Modern goddess, p.13
Modern Goddess, page 13
The apartment building was empty and eerily silent as the rest of the residents were at the party. Reyfyre held the door for me and as soon as I walked in, I threw my pocketbook across the room and spun on him.
“Answer me!”
The door shut behind him with a bang, and he grabbed me by the arms, slamming me into the closed entry. Before I could balk at him, his lips were on mine, kissing and nipping as his tongue pillaged my mouth. His hands were in my hair one moment and then caressing my body in a way that broke down all my barriers.
When he came up for air, he hissed, “You really shouldn’t have done that, Kara.”
My fingers fumbled on the buttons of his shirt as he again lifted my dress, but this time, he didn’t stop when he got to my waist. He pulled the fabric up and over my head before he tossed it over his shoulder. He clamped my wrists and held them above my head.
Black smoke wisped around him, each tendril caressing me as if they were as solid as his hands. His eyes were the color of cobalt now as he leaned in to kiss the tops of my breasts. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done,” he growled and scratched his teeth across my bra. His free hand slid between my legs, rubbing me in such slow strokes that I moaned.
“What have I done?” I gasped, and my eyes rolled back as he removed the rest of my clothing.
“You have awakened the beast in me.” His mouth covered one breast and then the other, teasing me until my nipples were hard peaks. His finger dipped inside me, and I groaned in response.
“Yes,” I whispered as every cell in my body quivered. I wanted the beast right now, not the calm, controlled man I had lived with for nearly a year now.
“How much of the closet was real?” He took my hand and ran it along the front of his pants. “You tell me?” He released my hands and stripped his coat as I pushed him toward the bed. “But if I had fucked you in the coat closet, every single Asgardian in that place would have known a wraith was present.”
I tore at his shirt, wanting him as naked and exposed as I was. I couldn’t get his clothing off fast enough, and he chuckled.
One glance at the black smoke traveling from the corners of his eyes sent ice slithering over my spine, cooling some of the heat he had produced.
This was Asgard’s worst enemy.
“Truth. Do you really want what you see before you?” His tone mocked me, as if seeing his wraith side would somehow knock this frantic lust right out of me.
My eyes cataloged every inch of him from the crown of his head, down his chiseled chest to his hard manhood standing at attention, and beyond at his powerful legs. When my gaze locked back on his, some of the smoke tendrils had faded, as if my slow inspection of him had softened his need.
His black irises stared down at me, waiting for an answer, but underneath, I could still see Reyfyre. My Reyfyre.
I closed the distance between us. “Yes, Rey. I want what I see before me. Do you want what you see?”
He growled in what I believed was a yes, but he didn’t even spare me a glance. His smoke tendrils shot out, yanking me into his arms. His mouth hovered over mine. “Last chance,” he whispered.
“Shut up and fuck me.” I pulled his lips to mine, and the kiss seared through me like a raging fire eating away at my inhibitions. All these months with him, and I’d only seen the fae side.
His wraith side was wild and even more demanding than the fae.
And my, oh my, he was definitely not a two-minute wonder.
CHAPTER 24
WE LAY IN BED, side by side, staring at the ceiling as we caught our breath. Reyfyre covered his face and then ran his hands up into his hair. The wraith had given up control after his last orgasm. The smoke slipped back inside him, leaving only his tired blue eyes.
Eyes that I had grown to adore.
He finally turned his head toward me. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Ha.” I couldn’t help the outburst. I was Valkyrie. A little rough sex wasn’t going to harm me in the least. “You didn’t.” I met his gaze. “And I didn’t break you either.”
A genuine smile appeared, one that made his eyes sparkle and dimples appear in his cheeks. It was the kind of smile that I could stare at for an eternity.
“I’ve had a girlfriend or two in the past, but it never worked out. They left at the first sign of the wraith. And then I had to skip town before word spread.” His smile slipped, and he moved his gaze back to the ceiling. “You told Thor that I had your heart while you were under the truth serum.”
