Magni

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  “Crap.”

  Christine hurried through the garden to the small gravel pad and found Rhea’s car still parked where they left it. She and Hagen must have walked home. In a town as small as Greenlea it was usually easier to walk wherever you needed to go which was lucky for her, unless Rhea locked the car before she left.

  Christine tried the handle to the back seat door and it opened. She grabbed her bags from the back seat along with Rhea’s and shut the door before opening the front and hitting the automatic locks. Once upon a time it would have been no big deal to leave a car full of shopping bags unlocked but with a never ending parade of people from all over the place Christine didn’t want to take any chances.

  Especially with what she bought today.

  The walk to her house was a short one. Not as leisurely as normal with an armload of stuff but still not bad by any stretch of the imagination. As she turned onto her street Christine decided she should text Rhea and let her know she had the bag of new clothes they found for Annabelle. She pulled her phone from the front pocket of her purse and tapped at the screen with her thumb as she walked.

  “Where have you been?”

  Christine jumped back, nearly dropping the phone in her hand. Magni caught the phone as it started to fall and tucked it back in her purse. “Why are you walking with all this?” He started to pull the bags from her arms. “I would have come to get you.”

  “Gail would have skinned you alive.” Christine watched as he laced each shopping bag over one hand, pushing the handles up the broad width of his forearm. “She’s still pissed about what happened in the street the other day.”

  His eyes slowly came up to meet hers. “What about you?”

  Christine shrugged one shoulder as she walked away from him hoping he wouldn’t catch the bit of flush that crept across her cheeks at the thought of the way he grabbed her that day. “How was your day? I heard you were quite the showman this morning.”

  Magni stepped beside her, all the shopping bags she struggled to manage with two hands he easily managed with one arm. “I’m always a showman.”

  His voice was low and smooth, seductive, making it clear he wasn’t talking about what he did in the woods. Christine tried not to look at him as she unlocked her door. The heat brought on by thoughts of their very public kiss was now a full fledged fire as the combustible memories of what happened last night fell on the flames. Last night he was the Magni she wanted instead of the Magni he thought she needed. He pushed through everything she threw at him and came back for more.

  He made her feel the way she knew only he could. Strong. Safe. Wanted. Desired.

  And then promised her more.

  Christine opened the door and he followed her in, kicking the door closed behind him.

  Magni set the bags on her dining room table. “How did today go?”

  She busied herself unpacking the jewelry findings she bought today while she and Rhea were out. The footprint slide charms were beautiful and a good seller but Christine wanted a simpler, cheaper option to offer.

  “That’s a lot of those little circles.” Magni watched intently as she unloaded bag after bag of small disks in copper, silver, and gold.

  “They’re for a new necklace style.” She fished through the bags, setting Rhea’s to one side, ignoring Magni’s gaze as it stayed on her, watching every move she made. Was he going to show up at her house all the time now? Unannounced? Looking—

  She accidentally looked at him.

  His hair was still damp, lying to one side, hanging almost to his eye. A pale green t-shirt clung to his chest and hugged his biceps, draping gently over the waistband of his jeans. Her heart skipped a beat remembering the feel of what was in those jeans rubbing against her. Christine swallowed hard and tried to go back to what she was doing.

  What was she doing?

  “You didn’t say how today went.” Magni was tense, it was there bunching his shoulders, cording his neck.

  The realization that her illness might matter to him wormed its way into her brain, hunkering down for Christine to mull over what that could mean for her.

  For him.

  “I won’t know for a few days at least.” The sooner she found out the results, the worse. Good results got you a letter in the mail. Bad results got you a personal phone call from the doctor asking to meet face to face.

  “Why can’t they just tell you now?” Irritation crept into his voice.

  “The person who takes it doesn’t read it.” Christine reached for another bag, not even paying attention to what she was grabbing. “They have to send it to be read and then that person has to send the results to my doctor.” She yanked the tissue paper from the bag feeling a little irritated herself. It was the freaking twenty-first century for God’s sake. Why couldn’t they have someone read the results right away?

  “What is that?” Magni drug each word out as he stared at the paper in her hands.

  Christine looked down.

  Shit.

  After a day of working really hard at not thinking about what might be in her future the brain in her head obviously decided to stop working at all. “It’s... um...”

  Magni used one finger to carefully hook the item out of her hand. He held it out, inspecting it with those blue-grey eyes that reminded her of the sky just before a storm, using both hands to lay it flat across the width of his palms. He looked up from the turquoise lace bra to the bag still sitting on the table in front of her. “What else is in there?”

  “None of your business.” She snatched the bra from him and shoved it back in the bag with the matching panties and an identical set in deep green.

  Magni snagged her hand as she turned to take the mentioned unmentionables to her bedroom. He pulled her to his chest, one hand circling her wrist as his other pressed into her lower back. “I thought you realized I made you my business.”

  His eyes were hard as they stared down at her. Serious. Threatening.

  Smoldering.

  This was what she wanted, for Magni to act like himself around her instead of some flowers and candy toting Romeo. That wasn’t the man she wanted. If it was, she would have had him already. They were a dime a dozen and loved a woman with soft curves and a sweet disposition.

