Green Tea and Black Death (The Godhunter, Book 5) (2 page)

   “
Someone’s trying to get past vards?” Kirill was in the doorway, looking gorgeous despite being sleep tousled, and sounding sexy with his deep Russian accent, which I hoped he never got rid of.

   “
No, I just had a bad dream,” I gestured for him to sit on the bed with us. “It’s Xi Wangmu. She’s just gotten under my skin.”

   “
Not literally I hope.” Kirill grimaced, keeping his post in the doorway. “Remember she’s plague goddess as vell as tiger voman.”

   “
What do you think gave me the nightmare,” I frowned at his remoteness, “and the whole reason we were chasing her all around Chinatown tonight. I can’t have her causing another outbreak down there. Sit down, honey.”

   “
I can’t, Tima,” he took a quick look over his shoulder. “Ve have guest.”

   “
Oh shit,” I groaned and plopped back into bed, “I forgot.”

   “
I heard that,” Thor called from the living room.

   “
Is that Thor?” Trevor was already crawling out of the opening at the foot of the bed. “What the hell is he doing here?”

   “
You used to be so sweet,” I sighed. “My gentle wolf, who never complained or minded anything I did, as long as you could be near me. How wonderful life was. Now look at you.”

  “
That’s what happens when you take a wolf to mate, Minn Elska,” he grinned wolfishly… yes, that was the best way to describe it. “I’m you’re alpha, it changes everything.”

   “
Oh, is that what it is?” I followed him out of bed. “I thought you just enjoyed tormenting me.”

   “
That too,” he growled low in his throat as he pulled me into a hug and nuzzled my neck.

   “
I go make coffee and see to guest,” Kirill subtly reminded me of why I shouldn’t start anything with Trevor at the moment.

   “
Right,” I pulled away and went to my closet. “There’s a thunder god waiting in my living room.”

   “
And a thunder
storm
waiting in your bed, if you don’t handle this right,” Trevor’s growl lost that seductive quality I so enjoyed.

   “
What’s that supposed to mean?” I threw on a light cotton dress and turned to eye him.

   “
I don’t want Thor to be one of your lovers,” he crossed his arms and leaned back against the door.

   “
I never asked you to consider him,” I looked over his rigid stance. “I don't even want him to be considered. I'm over Thor.”

  
Trevor had been through a lot, what with binding himself to me because I saved his life, then becoming my lover, then discovering I was Odin’s wife in a previous life and mother to Vidar as well as an adoptive mother to Vali, and then having to deal with the lioness magic that made me take multiple lovers or go insane and attack men on the street. I'm not kidding, I would turn into a rapist if I didn't have multiple men in my life. Though with most men, it probably wouldn't be rape. Men are so easy.

  
He was actually handling everything pretty well, considering that I just added Odin as a third lover to my collection. He’d been okay with Kirill, having already accepted him into our home, but Odin he envied for our past relationship and was insanely jealous of our instant bond. He’d only allowed our intimacy because he saw how much it hurt me to be apart from Odin, and he’d placed conditions on it too… mainly he didn’t want to see us together. Which I was totally okay with. I just spent time with Odin alone.

   “
I know you loved Thor,” Trevor broke through my musing. “I can’t take another man you’ve had such a strong tie with. I just can’t. Please don’t ask me to, Vervain.”

   “
Honey-Eyes,” I wrapped myself around him and he crumpled into me. “You know you have the final say. I promise you, I will never take another man to my bed that you don’t approve of. I’m more than content with the way things are and hopefully the magic will be too and I won’t even need to take another lover but if I do, then we’ll discuss it together and you’ll get the deciding vote, okay?”

   “
Okay,” he mumbled into my hair, his huge frame curled completely around my short one. I could feel his hands curling through my hip-length hair and I couldn’t help but return the favor to his shoulder-length locks.

   “
Besides,” I gently pushed his face up so I could look at him. His amber colored eyes were a little red and it made my chest clench. “I couldn’t go back to Thor, he’s Odin’s son and how gross would that be?”

   “
You’ve already been with him,” a crease appeared under the hang of an errant curl on his forehead.

   “
That was before I knew about Odin,” I pushed his hair back, “before I had been with Odin. Now it would be just a little too backwoods for my taste.”

  
He laughed, just a little but enough that I could finally relax and leave him to use the bathroom before I went out to face Thor. I didn’t expect that confrontation to go nearly as well.

Chapter Three

   Thor was waiting as calmly as possible, sitting at the hand-carved Chinese table, in my Asian themed dining room, with a cup of coffee in his hands. As calmly as possible for
him
, which meant his leg was steadily twitching and the cup was in danger of cracking.

  
Kirill had bought big, manly cups after he’d been living with us for only a week. He couldn’t stand the dainty Royal Copenhagen teacups I preferred. He said they couldn’t hold more than a of couple sips. I said they were beautiful, were the perfect size for me, and were a nice little luxury to start my day with. I was thankful for the new additions now though, and even more thankful that it was one of them that Thor was holding.

   “
Thor,” I sat down across from him and Kirill instantly set one of my little cups in front of me. It already had coffee with cream and sugar in it. I smiled my thanks at him as he sat next to me. Trevor was still in the bathroom and part of me hoped he’d stay there and let us have this conversation without him.

   “
How are you, darling?”

