Ever After

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  As she passed, the vegetation grew thicker. Flowers bloomed, in grace and thanks to Freya’s love.

  All in all, Hall was glad to worship this particular goddess. He’d heard Thor could be an asshole, and Frigg was too temperamental. No doubt dealing with Odin’s many infidelities took its toll on poor Frigg. A god could do worse than cheat though. Hall didn’t even want to think about what life with the trickster Loki must be like. His goddess, a creature entrusted with the nine worlds’ fertility, took it upon herself to heal with a carnal touch.

  So why couldn’t she see how much he needed Eira?

  She reached behind her and patted his arm. “My advice was not just for Avarr, dear.”

  He flushed and worked harder to shield his thoughts.

  They arrived in her special meeting room soon enough, but to his surprise, several gods and goddesses already filled it. Deities from multiple pantheons sat drinking, eating, and talking with good cheer around the raised dais. A cornucopia of meat, cheeses, fruits, and mead sat along the banquet, a feast fit for the most powerful of the divine.

  He and Avarr exchanged a wary glance. When gods and goddesses from alternate realms put aside their differences to laugh together, an apocalypse had been known to follow. There was nothing more the gods loved to share than the fun to be had with the total annihilation of one human tribe or another.

  Freya sat with a flourish in her throne made of rose petals infused with gold. Then Avarr and Hall took positions on either side of her. Their presence let the others know that to fuck with their goddess would bring serious wrath down on their heads. In Folkvang, Freya’s immense power extended to her guardians as well.

  She smiled with beneficence. “Oh good. You’re all here.”

  “Of course we’re here.” Mercury grinned back. “It’s time for the games to begin.”

  Hall groaned to himself as he noted the deities in attendance. Athena and Mercury weren’t too bad until they started harping on which of their worshippers were better, Greeks or Romans. Even in the present day, when most humans worshipped money, Hall would have told them neither. The Norse still ruled, but he didn’t think they’d appreciate his feedback.

  Horus he liked, even though the Egyptian god’s insistence on keeping the head of a falcon and body of a man kind of freaked Hall out.

  Lugh annoyed him as only Celts could with their ceaseless love of fighting.

  Mithra made his eyes hurt. The Persian sun god shone too brightly, all the time.

  Sedna was a particular favorite, since the Inuit goddess loved animals, though she favored marine life. She gifted Hall and Avarr with a large smile before turning her attention back to Izanagi, a Japanese deity with manic-depressive issues. Deserved, in Hall’s opinion, since Izanagi had abandoned his wife in hell to rot with demons.

  Cagn and Raven, both trickster gods, he trusted as much as he trusted Loki. Not at all. But Quetzalcoatl… The big bastard loved a blood sacrifice as if the Aztecs still ruled their section of Midgard—or Mesoamerica, as the humans referred to it. If not for that, Hall would have pegged Q as his favorite. The guy loved sports and played a killer game of lacrosse.

  Freya clapped once, and a loud boom settled everyone into their seats and into silence.

  “I know we’re missing a few of you, but we have the major players, so we’ll get started. I’m so excited to be emceeing this year,” Freya gushed.

  The others showed their appreciation with fireworks and sweet-song from birds that appeared and disappeared in seconds.

  “Thank you. As you know, we don’t get to play often, so we need to take advantage of this decade’s games. Otherwise, it might be half a millennium before our next opportunity. There’s been much speculation as to where we’ll be playing. As you know, we played in Rome last time. And before that, Atlantis.”

  “And we all know how that turned out.” Sedna shook her head.

  “Yes, well. We’ll have to be more careful that we don’t sink any islands if we lose, now won’t we?” The look she directed at Athena had her flushing.

  “Hey, that was my uncle. I know Poseidon can be a little hotheaded.”

  “A little.” Mercury snorted.

  Hall silently agreed.

  “In any case,” Freya interrupted before an argument could start, “we’ve come to a consensus among your primaries. We’re going to be holding the next Ludos Deorum in Midgard.”

  Raven blinked. “Uh, we kind of knew that already, Freya. Where exactly?”

  Freya frowned. “Well, technically we could have held the games in Asgard or Niflheim. So, really, Midgard is a bit more specific.”

  Hall bit back a grin. None of the gods like playing in their own heavens and hells. Midgard—the middle realm, the human realm—was an obvious choice. His goddess loved stringing them along.

