Of Gods and Wolves (24 page)

When he finished with my legs, he turned me over and started all over again at my shoulders, pressing his body against me as he slid down my back, so I could feel him hard and ready. When he got down to the curves of my ass, he lifted my hips as he rubbed against me and I got to my knees eagerly. Reaching up my sides, he drew his hands down my waist, then my hips, before he slid them between my legs and gently nudged me apart. He scooped my thighs up from beneath, lifting them so they rested on his shoulders. I moaned, the odd position making me feel vulnerable and unsure whether I liked the fact that I liked it so much.

He rubbed his face against me and I came, screaming and shaking. He held me with his face pressed against me tenderly till I subsided, then he gave me a long, thorough lick and I came again. By the time he’d lapped and bit, licked and swirled, thrust and rubbed me to his satisfaction, I was on an endless roller coaster of pleasure. I barely realized he’d lowered me down until he thrust himself deep and my head flew back in ecstasy.

Trevor was done being slow and gentle. He gripped my hips hard and bucked into me wildly. I reached out and gripped the wall of the bed to brace myself. I felt him wrap the length of my hair around his fist and pull hard enough to get me to lift my head. He curled his other arm around me and pulled me up, claiming a breast to rub and knead. I cried out over and over as he drove deep. Then he let me go, pushing me back down as he followed me. He flung my hair to the side and I felt his teeth close over my neck where Thor’s mark remained.

He bit me hard, not enough to break the skin but enough that I knew there would be teeth marks, and I screamed with the combined pain and pleasure. He didn’t let go, didn’t even lessen the pressure, but I didn’t want him to. I felt his tongue lick me as he bit, then he pressed down with his face and pushed me into the bed. I lay trapped beneath him as he covered and consumed me, his breath panting fast in my ear. With one last hard thrust he came, finally releasing my neck, to howl savagely before dropping over me.

I couldn’t move. My body was racked with aftershocks on the level of full orgasms. I just kept riding each wave of pleasure until they finally drifted away like the tide and left me sated on the shore. Trevor’s body was shaking as well, when he rolled over and pulled me with him. He curved me into his side and I felt my heartbeat slow to match his, my chest rise and fall as his did. He stroked my back gently as we recovered.

My breathing regulated and I found enough energy to look up at him and smile. “Baby,” I breathed, it was all I could manage.

He opened his eyes and they were back to his normal honey-amber. “Yes, Minn Elska?”

“
What the hell was that?” I smiled broadly and he chuckled, it rolled through his chest and jostled my face.

“
That was the mating of a bonded couple.” He stroked my hair back and stared at me. In his eyes I saw the same wonder I knew was in mine.

“
You haven’t done that before?” I gasped.

“
Of course not,” he frowned but it was more in surprise than dismay. “You can only experience such pleasure with your mate. You haven’t felt it before either, have you?” His eyes held a hint of concern.

I laughed and kissed him. “You brat, you know I haven’t. Stop fishing for compliments.”

He pulled me completely on top of him and ran his fingers through the hair on both sides of my face. “I’m male,” he grinned, “I’ll never tire of listening to you praise my prowess but I’ll also never tire of telling you how much pleasure you give me back.”

“
Well, since it’s such a fair trade,” I rested my chin on his chest and he lowered his eyes down to my face. “I guess I can manage a few compliments.”

“
I’ll start” he slid his palm up my cheek and used it to press my face to his chest. “When you tremble, you send shivers through my body and when you moan, it tingles along my skin. I love the way your skin flushes pink and the way you smell both sweet and spicy. The way you throw your hips against mine when I thrust into you, makes me want to howl and rage to the moon that you’re mine at last, completely mine.”

The trembling started in my chest with his first words. By the time he’d finished, I was shaking through another orgasm and was left breathless and weak. He moaned and pulled me against him tighter.

“That’s all the compliment I’ll ever need, my Lady Hunter.”

“Where are the chips?” Finn’s voice filtered out to the living room, muffled as he rooted around in my cupboards.

“
Above the fridge,” Trevor said as he walked out of my bedroom, pulling on his shirt. His hair was sleep tousled and he was rubbing his eyes. Cats weren’t the only ones who liked to nap.

