Modern goddess, p.7
Modern Goddess, page 7
He nodded. “Yes. And expect some rude comments, but please don’t react.” He met my gaze. “I will not allow anyone to touch you. Understand?”
I nodded, feeling every inch of his piercing stare. It created a heat in the center of my chest, as if he had just proclaimed me as his. And for some reason, that did not bring ire to the surface. Oddly, it vibrated through me with a pleasant rush that made me shift my feet.
It skewered my view of him just for a moment, the same way seeing his sleeping profile had warmed me to my very soul.
I gulped and kept walking, studying the patterns my snowshoes cut into the white drifts we traversed. He’s a mortal enemy of Asgard. I could not be attracted to him no matter how beautiful he might seem; he still was a brutal killer at heart. Wasn’t he?
With each step closer to civilization, my blood hummed with apprehension. I could not ease the dread pressing down on me, just as surely as I couldn’t suppress the growing attraction to Reyfyre. If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up leading both of us right to the gallows.
CHAPTER 13
THE FIRST SIGN OF civilization reminded me a little of Reyfyre’s cottage in the woods. Sturdy structures started to dot the landscape around us, giving way to denser packed homes as we got closer to the water. These structures were more in line with the villages on Asgard versus the clay and stone structures I had seen in Greece eons ago.
People were bundled up much like Reyfyre and me, and they rode snow machines or big vehicles with large wheels draped in chains.
We followed the road into the fishing village where old fishing boats sat beside sleek yachts. The attire of this age was more practical than the draped fabric of ancient Greece. It was in line with what Reyfyre wore and what he had outfitted me in. Denim and fleece reigned in this town, along with woolen hats, mittens, and scarves.
We received a few glances, but that changed as soon as we stopped in front of the marina store, unclipped our snowshoes, and walked into the building. A crew of weathered men leaned against the desk at the back, and they straightened the moment the door closed behind us.
Reyfyre removed his gloves and unzipped his jacket, reaching inside to pull out a piece of paper. He scanned the men and then zeroed in on one closest to the edge of the counter. “I’m here to bring my client’s boat to New York,” he said with almost a questioning lilt, as if he wasn’t sure which man was in charge.
The man closest to the edge of the counter put his hand out and Reyfyre extended the paper to him. He perused the instructions and pursed his lips as he raised his eyes from the paper before rolling around to the computer on the other side of the counter, typing like a madman possessed.
His gaze came up, locking on Reyfyre. “Passcode?”
Reyfyre pulled out a folded paper and looked at the typed word inside it. “Gold nugget.” He slid the paper back into his coat pocket.
“You sailed a rig like this before?”
“Yes, sir.” Reyfyre pulled out another slip of paper. “My boating license.”
The man snagged it from Reyfyre’s fingers and narrowed his gaze. “Ray Davis.” His eyes moved over the information and gave a curt nod before handing it back.
The other two men continued to leer at me and didn’t give Reyfyre as much as a glance until their boss snapped, “Get bay 235 ready for boarding.” Then they left through the side door, leaving us alone with the boss.
“I’ll need gas and rations to get to New York City,” Reyfyre said.
“Gas, I can do. But for rations, there’s a grocery store around the bend that can help you out.” He typed on his computer and then looked up at us. “That will be five hundred even.”
Reyfyre blinked and then reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of plastic as if this were standard, but his strained smile announced to me that this wasn’t what he expected. His gaze slashed to mine in warning.
I hadn’t even opened my mouth, but his shut the hell up attitude got my britches all in a bother. Instead of flapping off at the mouth, I chose to walk outside and see what the others were doing before I said anything that would jeopardize our situation. I had yet to encounter the type of men Reyfyre had mentioned on our way in, though. So, I could only surmise things had changed since his last visit to this quaint coastline.
I crossed the small, paved lot to the railing that surrounded the water access and glanced down at the docks below. The crafts were actually in the water and not hovering over it like they did on Asgard.