  “Oh, get to it, Freya. I have an earthquake to get back to,” Izanagi snapped.

  Mithra rolled his eyes. “I have a drought. Whatever. I’m in no hurry to rush back to a lack of worshippers and too much work to do.”

  “What he said,” Cagn agreed.

  Freya held out a hand, and a puff of rose petals fluttered over the gathering. “And our next location for the Games of the Gods is…the United States!”

  Raven beamed. His home turf. “Outstanding.”

  Q frowned. “We couldn’t stretch that south at all?”

  “I’m sorry, Q. Maybe next time.”

  “Damn.”

  Hall felt for the guy. But from what he’d heard, once the games started, things could get bloody. Q had a tendency to forget it was a game and go all-out Armageddon.

  “Who’s refereeing this one?” Athena asked.

  “Viracocha.” A creator god out of the Andes. That seemed to mollify Q somewhat. “Now, let’s eat, drink, and be merry. And place bets of course.” Freya turned to wink up at Hall. “My money’s on our team. I’m taking the first challenge.”

  The pantheons had different gods in charge of each round. Freya apparently had round one. He could only imagine who’d be assigned round two. Loki, if he had to make a guess. Best to get the trickster out front and out of the way before he started on grand notions of world domination…again. Once the pantheons had chosen their representatives, those representatives in turn would select their human pawns. Then the fun really started.

  He and Avarr remained by Freya’s side in Sessrumnir for a few hours before she left the festivities.

  She stopped in the hallway bridging the party from the rest of the palace. “Thank you, my pets. You’ve been wonderful, as usual.” She kissed Hall’s cheek then Avarr’s. Heat strummed from her touch to Hall’s groin, making it impossible not to think of sex. Of Eira.

  “Almost. You’re so very, very close.” She gave him and Avarr a look he didn’t understand. And then, in a blink, she vanished.

  “I really hate the pop-out. As much as the pop-in.” Avarr cupped himself. “Fuck, I’m hard. Let’s get out of here.”

  Hall agreed wholeheartedly. “You said it.”

  They left the hall and took a few side stairs to the warriors’ wing. Mostly falcons and eagles were in residence, but they passed a trio of battle-cats as well. Good men, fighters who knew how to hold their instincts in check, to hunt when needed, and how to embrace their felines and seriously nap when the mood struck.

  He and Avarr entered their chamber, and Hall finally relaxed. Though still half-hard, the walk had pretty much cured his erection. Even as thoughts of Eira brought it back.

  “This wait is killing me. She’d better be worth it.” He tore off his shirt, suddenly overheated, and flung himself back on his bed, a handsome construct big enough to fit three of him.

  “Hmm.” He heard Avarr moving around the room. “I think I know what’s been holding us back.”

  Exhausted after being on constant guard all day, Hall mumbled, “Oh?” before letting himself drift in a relaxing haze.

  “Yeah, but I’m going to fix it.”

  The bed dip
ped, and Hall blinked up into dark eyes as Avarr descended. “Avarr?”

  When his friend’s lips touched his, Hall froze. Though they’d engaged in sex together with others, they normally didn’t touch each other all that much. Not like this. But the contact turned him rock hard, and he was kissing his best friend back.

  Then Avarr’s hand snaked between them, and Hall forgot everything but how fucking good it felt to be in the arms of someone he loved.

  Chapter Two

  Avarr had been holding back for a long time, and bless his goddess, she’d known but had never said anything. He’d loved Hall forever, since the day they’d first met as cubs three hundred and seven years ago. Over the years, that affection had deepened. First friends, then brothers, then into a deep, loving familiarity. They were warriors who fought for each other, had each other’s backs, but Avarr felt nothing brotherly in his lust for Hall.

  As big as Avarr and as strong, Hall was everything Avarr wanted in a partner. The notion Avarr wouldn’t have to hold back with Hall enthralled him. Hall had the sexiest mouth, and Avarr had dreamed about coming between those lips, about watching his best friend receive his seed with enjoyment, desire. Love.

  But Hall had never made any mention of reciprocal feelings. Though they’d shared lovers before, both women and men, Hall seemed to prefer women. In the past few decades, one particular woman. Avarr mirrored the sentiment wholeheartedly. Still, wanting Eira didn’t take away from the fact that he wanted Hall, too.

