Oathbreaker (The Godhunter, Book 3) Read online

  Oathbreaker

  Amy Sumida

  Copyright © 2013 Amy Sumida

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-10: 1491219017

  ISBN-13: 978-1491219010

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to Darlyne Cummings for being more brave at the age of 16 than I will ever be. Thank you, Mom, for having the courage to have me.

  More Books by Amy Sumida

  The Godhunter Series(in order)

  Godhunter

  Of Gods and Wolves

  (Oathbreaker)

  Coming Soon in the Series:

  Marked by Death

  Green Tea and Black Death

  A Taste for Blood

  The Tainted Web

  Other Books

  The Magic of Fabric

  Feeding the Lwas: A Vodou Cookbook

  Pronunciation Guide

  Bilskinir: Bill-ska-neer

  Estsanatlehi(Mrs E): Es-tan-AHT-lu-hee

  Froekn: Fro-kin

  Gladsheim:Glahts-heym

  Hlidskjalf: He-lids-skelf

  Huitzilopochtli: Weet-seal-oh-POACHED-lee

  Intare: In-tar-ay

  Járngreipr: Yarn- gri-per

  Kirill: Key-reel

  Megingjord: Mey-gen-yord

  Mjollnir: Myul-neer

  Nyavirezi: Nee-yah-veer-ez-ee

  Rouva: Roo-vah

  Tima: Tee-mah

  TryggulfR: Truh-gul-fur

  Tsohanoai(Mr. T): So-ha-noe-ayee

  UnnúlfR: Un- nul-fur

  Valaskjálf: Vah-lask-chalv

  VѐulfR: Vey-ul-fur

  Chapter One

  Ever dance with a werewolf in the pale moonlight?

  A gentle breeze brushed against my cheek, the scent of vanilla orchids embraced me. I sighed and nestled closer into the thick arms that held me as we swayed to primal music. The sound of drums became more of a feeling, a percussion in my blood that was drowned out when I laid my head against his chest. His heartbeat was a precious melody, and his scent, that spicy wolf musk I thought of as home, was sweeter to me than the orchids. His heat warmed me and enriched his scent all at once. I looked up and smiled at the way the moonlight turned his face into a half-mask of dramatic shadows.

  Those shadows suited Trevor's mood lately, he'd been so up and down since we'd made our relationship official, it seemed like he was two different people. I couldn't blame him though. Between the one sided Froekn Binding which shackled him to me for life(but not me to him), the Thunder God ex-boyfriend I couldn't avoid, and my new collection of werelions, it was understandable. I'd be a little insecure too.

  We were dancing on the VIP level of Moonshine, our club Trevor had built to give the Froekn more morally(my morals not theirs) acceptable jobs than assassin work. The werewolves had killed people for the gods and had made a good living out of it for many more years than I'd been alive. The gods had difficulty killing other gods(a magic thing) and since the Froekn technically weren't gods, more of a subspecies like the vampires, they didn't have a problem with it. Plus, the wolves enjoyed to hunt, so things had worked out well for them.

  Until I came along.

  The Godhunter. A mid-level witch turned vigilante in the name of humanity. When I think back to the early days of my Godhunting escapades, I'm shocked to be alive. I really knew nothing, just the base facts that gods were the survivors of Atlantis, using their advanced technology and magic to control and manipulate humans.

  The Atlanteans had set themselves up all over the world as deities and when worship started to wane, they developed other ways to suck energy from us. They claimed the dead from wars as sacrifice but in order to have war casualties, you must have war. So they continued their manipulating ways and began to instigate war among us. That's where I dropped in. The witch crusader, executing gods with righteous indignation.

  Only, like I said, I knew very little. I had no idea, for instance, that some of the gods were opposed to the way humans were being treated. Some gods actually took pride in forming symbiotic relationships with their followers. Keeping to the original plan, they gave guidance, protection, and good fortune in exchange for the worship they received.

