Modern goddess, p.8
Modern Goddess, page 8
I turned and stumbled upstairs to grab my pile of clothes and bring them down to the living area and peeled off my boots, setting them aside near the stairs. Then I commandeered an empty drawer I found in the bedroom for my clothing.
I rummaged through Reyfyre’s closet and found a soft blue tank top that would probably reach my knees. I took that and a pair of my underwear and crossed to the couch, waiting for my turn to wash off the grime from the last month of travel.
Reyfyre’s dirty clothes hung on the hook next to the shower door and I sighed. The only view I’d ever had of his bare chest was the night of the wolverine incident. And that was too brief. I could definitely get used to seeing more skin from Reyfyre.
I let out a soft chuckle. I must be tired if my brain went to objectifying the man. That’s exactly what Thor did to me on Asgard, and I hated it. I couldn’t start doing that to Reyfyre. Not when it had sent uncomfortable chills through me anytime that asshole leered at me.
The shower went off.
I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, giving Reyfyre some privacy as he stepped out of the bathroom.
“There’s a hamper in the bathroom. You can put your dirty clothing there and we’ll find a laundromat to wash them once we get to the city. You’ll find a clean towel on the hook of the door. That’s also where you should hang your clean clothing, so they don’t get wet.”
“Thanks.” I stood, collecting my things. By the time I turned toward the shower, he had already crawled under the covers on the right side of the bed.
“Good night,” he murmured just before his eyes closed.
I stepped into the shower and immediately understood why he hung his clothing up outside. The stall was the entire room, with a towel hooked on the door. Soap and shampoo sat on a small shelf and the rest of the walls were smooth, without breaks. The floor had a grate in it where the water drained.
I hung the shirt and underwear up on the hook under the towel and then stripped. I tossed the dirty clothing onto the floor outside of the shower and then turned on the water. Two months of grime sloughed off my body, and I scrubbed my skin and washed my hair twice before I shut the water off. I could have stood there for another hour, but his warning stuck with me, especially considering I had been the one to catalog what we had left, and we were low on water bottles.
I dried my body with the towel and slid on the underwear and shirt before I wrapped the towel around my hair. When I left the shower, I picked up the dirty laundry and headed into the bathroom to put it in the hamper and see whether Reyfyre had a brush or comb to untangle the knots in my hair.
Thankfully, he had both in the bathroom cabinet, and I towel dried my hair, hanging the wet towel on the bathroom hook before I brushed out my tangled locks. I searched and found a couple of unopened toothbrushes and cleaned my teeth with the half-used toothpaste in the cabinet.
Fully refreshed, I turned off the lights behind me and settled into the bed next to a snoring Reyfyre. I curled up facing him, studying his profile like I had under the northern lights. In the darkness, he looked almost cherub-like, and he smelled clean, along with a cinnamon undertone that made my mouth salivate.
The urge to caress the fae-wraith’s cheek crawled under my skin, and I turned away before I did something stupid. The shock wave of that sudden need made me shiver under the covers. I cannot fall for him. I cannot have that kind of weakness again!
Hippocrates had made me vulnerable. I would never be vulnerable again so long as Thor and Odin were alive.
CHAPTER 16
MORNING CAME AND WITH it, my stomach rolled. Reyfyre was already up in the kitchen, cooking something that would normally smell good, but it only served to make me clench my jaw against the bile lining my throat. I slid from the bed and stumbled to the bathroom, spitting the offending taste from my mouth.
I relieved myself and brushed my teeth to wipe out the horrid flavor.
When I emerged from the bathroom, Reyfyre handed me a pair of sweatpants without a word and then nodded to the table where two plates were set with a pile of eggs and bacon. Fresh orange juice sat in glasses next to the plates.
Despite my sour stomach, my mouth watered. It had been eons since we had eggs and bacon, never mind fresh orange juice. “Did you magic us supplies?”
He shrugged. “There’s already a magic signature aboard this ship. I figured out here, it would be harder to track than on land. We are stocked for the full trip, including gas and extra water.” He sat down and shoveled the food into his mouth. “We can still fish if you’d like,” he added around a mouthful of food.
I took the seat and tentatively took my first bite. My stomach groaned, demanding more, and I shoveled the rest in as if I hadn’t eaten in months.
The minute I drained my cup and sat back, my stomach decided that was not truly what it wanted. It cramped, and I scrambled to my feet, temporarily uncertain which way to go. The boat pitched me toward the stairs and that cinched the decision. I ran up the stairs into the frigid air whipping across the North Atlantic and grabbed onto the railing. I leaned far enough over not to splatter the boat, and my breakfast shot out in a disgusting geyser of food and stomach acid.
Reyfyre’s chuckle reached me just before his hands collected my hair so it wouldn’t get dirty food chunks in it. “You need to take that medicine when you wake up so you’re not vomiting nonstop.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” I said between gags.
When I was sure I had nothing left, I slid to the ground and leaned against the railing, looking up at Reyfyre. “How come you don’t get seasick?” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
He crouched down, offering me a pill and a can of soda. “Some people just don’t.”
I wanted to wipe off his smirk and the humor dancing in his eyes. Instead, I took the pill and washed it down with a minute sip of the soda.
