by May Sage
But no; he wanted a child who would be half hers.
Finally, Eira lifted her head from his engorged shaft.
“I see,” she said. “I’m not sure that coming in my mouth could achieve that.”
He took her on the countertop, first, then on the sofa, finally, they ended up upstairs, in his large, soft bed, against dozens of furs which would need dry cleaning in the morning.
Eira bounced up and down; no sound could be heard above her plea and his grunts.
Finally, he filled her a third time as she collapsed on top of him.
“Again.”
He was on top this time, holding her legs up on his shoulder as he pounded, sweating and cursing at how tight and wet she was.
“Again.”
It was a miracle Kai wasn’t dead. He hadn’t believe it was physically possible to ejaculate seventeen times in a row, but there they were – and still alive, strangely.
Unsurprisingly, he woke after dawn, for once, rising as he felt featherlight caresses on his back.
His cock should have been in an irrevocable state of unconsciousness for the foreseeable future, but it stood at attention, ready to rock it again.
He shifted, pulling himself up and above her.
“It seems you plan on fucking me to death,” he breathed against her bronze skin, kissing all the way from her breast down the trail leading to her quim; she giggled and wiggled underneath him.
His eyes flashed with something he didn’t doubt was wicked, and he rose from the bed, heading towards a cupboard where he was sure to find something suitable.
“What are you doing?”
He smile then and grabbed the thin, green rope.
“Do you trust me?” he replied, before he could convince himself not to.
It was a silly question, they barely knew each other; why should she trust him? Sure, he’d taken care of her for a few days, but that didn’t say a lot.
“Yes,” she replied without having to think it over.
He lifted an eyebrow at the unexpected gift.
“If you let me, I’m going to tie you up. Then, I’m going to blindfold you. After that, I’ll fuck you into tomorrow.”
He’d shocked her into silence, it seemed; but he saw the response in her eyes before she managed to open her mouth.
“Yes, please.”
Northanger village, Gerda
Saying that she was fuming was a slight understatement. Kai hadn’t emerged from his home since he’d brought back his human slut. She’d passed in front of his door twice, and what she’d heard said just how they occupied their time.
It was so out of character she could hardly believe it; he’d always been the one who did exactly what was expected – hell, he exceeded expectations when he could.
What had been expected was for him to eventually settle down with her.
There had been rumors leading her to believe that he enjoyed screwing the occasional human, and she’d hardly been surprised – he had to fuck something, and humans were marginally better than sheep.
But bringing one of his whores here? That was unheard of.
“Green’s never been your color, dear,” the old crone she couldn’t stand said, following her gaze which was fixated on Kai’s house.
Fyn had never liked her, and she suspected that was one of the reasons why Kai hadn’t taken her yet.
“I have no reason to be jealous. In fifty years, when the girl is dead, I’ll be around, looking just like this. That’s why he’ll come to me, eventually.”
She tried to say it without intonation, but she heard the challenge in her own tone.
“Sure he will,” Fyn said, patting her knees condescendingly before walking away.
That had sounded like the kind of lies one tells children to reassure them that there really was a fairy bored enough to care about their teeth.
Gerda’s eyes narrowed. She’d truly believed what she’d said, until hearing Fyn’s reply. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
Because her certainty that Kai would eventually be hers resided in the fact that he’d needed to breed an heir, and that she was, frankly, the only suitable partner in the village.
But elves could breed with humans; at least a hundred of those who lived there had human blood running through their veins.
She’d believed Kai had been against it; but what if he wasn’t?
If the girl bore his child, there would be no reason for her to be needed; Kai could carry on his chase of human bedmates after this one outstayed her welcome.
No. She hadn’t worked this fucking hard to be forever remembered as a nobody.
Think, Gerda, think.
She went home, and rested in front of her mirror; things were generally much clearer to her then.
Mirror was an inexact description; she only had a fragment of what had been a larger piece, but it was still her most valuable possession.
It wasn’t exactly reflecting things; her face looked better through it – more refined, younger, too. It calmed her, and made her believe everything was possible.
Everything is possible, for you are the fairest of them all.
It came to her, then.
It was obvious that Kai was quite attached to his human trollop; if something occurred while he was otherwise engaged between her legs, he might redefine his priorities and focus his mind back where it was needed.
Yes. Yes. Get them to come here. Get the slavers to find this town. Kai’s mind will certainly not be on his whore, then.
Gerda waited until nighttime before slipping away. The piece of broken mirror in her pocket. She took her sleigh and drove Bae down the hill, towards Virvolla.
There was a group of humans she needed to find.
Chapter Eight
The moment when her little piece of heaven crashed down and burnt was very abrupt. They’d been downstairs on the sofa, reading books and whispering nonsense about the things they’d planned to do to each other once their limbs recovered when she felt it.
