He was in love...
Fuck.
Zhenni
I’ve seen my reflection many times, but it wasn’t until I saw myself in his eyes that I truly saw myself at all. He looked at me like I was his last breath.
Thorne’s huff ripped me from my thoughts, and I spun around to face him. Thane had returned and now stood brooding beside his older brother.
“You won’t believe it, unless you see it for yourself,” Thorne urged.
I shook my head so hard it hurt. I had no idea what it was I had seen in that fire, but I knew I never wanted to smell burning flesh and cannon smoke again.
“I care not for your fire tricks,” I informed him before cutting my eyes between the three, daring them to push the matter.
“Fine, fuck the fire,” Thane announced, his entire voice channeled his irritation and exhaustion. His hand tore a wild arc in the air.
A mist rolled toward us at a speed that made me tremble. It billowed toward the heavens before the center of it swirled and a vision of Life appeared. She was stretched out over a puddle, scrying the same as we were. It was bizarre, watching a vision, inside a vision. Morbid curiosity demanded I step closer, if only for a moment while I tried to see what she was seeing. Across the surface of the puddle, a woman hovered in a corner whilst two men violently struggled beside her. Life watched on unblinking. She even clapped when the jealous feud turned deadly.
“Does she think it’s her own private soap opera now?” I growled. “And the mortals… Now that life has assured them longevity, now they think they are above the Gods’ wrath? Spreading all that vile energy and living to serve themselves?”
I began to shake. It wasn’t just the sadness from their loss of love. It was the principle of it all. They were living longer, and that should make everyone happy. It should be a great thing, but instead, they are loving each other less.
“So, do something about it instead of hiding behind that damn—” Thane began.
“Enough,” Alex barked.
They stood snarling and glaring at each for a few moments before Thorne pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
“I can’t. I couldn’t hurt a fly… much less be Death’s Dealer.” I knew what they wanted, something that would fit my agenda and ultimately serve theirs. What else could benefit Nastrond, then a Goddess of Death?
“We aren’t asking you to kill anyone, Goddess,” Thorne quickly interjected. His hands came out to either side of him, only drawing attention to the misty-eyed man in the middle. He was clearly at his wits end.
“You forget, brother. We control the fate of all. Mortals, Gods, and Goddesses. Stop fooling around with this…” Thane shook his head allowing his voice to trail off when Alex leaned toward him. “Just force her to the fate we want and be done with it already.
I wasn’t ready, nothing could have prepared me for what happened next. Thorne with his arms still out like a bird, dropped and took a knee.
“Fuck me,” Thane exclaimed, with a groan.
“I’ll not force her,” Thorne called, his head was bowed, and the long blond braids draped over his shoulder. I hadn’t realized just how stuck I was until he looked up at me from beneath his dark lashes. The calm, pale hues stole my resistance, and my breath, for a fraction of a second.
Alexavier glanced between his brothers before lowering to his knee as well.
I hadn’t asked for that, for any of it, but for some damn reason I found myself staring expectantly at Thane. He shook his head and scowled; fuck, he might have even growled himself, but in the end, he still knelt.
“We don’t need you to kill anyone. We just need you to be the Goddess of War. The one men turn to for favor in battle. They will aspire to please you with their performance and prove worthy of sitting beside you in the afterlife,” Thorne quietly offered before bringing my hand up to his mouth. He pressed a kiss to my knuckles and peeked up at me again.
How was I supposed to say no?
“War?” I repeated. “I know nothing of war.”
“You’re in luck then, Goddess.” The sound of Thane’s voice put me on edge. He sounded… pleasant. Almost excited.
Thorne rose to his feet, still clinging to my hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze and tipped his chin up like I was one of the guys.
“We got you covered,” Thane assured me. “Well… not as good as Alexavier had you covered, but…”
I swatted at him before I realized I had committed such an act. To my surprise, rather than barking, he laughed. A strange sound, one that didn’t hold any malice or provocation. He almost… seemed normal.
