by Zoe Forward
Javen nodded, but she couldn’t tell if he agreed to help her or if he agreed with the super warrior statement.
Astrid pivoted. “I’ll meet you in the training room tomorrow morning.”
As she departed he murmured, “You are one scary woman.”
She halted and glanced back. “I’m just trying to make us into the elite fighting unit that we should be. Right now we are dysfunctional at best.”
Chapter Seventeen
Astrid stomped toward the medical room for her daily appointment with Kira. What a waste of time. She was fine and didn’t need Kira to pronounce everything to be hunky dory. But the only way she could train was if she put up with this bullshit.
Right now, she wanted to be anywhere but this magi hotspot. She’d been working with Javen for over a week and still couldn’t do a magikal move-fast, or detect anything with use of super sensory seichim. That meant she couldn’t convince the others that she could defend herself and that they didn’t need to freak out about her on daemon fighting. Javen, to his credit, hadn’t harped on her failure. He’d encouraged her to smoke weed and give it another few decades.
Maybe she wasn’t meant to be anything other than a door opener. She hated that.
The others had gone daemon fighting a dozen times, even took Kane once while she paced and fretted for the hours that he was gone. No one asked her to go. They didn’t even request she portal them, which griped her.
The topping on her frustration sundae was her escalating physical desperation for Kane. She fantasized about him at night, daydreamed like a silly teenager when not asleep, and remained in a steady state of core-pounding arousal. Yet, the need wasn’t just sexual. She missed his off-beat humor and his quirks. She wanted her best friend back at her side nagging her to be safe. The two times she’d been within a hundred yards of him, he’d barely glanced her way.
She rounded the corner fast and slammed into a tall, rock hard male. Great. She mumbled an apology as she regained her balance and rocked backwards on the balls of her feet. The scent of sweaty male powered up her nose. Her body flared to life. She didn’t need to glance upward to know who she’d crashed into. The hormone lust funneling heat toward her southern hemisphere alerted her it was him. But, of course, she looked up. Tall. Broad. And so freaking handsome. He wore a tight black tee and faded jeans. She caved to temptation and leaned into him.
This close she felt the swell of his arousal where his fly pushed against her abdomen. Her body tingled with awareness that he wanted her as much as much as she wanted him. She absorbed the heat coming off his hard chest where it contacted her tender breasts. Her breath caught at the raw desire reflected in his gaze.
She wanted him right here. Right now. Hard. Hot. And deep.
He cleared his throat and closed his eyes. Hoarsely he said, “We can’t…not right now.”
The junction of her thighs ached and pounded. Sweat gathered on her back. “Are you sure?” She wound her hand around his neck and played with the hairs at his nape. A thrill hit her stomach when she detected the tremor that traveled through his tense muscles.
Huskily she said, “I want to feel you coming inside me.” She projected her fantasy into his mind on their shared mental pathway he had yet to embrace.
He sucked in air. “Fuck.”
“Exactly.” She pulled his head toward hers. His lips parted just enough to allow her tongue past them. She licked over his lips, into his mouth, and against his tongue. He caught her close to him, his arms pulling her tight. Pleasure wracked her body to the point she trembled. His tongue curled along hers, stroked it, and then teased her by licking her lips. Then he bit her.
Astrid jerked her head back, glaring before she returned the favor and nipped him on his lower lip. His hand tightened on her hair, jerked her head back, and he slammed his lips over hers.
Wild hunger rocked her and seared her mind. It opened something she didn’t recognize in herself. A core of femininity that even Zannis had never touched. Somehow Kane awoke the woman she hid deep inside.
Kane had somewhere to be, and couldn’t do this right now. Avoidance of Astrid and this insane attraction wasn’t working. He’d planned to find her today to sort this out, even though he remained confused and furious about everything. Ah, God, she tasted so amazing. He deepened the kiss, groaning when she nipped his lip and kissed down his neck. He was harder than he ever remembered in his life. He yanked her shirt from her pants, impatient to have his hands on her skin. He spanned her waist, appreciating her smooth flat stomach. He argued with himself to stop when he captured her lips again, but he traced his palms upward to the outside of her bra.
“Kane,” she whispered his name, a hungry plea. Her hands were on his chest under his shirt and traveling southward. He imagined her tongue on him, sucking. And groaned. He halted her hand’s downward descent, desperate to end this before he reached the point of no return.
Kane jerked his head back to stare down at the lust-drugged blonde staring a clear why-stop at him? She leaned forward and licked the V between his collarbones. His skin flexed.
She murmured, “You like my touch.” Her hand slid down to the waistband of his pants and flicked open the metal button. She caressed his arousal through his briefs.
“Christ, Astrid.” He met her pleading gaze.
“Please, Kane. I can’t bear this. I need you.”
Hell, he’d never been so desperate for a woman. He’d never felt a hunger burn this deeply in his gut. God help him if he wasn’t touching her, loving her, or tasting her, then he would be completely alone. Because there was no other woman for him. Life simply didn’t exist without her. But there might not be much to that life, if she continued daemon fighting. He’d watched her get hurt doing crazy shit for years, but he couldn’t take it anymore, especially now when the stakes were so much higher. Eventually, she would die, and he’d go to the afterlife too. That he understood and accepted. Death was inevitable. What he feared most, and what he couldn’t handle, was that she would probably die trying to save him.
