Chapter 12
Fólkvangr, Falls of the Dead – Thule
Gefn’s voice whispered into P’s mind seconds before the priestesses showed themselves, Hroarr’s females would never harm you. No one in Thule would dare. Nor could they. He knew she referenced the runes heating his back; her voice had a sorrowful tinge that he hated. She paused. Wait. It is me you worry for? Her sex-kitten voice held a hint of confusion. She’d gotten very comfortable, very fast with their telepathic connection. Having her speaking in his head was destined to be a constant torture for him. Frenzy or not, it was like fucking phone sex on steroids.
Yes. P stifled a growl of frustration as his shoulders bunched with tension. Every instinct in him demanded he shield his mate, but these were her fucking people. Still, he’d set her down and turned in the pool so that he was between her and the newcomers. He should be happy they’d returned now and not ten minutes from now. His cock, the greedy fucker, wasn’t pleased at being denied, but it wasn’t only desire for her. It was the need to take away the torturous sadness he felt from her at the sight of the runes and the memories of her slaughtered priestesses. In all honesty he acknowledged that they both needed some easing. To him his mother’s sacrifice felt like a senseless waste. Hades would have protected his mother if she’d stayed instead of dropping him off.
For Gefn it had been a harsher blow. She’d seen too much death; he felt it in her words as well as in their bond. As her mate he needed to give her enough pleasure to forget, even for a short time.
Are you always so protective? She moved to his side and he sucked in a breath as he looked down at her. There was a hint of a smile in her beautiful emerald eyes.
Of you, thea mou, he admitted honestly before nearly growling at how beautiful she looked with her lips curved like that, always.
He loved the way her breathing hitched and wished they were alone now, but the females were already at the pool. He’d tracked their movements without needing to look at them.
He finally turned to the visitors, crossing his arms over his chest. Their presence wasn’t surprising. If Hroarr was half the brother his female thought him to be, he would demand to know she was safe. The fact that he hadn’t come was telling, because Hroarr hadn’t struck P as the type to send others to speak for him. He’d been the first through the portal to Earth. He hadn’t sent warriors or his siblings; it had been the massive God and then the others. So that meant it was very likely that the females hadn’t lied about not being able to take passengers.
“Why have you come early?” Gefn’s demand was a mix of irritation and displeasure. He was caught by the fact that his Goddess could manage an air of power even with wet hair plastered to her naked flesh. He cursed the hip-level waters near the steps, but had no intention of retreating into the deeper end. His mind was too busy short-circuiting at the fact that his female’s beautiful full tits were just above the water, displayed like some sort of sexy sea Goddess come to take over his fantasies. She stood tall and proud, completely unfazed by her nudity.
He was not. His cock didn’t seem to care that they had company. He forced down the lust with an iron will, knowing his cock was barely concealed beneath the water and any more excitement would have it up and on display against his stomach. He gritted his teeth and kept his focus on the females before him.
It was Reginleif, the darker one, who answered, “Hroarr commanded us to see that you are safe.”
The trio of females darted glances from the wet pavilion out to the forest beyond. He had no doubt they were seeing the changes since they’d last been there. In that time the forest had bloomed with thousands of flowers.
Gefn nodded regally before huffing out an irritated breath. “I assumed as much.” She paused. “And as displeased as I am that you did not follow my instructions, it is good that you are here. I need you to relay information to my brothers.” Her heavy sigh only served to draw his eyes back to her fucking tits like a high-powered magnet. He grinded his teeth, knowing the frenzy had started working overtime and it was a damned menace.
Her eyes shot to his for a split second. Long enough for him to catch the same mix of annoyance and blatant heat he was feeling.
She tilted her chin before directing her attention back to the females. “I am still unable to leave this sacred place.” He felt a hint of his female’s anxiety at that fact, and he sent her soothing energies without a thought. Her eyes shot to his and he watched her slender throat move as she swallowed. Concentration was a bitch and he hated how relentless it was. They had a lot to discuss and not enough time to do any of it. He still hadn’t addressed some of the assumptions she’d made when he’d been hearing her thoughts. One was that Earth only had two Gods. Another was the fact that he was a Guardian of Earth and she seemed to need him in Thule. His main concern was getting the trio to leave. He felt his female send him soothing energies, and it felt like she’d stroked his cock under the waters.
The priestesses turned to him, and this time it was Mist who spoke. “You are sure she will gain your power to leave?”
“I’ll get her out of this place no matter what.” It was his fault she was stuck there, and he’d find a way to get her out.