“What have we here?” a voice drawled from behind me.
I turned and paused at the five men fanned out around me. They wore ratty pants and thick shirts broken by straps that rolled over their shoulders. I pulled my hands out of my pockets and stared them down. Their interested leers told me these were the men Reyfyre had warned me about. I wondered whether it was because I was unaccompanied like in ancient Greece.
“I am with someone.” I scanned each man, but that statement didn’t seem to penetrate their feral gazes. “He’s just inside the building.” I pointed at the structure behind them.
“Yeah, but he’s not here now.” They stepped forward, grinning. “And you are.” One of the men reached in and snatched my hat.
“Hey!” I tried to grab it back, but that just got me within their reach. Hands seized my arms and spun me around, pushing me against the barrier between me and the water below. My brain stalled for a moment as hands grasped at me in ways that made my teeth clench. Fury burned in my core, and I swung my elbow back, connecting with the soft flesh of someone’s stomach.
The oof of pain was satisfying, but then instead of grabbing my hands, a fist hit my lower back and my knees buckled from the instant pain. I hung onto the railing to keep from falling.
“Get away from my girlfriend.”
Reyfyre’s voice carried over us, colder than the wind on the tundra, followed by the cock of a gun.
The men around me froze and put their hands up, backing up a few steps. One of the idiots had the nerve to say, “We didn’t know she was with someone.”
I turned slowly, facing their backs. “I told you assholes I was with someone.”
Reyfyre’s eyes darkened from the stunning aquamarine blue to almost a deep navy, announcing his displeasure. “Come here, love.”
I swiped my hat off the ground and slammed my shoulder into one of the men as I passed. It was an aggressive move that pushed him off-balance, and he had to sidestep to catch himself. I crossed to Reyfyre’s side and then glared at the five men who had decided I was their private toy to play with. I reached for one of the swords on his backpack to dole out some much-needed justice.
Reyfyre shook his head. “They don’t deserve a death sentence for being morons,” he said softly to me and then sent a deadly glare at the men. “Unless they are stupid enough to try to attack us both. Then we’ll gladly remove their heads from their necks.”
The men paled at the threat.
“Right, love?”
The use of that nickname did things for me that I couldn’t have anticipated. Heat scraped my cheeks; my heart fluttered and wetness coated my panties. I licked my lips. “Right.” My breathy voice betrayed the fact I was turned on by his protective possessiveness.
His lips tilted up in a ghost of a smile at my response. He held his elbow out and I looped my arm in it. “Come on. The boat is almost ready.” He took a few steps backward toward the boat launch area behind us, never letting the barrel of the gun waver.
It wasn’t until we were parallel to the launch ramp that he turned enough away from the men that he no longer presented himself as a possible danger. Luckily, the men took off in the opposite direction once the gun wasn’t pointing at them.
“Why did you leave my side?” Reyfyre’s sensual voice had disappeared into the one of annoyance that I was used to.
“Because I was tempted to say you had been wrong about the men in this town.” I glanced down as more heat filled my face. “At least not inside the store.”
“We need to work on your observation skills before we get to New York City.” He led me down to a large yacht that was moored by the gas pumps.
“Weren’t we going to get supplies at the store?” I asked as we approached the boat.
He huffed a laugh. “Not with what just happened. We’ll use the fishing poles for our food when our rations run out, and we have a full tank of water. We can stop at a port on the coast of Maine on the way for supplies if we need to. People there aren’t as feral as here.”
I grunted. “Daisy Mae?” I asked as I scanned the name scribed on the back of the ship.
“She’s beautiful. Isn’t she?”
He didn’t really answer my question, but the way his eyes caressed the boat, I could tell this was one of his first loves.
“Yes, she is.”
He stepped onto the plank and offered me his hand to help guide me aboard. I took it and when his soft palm met mine, I swore I felt sparks between us. But as soon as we were up a small set of stairs and out of sight inside the vessel, his hard look returned.