She leaned to the right, clipping his leg. He winced.
Astrid stepped back and out of his embrace. “What was that? What’s wrong?”
His body screamed denial at the loss of her hands on him. “I think I broke my leg.”
Her eyes widened, aghast. “Oh God. I’m so sorry. I just….crap.” Her thoughts blasted into his brain, Can’t believe I attacked him like a desperate slut. “I’m so sorry. What are you doing out here, then?”
He reeled for a moment. Had he just heard her thoughts? If so, she probably hadn’t meant to broadcast that sentiment. He’d do anything to erase her embarrassment, but had trouble formulating a reply when his mind remained firmly locked on his need to be inside her. Hoarsely he said, “I was on my way to find Kira. Just taking a break on the getting-there part of it.” The agony of walking on a busted lower leg reminded him of his days in Asia doing covert ops. Too many times he’d been beat to shit, yet forced to keep moving. Pain was nothing new, but he wasn’t sure he could deliver on what he wanted to give Astrid right now.
“Tell me how you broke it,” she demanded.
He shifted his weight, caught between the pain of needing to pull her back to him and finish what she started and the sharp ache in his lower leg. “Training with Eric.”
She put her hands on her hips. “He let you limp out of there on your own? The asshole didn’t even bother to help?”
Kane shrugged and fastened the button on his jeans.
She rolled her eyes. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”
This woman knew him too well. “I’m enough of a fuckup. I can’t get this shit and suck at fighting with a sword. But I’m not a complainer.”
“No. You’ve never been that,” she said softly. She pushed her way under his right shoulder. “Come on, Langford. Let’s find the doctor.”
He cleared his throat, still riding a lust high. His fingers now rested within an inch of the breast he wanted to c
aress. The fresh scent of her hair teased his nose. “Bella, what we—”
“I’m sorry. I know you don’t want this. Us. Whatever.”
“What?” Didn’t want her? He’d wanted her naked the second he first glimpsed her five years ago. That desire hadn’t waned. Now need eclipsed want. He needed her like a meth addict needed product. In the past he’d always had enough discipline to resist. He wasn’t sure how long that resistance would hold anymore. If she tempted him like this when he wasn’t injured, there’d be no stopping him.
She barged on, “It just happened. I didn’t know you were hurt. I’m sorry. Must be hormones or something.”
His fury reignited at the thought of some other bastard knocking her up and then getting himself killed. Images of another man touching her tortured his mind. He clenched his fists and focused on putting as much weight as possible on the broken limb. Pain assaulted his body and distracted his mind.
In awkward silence they slowly trekked to the medical room. Once inside Kane jumped away from Astrid and gimped to the new sofa. He refused to hop onto the overused medical bed. His chest pinched at the rejection in Astrid’s eyes. He called out, “Astrid, I—”
She raised a hand to stop him. “I got it. It won’t happen again.” Then she whirled away.
Don’t run from me, he thought to her, testing their mental pathway. She paused for a second and glanced back. Telepathy worked. Talking in his mind to her…amazing and weird. Then she left. He yelled, “Damn it, Astrid come back!”
He struggled upward, intent on pursuing, but Kira blocked him. She pushed him back onto the sofa with a single finger. “You can go after her in a few minutes. She’s not leaving, at least not permanently.”
Kane snorted and glowered at his cousin. He struggled upward again, managing a clumsy stand. “Get out of my way.”
Kira backed up a step and raised her eyebrows. “What? You going to hop after her? Your tibia is shattered.” Her tone softened. She clucked and shook her head. “Oh, Kane. I know you’re messed up over her and all of this right now, but let me heal you. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
He fell back onto the couch with a snort. “I never asked for all this shit.”
“None of you guys did.” She wheeled her rolling stool in front of him and sat. But didn’t reach out to heal him. “What’s going on?”
He ran a hand over his face. “Don’t psychoanalyze me. Can’t you just fix this and leave me be?”
“You and Astrid are still fighting, aren’t you?” Kira pursed her lips.
He nodded.
She sighed. “I love you, Kane. You and Markus have been my family for a long time. You know I’d do anything for you two, except I won’t go with Markus on any of his adventures anymore. You were always there for me. All I want is your happiness. But it’s time for you to get over yourself. She’s as screwed up about this business as you. Apparently, the gods were mucking around in her life far before they added you into the mix. It sounds like they created a big mess.”
“You taking her side on this?” Kane asked.
“I’m not taking sides. I’m just pointing out her situation. You think she wanted to be attached to that guy from the past and then end up pregnant? Now she’s alone, hormonal and confused. Even so, that Amun-Ra character brought you into this because you’re bonded to her. Fighting what the two of you have only makes it worse. Ask Ashor. He fought what we had and it didn’t work out so well for him.”
Right. As if he’d be asking Ashor for help.
Kira said, “All right, so don’t talk to Ashor. God, you’re so stubborn when it comes to holding grudges.”
“He punched me when I was down.” Kane crossed his arms.