  Women like her.

  But they didn’t make her pulse race and her body ache. They didn’t have what it took to be with her.

  This one did.

  But that didn’t mean it was going to be easy. If Magni thought it was that simple to be a part of her life then he was about to be very surprised. Just because she thought he had what it took didn’t mean the walls would come crashing down on his command.

  Christine lowered her eyebrows. “I decide who’s in my business.” She snapped her hand free from his grasp and stepped back, holding his gaze as she did. “Not you.”

  His eyes darkened. “Sweetheart, I don’t think you know what you’re doing.”

  Oh, she knew.

  Christine stared him down. A man who made most people shake in their shoes. Magni was wild. Aggressive. Powerful.

  And he made her feel like she could be all of those things.

  With him. Maybe because of him.

  The more of it she saw in him, the more she wanted. It made her push him. Force Magni to be the man she knew he was. The man that lit her on fire and made her burn.

  The man who could save her from herself.

  “I’m not as innocent of a woman as you like to believe I am Magni.” Christine stood tall as he advanced on her, one slow step at a time. His body was strung tight, ready to snap. An animal ready to attack.

  The thought thrilled her because that’s what he was. Part animal.

  All man.

  And she wanted them both to come for her. To seek her out and take her in the way she knew only he could.

  Magni stopped. “You’re pushing me Christine.” He took a step back.

  She tossed the bag to the table. He was right. She was pushing him because it wou
ld get her what she wanted, what she needed. Him. The real him.

  “Do you imagine me as an inexperienced woman who could never handle a man like you?” She stepped toward him. “Is that what you want? Someone innocent and prim who likes to be kissed soft and sweet and gentle?” Christine took another step. “Because that’s not the woman I am Magni.”

  Magni stood silent for a minute. “You’re wrong.”

  His words took her by surprise. “What?”

  “I said, you’re wrong.” He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her hard against his chest.

  “You’re both.”

  He leaned his mouth down and brushed his lips across hers, slow and gentle. “I’ll kiss you how I want.” He pulled her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged gently before kissing his way across her cheek. “When I want.” He reached around to grip her bottom, his hands squeezing, kneading. “Where I want.”

  Christine gasped as he picked her up and walked to the couch. This was the man she wanted. The man she’d waited so long for but the couch was not where she wanted to be with him. Not after the day she had. She needed something to help her forget the cloud that was hovering over her life right now and the real Magni was just the man to do it. “Don’t you want to go to the bedroom?”

  He dropped her onto the cushions, her body bouncing a little at the impact. “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I do what I want. Not what you want.” Magni looked down at her, bracing one hand on the back of the couch and one on the cushion beside her. “And what I want is to know if you were a good girl today at the doctor?”

  She could say yes. It was the truth. And it was clearly what he expected her to say. It would result in his hands on her body doing perfectly appealing things. But that wasn’t enough for her. Not with him. And it would only reinforce what Magni already thought she was.

  A good girl who needed a man who was sweet and soft.

  It was time for that to end.

  Christine shook her head slowly.

  “No. I wasn’t.”

  11

  “Fuck.” Hagen stared up into the tree. “It’s the same damn tree too.”

  Magni patted his front shirt pocket knowing what he really wanted wasn’t there. He pulled out the slim pack of gum and punched a square through the foil into his palm. “I know.”

  He crunched the candy coating between his teeth and tried to pretend it took the edge off his craving. “It looks like a chicken.”

  Hagen dropped his eyes to the ground, his jaw so tight it looked like he was about to lock it up. “It’s headless isn’t it?”

  “Looks like.” Magni scuffed one boot across the ground. “There’s more wax too.”

  A line of hard black drops dotted the dirt just above the line he scraped with his foot.

  “So this is an alter?” Hagen did a slow circle around the tree, inspecting the bark. “Why this one?”

  Magni shrugged. “I wish I knew.”

  “Have you talked to Christine about it?” Hagen squatted down and took a picture of the wax drops with his phone.

  “Why in the hell would I talk to Christine about it?” She was the last person who needed to worry about something like this. The last person he wanted involved in whatever fuckery was going on here.

  Hagen looked up at him. One brow lifted. “Because she might be able to help us.”

  “If that’s the case then why isn’t your wife out here?” Magni couldn’t stop the bite in his words. He knew damn well why Rhea wasn’t out here. It was the same reason Christine wouldn’t be making any psychic expeditions into the woods.

  Hagen stood up. “I’m not trying to say she needs to come out here alone.” He wiped his hands down his face. “I know how you feel about this and I agree wholeheartedly but I think we need to use every resource we have to figure this out before something happens.”

  The growl rumbled through his chest without warning. “She’ll be out here when Rhea’s out here.”

  Hagen needed to know this was not up for discussion. Christine may not be his but she was under his protection, whether she knew it or not.

  Whether she wanted it or not.

  Hagen studied him, opening his mouth once to speak, the closing it again. Finally he blew out a long breath. “Then tomorrow we’ll bring them both out here.”