When his gaze landed back on me, I dipped my head once.
“Since when?”
That’s a good question. And one I’d been asking myself since the dress shop.
“I don’t know.” I chewed on my lower lip, trying to pinpoint just when my heart had gotten involved without my permission. “Things changed after the spiders. You relaxed a little and while you still pushed me to continue on our journey, it wasn’t the same as the driving asshole who punished me daily with his sword.” I allowed my eyes to close for a brief moment as I inspected my memories. “You let your walls down.”
“So, shelving the asshole did this.” He waved between us.
A crack of laughter exploded from my mouth, and a new thought possessed my mind. “You did all that shit after the coat closet on purpose, didn’t you?”
Reyfyre bunched his mouth into an amused pucker and his shoulders twitched in a shrug. “If you were hurt and confused, you’d be more likely to get away with lying because the other emotions would temper your natural reactions.”
“That was genius. But Thor propositioned me again, and he called me Kara as I was walking out. I corrected him by telling him my name is Karen. But the fact I turned may have planted a seed of doubt.”
“He let you go.” He rolled on his side, facing me. “We’ve both seen what he does to those he suspects. Or those who try to bypass the truth serum. If he suspected, he would have detained you.”
His gaze raked over my naked form. “Besides, you look drastically different than that drawing. Granted, you’re still as beautiful, but I am partial to the package before me, including the hair.” He lifted a piece of my hair and twirled it between his fingers before he dropped it and put his hand over mine.
“I’m getting used to it.” I reached out and ran my hand through his dark hair. The silky strands tickled my fingers. “Is this your natural color?”
“Yes. The only glamour I have is focused on my ears and it’s obviously not enough for either Thor or Odin to detect.”
I traced the curve of his ear, feeling what I couldn’t plainly see. His eyes slowly closed, as if I were lulling him into some hypnotic state. His lips parted and a long sigh dropped.
“Can we not talk about them anymore?” I just wanted to enjoy this after-sex bliss for a little while longer. It would end soon enough.
“We don’t have to talk at all.” His eyes crawled open and desire burned in them. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“I need sleep and I don’t think my body could survive another—” I glanced at the clock and calculated how long we had been going at it. “Three hours of screwing around, anyway.” I yawned and rolled closer, curling into the crook of his arm.
Reyfyre’s eyebrows arched, and he recoiled. “What are you doing?”
I couldn’t tell whether the edge in his voice was from fear or annoyance. “Going to sleep, why?”
He pushed me away. “I don’t cuddle.”
“Oh, but you spoon.” I lifted my head to send visual daggers at him.
He huffed. “That was out of necessity.”
His argument was valid, but it still didn’t help my wounded pride. “So, you’d screw around again but you won’t cuddle?” I clarified, just to be sure.
“Exactly. I need space when I sleep. I don’t like to feel restricted.”
I snorted at him. “We shared the same sleeping bag all the way across the continent.”
“You just made my point. I hated being cramped.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “And yet you snored like a bear. You are bizarre.” I rolled away from him, intent on trying to catch some sleep but the flare of irritation might not allow that to happen.
The television turned on, and I sent a stern look in his direction. But the way his face blanched had me sitting up and focusing on the screen.
Reyfyre turned up the volume and ran a hand through his hair. My picture, along with two other women, one of whom resembled my former self, filled the screen, along with a demand for information. The screen split, showing each of us at the fountain and the amount of truth serum in the cups we drank. The announcer notified the public that the amount was not acceptable to the rulers and that all three women needed to turn themselves in for further scrutiny by order of Odin.
“Fat fucking chance,” Reyfyre muttered.
A camera shot of the auditorium where the ball had been showed at least a dozen people on their knees with their hands bound behind their backs. Thor stepped into the picture with a sword and a smile that chilled me to the core.