  
Shit, he was taking low blows already. Trevor wouldn’t be happy. As it turns out though, it wasn't just him I had to worry about. A low rumbling suddenly indicated that Kirill wasn’t so pleased either. I looked over at him in surprise.

   “
I velcome you into our home,” Kirill's blue eyes brightened and narrowed on Thor, “and you insult me by being overly familiar vith my voman?”

   “
Whoa,” I sat back and stared at this new Kirill. I mean I knew he was fierce, hell I was the one who brought him back from the brink of insanity, but I’d never seen him defend me as my lover. Of course, he and I being lovers was still a fairly new concept.

  
Thor took a deep breath and narrowed his gaze as well. The temperature in the room went down a few degrees and a slight breeze started to lift our hair.

   “
Stop it, Thor,” I snapped my fingers in his face. “Kirill’s right, we’re not together anymore, and this is his home now too. You need to respect that.”

   “
Vervain,” Thor sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. The temperature regulated and the breeze petered out. “Alright, fine. I apologize, Kirill. I just miss her… a lot.”

   “
Forgotten,” Kirill smiled gently… now there was the lion I was used to.

   “
What’s forgotten?” Trevor came into the room and took the seat on my right.

   “
I don’t know,” I giggled, “I can’t remember.”

   “
Just misunderstanding, Alpha,” Kirill slid a mug of coffee over to Trevor, whose mood was known to improve drastically with the addition of caffeine. We were a lot alike in that respect.

   “
Mmmm,” Trevor said distractedly as he eyed Thor over the rim of his mug.

   “
I suppose it would be too much to ask for, to have a moment alone with Vervain?” Thor eyed Trevor back.

   “
Yep,” my alpha said cheerfully.

   “
Fine,” Thor looked over at me. “I think we should keep this link between us open. You blocked me out before but it could come in handy if you ever need back up.”

   “
I thought you were angry with me,” I patted Trevor’s thigh when I noticed him tensing up.

   “
I got over it,” he looked at me and it was like nothing separated us, no lovers, no arguments, no time. I didn't like that look. It was dangerous and I wanted it as far away from me as possible. “And you know why I was mad.”

   “
So all you want is to keep our connection open?” I took a sip of my coffee, Kona, yum.

   “
You could have called about that,” Trevor narrowed his gaze.

   “
I was shocked last night to find Vervain in my head again,” Thor gave me a look that spoke volumes and it was all I could do, not to blush.

  
I’d forgotten how it was when we were together. I could send him images easier than words. He must’ve seen everything I was thinking in relation to him. There’d been some pretty racy images bombarding me and there was no way he’d believe I wasn’t interested in him anymore, after sharing them. I almost groaned. If I’d known my thoughts were going to be monitored, I never would have had them. Or I would’ve shielded first at least.

  
The messed up thing was, I really didn't want Thor anymore. You can't help reminiscing about past lovers. I mean, come on, I was thinking about Thor and my mind wandered. It's just memories. It doesn't erase what happened between us and it doesn't mean I still want him. In fact, I was pretty certain that Thor was best as a memory.

   “
I needed to see her,” Thor continued and I suddenly realized why he was there. I was about to be blackmailed.

   “
What do you want, Thor?”
I spoke to him in my head.

   “
I want you, darling,”
he spoke back in the same manner, as my men watched us curiously.

   “
Well, you saw her,” Trevor broke in. “Now you can go.”

   “
You’re practically the last person who could have me right now,”
I ignored Trevor for the moment, continuing the silent conversation.
“I don't think we're good together. Even if I did, my alpha won’t have it and your antagonizing him, isn’t helping matters.”

   “
We still haven’t established what we’re going to do about our connection,” he said out loud before adding in my head.
“You still want me, darling and I still want you…more than anything. We’re not over.”

   “
No I don't and yes we are,”
I sent to him before continuing out loud. “I’ll keep the connection open enough to use it if necessary. Thank you for stopping by, Thor. I’m glad you’re not upset anymore. I don't enjoy fighting with you.”

  
I stood up and all the men stood with me. It was nice to be around gentlemen, even if they also happened to be shifters and gods. I walked Thor to the door as he continued to talk to me in my head.

   “
I’m desperate, Vervain,”
Thor shot at me.
“Do you know how hellish it is to watch you with other men and know that I can’t have you? It’s going to stop. I’m going to get you back, no matter what I have to do.”

  
Before I could respond, he traced out, not even bothering to step out the door. I looked back at my men as they began to growl in unison. And they hadn't even heard the worst of it. Great, just great.

Chapter Four

   “Why are you here, exactly?” Odin looked straight at Trevor, even though Kirill and I had come to visit as well.

   “
You need to do something about him,” Trevor was pacing while the rest of us, including my son Vidar, were seated comfortably in the fur-covered seats near the hearth of Valaskjálf's great hall. Vali was out hunting in the forest of Asgard, as usual.

   “
You want me to do something about Thor?” Odin’s single remaining eye widened considerably.

   “
You’re his father, aren’t you?” Trevor stopped his pacing to glare at my other lover.

  
It was hard for me to see them like this. Usually Trevor didn’t accompany me to Valaskjálf, Odin’s silver hall, where we’d once lived as a married couple back when I’d been Sabine. Who I kind of still was but let's not get into that. Trevor didn’t want to see us together. He didn’t want to see this place. He didn’t want it shoved in his face that I had grown old here with Odin as my husband, and I couldn’t blame him.