“Do you need help back to bed?”
“I can’t go down there with the scent of eggs and bacon on the air,” I balked as my teeth started to clatter together with the shivers running through me.
“Then let’s get you up to the couch on the bridge.” He picked me up in his arms and carried me to the couch like I was an invalid.
Although his actions irritated me, I doubted I could make the walk without hurling the medicine. Reyfyre deposited me on the couch and then disappeared below deck. Running water followed, along with the clank of dishes as he cleaned up. Guilt wormed its way through me. I should have cleaned up because he cooked.
When he finally appeared, he was dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a gray sweatshirt that made his eyes glow brighter. He handed me a zip-up sweatshirt of his and went to the command center. The engine roared to life, followed by the anchor being pulled back up. And then Reyfyre charted out the next couple of days before he steered the boat in the right direction, and we set off.
Most days of this cursed cruise played out the same. It was all one big blur of sour stomachs and Reyfyre’s snickers as he fed me the seasickness pills I had left on the nightstand. By the time we had reached Maine, I had been remembering to take the pill before I got out of bed. Thankfully, after that, I didn’t hurl after breakfast. The pills just skimmed the sourness enough so I didn’t vomit, but I was not comfortable at all.
He finally moored the boat at a marina in Massachusetts and told me to wait on the boat. I was trying to keep breakfast down, so I did not argue with him at all, but I did study the marina and the people moving about the area. I got no dangerous vibe from them—quite the opposite—and it made me relax to the point my stomach settled a little more.
Reyfyre came back and opened the container in his hand. He pulled out a terrycloth wristband and put it onto my wrist. A bump pressed into my arm right at the juncture of my veins. I let him slide the second one on, but cocked my head at him.
“Seasick bands.” He met my gaze. “Between these and the pills, hopefully you won’t have such a tough time for the rest of our trip.” He smiled. “Then maybe we can get some training done on the deck.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You got these so you can kick my ass?”
“Precisely.” He bopped my nose and left me staring after him as he undid the ropes and then guided us out of port.
Dread wrapped around me as we pulled back into the open waters again. However, the motion of the seas didn’t seem to affect me as much. Oh, I still felt the pitches, but it didn’t make my stomach go in a terrifying loop-de-loop aimed at making me throw up. And once the pill started to work, I wasn’t nauseous at all.
I slid into the captain’s chair next to Reyfyre. “These are minor miracles.” I held up my wrists. “Thank you.”
He glanced at me. “For the first time since we left Canada, you’re not greenish.”
A burst of laughter escaped. “I didn’t realize seasickness came with a color.”
“It’s not a color that looks good on you.” His lips twitched into a smirk.
I didn’t have a comeback for Reyfyre. But now that my stomach wasn’t in the forefront of my mind, our task at hand raised its head. “What if we fail?” My hands clasped before me, and I refrained from letting them wrestle with my unease.
“Then we die knowing we tried.”
His words sent a cold chill right to my bones. I did not want to lose Reyfyre. Something had settled between us on this trip and my wariness of the wraith part of him didn’t seem to matter anymore. Somehow, I had come to care about Reyfyre more than just as a trainer. I had no doubt once we settled in and started training, I would almost hate him again. But those negative feelings would be tainted by this softening of my heart.
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Tell me what will happen when we get to the city.”
“We pack up our clothing and find a shelter that will let us stay together. Then I’ll see if I can get both of us a job at the bar I used to work for. They know me under my alias and are usually hard up for help, so that should work in our favor as long as they are still open.” He wiped his face. “After a couple paychecks are under our belt, we’ll be able to have enough for a down payment for a small apartment.”
“So, another month or so before we start hunting?”
He laughed. “More like another six months for us both to get in shape before we take the fight to them.”
“Six months?”
“Unless they find us first. But yes, it will take at least that long before you are at full strength. You still need work, and I need to be in top shape as well.” His gaze slashed to mine. “And when we are training, you’ll have to pull your punches with anyone else but me.”
“Who said I was training with anyone else?”
Reyfyre grinned, and his eyes twinkled in a dark manner. “The gym I used to belong to is the best place to learn to fight again. It’s mixed martial arts along with boxing and strength training. So, you’ll be pitted against some talented humans. If you go full out on them, you’ll broadcast your otherness to them and then we’ll be fucked.”
“You trust these people?” I couldn’t believe Reyfyre would trust humans, especially given the fact they weren’t standing up to Odin’s rule.
“I don’t trust anybody.” He sucked in his lower lip. “They think I’m human. You’re the only one left on this planet who knows what I am.”
“So, you trust me?” I placed my hand on my chest.
The guffaw he let out sent a wave of irritation through me. “As I said, I trust no one.”
“Fuck you, Reyfyre.” I climbed out of the chair and headed out of the bridge and onto the open deck. A cyclone of feelings swirled inside me, making me dizzy with the intensity.
The engine shifted into neutral and then Reyfyre appeared in the doorway. “I trust you to have my back in a fight. But you’ve proved you don’t listen to me in any other situation, so no, I don’t trust you at all beyond having my back in battle.” His aquamarine gaze bore into me.