“Just to be clear, if the three women we are looking for do not show up, every single guest who remains”—the camera panned to show a larger group beyond the twelve people behind Thor—“will end up like this.” He turned and the sword whistled through the air.
At first nothing happened, and then the head of the man directly behind Thor wobbled off, sending a geyser of blood onto the floor.
“You have an hour before another innocent dies.”
Thor’s stare in the camera sent a rash of chills through me as the crowd screamed their shock in the background.
The camera cut to our pictures again in the background of a very shaken newscaster.
Reyfyre shut off the television.
“I have to go. I can’t let those people die.” I moved to get out of bed. I could not stay in the safety of this apartment. Not when innocent lives were hanging in the balance.
Reyfyre’s hand clasped my wrist in an uncompromising hold and his jaw tightened. “That is what they are betting on. That is what they’ve done for every ball across the city. You know the outcome.”
“No. Tonight, I kill that bastard before he can kill the other women.” I twisted my arm out of his grip and headed toward the door, where my discarded dress still lay in a bunch.
By the time I pulled the fabric over my head, Reyfyre in all his glory stood between me and the door. He spread his fingers out toward me, trying to stop me from leaving.
“Kara, do not fall for their tricks.” Unease wrinkled the corners of his eyes. “I do not wish to see your execution on television.”
I stared into his frantic eyes. I had never seen Reyfyre unhinged before. Anxious or annoyed, yes, but not like this. The edges of his eyes bled black smoke, as if his emotional turmoil was unleashing his wraith again.
I smoothed my dress and straightened my back. “I will not be the only one who returns. I will protect myself, even under the influence of a truth serum. And then figure out how to get one of the guard’s swords and end this.”
His hands fell to his sides. “You know what happens. You’ve seen it at least a dozen times. The truth serum does not matter. Thor has decided that the three of you will be his personal entertainment for the night.” He ran his hand down his face. “If he chooses you first, he will know. You won’t die like the others, Kara.” His eyes pleaded with me. “Stay until we can have a better plan in place.”
I bit my lower lip as conflicting emotions battered my insides. A large part of me wanted to fall back in that bed and forget this realm. But my values at the core of my soul would not allow me to sit this one out. “I am a protector of the people, Rey. It’s what got me into trouble to begin with, but I cannot ignore this. Innocents will die.” I pointed to the television. “I cannot live with being the reason for that type of carnage.”
His lids dropped closed, draping his cheek with dark lashes. He banged the back of his head against the door a few times before his eyes cracked open. “And if I force you to stay?” Tendrils of black smoke reached for me.
“I will never forgive you.” The words slipped out before I could catch them, but I knew as much as it hurt him, it was the truth.
He squeezed his eyes tight and fisted his hands. The smoke stopped traveling toward me, but it encompassed him completely. To the point he became all wraith—a still black form blocking my exit.
“If you go, I will not be here to see if you get back or not.” Pain laced the words dropping all around me, as if he filled the room with his essence. “I cannot see another person who I love be torn apart by those monsters.” He moved by me so fast that the breeze he created nearly knocked me into the wall.
I turned and scanned the apartment. If he was there, he had cloaked himself well enough for me not to pick him up. My heart thundered in a way that made my chest hurt. “Where can I find you?”
No answer. “Reyfyre?” Silence. “You wouldn’t let those people die,” I whispered and turned away. I stepped out of the apartment on bare feet without so much as my pocketbook. If Thor and Odin did catch me, they’d have nothing to lead them back to Reyfyre.
My throat tightened and tears threatened, and I picked up the pace until I was in an all-out run with my dress billowing behind me. My vision blurred and my chest hitched. I didn’t stop, because if I did, I would turn back. Back to Reyfyre and a future of self-loathing that would eventually tear us apart.
I barreled into the conference center ballroom with the grace and stealth of a bull in a china shop. Heat painted my cheeks, sliding down to my jaw as I skidded to a stop. Reyfyre’s words kept looping in my head, crushing my heart. I slowed as my hitching breath made everyone turn my way.