It was evil, and it was strong. Not stronger than her, perhaps, but certainly more cunning, because it came from two ends.
The first one was at the bottom of the hill, where her wards had been taken down; but at the same time, she felt someone plunder the doors.
Yes, those doors. The ones separating this dimension and the gods’.
“Oh hell.”
She jumped to her feet, finding clothing to throw at Kai, while shouting an explanation:
“Something is coming; it’s quick, so probably cars, or motorcycles. It’s definitely an enemy. Get everyone out and run up the mountain.”
“What! Eira, where are you…”
“No time for questions.”
Not if she was supposed to hike all the way back up to her palace and keep those bloody doors closed.
“Bear!” she yelled; the animal wasn’t far, she could feel him five, maybe ten minutes away. That gave her long enough to give Kai a briefing as long as he shut up and listened. “My wards are down…”
“Your wards? The shields around the mountain are yours?”
“What did I just say about questions? Later. Someone is coming, heading right to this village. Whatever enemy you have, expect them now.”
She saw it all in his eyes; the panic, the despair, the millions of questions and a bit of accusation too.
She really wasn’t going anywhere with him right now.
By some kind of miracle, she turned to find a face she recognized.
“Fyneria.”
The last time they’d met, she’d been running for her life, holding on to books like they were more important than her own existence.
Fyn had frozen in despair when she’d taken in a goddess before her; until Eira bent down to recover a book she’d dropped, and led her to safety.
The elf dropped in a deep curtsy.
“None of that, Fyn. I need someone with sense right now. My wards are down and something is coming for you. Get your people out of here and please,
please, leave the books. No time for that.”
The horror displayed on her face might have been funny if they’d had time to spare.
“I’d die to defend them!”
She believed that, unfortunately.
“Which one is your house?”
Fyn pointed to the next wooden home; as she didn’t feel anyone there, Eira lifted her hand and pushed so much energy she could see her entire arm turning white.
When she was done, the entire house was surrounded by a layer of ice so thick it would have to be melted for an entire month for anyone to get through.
“There. Now get moving.”
Bear had finally made it; she ran towards him and lifted herself onto his back.
“You’re not staying?”
Fyn’s gaze was merely surprised, while Kai’s seemed downright accusatory.
“Someone is trying my gate,” she replied, for the benefit of the only person who might understand; hopefully, she’d explain it to Kai on their way up. “I’ll be as fast as I can.”
And on that note, she was riding Bear up towards her home, getting ready to face the first god who’d managed to find her gate since she’d locked them on the other side.
Two thousand, one hundred and fifty-three years ago.
The girl was young; twelve, maybe thirteen. Her age.
She’d died giving birth to Apollo’s child, like many before her. Needless to say, the intercourse leading to her demise hadn’t been consensual.
They said her snow was purifying, so whenever she could, Skadi molded caskets of ice in hope that their souls might be rid of this trauma.
“I can’t bear it, aunt. He’s getting worse.”
Aphrodite held her tight until she was done crying.
“Now now, little snow. There’s no point in all that. If you really cannot bear what your eyes see, do something about it.”
Two thousand and fifty-three years ago.
“Again!”
Skadi took the hilt back in her hand, and concentrated until it held a blade made of ice. Then, she charged at Amphitrite, who attacked her with water, Aphrodite, who attempted to control her feeling, and Persephone, who prevented her from calling to her snow.
They were hard on her, but she took it for what it was: love. The three friends were older, and ten times more important than her. If anyone found out what they’d planned, they’d receive a stern “don’t do it again,” accompanied by banishment from their favorite resort for a decade or so.
If Skadi was stamped as a traitor, she’d be beheaded on the spot.
She came from the north, a relic of the old kingdom which had fallen eons ago, and as they liked to remind her, she lived by the grace of the gods. Apollo had claimed her as his ward, and raised her in a home where she’d witnessed his treatment of mortals.
Rape, slavery, murder. He didn’t see them as anything but entertainment.
By the end of her first century, she’d seen enough to understand it was common practice; the way most gods conducted themselves.
It had been different in Valhalla, or back when the Titans had ruled.
“I know a way to stop it,” she’d said, one day, and unbelievably, Aphrodite had cared to listen.
“Nothing can go through my ice, not even Apollo.”
She’d stopped calling him father long ago.
“And Zeus?”
She shrugged.
“He tried, too. I thought we might lock them out at the next meeting.”
Every time something they deemed important needed to be discussed, most gods were invited to stand on Olympus, a perfect world Zeus had shaped to spite mortals.
“We’d need to get them all in, and then, I’d ice up every way out.”
There had been a number of minor gods they might have tried to forge an alliance with, but they had to be careful. In the end, Aphrodite resolved to speak to Persephone and Amphitrite – the only other gods who didn’t visibly relish in their power over those who were weaker.
“She’s ready,” Amphitrite said, suddenly stopping her offensive.
