The Lycan Hunter (The Gardinian World Series) (35 page)

“I don’t owe him anything. He said he needs nothing more from me and he was glad to help.”

“Lykil isn
’
t glad to help anybody. I still don
’
t know why he helps
me, but when he does, he isn’t necessarily happy to do so.”

“Relax, Alexis. I made sure I’m not walking into a trap dealing with
him. I know how Lykil works.” He reached forward and ran a light finger over her stomach. “How are you feeling?”

“Agitated.”

He laughed. “Do you want me to help you relax?”

“No. I’m going to the gym to punch something.”

He laughed again and followed her into the bedroom. “Well, I’m going to work on getting everything ready for the wedding.”

She stopped at the bathroom door. “I really don
’
t have to do
anything?”

“Nope.”

According to the Doctrine of Liflasir, the wedding was the work
of the men. The only thing a woman had to do was find a dress and
show up. Alexis was relieved that she didn’t have to plan a wedding. She had no dreams lingering in the back of her mind about her fairy
tale wedding. No white dress – fluffy or otherwise – had ever been
imagined as part her wardrobe.

“What about my dress? Where do I get it?”

He glanced up from a list he was compiling for invites. “There are
seamstresses here if you want them to make it for you. They can get
it done in a few days. You can try bridal stores, but remember you can’t
wear white. That might take longer.”

Wearing white was for ceremonies other than marriage ceremonies.
When a couple married the Gardinian way, the ceremonies were full
of vibrant colors and, according to Kyran, ridiculously festive. Parties
tended to last days, with guests eventually receiving a not-so-subtle nudge to vacate the premises.

“Okay, I will see the seamstresses. The easier the better.”

He laughed and went back to his list. She smiled at him as she
dressed for the gym. Maybe she would stop by the zenana and see if she could get measured before she worked out.

Alexis pulled on her third pair of shorts and screamed in frustration
when they hugged too tight on her rounded stomach. She punched
the wall just as Kyran rounded the corner.

“What’s wrong?”

She glared at him.

“Alexis, tell me what’s wrong.”

“
My clothes don
’
t fit. It
’
s been less than a fucking month, and they
don’t fucking fit.”

He tried to hide his laugh but failed. “I
’
ll get you some more
tomorrow.”

She shrieked again, causing him to double over with laughter.

“It’s not fucking funny.”

He reached to pull her into a hug, but she punched him.

“Don’t touch me. This is your fault.”

An expression passed over his face as he sobered.

“
God, I’m sorry, Kyran.
” When he shook his head, she forced him
to look at her. “No, seriously I’m sorry. I swear.”

“
I’m fine, Alexis.
” He pulled free of her and backed out of the closet.
“I’ll go get you some shorts now.”

She muttered a curse under her breath. “Kyran, forget the shorts, please.”

He kissed her softly on the top of her head. “See if you can get
measured for your dress. I should be back by then.”

He turned and left, leaving her in the closet to reprimand herself.

She had just finished admonishing herself for the third time as she
slipped a dress over her head when Lykil came into view.

Clad in white linen pants, her divine guardian held out an orange
like a peace offering.

She took it but frowned at him. “This isn
’
t like the ones Kyran
brings me. His are smaller.”

“Kyran’s will always be smaller than mine.”

Alexis barely managed to keep her eyes from rolling at the innuendo
.
She had a split second of conversational innocence and forgot who she
was talking to.

“Bigger than Kyran, huh?” She bit down on her lip and let her gaze
drop to his waist. “I
’
m sure with so much magic at your disposal you
can get as big as you want, right?” She smiled at him when he nodded. “
Poor Kyran, big and natural. Just the way I like it.”

She rubbed the slight bulge at her middle to emphasize her point.

Lykil laughed, and though she’d seen him chuckle before, it had
never been this unguardedly beautiful. The happiness actually reached
his eyes. The God of Destruction knew joy.

“Good one,” he said. “As for the orange, it’s a Gardinian orange. Sweeter and bigger than anything you’ll get on earth, but other than that, there’s nothing special about it.”

“Why are you giving it to me?”

“It’s an orange, woman. Eat it or don’t, but never say I don’t give
you anything.” He motioned her to follow him. “Come on. I’m taking
you out.”

“I need to find Kyran first. I was a – ”

“Cranky pregnant woman.”

“I was going to say bitch, but yeah.”

Lykil smiled. “I was trying to be nice, but yeah, you were. Come with me. I know a way you can make it up to him.”

Alexis followed Lykil into the bedroom, where he directed her to
lie on the bed. She closed her eyes as he laid his hand flat on her chest.
She felt a gentle tug and a sharp recoil, only to discover that she was hovering above her body.

“What did you do?”

“I’m taking you to Gardas. It’s a trip your body can’t make.”

Alexis started to protest, knowing Kyran would freak out again when he came back and found her body without a soul.

“Don’t worry about Kyran. There’s a note in your hands.”

She squinted back at her body, and sure enough she held a scrap of paper in her hands.

“What about the baby?”

“You’re not dead, Alexis. They’ll be fine.”

“They?” she asked.

“
Your baby,
” he corrected with a smile. “Don
’
t like the idea of
more than one?”

“I’m having a hard enough time with the idea of one.”

“I know.”

Alexis took in their surroundings. She stood on Trobis, bridging
Earth to Gardas. She squinted behind her to see the Earth, but instead
of a mighty globe, held like a minuscule fruit in the limbs of the tree.

She was caught off guard when Lykil took her hand. She tried to shake free, but his grasp was firm.

