by Libby Bishop
She raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
“I am almost unrivaled in my ability to hunt—both humans and enemies of Odin. I wish to help you apprehend your friend’s murderer.”
“What’s the catch?”
A smile kicked up the side of his mouth slightly, and damn it, it was sexy as hell.
“I will help you hunt the killer if you help me find redemption and my way back home to Asgard.”
“Why do you need redemption?” she inquired. “What did you do to get kicked out of Asgard?”
He looked away, jaw clenching. When it loosened, he turned back to her. “I told you my brother killed my best friend. I nearly beat him to death for it.”
That gave her pause. Not because she didn’t understand his reaction—she did, wholly—but because he’d said it so calmly. Something else was going on, and she wasn’t about to consider taking him up on his offer until she knew what that was.
“Your reaction is understandable. Now tell me why you clenched your jaw a moment ago.”
His gaze darkened for a split second, then he gave a nod.
“No one has punished my brother for killing my friend. I was rather vocal about my feelings on that—Odin wasn’t pleased with me. Sending me here to find ‘redemption’ was his answer.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “How long ago was your friend killed?”
“Today will be the fifth day.”
“And his killer hasn’t been punished?”
“No.”
Wow. “And they know full well that it was him?”
“They do. Without doubt. He was still walking free in Asgard with his friends when I was sent through the Gate.”
The gods operated differently than humans in regard to justice, as every human learned in school, but to let a murder go unpunished when the killer was known and could swiftly be brought to justice… She couldn’t even wrap her mind around that.
“So, what do you say to my offer, Liv?”
Turning her gaze away from his and looking toward the window in the kitchen, she bit her lip as she thought. She should say no, tell him to go find someone else to help him, but she wasn’t an idiot—she knew of his power by reputation the moment he’d given her his name. Some humans worshipped him for his hunting skills more than his godhood—even if he were a human with his abilities, they’d still worship the ground he walked on.
Who was she to turn away a fellow hunter when she desperately needed to find Soosie’s killer?
“If I say yes, we have to obey human laws. I don’t want to lose her killer in a trial because a god interfered with the case. As far as anyone’s concerned, you’re just a friend who’s helping find the person who murdered Soosie.”
Contemplation swept his face. “I will go along with that. You will allow me to assist enough so I can get back into the good graces of my family, yes?”
He said that as if there were a sour taste in his mouth. She’d have to ask him about that at some point, but right now it didn’t matter.
“Of course. That said, what powers did they leave you?”
“I don’t know. I still feel the power of the hunt, but it’s very muted, as is the portion of Thor’s strength I inherited.”
She turned from the island and moved to the coffeemaker. “Do you drink coffee?”
“Yes. But I would like to shower.”
The image of him naked and wet flashed through her mind, and she was glad she wasn’t facing him as heat crept up her neck.
“There are extra towels in the cabinet by the sink. Will we need to get you some clothes?”
“No. I can conjure those myself, Lady Liv.”
She sipped her coffee and turned to meet his gaze. “No need to call me that.” Although, if she were honest with herself, she kind of liked the way he said it. Warmed her in places she’d rather not admit, especially since she’d just met the man.
God, she reminded herself. He’s a damn god.
“God perk?”
He smiled fully and her breath caught in her throat.
I’m in trouble. Big. Trouble.
“Something like that, yes,” he said.
She smiled slightly, doing her best to push her attraction to the back of her mind. “Go shower. We need to eat and get going on the case.”
…
The smell of bacon and eggs greeted him as he walked back into the kitchen, a wonderful aroma. Liv sat at the table by the bay window as he made up a plate. The sun shone on her hair, now in a loose bun, and highlighted the beautiful auburn strands.
She really could be his salvation, his way home. No one deserved to suffer the kind of loss she had, a loss he understood to his very core. The fact that she had agreed to help him, a stranger and a god, spoke of her kindness. He’d help find the killer, whether or not it won him entry into Asgard.
The pictures from the murder file streamed in his mind as he contemplated the situation. The images began to repeat on a loop, and protectiveness toward Liv stirred within him. That surprised him—greatly. She’d been the one to find Soosie, the first one to see the twisted, mutilated body of her best friend hanging from two trees. He found himself truly disgusted that she had seen that nightmare.
“How close are you to her killer?” he asked as he sat across from her.
“Not as close as I’d like after six years. All I know is that her killer has taken lives before. I can’t find proof, but no one kills that cleanly and that precisely the first go-round. If I hadn’t been late meeting her here…”
She trailed off, and he could almost feel her guilt as if it were his own. The file had said they’d planned to drive to the cabin together, but a case had kept Liv in Boston so Soosie had driven up by herself. Three days later, Liv had left for the cabin in the early evening. They hadn’t spoken since Soosie had called to let Liv known she’d arrived safely. Once on the road, Liv had tried to reach her, but assumed Soosie had been taking a walk.
He felt her pain, knew the desire to hunt the killer down and rain rage upon him. Years didn’t matter when it came to the death of loved ones.
