Oathbreaker (15 page)

I don't usually like being referred to as “child” but the woman’s voice was filled only with kindness, so I let it go. “Not unless he means me harm first.”

“There,” she spread her hands and Bragi turned his glower on her before he skulked off.

“
Thank you, Idunn,” Odin took her hand and kissed it.

“
Of course, Allfather,” she graciously inclined her head. “I’m ever at your service.”

I’d met Idunn earlier that week, when I was trying to get a feel for everyone and she’d been just as sweet to me then. What did it say about my character that I was immediately on guard because of her sweetness? She was just too nice, like Betty Crocker on marijuana, sweet as pie and mellow yellow.

“I’ll leave you to your day then,” she glided away, her sparkling white dress seeming to take the light with her.

“
I don’t trust her,” I muttered.

“
What?” Odin and Vali both looked at me in shock.

“
I don’t know, nobody’s that nice,” I bit my lip. “She presses my bullshit button.”

Vali laughed and then his face went serious. “You know, she could be right.”

“Not you too,” Odin groaned. “Idunn is a sweetheart. She’d never hurt a fly, much less take part in a rebellion against me.”

“
There was that problem with Loki,” Vali grabbed my suitcase and started down the corridor to the stairs.

“
Loki?” I shivered. Why was he coming up again? “What happened with him?”

“
Loki kidnapped her and gave her to Thiassi as payment for building Valhalla,” Odin took my arm and escorted me along after Vali.

“
Why would Loki pay someone for building your Hall?”

“
It was just a way to cause mischief,” Odin’s lips twisted. “He knew Thiassi wanted her and he also knew who’d be blamed for her disappearance, since it was my Hall she was supposedly payment for. It wasn’t until Loki started aging, that he admitted to the deed, so that I’d go rescue her.”

“
What do you mean Loki started aging?” I stopped to stare at him. “I thought you were all immortal.”

“
We are,” Odin frowned. “I thought you knew these things already. We aren’t naturally immortal; we’ve just found magical ways to extend our lives. One of the ways is through the apples of immortality that Idunn grows, but they aren’t a one time fix. They must be ingested every hundred years for continued immortality.”

“
Which is how you offered immortality to Sabine,” I remembered him telling me how she refused him, saying it wasn’t wise to live forever.

“
Yes, you could’ve lived beside me forever but you spoke of the natural order of things and how we were wrong to tamper with it.” Odin’s eye was on my face but he was obviously seeing another in its place.

“
Okay, I’m not quite comfortable enough yet with the idea that I’m Sabine, for you to start referring to things she said as if I said them.”

“
I understand,” he stopped and looked away from me. “I’m sorry; you’re being gracious about this. It’s more than I could’ve hoped for.”

“
No problem,” I started walking again. “Just go a little slower with me.”

“
Yes, of course,” Odin started walking but stopped in the doorway to my room, staring at someone inside. “Balder?”

I peered around Odin and saw a lean muscled man with wild, fiery hair, talking to Vali. The man had turned to face Odin when he heard his name and his face split into a wide grin. He had gold eyes, I noticed when he got closer, and his skin even seemed to have a slight glow to it. No wonder they called him the Shining One. He was handsome enough but it was a little too much gold for me, he looked kind of washed out.

“Father,” he embraced Odin warmly, then looked me over. “So this is the Godhunter,” he tilted his head. “I thought you’d be taller.”

“
And I thought you’d be smarter,” I smirked. “It isn't a good idea to insult the Godhunter, when you're a god.”

He made one of those surprised barks of laughter, then dropped to his knees. “Forgive me, my lady, I lost my manners for a moment.”

“Rise noble sir, you are forgiven,” I sniffed and Balder laughed more.

“
Where did you come from?” He shook his head as he got to his feet. “And are there any more like you?”

“
I think there are quite a few people who’d tell you that one of me is more than enough.”

“
There are never enough beautiful, witty women,” Balder smiled brightly.

“
Enough. She said she forgave your rudeness,” Vali pushed his brother. “You don’t have a shot with her by the way, she’s Rouva too.”

“
To the Froekn?” Balder’s eyebrows went up

“
Yes, they thought I’d be taller as well,” I brushed past both men and took a seat at the desk. My list was in the drawer and I wanted to go over it.

“
She’s quick,” Balder said behind me. “I like her.”

“
Too bad,” Vali pushed him toward the door. “If any of us actually had a shot, we’d have to get in line behind Dad.”

“
Get out, you two cretins,” I heard Odin smack his sons good-naturedly as they left. “I’ll be down in a little while to catch up with you, Balder.”

I felt him walk up behind me and place his hands on my shoulders. A tingle rushed down from where he touched me and I leaned forward to break the contact. His soft sigh was an arrow to my heart but I ignored the ache as Odin leaned on the desk beside me.

“I’m going to work a spell tonight to determine if any of these names are your traitors,” I indicated the list as I looked up at him. “But I’ll need something from each of them to establish a link. A piece of thread from their clothes, a strand of hair, something like that. Will you help me collect them?”

“
Give me half of the list,” Odin looked down at the paper. “I’ll take care of it.”

Chapter Fourteen

I wore a flowing pink dress to dinner, bodice and wrist daggers included but hidden well, to look as approachable as possible. I’d labeled Ziploc baggies with the name of each god I was after tonight and given some to Odin, so that we’d be able to keep our samples separate. They were safely stowed in my Triple-P(Pink Prada Purse), tucked in a side pocket for easy access.

