Shadow and Ice (Gods of War)

by Gena Showalter

  Zion abandoned ship, hurrying away. No doubt he was going back for Nola, as planned, intending to whisk her away before Bane tracked her. A plan Vale wholeheartedly supported. Unless things go badly barely scratched the surface of tonight’s events.

  What should she do?

  Knox blocked a swipe of Bane’s claws. As feared, the beast was turning on her allies.

  Revolver in hand, Knox plugged his opponent with bullets.

  Seemingly irritated, Bane picked up any mortals standing between him and his foe—with his teeth—biting off their heads as if they were made of paper.

  Uncaring about the risk, Vale called, “Hey, beasty-boy. Look over here. Look at me.” No luck. “Yo, Bane. You want to talk about Nola? You’ve got to deal with me.”

  Success! He faced Vale, and roared.

  She didn’t let herself stare at Knox, who had faced her, as well, and didn’t let herself think about how shocked he looked as he reached for her, as if she were the prized possession he’d lost.

  “Come get me, Bane.” She crooked her finger. “This way. Yes, that’s it. I’ve got the one you want.”

  Uh-oh. Mortals charged her, their lust undeniable. Vale backed away, Bane moving with her. Good, something in her favor.

  She pivoted and kicked into a sprint. A glance over her shoulder. Mortals and Bane followed, as hoped. If Knox stayed behind, he would have a reprieve, time to heal. He would be saved...

  But she might be killed. She had no idea where to lead her pursuers without being ripped to pieces.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  VALE LIVED!

  The realization shook Knox to the core and changed him irrevocably. He’d told himself he’d left her because he’d wanted to save her from having to choose between him and her sister, or him and her world. An unintentional lie. The truth was so clear now. In a secret part of his mind, he’d feared she wouldn’t choose him.

  His decision to sacrifice his life for hers should have been a last resort rather than a first response. He should have exhausted every option in a search for ways to stay together, ways she could win and he could live, while also saving her home. Their home. And he would. He would search until desire became reality.

  My woman and goal are in sight—go get them. Feeling as if he had wings, Knox chased after her, closing in fast. He had to reach her before Bane, and had to bypass the male without engaging in battle.

  {Outnumbered. Danger level rising. Rift away.}

  Knox would do nothing without Vale. His world began and ended with her.

  He braced. Behind Bane...beside...finally beyond. No incident. Pleased, he took in everything. Erik, Adonis and Rush had vanished when the beast arrived. They’d known they couldn’t beat him. Were they hiding nearby to spring a trap? I’m ready. There was no trace of their new allies, Bold and Ryder, and he had to wonder if the males had lost their heads already.

  Movement in the trees. Knox homed in... Rush crouched on a limb, three arrows aimed at Vale.

  “No!” he shouted, but the warning came too late.

  The arrows found a new home in her chest. Crying out, she tripped over a branch and toppled, landing on her side.

  Frothing with rage, Knox exchanged his gun for a sword.

  Rush leaped from the tree and, though Vale batted away his hands, he easily scooped her up. He glared at Knox with an air of challenge.

  No one takes my woman from me.

  Knox drew closer...closer still...

  “You will come with me, Knox of Iviland.” Rush backed away, using Vale’s weakened body as a shield. “Or I will—”

  “Vale, go lax. Now!” Without pause, he slashed through the other man’s neck, savagely severing his head.

  Vale had obeyed. Still, the blade had skimmed over a small section of her forehead, filleting a layer of skin. Her next cry of pain filleted him.

  Rush’s body dropped. Knox caught Vale before she hit the ground, clutched her against his chest and ran. She maintained a firm grip on the slain male’s crossbow, bringing it with her.

  “Let me go,” she said, the words slightly slurred. If she’d had the strength, she would have fought him; he had no doubt.

  “Never again,” he vowed. Running, running.

  Bane was gaining on him. Knox had to take action.

  “I’m sorry,” he said—and yanked out an arrow.

