Marked by Death (The Godhunter, Book 4) Read online

  “Rouva,” she gave me a quick bow before handing out her armload. I know, I have so many titles. This one meant Queen and was what the Froekn called me, as their highest ranking female, a rank I got simply from being Trevor's mate. Fallon gave me a plate of food, then helped Sam sit down. “I love it here,” she smiled as she looked around.

  I took in the African-esque landscape. Delicate trees dotted the wide expanse of land, broken only by a clear lake in the center and bordered by steep mountains all around. It was a predator’s paradise and was stocked with large amounts of game for precisely that purpose. Lions needed their meat and they needed to hunt for it.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty,” I smiled back at her. “We should invite all the Froekn over for a hunt sometime.”

  I winced, thinking of how my old self would have shied away from the thought of killing animals(even though I'd hypocritically enjoyed eating them) but my new self, which was home to a piece of Trevor’s werewolf soul, the untamed lioness magic, and my uniting jaguar Nahual(Aztec animal twin), understood that hunting was necessary. Circle of life and all that.

  I used to say I'd starve if I had to kill my own meat, now I looked forward to it.

  “Father would love that,” Trevor grinned mischievously and looked over my shoulder. “Wouldn’t you, Dad?”

  “What?” I turned sharply and saw Fenrir smiling down at me. “What are you doing here?” I jumped up and he caught me, hugging me close as our bond tingled between us.

  “The Intare wanted to surprise you,” he set me down and waved behind him at the Froekn, who were beginning to mingle with my lions. “They thought we should celebrate our recent victory together.”

  I looked over at Darius, the lion I left in charge while I was away, and he smiled broadly, his golden-boy good looks making the smile even brighter.

  “I hope you like our surprise, Tima.”

  “Thank you, Darius,” I transferred my smile to the werelion who came up to deliver a plate of food to Fenrir. “Thank you all. It was a great idea. This place needs more happiness poured into it.”

  A loud roar went up from the lions, followed by a swift, simultaneous bow and a shouted, “Tima!”

  I nodded back at them, overwhelmed by their devotion and perhaps blushing just a little. We recently had our first battle together and even though it wasn’t their battle, they’d chosen to fight beside me. We’d been lucky, no casualties, but the Froekn had lost a few wolves and I knew our lack of losses was exactly that… dumb luck. My lions hadn’t shown a shred of fear, even as they faced down Anubis’ regenerating werejackals, and I’d been so proud of them all.

  “Intare,” I shouted, instantly receiving everyone’s undivided attention. “My beautiful, brave lions. Your unfailing courage has given me strength and now your compassion has given me hope. The hope that my two families can live peacefully, as they have already fought fearlessly, beside each other. My Pride, you are true to those words. I am so proud to be your Tima.”

  My lions went wild, shouting, roaring, and stamping their feet, with calls of “Tima” filling the air.

  “Froekn,” I continued and looked to the wolves, “Valiant Ones, you too have lived up to your name. First you welcomed me into your family and now you embrace my lions with the same enthusiasm… some of you more than others,” I looked over at Samantha and there was a round of good-natured ribbing and laughter. “I'm blessed to be a part of you and honored to be your Rouva. Now let's enjoy our victory!”

  Another roar split the air, even more thunderous than the last, joined with werewolf howls. Fenrir’s hand came to my elbow, helping me sit back down before he took a seat next to Trevor. He winked at me with obvious approval and I flushed with pleasure. Fenrir was a great leader and I tried my best to emulate him. I was so glad he'd brought the Froekn to visit. It was just what my lions needed. We may not have had casualties during the battle but we'd known loss right before it.

  Demeter, mother to one of my best friends, had tortured and killed Al, one of my werelions, simply because she wanted to hurt me. Still recuperating from the horrors Nyavirezi, their last Tima, had put them through, Al's death had been hard on my men. It had been hard on me, subjecting me to a magical severing of the bond I shared with Al as his Tima. We pulled through it though, creating the first Intare ritual ever made, and these new friendships could only help my lions even more.

  “Nicely put, Daughter,” Fenrir's smile was full of his own pride.

