Green Tea and Black Death (The Godhunter, Book 5) (6 page)

   “
Do you know where he is?” I turned to look at Kirill.

  “
He’s at Moonshine,” his voice was the barest whisper. I immediately tried to sit up but he pulled me back down. “Leave him be for now, Tima. He needs to heal and come to terms vith vat you’ve done.”

   “
It was only a kiss,” I leaned back in defeat.

   “
Not to Trevor,” Kirill kissed me to soften the words. “He saw it as betrayal. Let him be for now, he’ll come around. He loves you.”

   “
I think I may have been under the influence of more than just alcohol,” I mused, a nagging feeling filling my gut.

   “
Vat do you mean?”

   “
I was really intoxicated.”

   “
Da, I know zis.”

   “
Yes, and when have you ever seen me so drunk? Especially now that I've had a drink from the Grayel. I can usually drink like a fish and have no problems.”

   “
You zink Anubis put magic in drink?” Kirill frowned and started to growl.

   “
I don't know,” I sighed. “Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse but honestly, Kirill, now that I'm sober, I don't want anything to do with Anubis. How could a few drinks change my mind so completely?”

   “
I don't zink zey could,” Kirill shook his head. “I still zink we should vait on telling Trevor zough. He's not ready to hear anyzing from you.”

   “
So I’m just supposed to just sit here and wait?” I glared up at him. “I don’t wait well.”

   “
Nyet,” he chuckled and nipped my nose. “You’re much too impatient. Maybe zis is good lesson for you.”

   “
Fuck you, Kirill.”

   “
Now zat’s best offer I’ve had in days,” he lowered his mouth to mine.

  
I suddenly realized how unfair I’d been to my lion. He cared for me too and I'd neglected him. I didn’t just have one lover to worry about anymore. I had three and a whole pride of Intare to take care of as well. I couldn’t afford to let my pain keep me bedridden… well, unless it was in a more productive way.

  
Kirill growled as he felt me respond, my arms pulling him closer and my tongue fighting his. I pulled back and pushed him over, straddling him and trapping him in a tangle of his own hair. Thoughts of Trevor eased back a little as I leaned over my black lion, his blue eyes burning up at me.

   “
Kirill,” his name a prayer, an adoration. “I love you. I could be happy with only you. If not for the magic, I could.”

   “
If not for magic,” he pulled me down and licked at a hanging breast, “ve vouldn’t be togezer at all. I’m zankful for lioness magic, it brought me you, my savior,” he pulled my face to his. “My Queen,” the kiss he placed on my lips was chaste. “My love,” he deepened it then, till we were writhing together, wrapped in the silk of hair and sheets.

  
I’d been with Kirill before, just the two of us, but it had never been like this. It was like the knowledge of us truly being alone for the first time, was affecting our passion. It was all new; his body suddenly undiscovered territory, his heart mine for the first time. My hands wandered over him ceaselessly, learning and memorizing him as my lips followed.

  
He groaned and it was the sweetest music to me, sending shivers down my arms. I feasted on him, nipping and licking him from his ears to his stomach before he grabbed me by both arms and threw me back to the mattress. His teeth met with the tender flesh of my stomach, nipping and biting. He worked his way up and over my chest, leaving light red marks in his wake. My back arched involuntarily, propelling a breast into his mouth. He laved at it and slid a hand between my legs, rubbing and then parting me.

  
Then his mouth was over that tender spot, a hot tongue splitting me in two and a growl sending me over the edge with its vibration. He worked me, growling and licking, til I was wet and then shot up, sliding in with a single thrust, a feat harder to accomplish than it sounds but made easier with my intense desire.

   “
Man in me does vant you all to self,” his eyes caught mine with the intensity only Kirill could achieve. “Zat part of me is selfishly rejoicing to have you alone,” his hands were at the sides of my face, holding me in case I thought to escape his words. “But lion in me misses my brozer and mourns to see you in pain. I’m so torn, Tima. How do I love you? How do you vant me to love you now?”

   “
Like there is only you and I,” I whispered and pulled his face closer, his long, black hair falling around us and blocking out the world. “Forget the others, forget the magic, and just love me…Vervain, not your Tima. Can you love the woman without the guise of a goddess?”

  
His eyes brightened, “Both man and beast in me have loved you, before I even knew you vere my Tima. It vas you who called me from my hell, your heart zat spoke to mine ven it couldn't hear. I love
you
, Vervain, I vill always love you.”

  
I held onto him as he showed me how much he loved me, over and over, until I could finally think about facing the world without Trevor.

Chapter Eight

   “
How is she?” The familiar voice drifted through my dreams, warming me and pulling me away from them.

   “
She’s doing better,” Kirill was in the hall, his voice echoed down to me.

  
I groaned as I sat up, dislodging Nick, who was sleeping on my pillow. A kitty technique to calm my head. I scratched his chin as he blinked hopeful green eyes up at me. There was movement from the hall and then my bedroom door was opening.

   “
Tima?” Kirill’s starkly handsome face peered around the door. “Are you up for a visitor?”

   “
Odin’s here?” I don’t know why I didn’t go see him sooner. Maybe it felt like even more of a betrayal to jump into Odin’s bed right after Trevor left. Odin was accepted as my lover but just barely. I guess tolerated would’ve been a better word for it.