  As she screamed, agonized, he spun in a circle, hurling the arrow like a spear. The missile sliced through Bane’s eye, and he stumbled.

  “I’m sorry,” Knox repeated, yanking out a second arrow to repeat the entire process. Spinning. Hurling. The second missile sliced through the beast’s other eye, blinding him.

  “You...bastard,” Vale accused, laboring for breath.

  Maneuvering around trees, he reached for the remaining arrow.

  “Now wait just a second,” she said, latching onto his wrist. “Don’t do it. Just...give me a minute to breathe, okay? I just need a minute, maybe an hour to—”

  Ruthless because she needed him to be, he yanked out the final barb, allowing her to begin to heal.

  “Bastard,” she repeated, her voice weaker. He wished he could kill Rush all over again. “No heart...dead inside.”

  “I was dead inside, but you brought me back to life.” He glanced over his shoulder. No trace of Bane. No mortals, either. He’d lost them?

  What about Erik and his cameras?

  Knox ran another mile, just to be safe, before opening a shadowed rift into his bunker. As soon as he had Vale inside, he chucked her on the bed, apologized, then waited, poised to fight dirty.

  As soon as the rift closed, he raced around to gather medical supplies.

  “I don’t want to stay here,” she said.

  He nudged Rush’s bow away and sat at her side. Color dotted her cheeks, her strength returning.

  “We can go wherever you want. After.” He cut away her shirt, cleaned the wounds to speed up regeneration.

  Though she offered no resistance physically, she was detached emotionally and mentally. “Soon as you’re done, I’m leaving. Alone. Don’t try to stop me.”

  “I won’t. But wherever you go, I will follow.” Now and always.

  She humphed. “Don’t act as if you care about my well-being.” As she spoke, torn flesh wove back together.

  Pleased, he smoothed a lock of hair from her damp brow and hooked the strand behind her ear. She flinched, avoiding further contact. The rejection hurt, but he tendered no rebuke. He deserved this, and more.

  “I do care, valina.”

  “You don’t. You can’t.” She looked away from him. “You didn’t trust me.”

  “Only for a moment.”

  “You left me behind.”

  “I did, yes, and it is a decision I will forever regret. It was also the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, even though I thought I was doing the right thing, even though I thought I was making things better, easier for you. Then we were bombed and...I thought you’d died. I was inconsolable.”

  “And that’s supposed to make things right between us?”

  “No. Nothing can. But in time, I will prove I’m here to stay. I won’t be parted from you for any reason.”

  She studied his expression, her own hardening. “I don’t care, then. You knew how I’d suffered after my father’s abandonment and left, anyway. You hurt me.”

  The heavy weight of dejection settled on his shoulders, but still he persisted. “You’ll never know how sorry I am.”

  “Sorry doesn’t make it right, either,” she said, her chin trembling.

  Again, he felt his heart being ripped from his chest and stomped on. “I would do anything to go back, to stand by you when you needed me.”

  “I don’t care!” A whirlwind of hurt and fury, she erupted, hitting his chest with tight fist
s. “You react badly to threats, remember? Well, here I am, threatening you, and I have no plans to stop. You had better leave before I push you past the point of no return.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. Hit me all you want, all you need. I can take it.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks as she took him up on the offer, hitting him until her newfound energy was depleted. With a sigh, she sagged against him, resting her cheek upon his shoulder.

  “Did I hurt you?” she asked softly.

  “No. I’m fine.” Better than fine, now that he had her wrapped up in his arms. Soon she would learn just how far he was willing to go to keep her there.

  “That’s a shame.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched.

  “Maybe you did the right thing,” she said, and sniffled. “A relationship between us was never going to work. We are blood-born enemies.”

  No! “I will never be your enemy, Vale. You can trust me in all ways, at all times.”

  “Not if your king—”

  “I have a plan,” he interjected, sensing there might be a chink in her armor. “I will use Gunnar’s sword.”

