Son of Thunder

by Libby Bishop

  No other choice existed for him.

  Now, as they lay in bed, curled together, he tried to ignore his dread of leaving her.

  “Stop it, Rune,” she ordered, slowly turning onto her back.

  His heart ached when she winced in pain as she settled herself again. He lifted up on his elbow so he could look down at her. Although the lights were off, the faint glow of moonlight through the window allowed him to see her face.

  “Stop what?”

  She raised an eyebrow, and quirked her lips at him.

  He couldn’t help the small smile. Even in pain she could be exasperated with him—he found that surprisingly endearing.

  “Feeling guilty about leaving me. I can practically taste it rolling off you.”

  He snorted. “And what does my guilt taste like, Valkyrie?”

  She looked away for a moment, but he could see her eyebrows drawing together as if she were thinking.

  He gave an exasperated sigh. “Liv Winter.”

  “Your guilt kind of tastes like a mix between battery acid and dish soap.”

  The laugh burst out of him, full and from deep. And with it, the world lightened for a brief, bright moment. Because of her.

  “Laugh all you want—it’s the truth.” Her voice sounded sleepy, and she yawned.

  That determination calmed the laughter, and brought his attention back to why she’d made the comment in the first place.

  “So,” she continued when he met her gaze, “are you going to stop with the damn guilt or not?”

  He caressed the soft skin of her shoulder with his fingers. “I cannot help it. You are hurting and in need of a good, long sleep. I don’t feel right leaving you.”

  She sighed. “We’ve discussed this. I’m surrounded by people who love me and who will make sure I have everything I need while you’re away. There’s nothing to feel guilty for.”

  He brushed a strand of hair away from her eye. Her beautiful sea-blue gaze caught the words in his throat. I want to spend a lifetime holding your gaze.

  “Have I told you how mesmerizing your eyes are?”

  She laughed softly. “No, actually, you have not. Nice try with the change of subject, by the way.”

  “It’s simply the truth.” He leaned down and carefully kissed her lips.

  “Rune, you need to tell me what exactly you feel so sorry for.”

  The determination was back in her tone, strong enough that he knew he was going to have to answer.

  “Tell me. Right now, or neither of us is going to rest.”

  He’d already known she wasn’t going to drop it, and she was right. Not telling her would eat at him, and she wasn’t going to rest until he confessed.

  “I failed you at the cabin.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed, but he placed a finger over her lips before she could speak.

  “I should have checked the cabin thoroughly when I reached you. If I had, I may have found the trap door.”

  “I searched the cabin, Rune, and found nothing. My eyes are trained to find anything abnormal or hidden.” She stroked the side of his face. “I’m just as much to blame for falling through the door as Erik is for using it. Your guilt is misplaced.”

  No, it wasn’t, but she wasn’t going to believe that. He realized in that moment that she would never hold him responsible for his nephew reaching her, but she would berate herself internally for missing the signs of danger because she thought she didn’t look hard enough.

  We make quite the pair, don’t we?

  “I should have looked, and there’s no excuse for not doing so.” He’d be angry with himself for the remainder of his life, whether that was one day or six thousand years—the average lifespan of an Asgardian. “I think you already know you can’t change that.”

  Her hand slid from his face and settled on his arm. “I know. We’re much alike in that regard.”

  “Yes, we are.”

  She was about to reply but a yawn came instead of words. Pain pinched around her eyes and forehead.

  “Gods,” she said. “That was unpleasant.”

  Anger welled at that last word, at the bastard that had caused the unpleasantness. His jaw clenched as his gaze moved to the dark bruise on her cheek, and it took great effort to unclench it.

  “I changed my mind,” he seethed, unable to help the anger in his tone.

  “About what?”

  “I can’t wait to get home and see Erik’s punishment put into action.” Fury boiled in him as he saw again the bruises on her face and arm, the broken ribs. “Perhaps Hel will allow me to go a round with my nephew…or, if I’m lucky, several rounds.”

  Her eyes widened slightly as his tone turned deadly.

  “What, Liv, are you truly that shocked over my ire? Over my need to see you safe?”

  She shook her head. “No, not in how you feel about Erik and what he did, anyway. I’m just…taken aback at the raw emotion on your face right now, in your tone.”

  “Why is that?” he pressed, still not understanding where her shock was coming from.

  “Because your anger is due to his hurting me. You want to beat the shit out of him because of what he did, and wanted to do, to me.”

  “Why does that surprise you? You know damn well how I—”

  “It’s not that. I’m not explaining myself clearly…” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

  “Take your time, Liv. I mean it.” You need to rest. I need you to rest and heal.

  “I know you care for me, that you would have done anything to protect me,” she said softly. “But this is the first time I’ve seen it, raw and fully exposed, on your face, in your eyes. I…I didn’t know it ran so deep.”