Thane
The weight of two Quilts of Life were ripped from my shoulders when she warmed to the idea. I could have kissed the woman and danced in a circle with her. I didn’t, though. Knowing my luck, I would have somehow offended her in the act.
It baffled me, but I tried not to linger over the fact that she was immune to my charm. It had worked for how many centuries with the Murderesses and Adulteresses?
“I don’t even know how to put armor on, let alone swing a sword,” Zhenni admitted, her voice small.
No doubt it pained her to have to ask anything of me, after the way things had turned out between us. Maybe if one of my brothers possessed a spine, it wouldn’t have been me who always made noise.
Ugh the what ifs always fucked with me. People thought I was a bag of dicks, but the truth was, the crude, quick witted bastard I presented to them was nothing more than my own personal armor. The sad part was, I didn’t even remember why I wore it anymore. Thorne suggested that perhaps it was something from a past life. Always thought of himself as some kind of philosopher, that brother of mine.
“I wasn’t aware you could look wistful, let alone smile without looking like you just robbed someone,” Zhenni playfully quipped.
I snorted and shook my head before jerking it in the direction of the tavern.
“Come, Lady Love, let me help you into something…” I began. She tipped her head back and gave a throaty, soulful laugh.
“Ohhhh… you’ve helped me quite enough.”
For a moment, I thought she was offended again, but she tossed a wink that made me share the laugh.
I started down the path, feeling better about things than I had in weeks. Behind me, the three of them crunched lazily over the leaves and twigs. It was a fairly beaten way now that she had trampled through it like Fenrir himself was nipping at her heels.
Rather than broach the front of the tavern, I hit the side stairs up to the second floor. It was my own personal entrance. The lot of them filed in behind me and settled in on the bed, floor, and fur rug before my hearth. It wasn’t a large chamber, I didn’t need a great deal of room. I had learned long ago, the larger a man’s space without company, the emptier his entire life felt. Such things were meant to be shared.
I moved to the chest and jerked the lid up. I was greeted with the familiar squeak of protest, when it finally budged and opened properly. The soft glow allowed me to tell the various pieces of leather armor from each other. Most were larger than she required, but alas, I found a nice black and crimson number. It was worn enough that it wouldn’t feel too awkward on her, and judging from the lack of blood, it had served its former owner well. Perhaps even afforded some measure of battlefield favor. I gave a half turn and tossed it toward her, along with a pair of gently used britches.
She caught them with a back-handed grab that made the leg of the pants slap Alexavier on his upper arm.
“Fucker,” he squawked, before storming past us and tearing off for the balcony.
“Bring me back an ale,” Thorne barked. Judging from the muffled curses that were flung in return, it was a safe bet that he would have to fetch it himself. Scoffing, he shoved himself off the pile of furs that served as my bed and stomped off after Alexavier.
“Your mother had her hands full, huh?” Zhenni laughed. She glanced toward me and sobered at once. “I’m sorry.”
�
��For what?”
Her mouth opened but she quickly looked away, leaving me confused and squinting while the silence grew between us. She gave a glance over her shoulder and sighed in a way that conveyed her impatience and displeasure with my remaining presence. When I didn’t catch on, she placed her back to me and hefted her shirt up. None too hurried, mind you, she wiggled the thing like she was trying to work an itch. Each attempt to sate it exposed a few more inches of flesh. My brow seemed to chase the garment, encouraging its path, lest I faint from holding my breath.
“Really. You’re still fucking here?”
I choked on my own breath. Coughing and heaving, while secretly thankful that it gave a reason for my grip on the trunk. I tried to push up from my squat, but the lid slammed down without its usual warning and bit my finger. It throbbed like I had amputated the tip. I held my wrist and inhaled throw my nose, eyes clenched and waited for my cold, dead soul to return. Before it could, the satin soft folds on Zhenni’s inner cheeks blessed the sides of it. She stared up at me until all I could focus on was the warm, gentle massage of her mouth around my injured finger-and hypnotic lure that was her eyes.