  Lifting her head, she searched his face with red, puffy eyes. “You figured out the ramifications?”

  “Yes. I pondered it during our last cuddle time,” he said, and she blushed. “There are specific indentations on the hilt. If I position my hand correctly, I believe the metal will liquefy, absorb into my body and heal me of any wounds before seeping out to reform into the sword.”

  “Great in theory, but mystical ink isn’t a wound.”

  Combing his fingers through her silken hair, he said, “The metal should also cleanse my blood and filter out the ink.”

  “And the downside?”

  “Even if Ansel’s compulsion isn’t filtered out, I will bond to the sword. That bond should override the ink, but it means whoever holds the sword will hold my future. They’ll have the power to control me.”

  She frowned. “So you’ll trade one master for another. Where’s the upside?”

  “Ansel won’t be able to compel me to hurt you or chase certain combatants. I can do what’s best for us, rather than the Iviland ruler.” He could search for a way to free himself from the sword.

  “What if you’re wrong, and you’re bound to the sword and Ansel?”

  “We will have a contingency plan in place.” He would rather die than put Vale’s life in peril.

  “I think you’re missing a few steps. I mean, the pheromone is in my blood the same way the ink is in yours. You should drain yourself as much as possible first, drill holes in a bone or two to get to your marrow, then absorb the metal so that it goes straight to the source.” She pursed her lips, as if irritated by how much she’d shared, and stood. “Anyway. This conversation is over. I’m leaving.”

  He dropped to his knees directly in front of her. “I don’t deserve mercy, I know, but I’m begging for it. Stay. Please. You’re safe here.”

  She was unmoved—no, there were definitely cracks in her armor. Her features were cold and hard, but her hands were wringing together.

  Might as well tell her everything.

  “I’m not going to win this war, Vale. Victory will be yours, one way or another. And I will find a way to survive your triumph. Not even death will keep me from you.” He’d meant what he’d said. Nothing would part them. He just needed time. “I know I’ve made mistakes with you, but you are the first and only woman I’ve wanted specifically, the first person I’ve trusted. From birth, I experienced betrayal at every turn. During war, I expected betrayal or I died, and to me, survival mattered most. Survival, vengeance and freedom. Until you. You matter most, and if you tell me how to fix this, I will. I’ll do anything.”

  Her hands fisted. Voice hoarse, she said, “I told you I wouldn’t take you back, even if you crawled.”

  A tinge of panic. “You’re allowed to change your mind. Please, change your mind.”

  “I just... I can’t risk going through this again. My motto? Always be the leavee. You confirmed my fears were well-founded. The same day you convinced me to trust you, you bailed.”

  “I’m a fool, but even fools can learn the error of their ways.”

  She scrubbed a hand down her face. “You said you’d do anything to fix this. Well, I’m asking for space to think, okay?”

  This was going to hurt. Bad. “I will give you space.” Knox straightened. He strode to the foot of the bed, where he removed the swords and daggers strapped to his body. Even The Bloodthirsty. He placed each weapon on the mattress. Then he stalked to the alcove and closet to gather the weapons stored there.

  At the bed once again, he unloaded his bounty. Vale watched with an air of confusion and wariness.

  Shoulders back, he told her, “My bunker and my arsenal are yours to do with as you please. And this—this is yours, too.” He rooted in his pocket and withdrew the necklace he’d bought for her. “I saw it and thought of you.”

  Her mouth floundered open and closed.

  “May I?” he asked. When she nodded, he glided behind her to anchor the jewelry around her neck. The different stones looked magnificent on her, better than he’d imagined.

  “I want... I want...argh!” A tear streamed down her cheek as she traced the sapphire, and the sight nearly undid him. “Right now, I want to take a bath and wash off the battle grime. You can stay, but you can’t join me. Got it?” She stomped off.

  Before the temptation to hide in shadows and watch over her overwhelmed him, he sat and gripped his knees. His love for her was a raw and ferocious thing. The softness in his heart. No, it was his heart. The organ beat for Vale alone. He had no life apart from her.