  Trevor kissed me on the cheek. “I love you,” he said simply. “Aren’t you glad you got out of bed now?”

  “Yes,” I laughed and nudged him away so I could start eating. A girl’s gotta have her priorities.

  My shoulder flashed an icy pulse suddenly and I inhaled sharply as my head came up. Directly in front of me, standing right in the center of open grassland, was Anubis. The sun glinted off his sleek hair, bringing out the blue highlights and shining on the gold beads, as the breeze made it dance around his shoulders. His smile was serene as he stared at me and lifted a hand in greeting.

  “No,” I whispered, my breath coming in short gasps.

  Mine, a gentle voice drifted through my head before he disappeared.

  “Minn Elska,” Trevor’s voice matched his concerned expression. “What is it?”

  “Oh, nothing,” I laughed, the sound of it sounding a little too forced. “I thought for a second there that I was getting a bad case of heartburn.”

  Laughter, soft and seductive, poured through my mind and I tried desperately to block it out.

  “Here, have some water,” Samantha handed me a glass tumbler.

  “Thank you,” I gulped the cold liquid down but it only served to remind me of the numbness spreading from my shoulder. What the hell was I going to do?

  There’s nothing you can do, the voice inside me continued. I’ve already told you, Godhunter. I claimed you with my blade, you’re mine.

  “Shut up,” I whispered under my breath and then smiled at the curious glances around me.

  I too enjoyed your speech, there was a thoughtful pause. Even more interesting is the fact that you meant every word. You care for these creatures immensely.

  “Excuse me,” I stood up and everyone looked immediately concerned. “Relax, I just need to visit the ladies room.” They all smiled and settled back down as I made my way back to the palace, so I could talk to the voice inside my head without sounding crazy.

  I stalked up the wide steps, across the spacious veranda, and through the corridors of Pride Palace, grateful I could finally find my way on my own and hoping that Anubis would keep quiet just a little longer. I passed the library and the common room, all empty, and then the bedrooms flew by me before I finally came to the master suite situated at the center of the palace. As soon as I closed the door to my bedroom, I rounded on the intimate intruder.

  “Why do you sound so surprised that I care for them?” I hissed viciously. “Are you so evil that you’ve never loved anyone? Also... not creatures. They are Intare and Froekn. Shapeshifters or weres but not creatures.”

  Evil, the voice mused, skimming over the part that didn't interest him. I’ve never thought of myself as such. The very nature of my office demands neutrality. I don’t believe I’m evil.

  “That’s like an insane person swearing they’re not crazy,” I paced back and forth, frowning at how much I was starting to resemble an insane person.

  You’re not insane, the voice was steady and calm.

  “Stop that. What are you doing, reading my thoughts now, too?”

  My mind is melded with yours at the moment, a tinge of condescension crept in, of course I can read your thoughts. You don’t have to speak out loud. You’re mine; you can speak to me through thoughts whenever you wish.

  “Stop saying that! I’m not yours!” I took a deep breath when I realized I’d been screaming. “I’m the Godhunter and a witch,” I said more calmly. “I’m Rouva to the Froekn, mate to the Firstborn, and Tima to the Intare. I do not be
long to you. I just don’t have the space on my dance card, sorry.”

  Rich, warm laughter shook through me before it was suddenly terminated in shocked silence. Yeah, I did that to gods a lot. Shocked them because I made them laugh. Gods were usually too serious for their own good and they rarely expected someone to knock them out of their stoicism. Then I show up, Wolverine gloves over jazz hands. I'll crack a joke in the middle of a fight if I can manage it.

  The silence stretched out and I started to relax, thinking he’d left, but then he spoke up. You cannot sway me with your comedy. You attacked Death and now you must pay the price. I will humble you beneath my boot and you will beg for more. The bite of slavery will be all the more harsh for you because of your new found nobility but you’ll bear it because your body will not be able to deny me. You’ll not even be able to escape me in death because I am Death and I’ll deny you. You’re mine forever.

