Courting Mortality (Brothers of Fate Book 1) (6 page)

Marley pulled on her favorite bathrobe, and tried to sink into the fluffy terry cloth. She toweled her hair dry, scowled at the fog on the mirror, and left her bathroom behind. The shower hadn’t helped chase away her confusion. Was ten am too early to drink?

She made her way to her living room. When she’d climbed back to the road, leaving Eli and Loki in the clearing, she realized she didn’t have her phone on her. She normally kept it mounted on her dashboard when she drove, because she liked listening to music in the car but hated morning radio programs.

There was no way she was walking back into that clearing. Her logic circuits couldn’t handle that sight again. Especially as other pieces of her memory started to click into place. Odd things she’d seen Eli do in the past. Accepting she’d watched him crush steel plates, and make flashlights glow, and get knocked into a tree by a ball of lightning and not die, meant admitting to concepts she wasn’t ready to deal with.

So instead of calling the auto club, she’d walked until someone picked her up. She’d been covered in blood, so that had taken a while.

It was nice to finally be home. She just wished she understood what had happened. She still couldn’t wrap her brain around what took place in the clearing. And she couldn’t get rid of the pit in her gut, either. Couldn’t ignore how incredible the night before had been. And how it was apparently a lie. Or a joke. Or something. She didn’t even know anymore.

Part of her brain asked why someone would set up such an elaborate prank just for her. Or for anyone, really. Unless she was on hidden camera. She resisted the urge to look around her.

That same part of her insisted she couldn’t rationalize this away. The pieces didn’t click into any explanation other than the one Eli had given her. But gods? No. It wasn’t true. She was remembering things wrong. She’d rolled her car. Even if she had walked away unscathed, she had to have hit her head, for there to be so much blood. Never mind that she hadn’t found a wound. Her memory couldn’t be trusted.

A knock on the door jerked her from the rationalizations. Eli? No. She shoved the hope aside. She didn’t want to see him. Not ever again. Even though just thinking something so final pricked her eyelids. It was probably a…

She didn’t even know. Her gut flipped in on itself and she pulled her robe tighter around her, when she opened the door and saw who was on the other side.

“I had to make sure you were all right.” Loki’s cold tone didn’t match the sympathetic statement.

Ice snaked down her spine, erasing the warm comfort of the shower she’d just left behind. “I’m fine. Thank you. But I think you need to leave.” She swung the door shut as she talked.

He didn’t say anything else, and the door latched shut between them. She snapped the deadbolt into place, and an irrational fear pulsed inside. Why didn’t she have more locks?

“I’m not a vampire.” Loki’s voice startled her, and she whirled. He stood in the middle of her living room. “You don’t have to invite me in. Knocking was only a courtesy.”

Her pulse screamed into overdrive, carrying a whisper of terror with it. She swallowed it all. How had he done that? A magician’s trick or something. There was no way Eli’s story was true. Was there? “How did you know where I live?”

He held up her phone. “You left this in the clearing. Who actually keeps their own address in their contact list?”

“What do you want?” It was the most she could manage without her voice shaking.

Phone still in his hand, he sank onto her sofa, and leaned back. “You’re a really rude hostess. Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?”

She forced steel into her voice. Whoever this asshole thought he was, she wouldn’t be intimidated. “You’re not a guest. Answer my question or leave. Both, preferably.”

“Smart, mouthy, obnoxious… No wonder Eli loves you.”

Love. The word slid past her entire jumble of thoughts, and tugged at her heart. She pushed the reaction aside. “Eli doesn’t love me. Eli is terrified of commitment.”

Loki shrugged. “Believe what you want. You’re right about the second one…” He trailed off. “Anyway. All that matters is you believe it, and so does he. It means I succeeded.”

He was being cryptic, right? There was no way she was just being dim. His words didn’t make any sense. Was he insane? Normal, rational people didn’t break into their brother’s employee’s apartments. Right? Especially not to make vague small talk? She needed to get him out of here. He’d tossed her phone on the coffee table less than a foot away. If she called the cops, would they get here before he could do something?