  After years of hunting, discovering good gods was a bit of a shock. Kind of like following a Neo-Nazi home to find that his oldest son was in love with a African-American girl and was running away from home to be with her. Shocking but in a good, fist-pumping, happily ironic, kind of way.

  I got over my shock and joined a group of rebel gods led by Thor, the Viking God of Thunder. I'd fought beside them and occasionally with them. Thor and I had dated but things didn't work out. A couple of times. I have a talent for fucking things up in my love life. Okay, in my life period. But the last break-up I take no responsibility for. It was all Thor. I'm still a little bitter and maybe a lot in love with him.

  Then, in the midst of the Thor debacle, my very own Werewolf Prince Charming came in and swept me off my feet. It's always darkest before the dawn, and all that crap. I thought I'd never get over Thor. I mean how do you get over loving a god? I'll tell you how: move on with a werewolf. They're faithful, sexy, built like gladiators, have great stamina, and are great to snuggle with when they turn furry. Hell, even when they're not furry.

  Trevor's real name is VéulfR, it means Sacred Wolf, as in the first born son of Fenrir, the Wolf God. So I'm not kidding when I call him a Prince. We bonded while Thor and I were still together... and I don't mean normal couple bonding so don't judge. I didn't even have a choice about it. It's a long story but basically I have a little piece of Trevor's soul inside me now. When I die, that connection will pull him into death with me. A fact his father was a little upset over at first, since Trevor was previously immortal.

  I'm not bound to Trevor however, making ours the first one-sided mating bond in the history of Froekn society. Since it's a werewolf thing and I'm a human, that makes us another first. Two firsts, I was throwing the werewolf world into a tizzy.

  I tried to resist Trevor after I'd broken it off with Thor but in the end, I gave in. Call me weak but take one look at the tall muscled frame, amber eyes, movie star good looks, and thick dark hair, then see if you could walk away. I dare you. Double dog, er double werewolf, dare you.

  So it was me and Trevor now, and even though the Binding has had some drawbacks, it's had a lot of perks too. The simple act of touching him can be an erotic experience. For example, dancing with him in this replica forest, the fake moonlight from the “moon” surveillance system shining down on us, his hot hands skimming over the thin silk of my dress, was turning into torture. Fabulous, sizzling-hot, werewolf torture.

  I broke away from him, just a tad out of breath, and he smiled knowingly down at me. I was used to this since at five-three(and a half), most people look down on me, but I still took umbrage over his expression. I slapped him on a thick bicep.

  “Take pity on the poor human,” I sauntered over to the railing so I could watch the rest of Dark Horses' performance. Trevor had hired the band pretty recently but we could already see an improvement in business. Since business was great to begin with, that was saying a lot. Maybe it had to do with the fact that all four members of the band were gorgeous horse-shifters. It made me wonder about the hung like a... oh, never mind.

  “You're a goddess now, remember?” My wolf came up behind me, grabbing the rail on either side of me and effectively trapping me but I didn't mind. I mean, are you really trapped if you want to be there?

  “How could I forget?” My gaze wandered over to Kirill, my Ganza. Kirill was staring at me of course. It was kinda his job as my right hand man... er, lion. It was also just Kirill. My Russian black lion had been horribly
abused by his last Tima and I had saved him from both insanity and death. It made him a little clingy.

  So how did I get to be the heart of the Intare, Tima to a pride of werelions? Well, I have this unique ability for stealing back the energy gods took from humans. I could drain their power completely, effectively stealing their magic and killing the god. Previously, I'd been the boogeyman of the god world, simply for hunting them but this new power was turning me into Dracula, Jason, and Freddy Krueger combined. I'd killed not one but two goddesses already, collecting numerous powers and an entire pride of werelions along the way. Oh, and a cool new palace.

  I was now the Goddess of Love, Sex, Victory, War, and Lions but I usually just simplified it to Love and Lions as Sex, Victory, and War were all a part of one goddess' power. Inside me curled a lioness just waiting for the chance to come out and play. Yes, I could turn into a huge cat. Then there was that little piece of Trevor inside me. The wolf soul had changed me a little and I had changed it as well. It had gone from male to female, now viewing Trevor's wolf as her mate. I know, it's a little strange but if you think that's odd, wait till you hear about my Nahual.