  “Fuck you!” Okay, so it wasn’t the sharpest come back but it was all I could think of at the time. He had pushed all the right buttons and taken me over the line from mad to enraged. Very few people could do that, mad yes, enraged no.

  Yes, that will be a part of it as well, the laughter was back, as you’ve already seen.

  “You dog headed, son of a bitch!” I screamed, noting in the back of my mind how appropriate that insult was. “Bring it on. I’ll suck you dry alright, but it’ll be your magic I’m drinking down and I won’t be the one on my knees!”

  All I got in response was more laughter that slowly faded away. Evidently Anubis wasn't as impressed with my ability to take back the power gods had taken from us humans. So far, I'd killed two goddesses with my new talent, taking their magic for my own, but that didn't seem to faze Anubis. Which made me very nervous.

  I looked out the wall of widows across from me that showcased my beautiful butterfly courtyard and headed for the French doors that opened onto it. I needed a little serenity before I headed back outside to be with the others and the verdant tropical courtyard was just the thing.

  I opened the doors and stepped into the thick perfume of jasmine, vanilla orchids, and honeysuckle. Immediately, brilliant hued butterflies flew around me and I felt my heartbeat start to wind down.

  Butterflies were a powerful symbol for me, they were the form my love magic took. All my different magics had some kind of form I could see when I looked inward, but the butterflies resounded the most symbolically with me. A fragile looking thing but its power to transform was the strongest of all my magic. It calmed me to remember that I was not simply a human witch anymore. I would not be taken so easily.

  I lifted a hand and a shimmering blue butterfly landed on it. Its wings flapped slowly, hypnotically, and I smiled as its tiny legs lifted and lowered on my fingertip. Anubis may think I'm just a tiny bug he can squash but he's going to discover that my fragile form houses some very powerful magic... and there's always room for more.

  Chapter Four

  “Loki!” I shouted as I plowed into the gorgeous god. I hadn't been paying attention to my surroundings as I headed back to the party. My thoughts were still too focused on Anubis.

  “You look a bit distracted, Granddaughter.”

  Yep, Loki was now technically my grandfather. He's Trevor's grandpa and as Trevor's mate, the connection extends to me. Initially, I'd used the title to taunt him, he wasn't so keen on the idea of being someone's gramps, he was more into causing mayhem and death but recently, Loki had a change of heart. He realized that life wasn't all that great without your family and he'd made a huge effort to get them back. Part of that effort had been saving my life, so I'd forgiven Loki his past mistakes and he was now welcome in my home.

  “Just trying to remember where everything is in this place,” I laughed and gave him a quick hug.

  It still felt so strange to be hugging him after all the things he'd done to me. Starting with stealing my Wolverine gloves and ending with severing my relationship to Thor. Thor, who hadn't gotten on the Forgive Loki train. Thor, who still blamed me as well as Loki, for the ending of our relationship. Thor, who I'd finally been able to let go of, in my heart and my head. I just couldn't take his drama anymore.

  Besides, I had so many other relationships to deal with. I was connected to seventy-seven lions now, as close as a sister to them all. If I wanted to, I could tell you where each of them were at any given moment. That was how deep our ties were. Then there was the Froekn, my werewolf family through Trevor, who I wasn't as intimately connected to as I was to my Intare but who were family nonetheless. There was also the God Squad, the group of gods who fought beside me in the god war, they were like family to me as well, even Horus who acted like he couldn't stand me.

  Then there was Trevor of course, my main squeeze and boy was he squeezable. I had nothing to complain about when it came to my lover. Maybe if I had, my life would have been easier. Because now, on top of all that, I had Odin.

  Well I guess I didn't really have him anymore. I'd told Odin our relationship couldn't go anywhere in this life, even though I'd been his wife in another. Even though he'd given up his eye to bring me back from the dead, and even though we had raised two sons together, one ours and one his by blood and mine by adoption. I considered Vali as much my son as Vidar though, even if I hadn't given birth to him.

  So yeah, Intare, Froekn, the God Squad, Trevor, Odin, and two sons from a previous life. I wasn't kidding when I'd told Anubis my dance card was full. I just couldn't worry over Thor anymore, I didn't have the time. Also, I didn't have the desire to.