  “No.” Magni pulled his knife from his pocket and grabbed the lowest branch that could support his weight and hefted himself into the tree.

  Hagen held his arms out to the side, palms up. “You just said she could come out if I let Rhea come out.”

  Magni stood on the branch and grabbed the one holding the dangling, headless chicken. He flipped open his knife and cut the thin cord tied to the tree, keeping the portion tied to the chicken pinched between his ring and pinkie fingers. “I changed my mind.”

  He dropped to the ground and held out the chicken. “Definitely headless.”

  Hagen didn’t give the chicken a glance. “I’ll tell Christine myself.”

  “And I’ll kick your ass myself.” Magni flipped his knife closed and stood up straight, tucking it back in his pocket as he did.

  Hagen didn’t back down. “We have to find out who’s doing this.” His expression softened. “Look, if anyone understands what I’m asking you to do it’s me.”

  Magni wanted to punch something. Somebody. It wasn’t fair. Christine needed to think of herself right now. To focus on what she needed. To be taken care of. Not dragged out into the woods and used for what she could provide.

  “I can’t ask her to do that.” He already hated himself for what he asked her to do after he found out about Joel. Before he knew she was dealing with more than he ever could have guessed. And doing it alone.

  She wasn’t alone anymore though. He’d made sure of that and the thought of replacing one burden with another didn’t sit well. But as much as he hated to admit it.

  Hagen was right.

  Magni blew out a frustrated breath. This wasn’t how he imagined his time with Christine would be spent. Now was when he should be convincing her to consider him as something besides what she clearly thought he was. She’d pigeonholed him and honestly it was his fault. A mistake he planned to remedy.

  And asking her to come out into the woods to identify a dangerous psychopath wasn’t going to do much for convincing her he was the type to cherish a woman he decided was his.

  And he was deciding Christine would be his.

  “I’ll talk to her.” He raised a finger to Hagen. “But if she says no, that’s it. I won’t make her do something she doesn’t want to do.”

  Hagen nodded. “Fair enough.” He took one last look at the tree before turning away. “When will you see her again?”

  Magni checked his watch. “In an hour.”

  Hagen paused, turning to look at him over one shoulder. “Does she know that?”

  Magni glared at his nephew. “Of course she knows.” This time.

  He’d told her to come over this morning after somehow managing to not drag her to bed like she asked last night. Not that he hadn’t kicked himself the whole way home with balls aching and dick throbbing. What kind of dumbass refused to fuck a woman like her?

  The kind who wanted to do more than fuck her.

  “Does my mom know what’s going on with you two?” Hagen’s lips quirked with a partially smothered smile.

  “I don’t care what she knows.” Magni tucked the chicken in a small canvas bag he brought and followed Hagen through the woods. “Gail needs to mind her own damn business.”

  “She doesn’t have any business. That’s why she borrows everyone else’s.” Hagen shook his head. “I’m just glad she’s finally out of mine.” He nudged Magni with his elbow. “Maybe you should get Christine to tell her something about Jerrik. Get the heat off you.”

  Magni managed a half-assed smile in spite of the morning he’d had. “He’d go crazy.”

  Hagen chuckled then fell into step beside
Magni as they walked through the woods, silent. There was too much on the table to discuss. None of it good. Magni knew Hagen wanted to bring Rhea out here as much as he wanted to involve Christine. Neither man was happy about what they had to do.

  But it still had to be done.

  As Hagen got in his truck he paused. “I’ll bring Rhea up here tomorrow morning after we get Annabelle set with a sitter. Around nine?”

  Magni gave him a nod and went inside. He waited for Hagen to be out of sight before going back outside with the chicken. It wasn’t that he didn’t want his nephew to see what he was doing.

  He just didn’t want his nephew to see what he was doing.

  Like last time, he’d dug the hole before taking Hagen out. Like last time he set the chicken in the grave and knelt beside it, reciting the words of his ancestors, hoping it would make a difference for a soul taken in darkness.

  “Hel, great goddess, daughter of Loki, Guard of the spirits of the dead, this innocent creature has come to you now. As I kneel before you Hel, know that before he crossed over this animal was an innocent soul. A soaring spirit, a brave warrior. Watch over him Hel, as he crosses the bridge from this life to the next and welcome him with honor and glory so that he may live on forever.”

  “What are you doing?”

  Magni jumped to his feet, spinning around to face Christine. She was early.

  Stepping carefully, her eyes were on the hole as she walked toward him. “Did something happen to the hawk?” Then her gaze caught on the small wood cross. Slowly she looked down the row, pausing on each cross as she went. “Why are there so many?”

  He stepped back as she walked to the freshest of the graves. Her hand went to her mouth as her eyes flew open wide. Her head snapped to face him. “Where did you find this?”

  This isn’t how he wanted her to find out what was happening. Magni wanted to ease her into it. Carefully. Thoughtfully. Gently. But he had no choice now.

  “Tied in a tree.” Magni swallowed, trying not to choke on the words he had to say to her. “The same tree where Rhea was hurt by the bear.”