  The kiss was everything he’d dreamed it could be. At first soft, then harder, hungrier. Hall didn’t push him away, throw him off, or deny him. Excited to the point that he feared coming too soon, Avarr eased back to stare into Hall’s beloved brown eyes. That strong face full of hard planes and angles, so fierce and familiar.

  “Avarr?” The soft question pulled at him.

  “Aye. It’s me.”

  Hall nodded, but Avarr didn’t know if his friend understood. He seemed caught in the same lust as Avarr, and Avarr prayed Freya hadn’t done something to him to make him respond. This had to be honest. A true sharing. More than fucking, Avarr planned to make love to Hall. In every way possible. He understood that until he’d been open with Hall, they could never truly share Eira. And, like Hall, he wanted that more than anything… Well, almost anything.

  Avarr leaned back from Hall and sat up. He removed his tunic, boots, and trousers and let Hall look his fill.

  “Hel’s bones, Avarr. You look huge. I mean, bigger than normal.”

  His cock felt larger, but mostly from a frustrated need to take what he’d never been given.

  “Are you okay with this?” Avarr asked, despite not wanting to give Hall an opportunity to deny him.

  “I, uh, yeah.” They both looked down at Hall’s cockstand. That thick stalk belonged to Avarr. He wanted to suck his friend down, to taste the seed he’d watched spew time and time again with other lovers.

  “Can’t say I was expecting this tonight,” Hall continued and leaned up on his elbows. “Frigg’s Tits, you can kiss.”

  Avarr grinned. “You, too. Now lie back down and shut up. I’m running this show.”

  Hall chuckled. “Still a bastard. But I love your mouth.”

  “You’re going to.”

  Hall stilled then hurriedly started unfastening his trousers.

  “No. Let me.” Avarr crawled onto the bed and removed Hall’s boots. Then he unlaced Hall’s trousers, making sure to linger over the bulge beneath the fabric with each pass, grazing the stiff cock underneath.

  “Gods. Hurry up, Avarr. I’m ready to come.”

  “Not yet. Wait.” Avarr pulled Hall’s pants down and watched that flushed cock spring free. Hall had more girth while Avarr was a bit longer. He’d studied—he knew. They were both similarly large, and Avarr knew how much his friend needed this. They’d gone without for weeks, an unusual thing for them. Freya had kept them so busy the last month there’d been no time for anything but jerking off.

  Avarr finished taking Hall’s pants off and tossed them aside. Then he moved to the table where he kept his unguent and brought it close. He’d slick himself with it soon enough because he had to have Hall’s ass. But not yet.

  He leaned over Hall to kiss him again and gasped into his mouth when Hall gripped his cock and started stroking. He let Hall play with him until he slid easily in the man’s hand, his slit wet with need.

  Hall pulled from the kiss to stare at Avarr. “Yeah, so thick. Gods, this feels good. Why haven’t we done this before?”

  “I don’t know. Hall, stop pumping me. I don’t want to come over your belly.”

  “Where do you want to come?” Hall asked, his eyes half closed, his mouth raw and wet, his face flushed.

  “All inside that tight ass. I’m going to come deep inside you. Right after you shoot down my throat.”

  Hall’s eyes narrowed. “Then do it now.”

  Avarr didn’t wait. He scooted down Hall and took his best friend’s cockhead between his lips. Then slowly, watching Hall, he lowered his mouth to take all of him.

  Hall’s eyes closed, and he arched his back. “Oh, yes. Fuck, yes.”

  Avarr fondled his heavy balls and ran his fingers over Hall’s crack. The man jolted and gagged him on his cock.

  “Shit. Sorry.” Hall panted. “Gods, Avarr. So good. I’m going to come if you don’t slow down.”

  In answer, Avarr sucked harder and put a tiny bit of pressure on Hall’s sac.

  Hall cried out and pumped twice more before jetting down Avarr’s throat. So much come, and Avarr drank every drop. When he felt Hall finish, he pulled away and licked the last bit of seed from Hall’s slit.

  Hall lay there, breathing hard, but otherwise not moving.

  “Hall?” Avarr found it hard to do anything but feel. His cock ached. His balls were heavy, his nipples hard and sensitive to even the cool air in the room.