“You would have killed that bear.” I crossed my arms, defending the one time I truly did not listen to him.
His eyebrow cocked. “You fell asleep when it was your turn to keep watch. And you did not stay with me at the marina.” His arms crossed, radiating the same hostile manner that I adopted.
I opened my mouth to argue and closed it immediately. Both of those things were on me. I turned my back on him and stared at the water, frustrated that I couldn’t identify the burn in my blood. Reyfyre did not trust me, and that rubbed my skin like a thousand beetles attacking my flesh. I needed the man to trust me because deep down, I trusted him implicitly. He had never steered me wrong.
“I’m sorry,” I said over my shoulder. When he didn’t respond, I turned to an empty doorway. He was back at the controls and the stress was visible in the tightness of his shoulders, even at this distance. I let the winter winds slap at my skin for a moment longer before I retreated inside into tension as thick as clumps of rotten seaweed.
CHAPTER 17
THE FRICTION BETWEEN REYFYRE and me seemed to grow as all our unspoken shit festered between us. Thankfully, it was only a few days after his lack of trust announcement that New York City came into view.
I stared at the city looming before us with my jaw dropped open. The tall buildings reflected the sunlight like mirrors, intimidating me into silence. I had never seen a city like this. Sure, Asgard had Odin’s castle, but that was one building looming over everything else.
This was something different and almost too big for my brain to comprehend.
Reyfyre leaned toward me. “Your mouth is hanging open.”
I snapped my jaw shut and glared at him. “You did not prepare me for this.” I waved at the view getting closer and more overwhelming every minute.
“Welcome to New York City, Kara.” He grinned. “This is one of hundreds of cities across America, but it is the biggest.”
I gawked at the city. It was stunning in the morning light. And it was a far cry from the mud and brick huts I saw in Greece. The human race had evolved beyond measure. And yet, Odin and Thor still reigned over them with an iron fist.
“If they could build this, why did they just lie down and surrender to Odin?” I asked softly as we approached the marina.
“Because they have nothing that can kill a god. None of their best weapons, human or otherwise, was a match to Thor and Odin’s power.” His lips curved into a frown. “We need to establish ourselves here as Karen Johnson and Ray Davis.” He pulled out the licenses and handed me mine. “Do not lose this.”
I tucked it into my back pocket as Reyfyre docked the boat. He turned off the engine and glanced at me. “We need to pack our clothes.”
Without waiting for me, he headed downstairs.
I followed in time to see Reyfyre pull a suitcase from under the bed. It had wheels on one side and after he slammed the bed back down, he unzipped the bag and started to pack our remaining clean clothing neatly. Once he had our things tucked into the suitcase, he retrieved the laundry bag from the bathroom and spread it over the top of the clean clothing before zipping up the bag.
I stepped aside as he deposited the suitcase in front of me. He went to one of the thin floor-to-ceiling doors and pressed his thumb to the pad under the latch. It unlocked and swung open. Inside his locked cabinet were more weapons: guns tucked into the doorframe, along with some interesting knives. There were a couple of rifles like the one he carried from the bedroom along with our swords. Stowing them quickly, he closed the door and repeated pressing his thumb to the pad. The click of a lock engaging filled the silence.
“It would have been nice to know we were armed to the helm.” I crossed my arms.
“Now you know. But only a blade can be used to kill a god.” His gaze met mine before he focused on the kitchen, opening cabinets and taking stock of the food. He did the same with the refrigerator.
He handed me what was left of the eggs and a milk carton. “The rest of the things in here will keep.” And then he slid his stockinged feet into his thick snow boots, slipped on his jacket and waited expectantly for me to do the same.
After being in heated accommodations, the slap of cold wind as we disembarked from the boat hit like an ice storm. “How long will this cold continue?”
He chewed his lip and started up the dock. “I think we have another six weeks until spring kicks in down here. I’m hoping we can find a furnished apartment by then.” He spoke over his shoulder as he led the way into the marina. He headed straight for the counter and unfolded a piece of paper, handing it to the clerk. “Did Mr. Allaire leave anything for me here?”
The clerk glanced at the paper he was handed before looking up at Reyfyre. “Let me have a look, Mr. Davis.” He stepped away into the back room, rummaging around for a few minutes. When he came back, he handed a slim envelope to Reyfyre with a smile. “Does Mr. Allaire’s boat need any repairs?”
“Not to my knowledge, but I believe he said to make sure you do a service check before you dry-dock it?” The statement came out in more of a question as Reyfyre pocketed the envelope.
“Yes, sir. We do a thorough inspection before we store it. Do you happen to know when Mr. Allaire is coming into town? His contract doesn’t specify when we should have it ready for him.”
“He mentioned he wanted me to do a return run in the fall, so I’d assume he’ll want it during the summer, but you never know what his timing is.” Reyfyre smiled. “I’ll catch you in the fall.”
“See you then, Ray.”
He turned and escorted me out of the building, keeping his smile on his face until we were off the property. Then it dropped completely. “I didn’t expect to be gone quite this long, so my accounts here are probably near depleted. And I don’t have access to Allaire’s accounts yet.”