  My Aztec spirit animal is essentially the animal me, we all have them but most of us don't know about them. Through some deep meditation and a healthy dose of necessity, I connected with her. She's a white jaguar with beautiful golden spots and she was definitely in charge of my little menagerie. She regulated, like when the wolf and lion went at it, and settled things quickly. I know, talk about your internal battles.

  At least War, Sex, and Victory weren't animals and my Love magic took the less aggressive form of a flock of butterflies. Funny since, out of all of my magics, Love was the most powerful. Love could empower people to do great things or inspire them to evil. It could manipulate or guide, be a muse or a sadist. Love could start wars and finish them.

  When Aphrodite held the magic, she took it to a darker place. I liked to think that I saved it from her and that I would never abuse the power of love. It's a tricky magic though. Sometimes using it for what you believed to be good, could have unsettling repercussions. I was still new to it, still learning, but there were moments when I worried about turning into ol' Afro.

  We were watching Lord of the Rings the other day, my friend Tristan is a junkie and has to get an occasional LOTR fix, and we got to that part where Galadriel refuses to take the ring. For those two people out there who have never seen LOTR, Galadriel is an elf and the ring has enough power to level kingdoms. She goes through this whole enactment of what were to happen if she took the ring. She likes to think she'd do good with it but she knows in the end, she would become this dark goddess, using the power to dominate. It's a very striking image and it made me squirm a little. Would Love do that to me eventually? Or even one of the other magics? Or the combination of all of them? What would happen if I lost control or lost my mind?

  Thor had warned me once about taking too much. He wasn't sure how much my human body could hold or handle. He said that even though I was full of magic, it didn't make me an immortal and I needed to be careful or the magic could kill me. Pan had added to that with “Yeah, look at Horus, he's full of shit but that doesn't make him a toilet.” So if the threat of turning into an evil, murderous bitch wasn't bad enough, I had the whole dying thing to add to it. Good times.

  Dark Horses finished their set, much to the disappointment of the Monday night crowd, and dispersed into different directions. I watched the bassist, Ilario, head toward the bar but he got waylaid by a gaggle of women. I smiled as he smoothly wound his way through them and set a fresh course toward refreshment. I was watching his progress so intently, I didn't notice the lead singer coming up the steps behind me. Trevor did though.

  “Hey, Rain,” Trevor's greeting turned my head towards the stairs.

  Rain. Short for Rainieri. All the Horses were Italian but Rain was Roman, as in Roman Legionnaire. He smiled at me as he approached but it didn't reach his eyes. Maybe it was just me but Rain never seemed happy, never really at ease. I'm sure his female fans would disagree with me but every time I looked at him, the only thing I wanted was a stiff drink. He was the first man I'd ever met who my War magic responded to like a long lost friend. It leaped to attention when Rain was near, the sounds of battle seeming to fill my head for a moment. The screams of horses were the worst, innocent tools of battle struck down without thought, and for the first time, I wondered how many battles he'd fought in equine form.

  “Hey, Boss,” Rain answered in his quiet, low voice. It was like he saved all the volume for the stage. I'd never heard Rain speak to someone louder than mid-range. “Vervain,” his eyes were deep, chocolate brown, a color I wished my own muddy brown ones could be, and when he said my name, his voice matched them, becoming a purr worthy of any Intare.

  I felt Trevor tense beside me and shot a frantic look at my mate. There was the shadow side again, like Trevor's evil twin, jumping to the surface to cause havoc. He'd always been so easy going before, it was odd to see him behave this way. Not that I blamed him in the least. I would have left him if I had to put up with a pack of hot women hanging all over him but then I tended to bail on relationships for the smallest little thing. It was a flaw I was trying to work on, especially since Trevor became my guy.

  “You sounded great tonight,” I said lightly as I shot Rain my what the fuck look.