Everyone turned to stare at him. Brahma with a little smile and a lifted brow, Teharon with a tiny frown, Persephone with glee, Hades with calm acceptance, Mrs. E & Mr. T with concern, Pan with a
go figure
shake of his head, Horus with distaste (I was kinda glad to see it wasn’t just me he gave that look to), and Ull just looked at Trevor in shock.

Finn came out of the kitchen to silence. “What I miss?” He looked from the team back to Trevor and then over to me, where I sat on the floor, in front of the low Moroccan table we occasionally used for card games.

“Uh,” I cleared my throat, “I was about to tell you guys.”

“
You and Trevor?” Persephone reached over and hugged me. “How wonderful, I hope you’ll be happy together.”

  
Trevor sat down next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Thanks, Sephy,” he smiled at her.

“
So you’re even using her nicknames now?” Finn threw the bag of chips on the kitchen table and crossed his arms.

“
What of it, Swan Boy?” Trevor’s voice had gone to its werewolf rumble.

“
It’s okay with me,” Persephone eyed the two men with confusion. “I like the name.”

“
Swan Boy? You think me a child, little puppy?” Finn stalked further into the living room and Trevor stood to meet him.

“
Enough,” I stood up as well and pushed Trevor back down. Okay, he let me push him back down. “Finn. Outside. Now,” I pointed at the backdoor and he widened his eyes but he went. “Anyone else got a problem with me and Trevor?” I looked around the room and everyone shook their heads except Ull. “Ull?” I went and stood before him. “Do I need to take you outside for a talk as well?”

“
No,” he looked at me and there was resignation in his eyes. “I’m just worried about Dad.”

“
Your father has been dating every goddess that’ll have him,” I ground out. Ull looked shocked but he looked guilty as well. “And evidently you knew about it.”

“
I didn’t want to hurt you,” he sighed.

“
How many of you knew?” Everyone but Persephone, Hades, and Trevor suddenly had somewhere else to look. “And none of you thought I might like to know? It didn’t occur to any of you that knowing my ex-boyfriend has moved on, might help me to move on as well?”

“
He hasn’t moved on,” Teharon spoke softly, as he always did, but somehow it was softer right then, gentler.

“
What do you mean?” I narrowed my eyes on him. “I think dating half the female deities in existence constitutes moving on.”

“
Thor has never been a playboy,” Brahma took over for Teharon, who was looking a little lost. “It makes one wonder, why the sudden change?”

“
Uhh,” I threw up my hands in the air. “Fine, you guys had your reasons, whatever. I can’t deal with this right now. I have to go find out what Finn’s problem is.”

As I walked out the backdoor I heard Horus mutter, “
I
know what Finn’s problem is… he’s an idiot.”

I shut the door behind me and sighed. Finn was at the small iron bench I had near the koi pond. I went over and sat next to him. He was staring at the shiny koi fish as they hovered on the bottom, sleeping and dreaming fishy dreams.

“So what gives?” I leaned back and crossed my legs.

“
What gives?” He shook his head as he eyed me with disgust. “Are you really that cruel or are you just oblivious?”

Shit. I was hoping this wasn’t going to be personal. I mean I knew he was interested in me but I really didn’t think he’d been expecting anything to happen. I thought I'd made that clear when I talked with him about the flowers he sent. He’d made a few comments and some casual touching to test the waters but Finn never made the butterflies rise. My love magic just wasn't interested in him, which in turn, translated to me not being interested.

Besides, he was smokin’ hot. Any woman would love to get a chance at him. They had to be practically throwing themselves at his feet. I really didn’t think he’d sit around waiting for me. He also knew Trevor was bound to me and I couldn’t help being attracted to him back. The thought made me frown and wonder how real the attraction was between us. How much of it was werewolf magic? No, I wasn't going to start questioning my relationship with Trevor. I wasn't going to fuck this one up.

“
You don’t have anything to say to that?” Finn brought me out of my musings.

“
I don’t know what to say, honestly,” I closed my eyes for a second and sighed. “I think you’re great, Finn. It just hasn’t been the right timing for us.”

“
The right
timing
?” He turned on the bench to face me better. “You saved my life before you saved the wolf. Hell, he was trying to kill you!”

“
Is that hell with one L or two?”

“
What?” He looked like he was about to throttle me.

“
Hel, the Viking goddess or Hell the place? Okay, not the time for jokes,” I took his hand. “Trevor shared his magic with me. He bound himself to me forever, knowing at the time that he might never share my bed and yet would never want to share anyone else's.”