“I’m taking us to get a gift made.”

“Where?”

“Jordis’ forge.”

After reading the Doctrine of Liflasir, Alexis knew that each of the gods had their own temples on Thamal. She hadn
’
t exactly toured the
island the last time she was here, but the Goddess of Weaponry
’
s forge
was likely hidden somewhere among the countless rugged temples on the island.

Lykil began walking forward, but a sudden rush of passing images
flew by before Alexis was able to focus on an orange glow of a forge.
She glanced back to the bridge then to where she stood, realizing that
Lykil had teleported them.

A woman reached forward and pulled a ball of white hot material
from the belly of the forge. She turned, clasping it in her bare hands, and
placed it on an anvil.

“
Jordis
, we
’
re here,”
Lykil
called over the woman
’
s sudden hammering.

Jordis nodded at them before returning her attention to the hammer
she had conjured out of air. Alexis watched her, fascinated by the way
the material molded into something resembling a blade. The goddess
returned the hot metal to the fire after a few minutes before she joined
them in the anteroom of her temple.

“Lykil.”

Her tone was indifferent, merely saying his name appeared to be the only acknowledgment he would receive.

“I need a weapon.”

She snorted. “You always need a weapon.” She crossed her muscular
arms over her chest. “What kind do you want?”

“It’s not for me; it’s for her.”

“And is she willing to pay?”

“I’ll pay for her.”

“This is going to be fun.” Jordis turned and grabbed a piece of
parchment and a pencil. “Help her sketch the weapon.”

She handed the paper and pencil to Lykil and walked back to the forge.

Lykil took her over to a table and chair, motioning for her to sit.

“Lykil, I don’t need this. The last thing I want is you or anybody owing a god a favor for me.”

He laughed. “Trust me. Owing her a favor is nothing for me. I like
owing her a favor.”

The promise of violence he shot Jordis over his shoulder made
Alexis’ shoulders bunch with tension. “Are you going to hurt her?”

He laughed and handed her the pencil. “Draw.”

“First, I can't draw. Second, why am I even doing this?”

“You’re doing this because you need a gift for your husband. As for drawing, just think of a design you like, focus only on that image, and relax your hand. Your mind will do all the work.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yes.”

With a heavy sigh, Alexis closed her eyes and relaxed her hand
like he said. She focused on a design that she believed walked the fine
line between art and deadly intent.

Twenty minutes later, she opened her eyes, and the design was
complete, exactly as she imagined it. She handed the paper to Lykil, who gave a nod of approval before handing it to Jordis.

“Two days,” she said with a slight nod. “And I expect my payment
then as well.”

She never looked up from the design as Lykil ushered them out
of Jordis
’
temple. Another rush of images passed Alexis, and they were
back on the bridge, standing between Ilok and Plienir, the guards of the bridge.

She paused. She owed him at least a thank you, but the words
seemed so…flimsy, so insubstantial. Gratitude was a new phenomenon
to her. Everything she’d ever gotten had cost her something. Now she
stood in the face of a god with no way to convey what she was supposed
to say. How did she thank him for her brother’s continued existence, for the favor he continued to shower on her, for…everything?

“It’s hard to say thanks when so much of your life you haven’t had
much to be thankful for.” He smiled at her. “I know how you feel, Lex,
so don’t worry about it.”

“I have to. Nothing is free.”

He nodded and pointed towards the top of the bridge. “Kyran’s here.” He said it with a short laugh. “He’s kind of pissed.”

“Great. What did you put in the note?”

“Nothing bad.” He shrugged. “Well, maybe a little bad.”

She pushed him, much like a little sister does her annoying brother, and
stalked towards the branches of Liflasir.

“How do I get back to my body?” she called over her shoulder.

“Just keep walking until you get to the end of the bridge. When you
walk towards Earth, you’ll automatically be sent back to your body. Try to focus on
slowly
returning to your body.”

She ran across the bridge and came to stop at the fury that was
waiting at the end. Kyran only inclined his head to her, indicating that
she should keep going. She did, relaxing when she heard his footsteps
following hers back to Earth and their bodies.

KYRAN SAT UP
on the bed with a rumbling growl. He reached over
and placed his arm across Alexis to keep her from rolling off the bed should she not reenter her body as easily as he did. She rejoined him with a slight jolt, nervously meeting his gaze as she sat up.

“I’m sorry, Kyran.”

He took a couple of calming breaths. “I’m not mad at you.”

“It looks like you are.”

He held her hand and ran his thumb across her fingers. Her nails
had grown out since she stopped training, and that bothered him. She
was forgetting to do the things that had been a part of her normal
routine before she met him.

“Cut your nails.”

She frowned and glanced at her hands. “Why?”

“Don
’
t get me wrong.
I like them,
but you can't keep them
like t
hat.”

“Why not?”

“You’re a Hunter, remember?”

She sighed. “That’s not my life anymore.”

“It
’
s who you are, Alexis.” He ground his molars, trying to find the
words he needed. “Look, I’m not mad at you. I’m irritated with the
constant interference of gods. I can tolerate Lykil, most days. Today
wasn’t one of them.”

Alexis hung her head.
“And I didn’t help with
my comment earlier.”

A bark of laughter escaped Kyran, making Alexis jump. “Yeah, that
stung, but according to my mom, she said some pretty heinous stuff to my dad when she was pregnant. She said that labor was when her
claws really came out.” He kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I
’
ll be fine. Feel how you feel. I can make you feel bad about it when it
’
s all over,”
he laughed.