“You need to stick with me when I tell you to and not make any waves going forward. I know how to hide in plain sight. Situations like that never should have happened. Now stay put while I unlatch our moorings.”
“I did not instigate that mess.” I slammed my fists into my hips and stared him down. “And I don’t like your tone.”
“Fuck my tone, Kara. If you were to fight and kill those men, it would bring Odin right to us. Do you want that?” He hissed low enough for me to hear but not loud enough for anyone outside the room to pick up. And then he stormed out on deck.
Shock rattled through my bones, and I shook my head. I did not want Odin’s fury aimed at us. I might survive, but Reyfyre wouldn’t. And then I’d be imprisoned back in that godforsaken cave again. If they didn’t kill me first.
My mind would fracture if that happened.
The thought sent a chilling shudder through me.
CHAPTER 14
THE CAPTAIN’S CHAIRS IN the bridge were very comfortable. Reyfyre sat behind the command center, steering the yacht and monitoring the systems. The moment we pulled out into the open waters of Hudson Bay, he seemed to relax. But he kept an eye out on the radar for other boats just in case some of those lunatics decided to sneak up on us.
“Once we get into the Labrador Sea, we can find a place to anchor, unpack our backpacks, and see what we have left. Then we can get a little shut-eye before we continue on. I won’t pull into port until we reach Newfoundland or Nova Scotia.” He pointed out the route on the map. “Or Bar Harbor in the United States. Those places are much more civilized than where we were.”
I stared at the map. “How long until we get to New York?”
Reyfyre chewed on his lip for a few minutes. “Probably about ten to fourteen days with stops for refueling and sleeping. Maybe a little less, but I’m only factoring in an average speed of fifteen knots. While this baby can go more, the seas are likely to be rough, especially with it being winter.” His gaze met mine. “If we’re there sooner, it just means these comfortable accommodations are gone for a while.”
“Comfortable?” I glanced behind me at the deck we were on and although there were a couple of couches behind us, it didn’t look all that comfortable.
“No, honey. There’s an entire living level below this one.” He smirked. “This was one of my only impulse buys after my parents died and their monies transferred to one of my phantom identities. I had always wanted one and said screw it. If I was going to be on the run from that megalomaniac, I wanted to be on the run in style.”
“Show me?” I waved toward the back, itching to see the rest of this boat.
“Not until I know no one has followed us. Besides, this doesn’t have any sort of auto navigation system. So, I want to wait until we anchor for the night, then I’ll show you around.”
“I could explore on my own.”
His head tilted to the side as he considered my statement. “I’d rather be the one to show you. I would have shown you much more than just the bridge had we not had to bug out so quick.”
“What do you mean?”
“Those guys were asking for trouble. If we hadn’t gone out so fast, I’m sure they would have let their stewing anger build enough to attack us on the boat. As it is, their glares promised retribution. And I, for one, would not like to have a murder charge over my head in addition to stealing a snowmobile.” He gave me a pointed look. “I don’t want our faces plastered all over the continent.”
“Oh.” I nodded my understanding and promptly yawned. The bridge was heated, so we both had stripped down to our jeans and sweatshirts, laying out our winter clothing across the couch and our backpacks and snowshoes on the floor near the closed-off stairwell he had pointed to.
“But if you wanted to take stock of what we have in the backpacks, you can do that.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder to where the packs leaned against the couches.
It would certainly keep my mind occupied. I stood and stretched before I went over to the packs. I took mine first and set out things in piles. Food and liquids went on the table and clothing went on the couch in a neat pile. My clothing pile seemed so small in comparison to the food, blankets, and utensils in the pack.
“Where do you want these once I have things unpacked?” I held up the empty backpack.
“Closet over there.” He pointed to a slim door on the far side of the room.
I stowed my pack inside, noting there most likely would be enough room for his pack once I had emptied it. I went to work on his, and there was a lot more food than I had thought, along with a few pots and pans that we had used out on the tundra. On closer inspection, they didn’t need to be cleaned before we used them again. They already gleamed due to the charms on Reyfyre’s backpacks.
