Godhunter

by Amy Sumida

  “Not one of my skills,” I grimaced.

  “What did you see happen next?” Thor asked more helpfully.

  “The driver comes in from there,” I pointed to a door on our left. “He picks Maria up in front of the airport and they make it down the main road about a mile before the car explodes. At least, that's how Blue envisioned it.”

  “Okay, hold on while I call Horus,” Thor's forehead creased. “He's on his way.”

  “Why do we need the birdbrain?” Pan stuck his hands on his hips. He actually looked pretty cute in his cold weather gear. His hair was desperately trying to escape the confines of his knit cap and his thin body looked good with the added bulk of the gray down jacket.

  “Because I'm the only one who can fly,” Horus answered primly from behind us.

  “Big deal,” Pan wasn't the least bit startled by Horus' amazingly fast arrival.

  “It's a big deal when we need someone to steal a limo and then fly out the window while its still driving,” Thor clapped a hand on Pan's shoulder. “We don't have time for this. Go, Horus.”

  Horus nodded and ran for the car. Within minutes, he was driving out of the parking garage. I felt a weight lift off me. For the moment, Maria was safe. Stranded at the airport for a bit, but safe. Horus would drive the limo into a ditch and fly away unharmed. Everyone would be fine.

  I smiled a bit as I watched the driver come out the door and start searching about for his missing limo. “Trust me, buddy, you're better off.”

  “Hello, little witch.”

  We all spun to face Blue, who had snuck up behind us. I threw my hands down, grateful I'd come in full combat gear beneath my coat: gloves, sword, knife, black leather, and my heavy boots with the hook blades in the heels. I was all set for any hurt he tried to dish out.

  “Calm yourselves,” Blue leaned casually against the cement wall, one leg crossed over the other. He looked amazing in blue wool and fur, his hair gleaming against the bright cerulean. “You won this round. I concede.”

  What do you want?” I started forward but Thor stopped me with a hand on my arm.

  “So you've chosen Lightning over Lust,” Blue's mouth twisted as he stared pointedly at Thor's hand.

  “Lightning over bloodlust, you mean,” I ignored Pan's choked laugh.

  “Did you wear that coat to match your new name?” Persephone interjected with a sweet smile. Oh, that girl was dangerous.

  “No, to match my mood,” Blue smirked at her before looking back at me. “I've been so melancholy lately. Don't you want to cheer me up, little witch?” His voice oozed sarcasm and snark but his eyes were intense. Oh, this guy did not like to lose.

  “I want you to drop dead actually,” I started forward again and again Thor grabbed me. I pulled my arm away but stayed put to add, “If you need some help with that, just let me know.”

  “I just want another taste,” Blue pushed himself abruptly away from the wall and we all tensed. He smiled like a shark circling prey and looked me over slowly. “Your blood is better than ice cream,” he licked his lips, “better than anything I've ever had.”

  “The line is love not blood,” I shot back. “Don't fuck up Sarah's song.”

  “Either way, your love or your blood, it's my dogma now,” he took another step forward and Thor placed himself firmly between us.

  “Stay away from her.”

  “Have you tasted her yet, Thunderer?” Blue licked his lips. “She tastes like midnight, dark and sweet.”

  Thor frowned till he realized it wasn't my blood Blue was referring to. The air went still and crisp, static sparking. My hair started to lift in the breeze and thunder boomed somewhere above us. I wanted to throw up all over Blue's shiny black shoes.

  “Sounds like a no,” Blue looked around Thor as if completely undisturbed by Thor's thunder and focused on me. “So you haven't decided after all.”

  “Oh, I've decided alright,” I walked around Thor. “I've decided to kick your ass before I kill you.”

  “You don't mean that, little witch,” Blue's eyes went soft and for a second I thought I actually saw a glimmer of hurt. “When you gave yourself to me, it was the most beautiful moment of my life. Tell me it meant something to you as well.”

