Truth in Legends [Part Three of the Thicker than Blood Series] (5 page)

I stared out over the view from Alex's house.  I didn't realize that we had come as high.  I could see Ashland in the near distance.  It was quite a beautiful view.  No wonder he bought the house.  I glanced to the front and frowned at the giant gaping hole where once stood a front door.  Too bad he'd have to do some remodeling.

I let my mind wander while I leaned back on the rock wall.  Soon, I heard a vehicle coming up to the house.  I looked up and watched Matt turn his truck around the roundabout and stop in front of me.  He got out and crossed in front of the Toyota, and sat on the retaining wall too.  Matt now looked like himself in a form-fitting t-shirt and cargo shorts that showed off his muscular thighs and calves.  This was the Matt I was used to.  I smiled and leaned against his shoulder.  He put his arm around me and we sat like that for several minutes, not saying anything... just being.

“Are you ready to go?  I want to show you a favorite place of mine.”

“Alright,” I said and he helped me into the tall truck.  “Where did you go when you disappeared?”

“Just now?”  Matt asked, climbing into the Tacoma and putting on his seat belt.

That's right, he had disappeared twice on me.  I shook my head and shrugged.  “Both times.”

He nodded.  “The first time,  the place I'm taking you now.  I went to think.  This last time, I went to heaven to put the sword and armor away.”

Visions of puffy clouds and gold arches came to mind, but I wasn't sure that was correct.  “What's it like?”

Matt looked at me for a second and turned back to the road.  “What, heaven?”

“Yeah.”  I let my eyes roam over the man I knew as an angel now.  His big hands gripped the steering wheel, turning it with slight variations in the road.

“Uh,” he paused.  “I've never had to describe it to anyone... It would be like trying to describe the sun to someone that can't see.”

I looked at the sun and considered what he said.  “Is heaven to us mortals like the sun is to... say... a mole?  How could they possibly understand, right?”

Matt smiled.  “Sort of.  Except you aren't as insignificant as a mole.”

“We aren't?”

“You aren't.”  He smiled warmly, love radiating from his eyes.

I blushed and turned to the passenger window.  When we turned down Main Street, I wondered where he was taking me.  The center of town wasn't exactly what I expected, honestly.  I was thinking he'd be taking me to some romantic location and proceed to pouring his heart out.  I snickered to myself.

“Okay, close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Humor me, Kenna.”

“Alright, fine.”  I closed my eyes.

“You said that you've never been here so I don't want to ruin the surprise.”

“Oh... kay.”  I racked my brain thinking of a possible place that was worth seeing that missed.  Nothing came to mind.

The truck came to a stop and Matt helped me out.  “I like to come here to relax or just listen to my music and watch people.”

I was having difficulty walking on my one good foot, despite Matt's help.  “Are we almost there?”

“Yeah, sorry.  I know it's a ways, but it's worth it.”

After what seemed like forever, we stopped. 

“Open your eyes.”

We were standing at the back of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Elizabethan Theatre auditorium facing the stage.  I'd always believed it was ridiculous and a total nerd thing meant only for the people that liked Renaissance festivals and live action role playing... I was wrong.  It was beautiful.  The sun was catching the stage perfectly, showing off the ornate details in the wood workings.  It was like stepping back into time.

“It's amazing.”

“I thought that you would like it,” he said as he directed me to take a seat.  “The one in Shakespeare's time looked nothing like this one.”

I looked at Matt.  I had totally forgotten that he was an archangel and not just my hunky friend.  “Are you serious?”

He nodded.  “I mean, they had a similar structure, but this one is more polished from the tools that are available today.  I liked the other better.  It was better in that they had to devote a lot of time and love to make it beautiful.”

I stared at Matt.  Never in my time of knowing him did he share such a love of art.  It surprised me.  “There are so many things about you I don't know.”

He grinned.  “I'll tell you whatever you want to know,” he said, scratching his arm and revealing the tail of a tattoo.

“That,” I nodded to the ink.  “If you... aren't from here, where did you get those tattoos?”

Matt laughed and rubbed the back of his head.  “Funny story, actually.  A couple hundred years before Jesus walked the earth, I was sent to what is now Sweden to run off or kill a dog demon that was terrorizing a village.  But first, I had to blend in, as I had to here.  So, I got these tattoos.  Now, of course they have been cleaned up over the years so they don't look as crude as they used to, but I did get them way back when.”

“Is that the story?  Did you get the demon?”

Chuckling uncomfortably, Matt shook his head.  “I
did
get the demon.  I ended up killing him with a big mallet.  He put up quite a fight, spraying blood all over me... my hair, my face, and my beard.   Unknown to me, some of the villagers witnessed my slaying of the beast.  They knew that no mortal could have done it and decided that I was a god.  I tried to convince them other wise, but I couldn't compel the entire town once they started talking.  Michael was not please with that myth.”

