Oathbreaker (14 page)

“
That wasn't a command,” I wiped at my eyes.

“
Sounded like one,” Kevin grimaced.

“
It's what you say when something sounds like a tongue twister,” Al piped up, looking over everyone like they were idiots. “It's hard to say really fast, so it's supposed to be funny to try.” The men frowned but seemed to get it.

“
Like, Al's an awful asshole?” Lucian asked.

He received a round of applause and a punch in the shoulder from Al for that one.

“I'm sorry, I'll try to be more careful,” I was still chuckling a little.
“Now, rule number two; when hunting, allow the lion who first started tracking the animal to have the kill. If it's a team effort, you share the kill and the meat.”

That at least got head nods.

“Rule number three,” I looked over at Al. “Rule number two applies to hunting females as well, except no killing.”

A chorus of laughter followed with several friendly punches to Al's person.

“What?” He shrugged and gave a cocky grin. “I can't help it if the women prefer me.”

“
If one of your brothers is already, er, engaged,” I pointed the pen at him, “then leave them be. Go find another woman.”

Cheering to that. I was kind of surprised. Al wasn't the best looking of the bunch, not by far, how did he wheedle these women away from my other lions? I looked over his arrogant posture and nodded to myself. Women like assholes. I don't know why but it really seems to intrigue a lot of us. I couldn't even say it had never worked on me. I mean, look at Thor.

The list went on to include rules on basic etiquette that my lions evidently knew nothing about. I should have made that damn list on day one. It would have saved me a lot of headache. We also created a chore list and rotation schedule for it, and a sign up sheet for TV, computer, and video game privileges. Somehow, they had their own way to work out the pool table.

“
What happens if I break a rule?” Adrian, who still hadn't given up his flirtation with me, grinned wickedly. “Are you gonna spank me?”

“
Nope,” I narrowed my eyes on him, then looked around at the hesitant faces. “Breaking the rules will gain you a punishment appropriate to the rule. For instance, macking on another lion's girl? No sex for a week.”

Eyes got wide and my poor lions looked like they were going to faint. Especially Al, I'd never seen him so scared.

“A week, Tima?” Darius looked over at me in shock.

“
Don't act,” I smirked at them. “It won't kill you. You've all gone longer than that. It will teach you to respect your brothers. Hell, maybe I should make that the punishment for breaking any of the rules.”

“
No!” They all shouted at once and I laughed.

“
Okay, okay,” I held up my hand for silence. “I get it. There will be appropriate action taken though. So don't break the rules and I won't have to come up with horrible punishments.”

“
Yes, Tima,” they answered dutifully.

I shook my head. They were going to be breaking rules faster than I could dish out the punishment. My naughty little kitties.

I got up and left them there so I could go bathe before dinner. I wanted to at least have a meal with them before I went back to Trevor. Also, I wanted to enjoy the amazing bathtub in the master bedroom. Kirill followed behind me, silent as usual. He'd been the only one to keep quiet throughout the entire discussion. I looked over my shoulder at him as we walked into my bedroom. He raised an elegant black brow at me.

“
You didn't have much to say back there.”

“
I don't have problem vith rules,” he shrugged and closed the door behind him.

“
Fair enough,” I went over to the massive closet the boys had built me to replace Nyavirezi's tiny clothes rack.

I finally had room for all my clothes now that half my wardrobe was in Pride Palace. I sighed in delight as I ran my hands through the nicely separated hanging garments. It was so much easier to see things when they weren't squished in together like my ass in spandex. That stuff should not be worn, period. I don't think it looks good on anyone except superheroes.

I choose a long, black, sleeveless dress and went to the bathroom. Kirill had beat me there. The huge tub was already halfway full of bubbly warm water. I grinned like a little girl.

I loved that bathtub. It was like a jacuzzi for giants, so big it could have fit five people easily. It had a showerhead hanging over the middle of it and there were no curtains because there was no way the water could splash outside the boundary of the enormous tub.

“Thank you,” I rubbed his arm as he walked by me and he gave me a small grin.

I loved those little smiles. They said more clearly than anything else, that Kirill was starting to let go. Let go of the abuse Nyavirezi had heaped on him, the heartbreak, the forced brutality on his brothers, and the rapes he endured. I hoped that someday soon his smile would grow and his eyes would stop looking so haunted.

I watched him close the door quietly behind him and nodded to myself. I would make sure that happened. I would do everything I could to make Kirill happy. I sighed as I stepped down into the tub and swam into the center. I let myself drop beneath the surface, blocking out the sounds of the palace with the rush of water, until all I could hear was my heartbeat. Then I lifted my face and floated, with my nose above water but my ears still submerged, so I could hold onto that oblivion.

It didn't stay an oblivion for long though. Odin's face appeared in my mind, the rugged lines of his cheekbones and jaw so familiar to me. His eyes, so beautiful the way they shimmered through blue to green to purple, like a peacock feather or a butterfly wing. I felt a solid pang of regret that he'd given one of them up. They were so vivid in his masculine face, a sharp contrast to the aggressive brows above them. And that body, oh Odin, what a sweet body you have. Thick shoulders, a wide chest, and arms sculpted like small tree trunks. His muscles stretched his skin like they wanted to be freed.

“Oh fuck,” I sat up, yanking my head out of the water.

