Marked by Death (The Godhunter, Book 4) (2 page)

“Zere is no break for Ganza,” he gave Trevor a glare for good measure before returning to his food.

Trevor rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders at me. “I give up, beautiful. You’re gonna have to pull that stick out of his ass because I can’t reach it. It’s so far up there, I’m surprised he isn’t spitting splinters.”

I nearly choked on my Hawaiian-style breakfast. Kirill just sent Trevor another glare. He pushed his thick, black braid over his shoulder in a dismissive motion. It fell with a solid thunk against the back of his chair, dangling past his butt, and I smiled at the almost feminine gesture which on him was somehow distinctly masculine.

Kirill had the most beautiful hair I’d ever seen and I loved seeing it unbound, which it normally was, but I’d got him in the habit of braiding it before bed, so it wouldn’t tangle hopelessly by morning, and sometimes he forgot to undo it. He was simply too focused on other things… like protecting me.

“I didn’t think you'd want me anywhere near his gorgeous ass,” I raised an eyebrow at Trevor.

“
Good point,” he nodded seriously. “Stay away from it. We’ll get him a proctologist.”

“
No one is going anyvhere near my ass,” Kirill cut in sharply. “And I zank you both to stop vith ze talking about it.”

Chapter Three

We traced into my werelion palace and found the Pride ready and waiting. They greeted us all warmly, even Trevor who was accepted as my mate. Now that they were allowed to sleep with other women, the lions couldn’t care less who I slept with, as long as he made me happy and boy did Trevor fulfill that requirement.

They were grilling again, a favorite cooking method for the Intare, and we were escorted swiftly through the winding corridors of the African-influenced palace to a tent erected outside. It was all technically mine now that I'd taken Nyavirezi's magic, along with the lions I now led, but I had yet to move in full time. I like my place in Hawaii and besides, cell phone reception was atrocious on this side of the Aether. I still couldn't figure out how we got cable and internet. If I hadn't killed Nyavirezi, I could have asked her. Oh well, I was okay with the mystery as long as she stayed dead.

Large blankets were spread out beneath the white tent, strewn with enormous pillows, bowls of fruit, and board games… yes, board games. The Intare had been isolated for so long, they’d found ways to entertain themselves, and that included lots of different games. So every get together we had involved food and competition, a fact which didn’t bother me at all.

I sat near a chess board, Kirill and Trevor sitting on my left and right respectively. Around us the rest of the Intare settled, content that I was near to take care of any disputes and offer guidance as needed. Darius, Fallon, and Aidan came over with some plates of food while Samantha took up the rear with an armful of soda.

“
Samantha,” I waved a hello to the Froekn woman.

She’d been dating Fallon, who I thought looked so much like LL Cool J that I almost told him how much I enjoyed his work on
Deep Blue Sea
when I’d first met him. Except Fallon had hazel eyes, eat your heart out, LL.

I was concerned about the relationship between a werewolf and a werelion but who was I to judge? I was the Werelioness and my mate was the Werewolf Prince. I was pretty much doing the same thing, even though I was technically a human. So I decided to keep my nose out of it and wish them the best. So far they both seemed happy.

“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
belong 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.