  “I don’t know if I can move. I came so hard. Damn, Avarr. You…” Hall yanked Avarr to him and kissed him with a passion Avarr wouldn’t have expected from the man after having just climaxed. It was all he could do not to pounce on Hall and rut until he exploded. “How do you want me? Sucking you down? On my hands and knees? My back? Tell me.” He kissed Avarr again.

  Beyond words, Avarr pulled back and lunged for the lubricant he’d brought. He liberally coated himself in it, greasing up nicely. Then he rolled Hall to his belly and pulled him up on his hands and knees.

  “Just go easy. It’s been a while,” Hall warned, his gravelly voice sexy.

  Avarr leaned down to kiss his hole. He licked, rimming Hall until the man groaned and writhed with pleasure. Then, needing to watch his new lover while he took him, he forced Hall flat on the bed and rolled him over onto his back.

  “Spread your legs.”

  Hall did, and Avarr propped a bolster under his hips for better leverage.

  “Now watch me,” Avarr growled, his battle-cat very close to the surface. He angled his cockhead at Hall’s entrance and pushed slowly. Containing the urge to thrust hard and fast took everything he had in him.

  “Yes. Oh fuck, yes.” Hall reached for him as Avarr continued to thrust deeper.

  The heat surrounding him was his undoing, because Avarr couldn’t think past the need to bond to Hall. And Freya had said nothing about a permanent pairing, just sex.

  Beyond caring, Avarr fucked his lover, letting his scent reach out and wrap around his new mate. Hall’s cock had become hard again, and with every new thrust, Avarr hit a spot inside Hall that turned the man into a ravaging beast. His eyes turned feline, the pupils now slits.

  Hall’s fingers turned into claws and, to Avarr’s surprise, his had as well. Holding each other tightly, they dug into each other’s flesh, penetrating in more ways than one. The scent of blood, sex, and feline magic filled the room.

  “Hall, make yourself come again. While I’m inside you.” Avarr grunted, his orgasm rushing fast to overwhelm him.

  He pulled back
to watch Hall jerk himself off, but he couldn’t stop himself from pumping. And then rapture overtook him, and Avarr roared and raked his claws down Hall’s chest. Furrows that bled and immediately healed soon stank of sweat and power as the mate bond took root. Blood, sex, and the lure of the heart—he and Hall were forever paired.

  The powerful surge of energy extended to his orgasm, and Avarr shouted as he continued to come. Hall’s release landed all over his belly in a mess, but the smell of their enjoyment, the sight of so much seed and blood, satisfied his battle-cat’s need to mark his mate.

  He twitched and felt darts of pain at his sides above his hips, where Hall’s claws had taken purchase.

  “Shit. Sorry,” Hall rasped and removed his hand. He moaned when Avarr withdrew from his body and lay beside him.

  After a while, when they’d calmed enough to talk without gasping, Avarr turned on his side and looked over his lover. “You’re a mess.”

  “So are you. Those claw marks on your hip aren’t fading.” Hall’s satisfaction seemed to dim. “They won’t fade, will they? We mated.”

  Avarr nodded and traced the marks he’d left on Hall’s chest. Ten lines, permanently scarred into his skin. “We’re mated. I didn’t mean to. It just…happened.”

  Hall didn’t seem angry. Instead, he looked thoughtful. “All these years, we’ve been waiting for Eira—waiting for us, too.” He nodded. “We had to be one before we could become two—part of a whole. Freya’s family.” The valkyries considered themselves Freya’s children as well as Odin’s.

  “We’re already her family.”

  “In love, yes. Not by lineage. Battle-cats serve other gods, not like Freya’s shapeshifters and valkyries. If we take Eira to mate, then we join our blood to our goddess. Part of her in all ways.” Hall watched Avarr with what looked like worry. “Tell me true. Do you really want Eira, or is your acceptance of the valkyrie to make me happy?”

  Avarr scowled. “Oh no. You don’t get to have Eira all to yourself. She’s ours.” To his relief, Hall seemed pleased.

  “Good. You’re mine. Soon, she’ll be mine, too. Ours.” Hall grinned. “I can’t wait.” Then he glanced down at himself and grimaced. “Now how about we clean up? Because I have an assload of cum and a sticky belly as well.” He left the bed with Avarr and headed into their private bathing chamber. “Oh, and one other thing. We’re sleeping in your bed tonight because I’m not sleeping in that massive wet spot.”