  He kissed her again then rose up just enough to rest his forehead on hers. “It’s not a want, it’s a need. Make no mistake in that. My feelings for you run very deep,” he whispered. “More than you know, more than you can see.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “We will discuss that when you are healed, and ready to hear it.” And not a moment sooner. “I’m being very selfish right now in my desire to harm the godkin who caused you so much pain.” He lifted himself up so he could meet her eyes again, and when he saw the tears shimmering in them, his heart soared. Because those tears meant that he had a piece of her heart as surely as she had all of his. “You need rest.”

  “You’ll stay with me for a few hours? I don’t think I can fall asleep and stay asleep without your warmth beside me.” She wiped a tear away. “I…need you beside me for just a few hours more.”

  Lying down fully once more, he pulled her as close as he could without causing her pain, and kept his arm as snug as he could around her as well. “I will not leave until you are deeply asleep without dreams bothering you.”

  He couldn’t stop her dreams of the events from inundating her, but she was at that point in tiredness that once she fell into a deep and true sleep, she wouldn’t dream.

  “Close your eyes, Liv. I have you.”

  And he planned on keeping it that way.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Three weeks later

  Dressed in a pair of low-rise designer slacks and a long-sleeved white button-up shirt, Liv drew her hair into a neat bun. Lifting her arms above her shoulders brought pain from her still-healing ribs, so she made as quick of work of the bun as she could. She’d covered the sickly yellow bruises on her face with makeup as best she could. Smoothing out her shirt, she left the bathroom.

  Today was the official announcement of the team dedicated to hunting down dangerous godkin. The new FBI department was called the Godkin Obtainment Division—the GOD team, as it had been nicknamed. The choosing of those who would be joining them from Asgard took less time than she thought it would, and the meeting of team members a week ago went fairly smoothly. It would take time to settle into being a true team. But she had the feeling that the president and Odin had been planning this far earlier than either she or Rune was aware.

  Nothing usu
ally went that swiftly in the government, especially when it came to forming a new department—even more so when it involved the gods.

  But here she was, getting ready to meet the public with her new team. A team she, Cory, and Rune were leading. The east coast division, anyway.

  This was something she’d dreamed of since joining the FBI out of college. Now, at thirty-four, she had realized that dream—though not in a way she’d ever envisioned.

  She made her way to the living room of her townhouse, where Rune was waiting for her, holding her blazer.

  “Don’t you look all professional in that suit,” she teased. What he actually looked like was an uncomfortable Viking. “When we get home tonight,” she said as he helped her into her blazer, “I’ll help you rip those clothes off.”

  He growled, pulling her close. “I’m fully healed—you are not. Therefore, you will take off the clothes, not rip them.”

  She laughed at the order, rising on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Take off. Yes, sir.”

  He bent down and helped her into her shoes so she didn’t have to bend—her ribs still hurt like a bitch, but then again, ribs always took forever to heal. Or so she was learning.

  When he came back up, his expression was serious.

  “What’s wrong? If you don’t want to stay on Earth, Rune, I under—”

  He cut her off by placing two fingers over her lips.

  “You know this is where I wish to be, so don’t be foolish enough to finish that thought. I have a debt to you, Liv, but most of all, I’ve fallen in love you.”

  She couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath the admission caused. She’d known his feelings ran deeper for her than she wanted to admit to herself, far deeper since the conversation they’d had before he’d left for Asgard. But to hear the words? That was something she wasn’t prepared for, and something that made her a tad more than wary.

  “I think it’s time that I say that out loud. Time for us to speak of what they mean to the both of us.”

  She swallowed, hard, her mouth dry. “What are you asking of me?”

  She wasn’t ready to say those words, though she would admit that she was falling hard for the god before her. That, however, didn’t change the fact that her heart and mind were not on equal footing concerning him. She hadn’t found her balance.

  “Just that you let me in, deeper than you have now. Trust me to always have your back, to find you. Trust me with your heart, that I won’t break it, that I won’t give you reason to push me out.” He laid his hand over her heart, and warmth spread through her, and it had nothing to do with sex. “Truly trust me. That is all I’m asking, and I know it’s a great deal to ask of you. But this Viking’s heart belongs to you, Valkyrie, and I need to know if it’s safe with you.”

  Tears choked her. Gods, he was offering her his whole being, his love, his light, his darkness, and his soul. He wanted her to have it, to guard it. She was suddenly so overwhelmed and excited at the same time that she couldn’t breathe.

  Answer him, Liv. Give him what you can, and trust that he’ll be patient enough to wait for the rest.

  “Liv?”

  She swallowed again, forcing back the tears as best she could. Then, she said the only thing she could, the only thing she felt at his words. “Rune, it’s going to take some time to process what this all means. Loving a god isn’t an easy thing.” Then, wiping a tear away, she added, “But know this: I trust you with my heart and soul, and you can entrust yours with me.”

  He kissed her, his hand lingering on the side of her face. “We can work with that, Valkyrie.”

  She smiled, patting her eyes dry with her sleeve. “Now, let’s go greet the public, Son of Thunder.”

  He took her hand. “I follow you, Agent Winter.”

  “No.” She shook her head, not wanting to hear him speak as if she were somehow above him in their work or personal life. “You stand beside me. I’ll have it no other way.”

  He squeezed her hand then moved to open the door as she grabbed her small purse.