I splashed over to the rim of the tub and set to work vigorously scrubbing myself, head to feet. I couldn't deny the connection between Odin and I anymore but I didn't have to be happy about it. This was my life and my choice. I didn't have to let a past life lead me or my hormones. I was a grown woman and I could control myself.

I sank back under the water to rinse off and then got out of the tub before I started getting a little too carried away with my Odin fantasy. I gave the tub one last, longing look before I started rubbing the water away viciously with a thick towel. When I was dry and dressed, I hit the lever to allow the tub to drain, and the stomped out the door... and straight into Kirill's back.

“
Oh,” I gasped as we fell.

He twisted mid-fall, so he would land beneath me and take the brunt of it. I landed on his chest with a thump, and he exhaled out a huff of air. I tried to roll off him but our hair had tangled together around our bodies, effectively trapping us. That was the problem with long hair and we both had ours grown out past our asses.

On the subject of asses, Kirill had his hands on mine. Purely an automatic reaction I'm sure but he wasn't removing them. Maybe it had something to do with our hair. I leaned back enough to look down on him and smile. I froze when I saw the answering smile on his face. It was wide, teeth-baring, and full of laughter. As I watched, his chest started to shake and a laugh worked its way out of his throat. It was contagious and I started to laugh too.

“
What do we do now?” I looked over at the mess of our hair.

“
Now, ve let go,” he whispered.

Before I could analyze the look he was giving me, I felt his hands shift slowly through my wet hair as he began to extricate himself. I rolled carefully over when he was done and he rolled in the opposite direction. As we stood, our hair still clung together and we had to gently pull the strands apart till we were once more, two separate people. I looked up at him when we were done and had the strangest feeling, like the whole scene had been a representation of something greater. As usual, Kirill just stood quietly, waiting for me to say something.

But I didn't say anything this time. I couldn't. The words caught in my throat. I just held a hand out to him and he took it. We walked to dinner that way, touching but each lost to our own thoughts. It was peaceful, this intimacy without pressure, and I enjoyed every minute of that short walk.

Chapter Thirteen

“Do you want me to go with you this time?” Trevor handed me my suitcase, his face a blank mask, all the more obvious for its lack of emotion.

“
No, I’ll be fine,” I kissed him and he wrapped me up against him, his strong wolf heart pounding against my ear, giving me a little strength. I’d hidden out with him for two days, it was time to go back and finish things. “I wouldn’t mind a visit if I end up staying more than a couple days though.”

“
Deal,” he set me away from him so I could step into the Aether. “I love you, Vervain.”

“
I love you too, honey-eyes,” I smiled farewell and then recited the spell that would trace me to Valaskjάlf. In a moment, I was standing in the tracing room, right off the foyer of Odin’s dining hall.

I walked out through the foyer, into the dining hall and was about to head through the door on the left, when I noticed someone sitting in one of the heavy chairs near the fireplace on my right. I walked closer and saw Odin slumped with one hand over his face and the other holding an empty mug.

My heart clenched.

“
Odin?” I stopped in front of him and he looked up sharply, dropping his wooden mug to the stone floor with a loud clatter.

“
Vervain?” He stood up, his face slack with disbelief. “You came back.”

“
I told you I would,” I took in his dirty clothing and wild hair.

He suddenly reminded me of the Beast pining away for Beauty. Would he have let himself waste away if I hadn’t returned?
Yes
, a part of me whispered and I almost told it to shut up and mind its own business but I was already crazy enough. I didn’t need to add talking to the voices in my head, to the list.

“
I thought I’d lost you again,” he hugged me and I stiffened back as I concentrated on Trevor.

Trevor really would waste away if I didn’t go home to him. He would die. He was the true Beast to my Beauty, not Odin. Funny, I’d always loved that story and I’d always preferred the Beast to the Prince. Maybe it was one of the reasons I was so attracted to my wolfman… a man with the heart of an animal. He was literally both Prince and Beast, all at once.

“I’ve accepted that you may be right about us,” I pushed gently out of his arms. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I love Trevor.”

“
I’ve already told you, I respect that,” Odin raked his fingers through his hair. “I just want to be with you, be a part of your life.”

“
Won’t that be more painful?”

“
Than not having you at all?” He laughed bitterly. “I’ll take whatever I can get, Vervain.”

“
Alright,” I sighed. “I don’t know how much time I can give you but I’ll try.”

“
So you decided to come back, eh?” Vali sauntered in and flung an arm over my shoulder in a casual hug. “So you can stop sulking now, Dad. I told you she’d come back.”

“
I don’t sulk,” Odin grimaced as Vali and I both started to choke on our laughter. “I was upset over the loss of the love of my life, okay? I’ve a right to be a little temperamental.”

“
Why don’t we go get me settled again?” I ignored the “love of my life” comment.

“
I thought we were rid of you,” Mr. ZZ Top was standing in the doorway I was about to head into.

“
Not quite,” I smiled brightly. “But here’s to hoping, right?”

He frowned.

“If you have a problem, Bragi we can have another conversation about it,” Odin stepped up beside me.

“
I may have a couple of things to add as well,” Vali came up on my other side.

“
Thanks boys,” I held up my hands. “But I think I can take care of myself.
Do
we have a problem, Bragi?”

“
Bragi,” a beautiful blonde woman glided in and the scent of fresh apples wafted over me. “Leave her be, the Godhunter means us no harm. Do you, child?”