  Pan, Persephone, and the recently returned Brahma gave gasps of various degrees behind me but Thor just grew more still. There was now a snow storm raging outside and I had a moment of concern for the planes trying to land.

  “I didn't give you anything, you malicious son of a bitch. You mind-raped me and now you want to fuck with Thor by throwing it in his face,” I felt my body go cold beneath my warm layers. Some people feel heat, some shake with the rush of adrenaline, some even cry as they throw punches. I get cold when I need to fight. Not numb, just a light chill that steadies me. Cold enough to kill.

  “Oh but you did,” Blue's eyes swirled. “You told me you were mine. Now I'm holding you to it.”

  “It was a dream, a dream you controlled!” I wanted to cut off his smirking lips. “You manipulating, evil...”

  “Enough,” Blue held up a hand. “I can wait. A woman always changes her mind.” Then he was gone.

  “Not this woman!” I shouted at that empty space but then Horus flew right into it and changed back to his man form.

  He smoothed out his brown fur coat, took in our tense expressions, and shrugged. “It's done. Relax.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Thor, will you say something please?” We were alone in his library but he hadn't said a word to me since we'd returned from Russia.

  “Why didn't you tell me?”

  “It's not something I wanted known,” I sighed, “especially by you. I'm humiliated that he controlled me so easily.”

  “It never occurred to you that he might taunt me with it?” Thor glowered down at me. “Do you know how horrible it felt to be blindsided like that?”

  “It wasn't real, Thor,” I stepped back so I could glower at him too. “It was a dream, we didn't actually have sex.”

  “Oh, it wasn't real?” He shoved my hair over my shoulder to expose the healing bite marks. “What's that then, a figment of my imagination?”

  “No, its proof that I need to be more careful around gods.”

  “Careful?” His eyes narrowed on me.

  “I'm just saying, I'm glad I know how to shield now,” I shrugged, trying to convey nonchalance when I was anything but. I didn't want to talk about this, especially not with Thor. I still felt ashamed even though I knew I was the victim. “It wasn't sex, Thor. It was mind-rape and I'm glad Teharon taught me how to protect myself from it. It makes me feel safer around you too, I might add.” Without the new shielding, I may not have allowed things with Thor to go any further but now I knew I could block him out if I needed to.

  I know it's a little fatalistic but I had no illusions about a relationship between me and an ancient Viking god working out. Come on, it wasn’t like we’d end up picking out china patterns or anything. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to take things further with him, even with the shielding. Thor's kisses were toe curling madness, I could only imagine what sex with him would be like. Mind-blowing, addictive… life-destroying if I couldn’t have it again. If I slept with him and he dumped me, I may never be happy with sex again. I didn’t like that kind of attachment, that kind of vulnerability. My life is hard enough as it is.

  “Safer,” Thor turned so he could glare at me better, “you think I may rape your mind later?”

  “Phew,” I shook my head. He was sure good at catching the underlying message. He just tended to amp it up a bit. “That’s a little extreme. I was thinking more along the lines of not wanting a god to have access to my mind after we’ve dated.”

  “You just assume our relationship will fail?”

  “I didn’t say that,” I sighed. Why did I say that? I knew he’d take it badly.

  “You said ‘after we’ve dated’. That implies an end.”

  “Well we can’t date forever. We’re not
even technically dating now. I don’t think Starbuck’s counts. Either way, there comes a time when dating ends.”

  “So you’re saying, even if I marry you,” he was staring at me so intently, I almost didn’t catch the M word, “you won’t like me having access to your mind?”

  “I really don’t think marriage between us is a possibility, Thor.” My stomach lurched. I really didn’t want to have to face this so soon. I would’ve liked a few more weeks to pretend we could have something together before I acknowledged the cold hard truth.

  “Why not?” His face was flushed and his eyes had gone all twitchy. I thought women were supposed to be the ones who got upset about a man’s commitment issues, not the other way around.

  “Come on,” I searched his twitchy eyes but there was no understanding there. Was I the first human he’d fooled around with or did he just not care about the future? “Did you really think this could be a long-term thing?”