“She had no hidden life, no scandalous lover, nothing that would lead to the brutality shown to her. The only thing we have to go on is this—” She handed him a clear plastic bag with a pendant in it.
The file had given only a simple generic description of a braided leather cord with a round pendant. Carved on it was an Asatru—a Norse symbol. His blood ran cold. Now that he held the pendant in his hand, he recognized it immediately. This had not belonged to Soosie.
“What is it?” Liv questioned.
He loosened his jaw as he set the pendant down. “It is fortunate that I fell on you. That pendant was a gift from my father to my brother.”
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Are you saying your brother killed Soosie?”
“I don’t know. Our father fought alongside the Norse people many times, and he was gifted this pendant by someone he considered a close friend. He gave it to my brother after the first true battle we fought in and won.”
Not that his brother actually understood either the importance of the pendant to their father, or the significance of handing it down, but it had been gifted to him all the same.
She crossed her arms. “A Shield Knot is considered a sign of protection and a symbol used for warding.”
He half smiled. “Indeed it is, Lady Liv.”
She rolled her eyes, unfolding her arms. “It did its job, then,” she said as her gaze locked onto the pendant. Her voice was softer, distracted, as if she weren’t speaking to him. “The killer still hasn’t been found.”
“Yet,” he reminded her.
Looking at him, she cleared her throat. “Yet. Why do you think it was left behind?”
He shrugged. “Either the killer wasn’t aware he’d lost it, or it was left as a taunt to the police.”
“A taunt?”
“Don’t you see? It’s such a simple design, and it only has power for those who belie
ve in the symbol and what it stands for. There’s so many of these on Earth that all it would give law enforcement is a clue to keep out of the news.”
She sighed. “We still haven’t released that information. Not the pendant or the kind of knots that were used to tie her to the trees.”
Smart of them, but… “The killer probably knows you can’t track him with it, since it has no significance to the assault on Soosie. Only another god, or godkin, would be able to sense how the pendant was used.”
Her eyes narrowed at that last remark, and he didn’t blame her. Some gods enjoyed playing games with humans—he was not one of them, but that didn’t matter at the moment. She’d probably come across some of the damage a god had done to someone in the past, maybe helped clean up the mess, all the while knowing that the person truly responsible would never be caught.
“This case will not go unsolved.” He made certain that his confidence on the matter came through. “I will personally see to that.”
She looked a tad skeptical, but he could see the hope in her eyes, as guarded as the emotion was. She wanted to believe him—that was all he needed to make the partnership work.
“In order to know why my brother’s pendant was left with Soosie, I’ll need to see where she was killed.”
“You read the file, Rune. We don’t know where she died, just where she was left.”
“I apologize. That’s what I meant. I need to see where she was left.”
“Are you sure you need to go to the exact site?” she asked, hesitation in her tone. “I found her body not far from here and—”
“Seeing the site will tell me if we’re tracking a god or a godkin,” he interrupted gently. “I can track either, though I don’t know how strongly now. If I have a bit of her blood to put on the pendant, that could lead us to where she was killed.”
Odin help him if his brother was killing innocent humans. Rage boiled within him, and it took a good five minutes to calm it. Liv said nothing, giving him time to cool down, eating and drinking coffee as if nothing had occurred.
He cleared his throat. “Is there any of her blood I can use?”
Stopping with a piece of bacon on its way to her mouth, she met his gaze. “The pendant has some of her blood on the twine, just below the knot. On the opposite side you looked at. It’s not much—”
He raised a hand to quiet her concern. “Even a speck of it is enough.”
“You should eat. I’m told you gods have quite the appetite.”
Her eyes twinkled, and he realized she was teasing him. Oh, he liked her. Respect and attraction bubbled inside of him, pushing the rage down even more. He tried his best to keep it off his face.
“We do.” He picked up his fork, and went straight for the eggs. “Next time we need to eat, I will cook, and show you what a real meal looks like.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’ve not dated a man yet who could live up to that statement.”
He raised his own eyebrows in response. “I do love to be a woman’s first.”
Chapter Three
He did not just say that.
Her insides heated, and she was fairly certain her cheeks were red, but she wasn’t about to let him think she was that easy to fluster.
Picking up her coffee mug, she replied, “I bet you the bed that you’re wrong.”
He chuckled. “Bet me the bed? I’m not the type of man to kick a woman out of bed. If I win, and cook you a meal worthy of worshipping the ground I walk on, I sleep in the bed with you—cuddling and all.”
Bloody hell. She wasn’t naive, nor was she a prude, but her sexual attraction to him would be near impossible to hide if they were sharing a bed.
“And if you lose?” Thank the gods her voice didn’t come out husky, because the heat coiling in her belly wasn’t being willed away easily.
He swallowed, and she had to fight not to look at his Adam’s apple as he did so. If she watched it move up and down she’d practically have to nail her ass to the chair to keep from running her tongue over it.
Control yourself, Liv. Your self-control is stronger than a four-centuries-old Norse god.
“If I lose, I’ll sleep on the hardwood floor without blankets or pillows for the remainder of my time with you.”