“
So he gets you because he played dirty?” His beautiful face twisted in jealousy. It made me uncomfortable, to say the least.

“
He didn’t play dirty,” I counted to ten. “He played honorable or whatever the opposite of dirty is, that’s Trevor. Bonding to me wasn't some underhanded ruse of getting into my pants. He'll never be with another woman. He's sacrificed a lot, including his immortality. He's literally given up his life to be with me. The way he loves me is humbling, mind boggling.”

“
So you’re in love with him already?” I don’t know what was worse, the anger I felt from him or the disbelief.

“
Already?” I dropped his hand. “You make it sound as if I jumped from one man’s bed to the next, throwing my heart like a trophy to the winner.”

“
Isn’t that how it is?”

I slapped him and it was hard enough that his face twisted and the sound of it echoed in my ears. “Snap out of it!”

Finn stared at me furiously.

“
Not much of a Cher fan huh?” I smiled as his confusion muted his fury. “Go watch
Moonstruck
some time and work out your issues, Finn. I’ve enough of my own. I've got full subscriptions. I don't need yours as well.”

“
Vervain, I watched you with Thor and I contented myself with your friendship,” he took both of my hands and dropped to the ground in front of me. “I stood by while he seduced you into loving him and then betrayed your love. I waited for you to heal. I’ve been trying hard to be the friend you need when I want to be so much more.”

I tried to pull him back up to the bench but he resisted. “Finn, I find you attractive, real attractive, but my heart wants Trevor.”

“Your heart is following your body’s lead,” he pulled on my hands urgently. “You don’t really love him. You’re attracted to him through magic and pity. You’re heart is so big, Vervain. You can’t bear to have him bound to you while you’re with someone else.”

I frowned, he was playing on my doubts and I didn’t like that. Doubts were like family, you could insult your brother all you wanted but if someone else said a single bad word about him, you’d punch their nose in. Finn was bad mouthing my brother and he was about to get a bloody nose.

“I don’t fuck men out of pity,” I stood up and he fell back into the grass. “I love Trevor and I’m sorry things never went anywhere with us but they didn’t, they just didn’t, and if you can’t handle that, you need to stop coming around.” 

“
Vervain, I’m sorry,” he grabbed my ankle as I walked by and I had to stop myself from shaking him off like he was garbage. He wasn’t garbage, he was my friend and he’d stuck it out with me. He didn’t deserve to be treated like that.

I sighed and helped him up. “No, Finn, I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to handle all this attention. Growing up, I felt fat and stupid. One side of my family was all about looks, I have a Pageant Queen for an Aunt, and they constantly made me feel like I needed to improve my appearance. The other side couldn’t care less how I looked, as long as I was smart. Study more Vervain, have you decided what you're going to do with your life yet? I never felt good enough for either of them so I took a third option, I became an artist. You don’t need brains
or
beauty to paint.” 

“
How could anyone make you feel ugly or stupid?”

“
They’re my family, I love them and I trust their opinion,” I sat back down on the bench heavily. “If I’m not good enough for them, how can I be good enough for anyone else?”

“
You don’t have to be good enough for them,” he sat down next to me. “You just need to be good enough for you and I think you are. I think you’re happy with yourself deep down.”

“
Yeah,” I smiled and flicked his nose. “You’re right. I am and part of me knows my family pushed me out of love. They only wanted me to be the best I could but another part of me is constantly whispering, ‘He can’t want you. You’re not pretty enough, or thin enough, or smart enough for him,’ and I look at you all and wonder if it’s just some big joke. If one day you’ll jump up and say ‘Hah, we got you good, you should’ve seen your face, Vervain.' I’ve a hard enough time with normal men but here I sit with gods and they tell me they want me,
me,
Vervain Lavine, who didn’t lose her virginity till she was eighteen. I just don’t know how to handle you all.”

He stared at me for a minute while he digested everything, then took a deep breath, nodded, and stood up. “Let’s go back inside,” he reached down to help me up.

“We okay?” I searched his face.

“
Yes,” he led me to the back porch. “You’re right; you have enough issues of your own, you don’t need mine. I mean eighteen? How could you not have had sex until you were eighteen?”

I laughed and slapped his shoulder but I was relieved and so was everyone else when they saw us walk in, hand in hand.