   “
I can leave if you need more time, sweetheart,” he called down to me and I couldn’t help smiling.

   “
No, don’t go,” I crawled out of bed, “I’m getting dressed.

  
Kirill kissed my forehead as I grabbed a dress and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. After splashing some cool water on my face, I put on the heavy emerald pendant Odin had given me for the second time recently.

  
I say second time because he'd originally given it to me back when I was Sabine. Technically Munin, one of Odin's ravens, gave it to me this time but Odin approved of the re-gift. When I commented on the pulse of magic I felt coming from it, he said Sabine knew she'd need it one day. She, I, never used it back then so I figured maybe it would come in handy for me someday soon. It had already showed me some strange visions so I wanted to make sure I was wearing it, just in case.

  
When I came out, they were waiting for me in the living room, Nick regarding them warily from an ottoman. I went to give Odin a kiss hello. With Trevor gone I could be freer with him.

   “
I’m so sorry,” he whispered as I sat beside him. “I know how much you love him and I know how much he loves you. He’ll get over this, you’ll see.”

   “
Let’s not talk about it,” I caught Kirill’s worried look out of the corner of my eye and gave him a quick smile. “I have other messes to handle. If Trevor wants to end everything we have because of one drunken kiss, then what can I do?”

   “
I just want you safe and happy,” Odin took my hand. “You know you can always move in with me for awhile, if you need a change of scenery.”

  
A low growl was Kirill’s answer to that.

   “
Be calm, lion,” Odin grinned. “You’d be welcome too. I just know how being around things that remind you of an absent lover can be painful. I thought Vervain might want to escape for a bit.”

   “
Thank you,” I kissed his cheek quickly. “I think I will come up for a couple of days but I’m not going to run away from home just because my wolf did. I’ll be fine. I’ve been neglecting things in Chinatown and need to focus on that now. Who knows what that bitch has been up to.”

   “
I’ve actually been keeping an eye out for her,” he confessed with a school boy grin.

   “
Thanks, babe,” I grinned back. “So, anything?”

   “
Not much,” he shook his head. “I’ve had a couple sightings but no real action.”

  “
Her kind vork behind scenes,” Kirill leaned into the conversation. “Ve von’t know vat she’s up to till she does it.”

   “
I know what she’s up to,” I fell back against the sofa. “I just don’t know what to do about it. If only I could inoculate her ass.”

   “
That may not be such a bad idea,” Odin looked suddenly sharp.

   “
Are you kidding me?” I gave him my
stop being ridiculous
look. “She’s a goddess. I can’t inoculate her against herself.”

   “
Why not?” Odin held up his hands. “Hear me out. She’s a plague goddess, we even know what type of plague. She carries Black Death inside her, swirling around in her veins constantly. That’s how she works. She sends it out of herself and into whatever poor creature she decides to torment.”

  “
So if I were to say, inject her with an antibiotic?” I was beginning to think I was smarter than I thought. Does that make any sense?

   “
You’d cure her,” Odin’s smile was brilliant.

   “
Holy cannoli!”

   “
Yes,” Kirill nodded. “It may vork.”

  
I was thrilled. I had a new direction, a push that I needed. I jumped up and ran down the hallway to put on my fighting leathers. I was strapping on my kodachi, the Japanese short sword I used, when Kirill called after me.

   “
Tima, should I ready lions?”

   “
No, I don’t want them hurt,” I braided my hair tight to my head like a crown so there’d be no handle for anyone to grab while we were fighting.

   “
Tima,” Kirill’s voice came from the doorway and I looked up to see him standing there. “If you die, ve’re all hurt… all dead actually.”

   “
I’m not so easy to kill anymore, kitten,” I smiled at his grimace over the new pet name… literally a pet name.

   “
You of all people should know zat gods can be killed.”

   “
I do know that,” I sauntered up to him, because you must saunter when wearing leather pants and teasing your favorite werelion. “I just said it wasn’t as easy as it was before. I can handle her.”

   “
I zink you’re getting too big for britches, young lady,” his wicked smile put a decidedly sensual twist on his words, as did his hands around said britches pulling me against him.

   “
Maybe we should take them off then,” I purred into his ear before I nipped it.

  
His whole body shook and I closed my eyes to enjoy the sensation.

   “
If you two are done in there,” Odin’s fatherly voice threw cold water over our hot heads. “Maybe you might be interested in finding out another pertinent piece of information.”

   “
Like what?” I called as I kissed Kirill quickly and headed down the hall, scooping up my gloves as I went.

   “
Like where to get the antibiotic that you need,” Odin’s single eye gleamed at me with mischief.

   “
Why do I have the feeling that you already know the answer to that?”

Chapter Nine

   I stretched my fingers through the finger-holes and strapped the gloves firmly on. The feel of the blades lying in wait over the top of my hands was comforting even though I had other claws at my disposal now. I could turn into a lioness at will but part of me still preferred my god-made claws.

  
Inside my pants pocket, in a heavy plastic case, was a syringe full of antibiotic. Odin assured me there was enough to cure ten plague victims. All I had to do was inject Xi Wangmu with it. Simple, I just needed to catch the tiger by her toe.