grip. The sudden motion startled me, and I clung to his neck so fiercely he was forced to stoop. He carried us past a carved pile of rocks.
Runes! Is that what those were called? Before I could contemplate it further, the air became chilled. I peeked over my shoulder and was presented with the rough walls of a cave. Inside, straw and furs had been thrown in a circle about a pile of half burnt wood.
He lay me on the least worn of the collection and moved over near the firewood. It was cold, but I was so drained by what I had seen in the last fire, I didn’t care to ever see another. Moments later, a glow lit the tiny area and warmth began to ease my shivering.
He moved to the fur and sat down beside me, drawing his knees up to plant his forearms on them. His brother had taunted him, accused him of being in love with me. I decided to test their theory.
I scooted toward him and unwrapped his arms like one of Zaphori’s gifts. He kept his soulful gaze on me, and a half smile teased the corner of his mouth up. It twisted the stubble and made him look even more delicious. I slid between his knees, but rather than settle in, I snaked an arm around his neck and lured him slowly to me.
His eyes went wide, and his lips parted as if he might object, but when I started for his mouth, he leaned forward and abruptly stole mine. There was no indecisiveness. His kiss was firm, commanding, and I feared it might be addictive. He started to pull away, but I locked my arm. I didn’t know how to break such a spell. To go back to the reality that I had fallen into.
His large hand settled on my back, fingers splayed, and he began to slowly rub the warmth into my muscles. His nose nuzzled mine, cocooning me into the serenest sleep I had ever found.
Alexavier
Pins and needles tormented the length of my arm. It was pinned between the back of her head and the uneven surface of the cave floor, but I dedicated myself to suffering through it. It was worth it, so that I could drink in her delicate features for a few more stolen moments. It wasn’t easy being around her and not staring.
She was the Goddess of Love; of course, Zhenni was beautiful. Her soft ginger hair fell into a natural curl at the tips. The color complimented her fair, even complexion. A tiny smattering of freckles made me smile, but it was the memory of her amber eyes that made my free hand curl. I wanted to touch her so badly. My lips tingled with the memory of hers until I contemplated waking her up like some mortal’s fairy tale.
Something connected with the sole of my foot. It sent pain shooting up my leg. The impact jarred my ribs against the floor and wrenched my pinned arm. I curled into the pain in an attempt not to fling her head. It left me arched over her and holding my breath. Fuck! The last thing I wanted was for her to wake up and believe me to be no better than Thane.
I freed myself but barely managed to rise to my feet before hissing at Thane. “Cocksucker!”
He elbowed Thorne and shook his head with a smirk. “From the way you were fawning over her there, I figured that was what you had on your mind.”
My jaw fell, and I turned my neck so fast I nearly pulled something trying to assure that Zhenni was not awake to have heard him. Her chin was tilted upward, and her knee drawn like she was running.
“Fuck you,” I whisper-hissed. It really wasn’t all that gratifying, so I threw a kidney shot at him on my way past. “Come outside so you don’t wake her up. She needs her rest.”
Thane’s snort made my spine stiffen, but the sound of Thorne’s elbow finding his ribs soothed the injury some.
“Enough. Sober up, both of you!” Thorne snapped.
I tipped my palms up as if proving my point once again. I had just opened my eyes. Clearly, I was not the one intoxicated and guffawing at everything under the sun.
“We need to figure out what we are going to do here,” he continued, undaunted by my silent gesture. “There is no time for this bullshit. Cuddling and coupling all night. We are running out of supplies. The end is near.”
“Well, we ain’t gonna find no answers in there,” Thane quipped, hiking his thumb toward the cave. “She is broken. Our strategy is useless with her. Something is wrong with her. I can sway any woman. Any. Woman.” His face twisted in disgust and he stared at the cave as if some unidentified creature lay within it.
Thorne’s expression matched Thane’s, and for a moment, I wanted to go back to Worlds End so that I could have hurled them from the fall myself. How could they be so…
Laughter interrupted my bewildered thoughts. Thorne’s hand clasped my shoulder and the other braced his side.
“You fucking half-wit. You truly believe you could charm the undergarments off a snake, don’t you?” The laughter turned menacing before he composed himself. Even Thorne knew we didn’t have time to nurse an insult to Thane’s ego. “There is nothing wrong with her. She is like us, exhausted and simply over it. Over all of it.”
“Who gives a fuck. What are we going to do with her now?” Thane groaned.
I sighed, but it came out as a growl. “What do you mean, what are we going to do with her? She is going to help us find a way… she doesn’t want another ending either.”
Thane snorted and shook his head. He planted his hands on his hips and glared back to the cave. I wondered for a moment if he was stewing over our problem or the fact that she had willingly spent the night next to me. A smile slowly slid over my features when I realized I could cripple his ego with just that one kiss.
“I say no. We can’t just sit around playing footsies with the Fallen Goddess. I say we sacrifice her, maybe gain the favor of the other Go—ugh.”
The sound of Thane’s cry and the cracking of Thorne’s fist into his jaw mingled into one grizzly sound. Blood spotted the shoulder of Thane’s tunic, and fire blazed behind his blue eyes.
For a moment, I was sure they were about to kill each other, but Thane spat a wad of bloodied saliva betwee
n them and stomped off toward the tavern.
“I showed her what has to be, she knows what has been… and yet she has not the compassion to come to our aide. It is possible, brother, that Zhenni has given up. You must remember though, just because she is repulsed by him, does not mean she cannot be seduced…” Thorne’s voice was scarcely more than a whisper. His elbow clipped mine, and he made an odd little gesture of tilting his head toward the cave, shifting his brows up to convey the unspoken part of his order.
He wanted me to play pretend with her heart…
To play as if I myself didn’t have one.
Chapter Seven
New Beginnings
Thorne
Something brushed my back, no heavier than an insect’s landing. I turned to find Zhenni’s fingers hovering near my shoulder.
Years of practice had taught me to present the smile before my thoughts registered across my face. I did so now, all while wondering how much she had heard. What was really going on behind those pretty eyes of hers, and by the Gods, how had my brother get so lucky?
“Good morning,” I mumbled, after an awkward pause.
“I came to thank you. For…” Her hand extended toward the direction Thane had left. “But, from the sounds of things my gratuity may have been a bit premature.”
Her eyes flashed but it wasn’t with kindness. She sighed and turned to storm back to the cave, but my brother caught her upper arm.
“Zhenni. Please? Just come to the tavern… let me show you. Please, it is the Quilt of Life,” Alexavier begged.
He was good, better than Thane, assuming it was all an act. I studied him for a moment, praying it was just a well-played facade. She couldn’t stay here forever. Surely, he knew that. And well, there was only so long we could venture out of here without consequence. I noticed the emotion in his eyes and my stomach flipped.
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