  His ears twitched. Clothing rustled and water splashed. Fantasies wove through his head. He imagined water droplets sluicing along Vale’s naked curves, her skin flushing with heat. Cool air kissing her puckered nipples. Her belly quivering, and her inner walls slick and aching to be filled.

  He would lay her upon the bed, and she would spread her legs in welcome.

  He hardened swiftly, throbbing for her.

  “I can almost hear your thoughts,” she called. “Stop.”

  “Impossible. Let me worship at the altar of your beauty.”

  “You can look, but you can’t touch.” When she emerged, she paraded past him, unabashed, head high. She wore water droplets and the necklace, and his gaze remained riveted on her until she disappeared inside the closet.

  By the time she exited, he was quivering like a randy school lad. She had dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of his pants, the material cinched to her body.

  “I’m going to take a nap,” she announced without glancing in his direction. “It’s been a long, hard day. I mean tough! It’s been a tough day. I’m going to sleep on the bed. Try to join me, and I’ll cut off your testicles.”

  Long. Hard. Had she, perhaps, looked his way, after all? “The loss would be worth the prize, but I’ll respect your wishes. Always. I love you, Vale, and if you’ll give me a chance, I will find a way to prove it.”

  She blinked rapidly while shaking her head, mouth opening and closing again. “You don’t love me. You can’t.”

  “I can, and I do. You mean everything to me.” Giving her the space she required, he trekked to the pool.

  After programming the water to arctic, he jumped in. And it was odd. For the first time in centuries, he had no weapon nearby. He wasn’t cloaked in shadows, or clocking a companion’s every move.

  If Vale wanted his head, she could have it. I’m hers for the taking.

  He soaked for over an hour, determined to get his body under strict control...failing. Giving up, he climbed out of the pool, draped a towel around his waist and headed for the closet. He would dress, and—

  Die of happiness. Vale wasn’t napping. She stood at the foot of the bed,
the weapons he’d given her scattered across the floor. Panting, she ate him alive with her gaze.

  He shot harder, his erection jutting under the towel. She was still desirous of him? “Vale?”

  “I need a favor,” she said, the words a wicked incantation.

  He was instantly bespelled. “Anything. Forever and always, your wish is my command.”

  * * *

  VALE CRAVED KNOX with the passion of a thousand suns. Honeyed whiskey in her mouth, need in her blood. She’d fought to remain detached, but in war, there were always causalities. Her common sense was the first to die.

  Her resistance had just gotten hit with an H-bomb.

  In this case, H = horny.

  The universe seemed to be aiding his cause. While Knox had bathed, Vale had gotten a text from Nola, letting her know all was well. Relief had quickly eroded her defenses, and she’d thought, No one is guaranteed a tomorrow, not even an immortal.

  Then the floodgates had opened, and she’d thought, Everyone makes mistakes. Knox didn’t trust me, and I didn’t trust him. I considered leaving him, too, I just didn’t have the lady balls to pull the trigger. Now we’re even. Why not go back to our original deal? Enjoy each other while we work to get to the final two.

  Also, Knox’s stunning proclamation had played on constant repeat inside her head. I love you. Three little words, yet they’d torched the rest of her anger.

  And really, the man had given her his home and his weapons. What had she ever given him? Besides a mix of grief and pleasure. He’d bowed before her, as if she were his sovereign queen, and entrusted her with his future. Could she do the same for him?

  Her heart still smarted, but forgiveness had become a certainty rather than an impossibility.

  “Zion and Bane are with my sister,” she said. Business first. “The trio is alive and well and working together.”

  “I suspected as much during the assembly.”

  “Yeah. Bane’s reaction to Nola’s supposed death threw me. Apparently, he kidnapped her from Zion multiple times. He’s smitten, and as long as he cages the rage, he’s the best protector she could have. The problem is, Erik turned safe houses into hazard zones, so Team Zanola has no place to stay.”