Gefn did not respond, instead commanding the females. “I need you to warn Hroarr that Kara is unconscious,” she said before quickly relaying all the information she’d learned from him about her sister’s presence on Earth, including the alliance Agnarr had with his father. He was glad she hadn’t shared the information about what his mother had done. That was too damned personal, which was something she seemed to understand.
Reginleif shook her head. “I cannot believe Kara would not have said something about this world.”
His cock was completely unbothered by the tension or the female’s words. The bastard was twitching beneath the water and was seconds from full wood thanks to the scent of his female and the way she was sending winds to caress his skin. He was forced to bite back a groan. Gefn, thea mou, you need to stop, he whispered into her mind. He was seconds from fucking her, audience or not. He forced his cock down with nearly all his focus. He wasn’t his father, who was perfectly fine whipping his dick out for all to see.
She turned to him with a frown. “What is it?”
Your winds are tormenting me, thea mou. He had no idea air could do what she was doing, and the look on her face told him she wasn’t consciously stroking him with it.
I didn’t realize… she stuttered before she blushed a pretty pink.
He couldn’t help the pained smile. I love it. Just not when I can barely think as it is, thea mou, he sent back, meaning every word. There was no denying how much he longed for her touch. For a male who’d avoided most contact with anyone, it was as if he’d been starved for so long all he wanted to do was gorge. Not on any touch, only hers.
“Were you speaking into her mind?” Reginleif questioned, and he had no doubt the female was information gathering for Hroarr.
“Yes,” he ground out, finding it better to give them something to take back even though he wanted them gone. “And she was speaking in mine. Our abilities will continue to blend as we bond.”
“When will this bonding be complete?” Reginleif spouted before frowning. “Will she get wings? Where are your wings?”
He chose the questions he was willing to answer. “My wings are hidden. And I don’t think she’ll get them, but I can’t be sure. Our bonding is unique.” That was an understatement. They were of two different worlds, but Sacha hadn’t gotten wings after her mating to his father, so it was a fairly logical assumption that Gefn wouldn’t get his.
The green-haired one was the quietest, watching, assessing him while Mist took a turn drilling him for answers. “You said before that your souls will be tied together. What does that mean?”
“It means that she and I will share a bond for eternity.” He wasn’t sure how much to divulge. He wanted less questions, not more. They kept stealing worried glances at his female, which would have been endearing if his cock wasn’t ruling his mind.
“Will you have to stay together at all times?” Mist frowned.
He shook his head. “No. We’ll feel the other and know the other’s location.”
The three shared a look before Gefn spoke. “I feel his emotion. And he mine. Similar to the bond you have with Hroarr, only more detailed.”
Reginleif asked, “What are the negatives of this bond?”
He answered through gritted teeth; the frenzy was already twisting in his gut. “If one of us dies, if the bond is severed, it usually leads to madness.”
*****
“Madness?” The trio of females’ mouths gaped. Gefn stilled, believing his words to be true. When her priestesses had died, it left a hole inside her, and their bond hadn’t been anywhere close to what she already shared with Pothos.
They all took a long moment to absorb that information. The three females were aware of what Gefn suffered when she’d lost her three, but she needed them to understand, to explain this to Hroarr. “The bond between Pothos and me is already stronger than anything I have ever known, and it is still growing and changing.”
They nodded while taking deep breaths.
Mist asked, “Do your Gods also have bonds with select Immortals as we have with Hroarr?”
“No. We have family connections.” He paused, apparently thinking before adding, “But the strongest bond we have is the one with our mate.”
He was creating his own place inside her, one that held immense pleasure, but also held the potential to destroy her. That fact didn’t jolt her nearly as much as the fact that she could destroy him as well.
The fear that she’d fail him as she’d failed her females nearly paralyzed her. Her cats sent her soothing emotion at the same time Pothos did. She breathed through it and refused to let that fear rule her. It was a useless emotion since she knew deep inside there was no going back. The bond was already there.
A glance at him showed the tension in his massive muscled body. She could smell his addicting scent and was forced to bite off a curse when it sent a surge of lust coursing through her body. The frenzy was a nightmare.
Once the bond is finished, the lust will calm, will it not? she gritted out. Fate had already dealt the card.
Yes. I’ll always want you, but it won’t rule us like it is now.
The trio of priestesses had gone silent. It was time they left her to ask him more about what they needed to do. In private.
Gefn commanded the trio, “Tell Hroarr that I am well. And ensure he maintains peace with Pothos’ family. He will not be pleased about Kara, but knowing ahead of time should help. We need answers from her. Now leave us and Do. Not. Return until the morrow.”