I frowned.  “A myth rose from that?  Which one?”

Again, he laughed uncomfortably.  “The one of Thor.”

“Holy shit!  No way,” I breathed.  I had always joked to myself about Matt being Thor... and now I find that he really was.  Or, responsible for the myth at least.  I laughed so hard that I snorted.

He smiled.  “What's funny?”

“You don't how many times that I thought of you as Thor!”

“Why?”

“Blond, huge, Swede with Norse tattoos?  Plus, you sort of look like that Chris guy that plays Thor in those Marvel movies.”

He laughed.  “The movie and comics actually got that wrong...  in the legends, Thor has red hair.”  When I looked at him blankly, he continued, motioning to his head and face.  “Blood in my hair and beard.”

“Hmm.”  Matt was Thor.  How funny.  “I like that story,” I said and then giggled when my mind went into the gutter.  “You never let go of that hammer though, did you.”  I smiled at him mischievously.

“I didn't bring it...,” he said before he saw the expression on my face as I looked at his groin.  “Oh.”  And he laughed as pink hues warmed his cheeks.  “Yep, it became one with my body.”

“Yeesh, glad I didn't meet you before that happened,” I teased.  “Wouldn't be the same without it.”

Matt's eyes sparkled at me as he laughed.  “Ugh, Kenna,” he sighed unhappily and looked back to the stage.  “I don't know what to do anymore.”

“What do you mean?”  I had a feeling this wouldn't be good.

“I went to Michael and asked him to reassign me.”

“Why?”  My heart thundered.  Would Matt be leaving for good?

He turned his eyes to me and they raged with the same blue fire I had seen the last night we were together.  “Because...,” he started and shook his head.  “Because I love you.  I love you too much to see you with Azariah.  I want you for me.”

I didn't know what to say.  I had very strong feeling for Alex, but I had equally as strong of feelings for Matt, thanks to our history together.  I wished that I could have both, but I knew neither would accept that as an option.  It would certainly let me off the hook for making a difficult decision. 

I leaned into Matt's shoulder.

“Michael turned me down.  He said I was too invested into this mission.  He said he knew that you'd be finding out what we both were soon enough... I just thought Azariah told you.”

I smiled.  Matt wasn't leaving, not just yet anyway.

“Kenna...,” he started.  “If I have no chance of winning your heart, please let me know.  Or if you've already picked Azariah, tell me.” 

“Why didn't you tell me how you felt when you felt it?”

“I was afraid that I'd lose you if I did.”

“And what made you tell me now, after all this time?”

“I was afraid that I'll lose you if I didn't.”

Matt took my hand into his and brought it to his chest.  “Have I lost you?”

His question caused my heart to race.  I watched some people walk across the stage as I debated my response.  “Please let me get my thoughts out here and don't try to jump to a conclusion, okay?”

Matt took a deep breath and nodded.

“You are the first man... or whatever... that made me feel good about myself, made me feel good in my own skin.  You showed me things about myself that I didn't know.  You were there for me when I didn't know I needed someone.  God, I owe you so much.”  I paused, looking at my hand against his chest.

“But,” he sighed, bowing his head.

“I told you not to jump to a conclusion,” I reminded him.  “I have strong feelings for both you and Alex.”

Matt cringed at the mention of his name. 

“I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's true.”

“So... you want me to wait until you figure things out, is that it?”  There was a slight bitterness to his tone.

That's exactly what I was asking, and I felt like a piece of shit because of it.  I didn't respond.  This was a huge decision and I wasn't going to rush it.  While both of the guys were immortal, I wasn't. 

“Promise me something then.  I will wait for your decision, but you have to promise you won't sleep with him again.”

I nodded.

“I know that means that I cannot have you as well, but at least I won't be worrying that you're...
with
him.”

“I promise.”

Matt chuckled.

“What?”

“Uh, nothing.” He smiled.  “Let me take you home.  I'm sure you need some rest after the past couple of nights.”

“No, what were you laughing at?”

Matt quickly brought his lips to mine and kissed me so deeply that I felt he was attempting to capture my soul.  Everything floated around me; time had no relevance.

After a couple of cat calls on stage, he pulled away from me, smiling.  “I was just thinking that I'd still be able to do that though.”

“Hmmmm,” I said as I slowly opened my eyes.

Taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger, he kissed me lightly and smiled.  “I need to get you home so you can get some rest.”

My mind was a boiling cauldron of confusion as Matt helped me back to his truck.  What was I to do or think about all of this?  Which of the two angels would I choose?  I loved Matt deeply, yet there was something about Alex that made me unable to turn him away.

We spoke very little on the drive back to my house.  I was with my thoughts and he was with his.  Nothing in the world sounded better to me than my bed.  I felt both mentally and physically exhausted.