  “May I escort you back to the party?” Loki held an arm out to me.

  “Of course,” I slid my hand over his forearm. I was determined to make an effort with Loki. I fully believed in second chances. We all mess up sometimes.

  “Your home is beautiful,” he offered as we walked back into the sunshine. “I was just having a look around. I'm in love with that library. Those bay windows give an amazing view of your land.”

  “Yeah, it rocked my world a little too,” I grinned up at him. “Hey, you wouldn't happen to know how it is that we manage to get cable up here, would you?”

  “You do?” His brows shot up. “Nyavirezi must have been stronger than I thought. You have to establish a line through the Aether which stays open constantly. There's probably a focus object its tied to. There would have to be one here and then one in the Human Realm, creating anchors for the bridge. It's very difficult to do, the only other god I've known to accomplish it is Odin.”

  “Right, Odin,” I frowned. He had some kind of device in which he could see anywhere in the world. It also caught cable. I'd teased him about it. “His Santa TV.”

  “Santa TV?”

  “Yeah, you know; he sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake,” I sang as Loki started to laugh.

  “Oh, I'm so calling Odin, Santa the next time I see him,” he laughed some more. “I may have to take up caroling.”

  “I've actually been thinking about buying him a Santa hat,” I giggled.

  “Oh no, please,” Loki stopped and gripped my hand earnestly. “Allow me to give him the hat. I can't express how much joy it would give me.”

  “Anything for you, Grandpa,” I laughed and he went back to escorting me to my wolf. He stopped just short of the tent though and I looked up at him in question.

  “So this is what it feels like,” he said quietly as he watched Fenrir talking to Trevor.

  “What's that?”

  “Caring,” he swallowed hard. “It's a little frightening.”

  “Yeah, but its worth it.”

  “I'm starting to see that,” Loki smiled and I was caught off guard by it. Not because he was smiling, Loki's Cheshire cat grins were infamous, it was because he was smiling like a first-time father, with his heart in his eyes.

  Chapter Five

  Moonshine was a nightclub for supernaturals, whether they were gods, witches, vamps, or shifters. It was in an old warehouse on the outskirts of Honolulu th
at had been redone to look like a forest. After making your way through a rather normal entrance room, you’d find yourself in wonderland. Unless you were a VIP, aka supernatural, then you'd have to go through the VIP room where you’d be required to make a binding oath preventing you from using magic on the premises.

  Trust me, it was necessary.

  The warehouse bones were concealed under forest murals and a combination of fake and living foliage. On the ground floor, trees grew up to the ceiling, stretching their graceful limbs across the soft green dance floor, where they grew further apart to accommodate the dancers. Back toward the walls though, they were closer together, creating intimate spots of semi-seclusion. If you looked closely, you'd find sculptures in the branches; fairies, dragons, and griffons along with more mundane animals. The paper lanterns that were hung randomly about, helped light the hidden treasures and kept the dark from being to thick.

  There were tables shaped like boulders and seats meant to look like little grass hills. The bar was on one end, a large piece of weather-roughened slate with bar stools carved from tree trunks. It was manned, as everything was, by Froekn but soon there would be some Intare on the payroll. A few of my lions had asked Trevor about employment and he had agreed. The bar was actually half mine but Trevor had paid for it, had in fact, created it to give his family something to do besides kill people for a living. So I let him make the hiring decisions.

  Behind the bar was Trevor's office and the DJ booth. Off to the left and in front of it, nestled in the trees, was a brand new wood stage, its' edges hidden by a plethora of plants. There were subtle lights focused on the platform, suggesting that Dark Horses would probably be making an appearance later.

  The horse shifter band was pretty much the only live entertainment we brought in. Which is why we didn't even have a stage until recently. Trevor had thought it would be more intimate to have bands play in the trees instead of having them raised on a platform. But that was before he hired Dark Horses and discovered how aggressive the group's fans could become during a set. So he finally relented and had a proper stage built. The compromise was to camouflage it so it would fade into the club's décor.