“Ashor was right where you are now when that happened. How would you react if someone questioned your intentions toward Astrid? Is she just a one-time screw to get her out of your system?”
“Hell, no.”
Kira shook her head and muttered, “You boys can’t think straight when you’re horny. Talk to her.” She cocked her head. “Maybe get her in bed first. Get that part of your problem worked out. Then talk. I find the only time to get through to Ashor is afterward.”
Kane covered his face. “Christ, the thought of you and Ashor…Those are images I didn’t want in my brain. I get it. Now just patch me up and…whatever.”
****
Astrid stumbled off the treadmill on jelly legs after ten miles mostly uphill at a body bruising pace. The run hadn’t resolved her self-directed disgust. Why hadn’t she detected Kane had been hurt? She wanted to crawl into a dark hole and bang her head until her brain would stop replaying every glorious second of touching Kane.
With her hands on him, everything clicked into the just-right category—a hundred times better than Zannis, even though the sex with Zannis had been amazing. With Kane she’d memorized his nuances long ago. She loved his protective, stubborn nature. Now she needed to know every contour of his toned body. But this new distance he’d placed between them was killing her. Would Kane ever be able to get over the idea of Zannis and now her pregnancy? He had to. They were on a collision course with catastrophe, if he didn’t.
She sat on a wooden slat bench and wiped away sweat with a towel. A pair of black leather-encased thighs the size of tree trunks appeared in her sightline. She removed the towel from her face, and double blinked upwards at the unfamiliar male. Long blond hair and swirling silver eyes met her gaze. He glowed.
Shit, not again. She forced out through gritted teeth, “Are you another god?”
The being laughed, lyrical and low. He nodded.
“Am I some sort of lightning rod for god visits? I haven’t been at this very long. So, if I’m supposed to do some sort of special bow or prayer or greeting thing, you’d better tell me. No one gave me the one-oh-one on god greeting protocol.”
He smiled. “Bowing generally works.”
“Right.” She didn’t make any move to obeisance. “What if I don’t?” Come on, kill me! Hope flared in her brain.
He shook his head. “Amun-Ra placed a no-kill mandate on you. That is a first for him. You made quite an impression on him. I have never seen him this interested or protective of another beyond passing pleasure, and nothing about this is sexual for him.”
She forgot these guys could read thoughts. Good. I’m not getting it on with a guy that has glowing blue hair.
The god laughed.
She said, “I definitely didn’t make a good impression on him. I puked on him the first time we met.”
The deity settled his large frame next to her on the bench. “I believe you removed the dagger from his forearm.”
“Not a big deal. It looked like it must’ve hurt. He didn’t act as if its removal was a life-altering event.”
“I can see why he likes you. That action was significant. He had been under its effect for thousands of years. Only one with pure intentions, and…of god descent could remove it.”
“Thousands? The poor guy. I’m glad I could help. Who are you? What do you want with me?” Honestly, I can’t handle any more drama.
“Most in your time call me Seth, but in ancient times it was pronounced Su-tah. Pronunciation matters not to me.”
“Seth? The god who…are you my father?”
“Yes.”
Her heart sped. “Well…I guess it’s nice to meet you.” She managed a weak smile. Her eyes drifted over his long wavy blond hair, down his black button-down shirt that veed open wide enough to show off several golden chains. “No offence, but you remind me of a vampire heavy metal rocker.”
Seth grinned. “That works.” He smoothed a hand over his leather-encased thighs. “I like this particular human fashion.”
“It’s a bit eighties, but it works. What are you god of? What are you in charge of?”
“War, chaos, storms.”
“That sounds…dark.”
He glanced around the room. “I am not here long. I have come to help you learn your ability.”
Her face heated. “I’m improving at the doorway opening thing. I don’t get seichim.”
He pushed off the bench. “Stand.”
She shot upright. That one-word dictate echoed in her head. Disobeying wasn’t an option.
A massive sword appeared in Seth’s hand. He threw a smaller version at her, which she caught two handed. Its heft almost dragged her to the ground. He chuckled. “I will help you the first time.”
“With what?”
“Your portal ability extends to time as well. With seichim most magi can slow down the fight a bit. You can actually halt time, and then move between it.”
“I don’t get that.”
He charged swinging a sword, which was on a direct path for decapitation. She ducked and whirled, barely missing the blade. She parried his next blow with a bone-jarring clash.
“Feel for the energy within you. Activate it, but do not open a door,” Seth instructed.
Energy revved inside her chest. “Now what?”
“Slow everything around you. Just do it.” He charged at her and emitted an ear-numbing yell.
Everything around her slowed. Seth moved like a slow-play DVD with his blade on a trajectory to pierce her chest. Yeah, that would’ve killed her. Calmly she stepped out of the blade’s path. Wow. Then she took a deep breath and released. Everything resumed normal motion.
Seth stumbled past her, struggling to halt his momentum. He whirled. “Excellent.”
Astrid raised her sword, ready for another attack.
Seth cocked an eyebrow. “You have it. Practice on your own.”
Astrid sat on the bench. She traced the patterns on the borrowed sword’s golden blade. Then she held it out to him.