Call Eli.

She banished the thought immediately. Trusting Eli hadn’t done her a lot of good to date. Not if he was keeping things from her like being a god who had a psychotic brother.

Loki stood, and was directly in front of her in a few short strides.

Panic joined her mounting fear, and she stepped back. Or she tried. Her feet wouldn’t move. Her panic grew. She tried to put her arms up, to twist, to turn, but it was like something invisible had bound her.

He traced a finger down the side of her face, over her jaw, and along her collarbone. His touch made her skin crawl. An odd tone lined his voice. “I only ever wanted one date. Just to give you a test-drive. But no, you had to fall hard and fast for my brother from day one.”

She hadn’t fallen for anyone. Well, maybe she had, but not that quickly. She struggled harder, but nothing moved. His tone terrified her. What was going on?

“Don’t misunderstand.” He dipped his head toward hers, and trailed his nose along her neck, breath hot as he spoke. “This isn’t some misplaced crush. I just wanted to know if you were any good in bed.” He tugged the edge of her bathrobe. It wasn’t enough to pull it open, but it left more of her chest exposed. “Not that it matters now. The game is almost over. Or at least, your part in it is.”

“What game?” She could still talk. Every inch of her itched to recoil from his touch.  What was he going to do with her? Helplessness made her pull harder at her invisible bonds, but it didn’t do any good. Shit, he really was a god. Or something equally terrifying, and he had her bound and helpless.

“Life. Yours, anyway.” He smiled, and she swore he was part wolf at that moment. Looking to play with his food before he killed it. “Everyone’s life is a game.” He traced a finger over her lips. “Here’s the thing about the
curse
. Eli is a bit narcissistic.” He chuckled. “I guess it runs in the family. But he hides it better than the rest of us. He’s only ever focused on that one verse. The one bit he thought related to him.”

Reality sank deeper the harder she tried and failed to break free of whatever held her prisoner. Every moment spent with Loki stole more of her hope, and she was pretty sure snapped another thread of her sanity. But at least while he was monologuing, he wasn’t doing anything else. “What are you talking about?”

“He always ignored the part about ruling our father’s kingdom. Dad can’t stay in charge forever. Eli always glosses over the bit that says the first son to discover his happiness will rule the kingdom, with his partner by his side. He ignores it, because he’s already decided he’s destined to lose his true love, if he ever finds her.”

Loki tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed her hard. He pressed close, every inch of his hard frame rubbing against her. His tongue forced its way into her mouth, as he held her captive. Her skin threatened to crawl away from both his touch and the power in it.

He broke away and stepped back. “Meh. Not sure what the big deal is about you.” His gaze raked over her. “But Eli’s not as bright as he thinks he is, so to each his own. The thing is, he thinks confessing his love to you is going to kill you. That whole, ‘She’ll draw her last mortal breath’ thing. It doesn’t mean death. It means your immortality. I’m not guessing this. Not the way he did. I know. It’s happened before.

“But this works in my favor—his belief of your impending doom. As long as you don’t believe he loves you, and he won’t admit it to himself, you’ll just die when I kill you. BAM!”

The shouted word made her jump. Tears of fear pricked her eyelids. He was insane. A mad god held her captive in her own living room. Her heart threatened to hammer out of her chest. “If he doesn’t believe it, you don’t have to kill me.”

Loki smirked and winked at her. “Nice try. Thing is, even if he won’t admit it, it’s true. He almost burst a blood vessel just watching me flirt with you, and sweetheart, you’re not close to worth my time. Watching you die…that’s going to devastate him. It’ll be centuries before he even looks at another woman the way he looks at you. And that’s plenty of time to make sure he’s not the heir.”

She licked her lips. It was the only thing she could do, besides talk. “But he doesn’t love me. I promise.” It hurt to say, but she was certain. “And I’m never going to see him again.”