  “I can think in longer terms than any human can, Vervain.”

  “Okay, let’s think about those terms.” Crap, this was going to suck but it couldn’t be stopped now. “Let’s say we’re really great together.”

  “I already know that,” a smug smile settled over his face.

  “Oh yeah, and how could you possibly know that?”

  “I’ve been in your head,” he looked at me like I’d asked how he knew the sky was blue. “I know we’re compatible, very compatible.” The smile turned into a leer. I’ve never seen someone leer so well, expressing every naughty thing he’d like to do, by simply raising a brow.

  “You’re getting me off track,” I pushed him back a little. “So we’re good together, then what? You watch me grow old and die? Or do you dump me when I start to sag too much and trade me in for a younger model?”

  “I wouldn’t dump you because you got old,” he frowned, no, glared.

  “So I’ll grow old while you stay as you are and I’ll know you’re staying with me out of loyalty, even though you’ll never touch me. Then I’ll die.” I watched him swallow that down. It was a hard pill for me to swallow too. My throat was constricting in rebellion.

  “It’s too soon for these concerns,” Thor waved his hand like he could chase the bad thoughts away.

  “No, it’s perfect timing,” why did I feel like my world was shattering? “If this goes any further, I’ll be in too deep, either way it ends, it’ll hurt.”

  “I would never hurt you, Vervain.” Damn but he did earnest eyes well. Maybe he’d been a boy scout, a baby god scout, whatever.

  “Every man says that at the beginning,” I shook my head, reminding myself of other men who’d looked at me the same way before going on to rip my heart out and stomp all over it. “Along with the old A man would have to be a fool to leave you. Ironically, that one's usually said right before they leave.”

  “I’m not a man, I’m a god,” Thor grabbed me and pulled me against his chest.

  “That’s the problem,” I should’ve pushed away from him but I couldn’t. Maybe it was selfish but I needed some small bit of contact before it ended. “A man could actually mean it, he could break my heart too but there’s at least a chance he won’t. I could marry a man, have children, and grow old with him. I could even be buried with him someday.”

  “That’s what you want?” Thor snorted. “To live a normal life and then rot together when it’s over?”

  “It sounds better when I say it.”

  “I can give you children,” his eyes were intense. I had to remind myself that I barely knew him. This was way too soon to be talking about kids. Then again, I guess I started it.

  “That’s not the point and what would they be anyway, Atlantean or human? Would they grow old like me or live forever like you?”

  “Whatever they wanted,” Thor looked away with a guilty twitch.

  “What was that?” I pointed my finger up at him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “They’d have the choice, Vervain,” Thor sighed, hunched over and hugged me, pushing my head into the nook his neck made. “There are things I can’t tell you about yet but what I will tell you is there is hope for us. Just because you’re one thing today, doesn’t mean you’ll be the same tomorrow.”

  “You sound like you’re saying I could become a goddess,” humph, that was ridiculous.

  “It’s happened before,” oh hell, he was serious.

  Then I remembered the Chinese General. “Kuan Ti?”

  “Among others,” Thor leaned back and looked down at me, the surprise evident in his voice. “How do you know about him?”

  “I met him at Blue’s place. Blue said he’d been a General in the Imperial Army. He meant he’d been human, didn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re not going to tell me anymore?”

  “I can’t, Vervain, it’s forbidden. Just don’t give up on us because of what may or may not be.”

  “Alright, I'm done for now,” I pushed out of his arms and went to the door. “I need some time to think about this.”

  “Vervain,” Thor started after me and I held up a hand.

  “No, don't follow me. This is me doing you a courtesy. I'm leaving before I say anything awful. Or rather, even more awful. In times like this, it's best to just let me leave.”

  I went straight to the tracing room and took myself home.

  Ever since Thor had taught me the spell to trace directly to my house from Bilskinir, things were a lot easier. Especially when I was trying to leave with my dignity in tact. It would have been a bitch to have to walk back into that library and ask him to take me home.