Odin started to escort me to the head table, where his sons were already seated with another man I didn’t recognize. I almost stopped walking when I saw him, he was so stunning. Long, wavy, black hair hung loose to the middle of his wide back and his physique was as muscle-bound as Odin's. He had a beautiful face, not pretty, but strikingly beautiful, with a proud nose, strong lips, and perfectly arched eyebrows, over a pair of deep blue eyes. So blue, they were almost purple.

Oddly enough, I wasn't attracted to him in the least.

“
Vidar!” Odin shouted from beside me and the man’s face lit with a brilliant smile.

“
Father!” He bounded down the steps that led to the table and wrapped Odin up in a bear hug. “I heard you may have need of me,” he said in a lower voice.

“
I may,” Odin nodded, then pulled back and gestured to me. “This is Vervain Lavine, a new ally of ours.”

“
Vervain,” Vidar’s face clouded a moment. “Vali told me about you, Godhunter.”

“
Only the good stuff is true,” I smiled and he nodded curtly.

Okay, so I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome from every god I met but I’d thought Odin’s son might’ve been a little more cordial. The last two had been overly so, making Vidar’s chilly greeting all the more noticeable.

Odin gestured that we should all head over to the table, then whispered to me, “Vidar’s called the Silent One for a reason, don’t take his reserve as an insult.”

“
Of course not,” I smiled but it felt forced. Odin could read me a little too well for my comfort, so I hurried to cover my unease. “He’s very beautiful.”

“
He takes after his mother,” Odin's voice caught on the last word and he stared down at me intensely.

“
Does he?” I felt a shiver start in my stomach and work its way down my legs.

“
He’s very special to me,” he stopped before we reached the steps and turned, so his back was toward the table. “As his mother was… and is,” he lifted his hands to my face and I felt the blood rush out of it.

“
No way,” I exhaled in a horrified rush, as my legs started to buckle. “Tell me you’re not implying that he’s Sabine’s son.”

“
I didn’t expect him to be here tonight or I would’ve told you sooner,” his hands fell to my shoulders and I felt the world sway. “I would have prepared you.”

I was not going to faint! I was the Godhunter. I could handle anything, including a son from a previous lifetime. No problem. Hey, I’d get all the benefits without having the negatives, like diapers and midnight feedings. Oh and that whole childbirth thing. Who actually wants to do that? This could be good, right? Oh hell, my hearing went all wonky and the world started to shift again.

“Vervain, are you alright?” Odin brushed my hair back and peered into my face.

I saw Vidar coming back down the steps, concern etched all over his gorgeous face, and I started to laugh a little hysterically. No wonder I hadn't been attracted to him, a mother couldn't be attracted to her son, could she? Was he still considered my son? How did things like that work? Could I date a man that I’d given birth to in a previous life? Or was that something only English monarchy could do? I suddenly had the urge to throw up.

“Is something wrong with… Vervain?” Vidar stayed behind his father but he studied me intensely and I suddenly saw something there that I’d missed before. Guarded hope.

“
I’ve just told her,” Odin glanced back at his son. Our son. Oh, now I couldn't breathe.

“
Here?” Vidar frowned at him. “That was not wisely done.”

“
I realize that but I couldn’t let her share a meal with you while she continued to be ignorant of your relationship.” Odin put an arm around my waist and helped me up the steps. “Sit down, Vervain. Here, have some wine,” he helped me to a seat, then poured a glass of red wine and handed it to me.

I took it with shaking hands. “What exactly is our relationship?” I took a quick sip and put the glass down.

“He’s our son,” Odin took my hand and rubbed it. “A new body doesn’t change that, just as it hasn’t changed my feelings for you. Look inside yourself, you’ll recognize him. A mother never loses the bond to her child.”

I looked at Vidar, who’d taken the seat to my right. His jaw clenched and he swallowed hard. I saw his fear plainly, the fear of the worst rejection of all, the rejection of his mother. My gut clenched and I had an overwhelming urge to hold him, protect him from every hurt, even the pain I could cause. How ridiculous to want to protect a god but it’s what I felt and I couldn’t stop it. The urge was so strong, I had to fist my hands to keep from reaching for him.

“Vidar,” I felt the separation of centuries fill my voice with longing for something I hadn't even known I was missing. With that one word, a mental dam was broken and flashes of him filled my head. I saw him as a baby in my arms, a toddler taking his first steps, a teenager experiencing his first heartbreak, and finally as a man grown and going to battle beside his father. I saw his entire life as I'd known it, in flashes that only lasted seconds. I felt the tears overflow my eyes and soak my cheeks.

“
Mother,” he pulled me onto his lap and laid his face against my chest like a child.

I stroked his hair as the memory of him filled me and gave me the abrupt knowledge of motherhood. It shook my body with  convulsions but Vidar held tight. My brain zipped with bursts of memories that were suddenly released, as if they'd been waiting beneath the surface for me to call them up. Pictures became movies, as if I were watching someone's home videos from their perspective. My tears dried as my eyes shivered, rapidly following the progress of a life I'd created in another life.

A woman gets pregnant and has nine months to accept her impending motherhood, then years to grow with her child. I had moments to go from maiden to mother. Heartbeats to come to terms with my life being altered forever. Seconds to allow the fiercely protective nature of a parent to fill me and become a part of me. When I finally worked through it, I was exhausted and exhilarated.

I kissed the top of his head and knew with perfect certainty that I’d kill anyone or anything that tried to hurt Vidar. Not only was I a mother but a lioness, a wolf, and a jaguar as well. I almost felt sorry for the next guy who tried to mess with him.