I wasn’t the only one who came back, but I was the last one.
Thor was poised with his blade against another innocent’s throat, ready to decapitate him.
A guard grabbed my arm and forced a full glass of the chocolate truth serum down my throat, making sure I swallowed every drop. Then he threw me forward. I stumbled, landing on my hands and knees. Tears still streaked my face, and they wouldn’t stop running like faucets.
Thor handed the sword off to a guard and strode across the floor. As he closed the distance, his gait slowed.
My reaction was definitely appropriate based on the other televised balls. However, this one felt different. They hadn’t killed the attendees. Only those they deemed suspect. My mind raced over the little I had witnessed via the television screen. I stayed where I was and covered my face, trying to get control.
Thor’s soft touch on the crown of my head almost blasted the fury through this devastation. “You took your sweet time, Karen.” There was nothing friendly in his voice.
“Ray and I argued. He is threatened by you. He’s seen the footage of the other balls.” My voice hitched with each syllable. I wiped my face and glanced to my side.
Thor crouched down close to me. “I told you I could make you forget him.” He tucked a hair behind my ear. “Is your name really Karen?”
I met his gaze, trying not to glare. “Yes.” It was on my license. It was the name my paychecks came in with; it was on the lease to the apartment. At the thought of the apartment, the tears threatened again.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because Ray doesn’t want me to die tonight.” It was the truth without any hidden innuendo to it. “And neither do I. But you’re Thor.” I waved my hand at him. “And we’ve both seen the televised balls.” I covered my face again. None of the words burned. I didn’t even wince once. I sniffled. “No matter how hot you are and whatever pleasure you may give, it still means my death. But I couldn’t watch another person die instead.” I realized I was prattling on. “I’m sorry for babbling, Your Highness.”
He ran his hand down my back, as if checking for wings. “Are you the traitorous Valkyrie?”
My throat tightened at the familiarity of his hand, and I stared at him over my fingertips. “No.” It came out with a whine, as if I couldn’t believe he would ask me that. Besides, I was not a traitor. I protected the innocent. That was why I was here and not on the run again.
He smirked and helped me to my feet. “Let me rephrase that. Are you a Valkyrie?”
Without the word traitorous, I wasn’t sure I could pull off the lie. “Why are you asking me that? I already told you I wasn’t.” I nearly gagged out the last sentence. I sniffled and grabbed a napkin off the nearest table to blow my nose.
Thor’s smug smirk fell into confusion as I cleared the snot from my nose in the discarded rag. It was very unladylike, and quite gross if you asked me, but it sidetracked the questioning enough to save my ass. I put the cloth napkin back on the table and turned back to him.
“May I please go back home now? I have to try to salvage my relationship.” I pointed toward the door, knowing it was a long shot. None of the other women had ever asked to leave. They all cried as they kneeled, waiting for their turn at being pleasured before dying. It was quite pitiful.
He shook his head. “No one is leaving until I can make a determination on who is being truthful and who isn’t.”
Same operating procedure as the last dozen balls that had been aired. It was his twisted game, and I openly glared at him. The other two women were on their knees, staring at the floor as if too stunned to speak.
He grabbed my upper arm and led me to a spot near them and pointed to the ground.
Although every muscle argued with me not to fall to my knees, I did without hesitation. I would have never knelt for Thor back on Asgard. I had knelt for Odin, though, and that little sign of respect still burned.
Thor pulled out a chair with no arms and set it down in front of us. He straddled it and unbuckled his pants before settling down on the seat. “Who wants to go first?” He glanced at the three of us as he pulled his cock free of the fabric.
Not one of us moved. The hush that fell over the room sent a shiver down my spine. I had seen this time and time again. It was his sick idea of driving out the non-humans in hiding. But in all the cases I’d witnessed, the women were only mere humans, and they died a slow, painful death when his jizz tore through their bodies like steel bullets.