“You’re right again about that second point.” He rested a palm on her bare chest, directly over her hammering heart. “But this time, he won’t be able to bring you back. I know how to stop that from happening.”

*

Eli sank back against his door, frustration pumping through him. He needed to keep his thoughts busy. He needed to not think about Marley. And he needed to find Loki. He could fly, but he didn’t have his brother’s ability to teleport. So he’d spent the last several hours calling everyone he knew—every place Loki might be—trying to track the fucker down.

Nothing.

He had to find him. Had to make sure Marley was safe. His phone buzzed in his hand, and he looked at it in an instant. The text from a blocked number made his heart sink and every inch of him ache in frustration and fury.

You should have stayed away.

No. Bile rose in his throat. It wasn’t real. The message was a joke.

His toes twitched in his shoes. Except he couldn’t take that chance. He burst through the front door, flying toward Marley’s apartment for the second time that day. He reached her apartment within ten minutes, the longest of his existence. His heart sank when she didn’t answer his knocks. He tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.

He rushed into the apartment, and froze just a few steps in. Marley sat in an easy chair, bathrobe spilling open, empty prescription and vodka bottles on the table in front of her. No.

He closed the distance between them without another thought, and pressed his fingers to her throat for a pulse.

Her skin was cold. She wasn’t breathing. She didn’t have a heartbeat. He closed his eyes, and repeated the gesture that was all too familiar after the last week. Hands at the back of her neck to hold her head steady. Thumbs against her throat, near the veins.

He reached inside her, looking for the spark he needed to pull her back. She can’t be gone. This isn’t real.

He couldn’t find what he needed. That tiny warmth that would indicate she was still connected to her life, however tentatively.

He dove deeper. It had to be there. He had to pull her out. He rested his forehead against hers, despair sinking into him. “Please wake up, Marley.” The words spilled out without him processing them. “Please. I love you so much. You can’t do this. I’m not worth it.” He pressed his lips to hers. But there was nothing there. She was gone.

“Wow. You’re a real romantic, aren’t you? Too little too late, eh bro?” Loki’s taunt shoved Eli’s grief aside, and replaced it with rage.

Of course his brother was here. Eli knew surrender wasn’t Marley. That she’d never have done something like this to herself.

Something inside Eli snapped. Eons of fury, frustration, and putting up with Loki’s shit tore through him. He lunged at Loki, unfiltered rage driving him. He wrapped a hand around Loki’s throat, pouring all of his power into the grip, and slammed him in into the nearest wall. He wanted to threaten his brother, but was too furious to find his voice.

For the first time in their existence, he swore he saw fear in Loki’s eyes. Good. Loki needed to pay. Marley’s was the last life he would destroy.

“Eli.” Marley’s familiar voice speared through his haze, and he swore his heart stopped. Some of his fury evaporated in confusion. His grip loosened, but he didn’t let go of Loki.

Loki’s fear vanished, and was replaced with irritation. “Ancestors damn it.” His body flickered into the ethereal, and then re-solidified under Eli’s touch.

“You’re not leaving. Not yet.” Marley’s voice was cold.

Eli didn’t know what was happening, but he knew Loki wasn’t going to live through it. He tightened his grip again.

“Stop.” Marley’s hand rested on his arm, her skin soft against his, calling to his heart. A familiar, but foreign electricity seeped into him. Why did she feel powerful? Marley didn’t have that kind of touch. “Eli. You and I need to talk.” To Loki, she said, “And I really should let him kill you. Not that I could stop him.”

Loki shrugged. “It doesn’t really work that way.”

“I didn’t think immortality was an actual thing until today,” Marley said. “I was wrong. Maybe you are, too.”

Was this confusion what Marley had felt like in the clearing? Except the pieces were clicking in Eli’s head. The things Loki had said about the curse being more than it seemed, the specificity of the words last
mortal
breath, it was all starting to make sense. He’d revel in Marley not only being alive, but possibly being immortal in a moment. First he had to get rid of the immediate threat. “Explain after I destroy him.”