Huh. Not a bad idea. She just had to make certain he lost… She could do that. No problem.
“All right. It’s a bet.”
He winked. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you keep your side of the bed.”
Liv shook her head. Great, a sexy Viking god with a dirty mind. Soosie’s probably laughing her ass off right now.
After finishing breakfast and locking up the cabin—a habit she couldn’t shake, even though it was isolated—they walked out to the shed, which housed their transportation to where she’d found Soosie’s body.
“I only have one four-wheeler, so we’ll have to ride double.” She smiled as she slid open the door. “Hope you don’t mind taking a backseat, Son of Thunder.”
He grinned. “Sitting behind a beautiful woman? No, I don’t mind.”
Of course he didn’t. She had to admit, the quick-witted banter and naughty teasing were keeping the dread of visiting Soosie’s drop site at bay, just enough that she didn’t feel nauseous. And something told her that Rune understood.
His body was a strangely comforting warmth behind her, and his hands lightly grasped the sides of her waist when the terrain became rocky, rough, and uphill. This wasn’t the time for her body to go all gooey, but she did take comfort in the touch for a brief moment, especially as they approached the site.
When they reached the top of the hill and the land flattened out, she stopped the four-wheeler. Rune got off first, offering her a hand—she took it, not really sure why.
Taking a deep breath, she pointed to a pair of trees in a shallow dip in the ground. “Those are the two trees she was strung from, as you saw in the photos.” Flashes of Soosie hanging between them like some sort of human hammock bombarded her as he walked over to the site.
Memories pulsed through her mind, brief moments of sound, motion, and still images: her body a heavy weight as she moved toward her friend, the high-pitched screech of owls, and the flap of bat wings. The unusually warm breeze against her clothes and skin, the sound of the fallen leaves at her feet. The scent of death and decay, the unmistakable tang of old blood. The way moonlight slivered between the trees, making a blue-silver halo around the body.
She could still feel the cool ground when her knees touched it. The cold skin of Soosie’s face when she’d cupped both sides with her hands, the salty taste of tears she hadn’t realized were falling. But most of all, she remembered the complete, utter anger that jolted her from the numbness of shock, and the heavy grief that weighed down on her now.
Liv shook herself out of the past, focusing on Rune and his movements and expressions.
Just breathe, Liv. Just breathe.
He knelt between the trees, one of his hands touching the ground. He faced away from her, but she clearly saw his shoulders tense beneath the long-sleeved shirt that clung to his torso. Her stomach tightened in response—he’d connected to something.
A couple of minutes later he stood and walked back to her. His jaw was clenched, his brow furrowed. “A child of my brother did this.”
Great. A godkin. She crossed her arms, seeing the pendant clasped in his strong hands. “And what does this mean for the case?”
“The gods do not take these crimes lightly. Therefore, the justice will be that of ours, not human.”
Anger stirred deep in her gut, and her jaw tightened. It took several moments before she could speak. Was he trying to get her to shoot him?
“You are not taking her justice from me, Rune. She was my family, not yours.”
He put a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened in response but didn’t pull away.
“A godkin can cause great damage, even a weak one…as you well know.”
Yes, she did know. She’d cleaned up a godkin’s me
ss a handful of times in her career.
“You will have your justice, but we must follow the laws of my kind, not that of humankind.”
The knot of anger just grew with his words. Whether the gods took the killer or she put the bastard behind bars, the outcome would be the same. But the thought of Soosie’s family being robbed of seeing their daughter’s killer brought to judgement left a hollowness in her that she couldn’t shake. As if losing Soosie wasn’t bad enough, he wanted to take the pleasure of locking up the killer away from her.
Godkin had caused hell before, in other cases. Not one had ever been caught by human hands. She had a feeling that Rune had tracked more than a few of them down. Even knowing a godkin couldn’t be brought to human justice did little to quell the anger at not being able to lock them up and throw away the key.
“I need your help to hunt him, Liv, because my power will not allow me to track him to his exact location. And you know the human system far better than I.” His gaze softened, and he raised a hand to cup her cheek. “But I must be the one who gives him what he so deserves. How he managed to hide from his father, and Odin, is troubling.”
Pushing the anger down enough to speak, she asked, “Are you so certain his father doesn’t know where he is? I ask because you mentioned your brother killed your close friend, which means his son could carry that gene as well.”
Rune took a step back. Despite her simmering ire, she missed his hand after it slipped away.
“It is possible that my brother knows, and godkin tend to not handle their powers well if it involves anger. But if my brother knows, then this is a far bigger problem than I had first suspected.”
Wonderful. “What can you tell me about her death? That I don’t already know, I mean.”
“He killed her near water. Not the ocean, but a large body of water, most likely a lake. And he was underground, beneath the water—I could smell it in the blood.”
“How can you smell the blood that strongly?” she inquired.
He held up the pendant briefly. “The blood on this led me to him. This tiny amount opened a small window into the scene for me, and I could smell Soosie’s blood and the elements in the air around her that mixed with it when it spilled.”