Fuck me, them eyes.
I forgot about the pain, fuck, I forgot about everything except the bare-chested Goddess before me.
Chapter Eight
Two Can Play
Zhenni
Why had I done that? What was wrong with me? Had I been locked away in my own misery and company so long that I’m suddenly Zaphori?
Get it together, Love, I silently pep-talked myself.
But who was I kidding, the man had looked at me like the Goddess I was. Everyone everywhere was self-indulging, forgetting the natural way of mortals and makers. And yet Thane, Thane the fucking Vain of all people, knew his place. He knew my potential even if I hadn’t yet seen it. He had been the vilest of creatures before me, and I had faced him.
I may not have experience with war, but I knew if I faced it, I would own it. Just as I have owned these Norns while leading them to believe they were the ones doing the seducing.
I stood and shrugged my way into the leather vest. It was snug, so I rolled my shoulders, hefting things into place. By the time I was done with the strings, his brows were competing to reach his hairline.
“I thought you were the cute one? The one who got all the cursed coochie?” I laughed, the effort to muffle it made the sound trickle throatily.
“Cursed coochie?” he repeated—as if there were anything else available in Nastrond. “I’m not sure you’re allowed to say that. You’re the Goddess of Love, remember?”
“I am the Goddess of Love and War. If my memory serves me -and it always has—all is fair in my domain. I can do as I damned well please.”
“I knew you fit in here for a reason.” He winked.
I shimmied out of my pants, and every ounce of confidence fell from his face.
“I’m too sober for this,” he groaned before turning for the door. It was quiet, save for the cozy snap-crackle of the fireplace. I closed my eyes and wondered for the millionth time just what the fuck I was doing here. I dressed quickly and started for the door, but it swung open before I reached it.
“You’re ready,” he said as if he already knew.
I squinted and tried to figure out how he had managed to be so punctual. Past, present, future. He was the middle brother. Present.
“You watched me…” I accused.
He glanced over his shoulder, the cock sure smile tucked tightly over his stubbled mouth. I swatted it and shoved him out the door. I had turned to close it, so when he tugged me through with him, I wasn’t prepared for the warp.
I knew, even before I bothered to turn, where he had taken me. The scent was so strong I gagged on it. I closed my eyes. The sounds of metal and death from every direction overwhelmed me.
“Eyes open, or you’ll lose yourself to it,” he hissed lowly. A sword was shoved in my hand and he tugged me forward.
“Here,” he commanded, forcing a shield into the other.
A scream sounded, and metal clashed beside me. A yell pierced my thoughts and spittle sprayed over my cheek. I whirled away and lunged with my sword, catching my aggressor in the side. The first man I ever fell. It just…happened. I stared at him, trying to summon some manner of compassion, but it just wasn’t there. He had tried to kill me! My boot flew out with the reminder and jarred the man’s limp legs.
“Zhen!” Thane frantically barked.
I spun and was presented with a bear sized man. He drew his axe over his head with both hands. A mud puddle caught my foot, and the memory of Life’s scrying flashed before me.
All I could see was the vision of the humor and joy She had found in the senseless episodes of violence. The entertainment She found in the suffering of my wayward mortals. The mounting anger did nothing for my swordsmanship. I drew much too late and was forced to roll and scramble. I fought to get a proper grip on my weapon and gain enough ground to properly swing it.
The sound of flesh ripping, and the way the man’s eyes bulged, would forever be stamped in my mind. So will the surge of relief and emotion that followed when I locked eyes with the man behind him. Had Thane ever looked so… human? His icy blue eyes burned with life, and his chest was heaving.
The screaming and warring seemed to fall back. Had we caught the tail end of the mess? What had even caused such a skirmish?
“You called me here… state your business,” a woman’s voice boomed over the fog.
Thane’s fingers shook over my spine and settled just above my belt.