  I was completely distracted by thoughts of Thor when I arrived on my doorstep. So I didn't see the large shape detach itself from the other shadows and launch itself at me until it was too late.

  We landed together in a tangle of limbs, leather, and what felt like fur. I gasped for air as the weight of my assailant pressed into my chest. Consumed with thoughts of breathing, I kicked up with all of my might and became immediately thankful that I was still wearing my hunting outfit. The hook on the back of my boot caught something tender on the down swing and I heard a yelp as the weight lifted and I could breathe again.

  It was about eight o’clock and the moon was hidden, so I wasn’t able to see much but a huge black shape for awhile. The shape did look a bit odd and my attacker was making some weird growling noises but even all that in combination with the sensation of fur I'd felt earlier, didn’t prepare me for the sight that met my eyes when the moon finally poked out from the cloud cover.

  He stood at least as tall as Thor and was covered in a mottled gray pelt. He had the head and paws of a wolf but the upright form of a man. Yes, he was definitely male. Funny how horror stories never mention that sex is very apparent on a werewolf but let me assure you, it is. Thankfully, it wasn’t all that distracting when they were trying to kill you. I barely gave his considerable package a glance before I released the metal claws from my gloves. It was a good thing too because within the space of time it took me to release my blades, he was already in the air, bound straight for me. I spun aside and landed a blow to his arm. Bright green eyes glared at me through the ragged pelt, without even a hint of pain.

  “You smell like witch,” his voice grated out of his throat harsh and inhuman, and my brows rose. I didn’t know they retained the ability to speak in their wolfman form. You learn something new everyday.

  “Yeah? You smell like wet dog.”

  He lunged for me and I ran for the back yard, knocking potted orchids into his path as I went. I wanted him out of the front yard where my neighbors might see him and come to my aid. Yes, people in Hawaii actually helped when they saw others in trouble... even when that trouble could get them seriously maimed. I thought of Tahnee and Justin next door, they’d send their German Shepherds out in a second if they knew I was in trouble… and the girls would be torn to pieces. I loved Roxy and Vasse, there was no way I’d let them get hurt by this mon
ster.

  “I like witches, their blood has a spicy kick,” his voice was much closer than I expected and I ducked just in time to miss the blow he’d intended for my throat. It caught me on the upper arm instead and I rolled away, screaming in pain. I’d never actually been mauled by a bear before but I was pretty sure the experience would be comparable.

  I ended up half under the mock-orange bushes fencing in my back yard, and a small sound caught my attention. Nick was huddled under there as well, pressed up against the wall separating my yard from next doors’. He was shaking and looking at me with wide scardy-cat eyes.

  “It’s okay, baby,” I whispered. “Mama’s just gonna to go kick some werewolf ass. You wait here.” I clucked my tongue at him reassuringly before I rolled away and backed up to face the wolfman.

  Funny but that little furball gave me the extra drive I needed to face down the monster. As pathetic as it may sound, that cat is like my child and I was as enraged as any mother would be when their baby was in danger. Mess with me and I'll defend myself but mess with my cat and I'll obliterate you. The wolfman was going down.

  I ran at him just as he started for me but at the last second, I dove low and punched out at both of his knees. I kept going with my momentum and he toppled over my back. As he thrashed, one of his flailing legs caught me in the head.

  My vision shifted sharply as the werewolf crumpled, howling in pain. I went down as well, battling nausea until I was finally able to stand again. I don’t know how much time I lost but when my head finally cleared, the wolfman was on his stomach, crawling toward me with as much menace as a crawling thing can muster. Let me just say here that a crawling werewolf can reach deep and come up with a lot of menace.

  I launched myself at him again, ignoring the pounding in my head and the sour taste in my mouth, as I kicked him in the muzzle as hard as I could. His head spun and blood sprayed but he just shook it off and snarled at me. I know I, like most women, hold most of my strength in my legs so it had been one hell of a kick. Tough bastard.