  “Beside you.” Surety blazed in his gaze, stilling her in the doorway as she took in the fierceness of his feelings for her.

  If she ever got used to that, or to the constant need for him inside her, she’d die of shock. How the hell had she managed to go from wanting a one-night stand with a fierce, sexy man, to falling for a god?

  Actually, it’s more like how the hell have I managed to not only have a god in love with me, but to love him so deeply that it physically hurts to think of life without him?

  Maybe it would all make sense once her mind had straightened itself out and caught up with her heart. But it would take time to sort through everything it meant to be in love with a god: she would age, he wouldn’t. Nothing could be done to remedy that. The only small comfort in that was if they chose to have children—and she’d always wanted at least one—they would live a good thousand to two thousand years. Full-blooded gods tended to live five to six thousand years, so he’d have a long time with their children, and their grandchildren would lay him to rest.

  As irrational as it might be to some, what made her the most uncomfortable was that she was going to have to meet members of his family one day, and he’d already told her that he was planning on showing her Asgard and the other worlds that were connected to it. After her encounter with Odin, she wasn’t certain that was the greatest idea.

  I mean, really? I’ll probably end up starting a brawl because I won’t be able to keep my trap shut on subjects like how they forget their own half-human children.

  “You are thinking far too much, beautiful flame.” He laughed softly, and she was suddenly aware that while she’d been thinking she’d been looking straight into his eyes. He would have seen the thoughts and questions whizzing by at light speed!

  She rolled her eyes. “Sorry. You had me lost in thought about our future.”

  “Then let us concentrate on the present—we do have a conference to get to, yes?”

  “Yes, but…” She trailed off, the words to tell him how she truly felt suddenly coming to her.

  He raised an eyebrow, curiosity front and center in his gaze.

  “There is one thing that I know for certain—you are a part of me, and we are a team. A real team. And that is something that does not scare me, because my trust in that partnership is unyielding, unshakable. Trust, Rune, is the one thing that I can give you that will show you how much you mean to me, and how much you can trust that I will work from that. With your help and patience, I can and will meet head on the rest of my hang-ups and fears about what our relationship means.”

  His Adam’s apple moved so slowly as he swallowed that she was certain it must have hurt. He squeezed her hand so tightly that she had to fight not to wince.

  “Rune?” she whispered.

  “Those, Liv Agda Winter, are the only words I need to hear on this subject. I’ve told you once, and I will say it again now—I have you, and that will never change.”

  A horn honked outside. Crap, the driver is here.

  Rune stopped her, pulled her close, and kissed her as if staking his claim.

  His lips lifted from hers, and she struggled to catch her breath…and not just from her sore ribs. Oh boy, does he know how to kiss.

  The horn honked again, bringing her back to the duty at hand. She touched her lips. “Is my lipstick smeared?”

  He grinned, letting go of her and grabbing a tissue from the table by the couch. He gently dabbed it around her lips.

  “Not anymore. You can touch up in the car.”

  She cleared her throat, spotted the traces of lipstick around his mouth. “Let me see that tissue.”

  He handed it to her, and she wiped the lipstick off.

  “See what you do to me?” he teased.

  A smile flirted on her lips as she took his hand, squeezing it slightly. “Shame on me.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Come on. Time to go. If we don’t hurry, our driver will barge in here
to check on us.”

  He nodded then she turned and opened the door. They quickly made their way to the waiting SUV. The agent that had been sent for the special occasion opened the door for them, smiling.

  “The Valkyrie and the Viking.” He smiled. “Let’s get you to your first official day of work.”

  The Valkyrie and the Viking? She grinned as she got into the car.

  She liked that.

  No—correction—I love that.

  The agent got behind the wheel of the car. A moment later he pulled away from the curb. As he did so, Rune took her hand in his.

  “Well,” she said with a sigh, “this is going to be one hell of an adventure.”

  “Don’t you know, Liv? We Vikings were made for adventure.”

  A thrill ran through her at his words, clinging to every fiber of her being. Yeah, this is going to be epic.

  And she couldn’t wait to get started.

  Epilogue

  One year later

  He hadn’t thought it was humanly or godly possible for Liv to be any more beautiful than she naturally was, but he’d been wrong. Very wrong. When she had walked down the aisle to join him under the maple and oak trees, full of autumn colors, his breath caught in his throat and his jaw dropped slightly in awe.

  The white, peasant-sleeved dress was gorgeous on her: the neckline dipped to just above her breasts, and light-green lace outlined both shoulders and down the center of her corset top. The soft-looking material of the bottom half of the dress, which flowed smoothly over her hips to touch the ground, made his hands itch to reach out for it, to pull her close. Her hair was down, with two small braids to keep it out of her eyes. The braids were pinned back with his mother’s leaf comb, the bronze color standing out against the red of Liv’s hair.

  When she’d finally stood beside him, he wasn’t certain he’d be able to speak. She took his breath away. But he’d found his voice, somehow, and claimed her as his wife. Now at the reception hall with members of both her family and his, as well as close friends, she awed him.