Reyfyre’s pile of clothing was on par with mine. Less than a week’s worth of garments were in our stacks.
“We might need some more clothes.”
Reyfyre glanced over his shoulder at his pile. “I have more clothing stored here. You can borrow whatever you need until we get to the city and get a job that will give us the funds to get clothing and find an apartment.” He turned back to the sea.
“Your shirts are too big for me,” I muttered as I continued to pull things out of his bag as if it had no end. And then I unhooked the sword sheaths from the sides and set them next to the shotgun Reyfyre had placed next to the command center. Having our weapons handy would benefit us if we were actually attacked.
I stowed the backpack away and then swallowed a small burp of bile. My stomach had become decidedly sour since we boarded, and I put my fist to my lips, racking my brain as to why.
“Um. I’m not feeling so great.” I sat on the couch.
Reyfyre glanced back at me, and his eyebrows shot into arches. He opened the panel next to him and rummaged around inside. Then he threw me a small round canister. “Motion sickness pills. Just take one of the pills with a little water and come sit up here where you can see the horizon.”
I stared at the container, reading the text imprinted on the top as to how to open the tube. It took me a few tries and by the time I got it open, I highly doubted I would be able to keep one of these little tabs down. But I did what he said and climbed into the chair next to him, still gripping the container.
“Just keep your eye on the horizon for a while.” His lips tilted into an amused smirk.
His expression crawled under my skin. “What?”
“I just never suspected that a mighty Valkyrie would succumb to seasickness.”
“Well, our crafts hover. They aren’t at the mercy of the waves beneath them.” I took a breath and concentrated on the distant line on the horizon like Reyfyre had suggested and prayed the medicine he gave me started to work fast, because otherwise, I’d be making a mad dash to the back of the boat to hurl in the ocean.
CHAPTER 15
I DOZED IN THE seat after the medicine took hold, magically settling my stomach. An odd sound had me blinking. Reyfyre had shut off the engine and the rattle of chains nearly stopped my heart. I snapped my gaze to Reyfyre.
“It’s just the anchor.” He took hold of my upper arm and helped me from the chair. “Let me show you the living quarters and then we can crawl into the bed and get some sleep,” he said through a yawn. His eyes carried the dark circles of the sleep-deprived.
My brain balked at his words, but I was too tired to argue. Besides, we had shared sleeping bags on the tundra. But it still left me unbalanced. Especially after the flare of heat his words had caused in me earlier in the day.
He grabbed the gun and swords, tucking them under his arms, and then swept up all the food contents I had organized on the table. “Those pots are probably good,” he said. “Grab them for me. I have dish soap downstairs and I’ll make sure they are sanitized after I get some sleep.”
I followed him down the stairs. When we entered the living quarters, as he called it, I paused on the stairs, scanning the rich wood and granite that sparkled under the lights. It was almost as big as the cottage living area and had two seating areas, one in the middle with a table and one aft. The bedroom took up most of the forward space beyond the sitting area.
“Pots go in the sink.” He nodded with his chin and then set the food on the table before he propped the gun and swords on the inside wall of the bedroom. He turned to me, pointing at a door to the left of the bedroom. “Bathroom.” And then he pointed to the opposite side of the boat at another door. “Shower.” Then his finger slashed to me, along with a warning tilt of his eyebrow. “But you cannot take your normally excessively long shower, otherwise you will deplete our water supply. Understand?”
I stared at the shower door and nodded, stepping toward the room.
“I get the shower first.” The snap in his voice was punctuated by him peeling his boots off and setting them on the floor in the bedroom. He opened one of the closet doors and pulled out a pair of boxers. “When I’m done, you can clean up and if you want a night shirt, have at it.” He waved at his closet, which had neat piles of various clothes on each shelf, and then disappeared into the shower.