“Take a deep breath in and blow it out,” he encouraged almost inaudibly.
I drew in so deeply that my head tipped back, puckered my lips, and exhaled. The mist split before us and wafted away, revealing a woman with long hair and a beauty mark above her upper lip.
“Life,” I accused. I was already moving toward the Sun Kissed Soapbox. I wasn’t used to carrying a sword, though, in fact, I forgot I had it. I locked eyes with the confidant woman, and all I could think about was ripping the cocksure smile from her overpainted lips.
The sword dangled loosely from my right palm. I felt the occasional pebble when the tip of my skipped over them on the path behind me. The more I thought over the kindness and compassion she had sucked from the world -my mortal children’s world, the madder I got. Tears of rage blurred my eyes, which only made me feel like a fool. I tilted my head ever so subtly, certain that my foe had already seen it and labelled me weak.
When I glanced up through my wet lashes, Life was back-peddling. I raised a brow and gave a half peek over my shoulder to Thane, convinced that he was the cause of her shattered self-confidence. I hadn’t even deemed him worthy of a full look, but found he, too, had stopped in his tracks when we made eye contact.
Light flashed before us. When it cleared, Life was gone. At least she did us the favor of taking that lingering fog with her. I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt and turned around to search for Thane.
If there was anything I hated more than drama, it was an anti-climactic ‘bigger dick’ contest. How the fuck did I get tossed into one of those? I thought on it for a moment, and a slow satisfied smile tucked itself tightly across my mud splattered features. I didn’t have a dick, but I clearly had big enough balls to make Life tuck her tail and run from me.
Thane
I’ve never seen a woman stand so rigid. Fuck, I never in all my days would have thought something as soft as Love could have a body that hard. I bit my lip and lost myself in the wonder of just how many could have possibly been made in her image. I’d never found anything close.
“What the hell was that?” she asked, hefting her sword toward the vacated hill. A gritty coating riddled the length of the steel where it once had shone. Blood always had that funny way of mingling with dirt when it coagulated.
She snapped her fingers in front of my face, and I did my best to conceal the appreciative gaze I had afforded her recently anointed piece.
“Everything is so fake. Fake battlefields, fake feelings between the mortals. At this point, I don’t have the energy to sift through their antics and decipher which of them even truly have love for me anymore.”
“Is this… this is you frustrated?” I laughed on a sigh. “Zhenni, Zhenni, Zhenni. We’re just getting started.”
“Getting started? Oh, no. I’m over it. She might be getting started, but I’m done. I’m through being washed behind my own sadness. I’m exhausted from keeping track of all the bullshit and trying to sort it. You wanted a Goddess of War, right? Well, you fucking got her.”
She was stark raving mad, or as close as I had ever seen anyone to it. I had to wonder for a moment if this was what it was like to watch something exotic bloom. She was peeling back layer after layer of reserve and bottled pain. The kind that had been smothered in pleasantries and left to fester for far too long. It was something that would have made a chaos magician proud.
Her long, reddish brown hair was clumped with blood and earth. Every snap of her head sent it flying and sprawling about her. A pair of golden eyes rippled with amber flecks cut toward me. Zhenni wasn’t looking at me, she was staring through me.
“Stop smiling, Thane,” she managed through gritted teeth.
I tried to speak, but nothing intelligible fell from my mouth. I found myself staring up at her while the guiltiest of smiles betrayed the thoughts I had been savoring. I didn’t think she realized how fuckable she really was with that rigid stance and stormy demeanor.
Wind and the sound of its disturbance threatened my cheek. I quickly shrugged and darted my neck away, barely catching her wrist in time to avoid the smack. It was instinct. My hand found its way to her neck before I realized I had done so. It molded itself to the shape of her throat faster than she could claim a breath. I knew, because it hitched violently. I didn’t squeeze as we stood eye to eye, so close my lips tingled with the promise of hers.
Keeper of the Norns Page 4