“Baby girl’s all grown up and as deadly as her ice.”
Aphrodite grinned from ear to ear.
“Yes. I believe she is.”
“We need a plan; a way to get all of them up for a discussion.”
Persephone was the one who came up with the idea.
“Well, to be entirely forthcoming,” she said, “he may be rather gloomy, but I kinda like the look of Hades. I thought I might seduce him.”
Skadi wondered how that was supposed to help; most females with a pulse liked the look of Hades, and at least half of them had done something about it.
“In his land,” she clarified. “I’ll go to the underworld tonight and well… You know what they say about enjoying a forbidden fruit down there.”
“I hear the pomegranate seeds are particularly scrumptious.”
“That could work,” Amphitrite nodded. “Your mum will definitely have something to say about it, and Zeus will call everyone to act as witness.”
It was settled: when the drama called the gods to Olympus, Skadi would sneak out and seal the entrance.
“Wait! If someone finds out we’re behind this, they’ll butcher us.”
They consequently decided on building gates they’d keep secret, for their sole use. Skadi was to stay behind, as she’d shoulder the blame for all this, and the three other goddesses would come out of it seemingly innocent.
“Father is going to hate me after this.”
She couldn’t help it; to humans, elves, fays and everything in between, he was a threat, but until this day, he’d acted like a doting father towards her, at least.
“Don’t think of it. Forget everything attached to him, if you can; even the name he gave you. I know, how about Eira? You’re so fond of elves, and it means Snow in their tongue.”
Eira. She kinda liked that.
Chapter Nine
Kai prided himself on having quite a quick mind, but he didn’t have a fucking clue what the hell was happening right now.
What he’d seen Eira do was impossible. Just impossible. Not difficult, unlikely, or weird.
He knew the theories of magic; users could bend and transform things that existed.
Eira hadn’t: she’d created ice.
Nothing was created, first law of physics, defining and explaining everything in the entire universe.
“We need to gather everyone; keep your questions, they’ll last the night if we survive this.”
He snapped his mouth shut, agreeing with Fyn.
He counted heads and was disturbed at the number: three hundred and ninety-five.
Someone was missing.
“Gerda,” he cursed.
She was probably hunting.
“We can’t wait, Kai.”
He nodded; while he didn’t know what was coming, he had a pretty good idea – elves only had one enemy nowadays.
Before his birth, his father decided to form an alliance with the marquis of Carabas, the land adjunct to the forest where they’d lived at the time.
Kai wasn’t certain what had happened but their friendship ended up in betrayal, but not before the marquis had learnt their biggest weakness.
Marking an elf made them servants to those whose scene they wore – slaves. The gods had cursed them that way after they’d rebelled, refusing to fight for their amusement – it had taken away their choice.
Carabas was close to the mountain where they now resided, but he’d trusted the wards to keep them safe – until now.
What had happened to make them fail? How was Eira linked to all this?
More importantly yet: she was obviously powerful. Why wasn’t she helping them, here?
“The children on the sleigh,” he ordered.
There was only one, and the thirty three younglings didn’t fit. Where was Gerda? For once, he could have done with the help of her stubborn Bae.
“Kragen,” he called. “Come here.�
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He took the child on his own shoulders and they were on their way, too slowly for their own good.
He could hear them now; Eira had been right, there were motor vehicles – a lot of them.
He was desperately coaxing everyone at the back to hurry the fuck up when they reached a place which definitely didn’t belong in this mountain.
Anytime now, he was going to wake up from this nightmare.
They were in a flower garden. Seriously, a garden, in a middle of the winter, on this mountain.
“We need to hurry though it,” Fyn announced. “It’s either help or hindrance; as it comes from a person who knows magic, I bank on help. But that doesn’t make it safe. Don’t touch the flowers, and don’t drink the water here.”
Resisting to either was practically impossible, they smelt so very delicious and the water seemed clearer, more refreshing than anything he’d drank.
Kai suddenly realized just how very thirsty he was.
Fuck. There definitely was magic involved.
“Prince Kai, can’t we have a little bit of water? Just a little won’t hurt.”
“No,” he said firmly. “No; it will hurt.”
“You what!”
“Elves are smart,” Persephone shrugged. “Humans, not so much. They’ll spend an eternity lost in the gardens.”
Perfect. Just perfect.
Eira had been relieved when her old friend had turned up, but she’d just dumped a whole lot of worry on her shoulders.
Nothing in her gardens would harm the villagers, but if they were lost there, they’d just wait like sitting ducks until their enemies – probably armed to the teeth – turned up.
“Chill sista’. What is it with you today?”
“I do believe I feel a little bit of love in the air,” a newcomer sang out, coaxing a relieved sigh and a tired smile out of her.
“Aphrodite.”
“Hey Skadi. I’m quite put out; you’re in love and I had nothing to do with it!”