  “Thanks,” he leaned casually against the rail a little down from me and gave me a lazy grin. “I'm glad you enjoyed it.”

  Trevor began to growl.

  “Relax,” Rain laughed, “I was just teasing. Keeping you on your toes. Just because you got some werewolf bond going on, doesn't mean you should go lax on protecting your relationship.”

  “Our relationship is fine, thanks,” I frowned at him, wondering what his game was. I'd known Rain for two months and I'd already realized that the one thing he took from his Legionnaire days was an ability for strategy. He always had a plan.

  “Good,” Rain looked out over the crowd as if uninterested in the conversation. “If I were your man though, I'd do everything in my power to make sure you remained mine.” He straightened, winked at me and walked away.

  I stared after him, frowning as I saw him reach the bottom of the stairs and watched the throng wrap around him, the women making eager passes and the men wanting to shake his hand. What was he doing now? Why in the world would he want to mess with my love life? I was 99.9% sure he had no interest in me sexually, so I didn't think he was trying to break us up. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was Loki in disguise.

  The Trickster God happened to be Trevor's Grandpa but that didn't stop him from messing with me. Loki had forced me to fight Sif(Thor's ex-wife) to the death, thereby ensuring the death of either myself or my relationship with Thor. Obviously, it was the later. Hmmm, maybe Loki had been on Trevor's side after all. I never would have left Thor for Trevor otherwise. I hadn't thought about it like that before.

  When I looked back at Trevor, it was with new suspicion. Had he anything to do with it? He was the one who had told Loki where to find me. I shook my head. No, that was crazy. Trevor would never have knowingly put me into harm's way, if for no other reason than it would be risking his own life as well. Then again, maybe he viewed the risk worthwhile, and he did have an over abundance of confidence in my fighting skills. I'd bested him and his two brothers in a fight. It lent me a certain amount of credibility with the Froekn, I guess. But no, he wouldn't have done that to me. He loved me.

  “I love you,” he said suddenly, almost as if he read my mind. He pulled me over to a hill shaped couch, nestled back in some trees.

  “I love you too, honey-eyes,” I laughed, trying to let go of my dark thoughts, and snuggled into his side, pretending for just a moment that we were a normal couple. There were no werewolves, no werelions, no vampires, and no gods. Just us, in love for real.

  The thought made my teeth clench. For real? What did that mean? What we had was real wasn’t it? Why
couldn’t I just leave things alone and be happy? I always had to pick at my happiness and worry about it. Like there was only so much happiness allowed to one person and if you got too much, the Happy Police would knock down your door and take you away. “Sorry Ma’am, you’ve violated section 28.3 of the Happiness Code: Excessive happiness with a werewolf. I’m going to have to take you in.”

  “Hey, you okay?” Trevor tucked his face down to look at me.

  “I'm great,” I ran my fingers through the hair at his temple and he sighed, his eyes closing automatically. His body swayed forward, pushing me into the faux-grass covered back of our couch. I felt his arms wrap around me and then his mouth was on mine, ferocious and demanding. I finally pulled back, holding his face in my hands. “Are you okay?”

  “I just have this horrible feeling that you’re pulling away from me,” he shook his head and sighed. I didn’t know what else to do, so I lowered my hands to his shoulders and began to massage them.

  “I love you,” I sighed as the music faded into the background. “It’s just, sometimes I wonder how much of it’s magic.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You love me because of the Binding, baby,” I tried my hardest to be gentle. “Is it really love if you don’t have a choice?”

  “The Binding isn’t about love, it's about commitment,” he looked like he was about to throttle me. “It builds desire but only to solidify the commitment, the bond. When werewolves perform a Binding, it's assumed that love is already there. We wouldn't bind ourselves if it wasn't.”

  “So, it doesn't make you love me?” Boy had I misunderstood.

  “No, I love you because you’re amazing. I love you because you have the spirit of a witch and the heart of a Froekn. The Binding isn't what makes me love you. It’s just an excuse to stay with you, even if you stop loving me.”