Free Marked by Death (The Godhunter, Book 4) by Amy Sumida

“My life with Odin is buried in a cave in France. I’ve lived it already and I refuse to give this one up just to go back to it. I don't like going backwards.”
    Why give either of them up? He smiled sensuously. The wolf is bound to you, he’ll adjust to anything to keep you, and the Viking is desperate to have you back. You could have both of them.
    “ At what cost?” I shook my head, unsure whether he was testing me, as he often enjoyed doing. “I’d destroy them both and have nothing. I’ve made my decision and it’s Trevor.”
    You don’t give them enough credit , his face softened. If they both love you so much, they’d want your happiness.
    “ I am happy,” I shrugged. “I get to spend time with Odin and I get to live with Trevor.”
    But you’ll never feel the Viking’s hands on you again, colors started swirling over the dark surface of his eyes. Can you honestly say you don’t regret that?
    “ Sex isn’t everything,” I pushed away the images of making love to Odin, the memory of his magic touching me everywhere as his body filled me. Sex with Odin was like nothing I’d ever known, no one could do what he did. Though bonded werewolf lovin' wasn't anything to sneeze at either.
    Physical pleasure is a big part of happiness, he watched me carefully. Denying it will only leave you cold… as does denying me.
    I shivered, knowing the cold was almost complete, the only warmth left was a small space around my heart.
    No matter, he waved his hand and stood up. The love you feel for these men will soon fade. I was only curious.
    Before I could say anything, he disappeared.
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
    “Mother,” Vidar met me and Kirill at Valaskjálf’s tracing room.
    I preferred to visit Odin’s silver hall instead of Valhalla, where all the dead Vikings roamed. Valaskjálf was where we’d lived when we were married and he’d kept our room the same as it had been then. It was a comfortable place for me.
    “Vidar,” I hugged my son, stroking back his long black hair and smiling up into his sapphire eyes, careful to keep from touching any skin. I didn’t want him worried about the cold. “I missed you.”
    “ I missed you too,” he guided us into the hall after a quick smile at Kirill. Funny how similar their colorings were. They looked nothing alike of course, beyond the long black hair and blue eyes, but it was interesting.
    Odin was sitting before the massive fireplace on the right. The fire was the only light in the large room and the hall had no windows, so the silver walls weren’t as bright as they could have been but they were still beautiful, and so was Odin when he stood to greet us, backlit by them.
    “Vervain… Kirill,” he looked around us, his warm smile turning to confusion. “Where’s Trevor?”
    “ He had some business at the club,” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “He said Kirill would be enough of a chaperone.”
    “ I was thinking about going hunting,” Vidar cut into the silence that followed my statement. “Vali is already in the forest.”
    “ Your forest makes for better sport zan grassland,” Kirill said his line right on cue. “Vould you mind company?”
    “ I insist,” Vidar waved Kirill ahead of him, toward the front door. “We’ll probably be a few hours. Could you entertain Mom till dinner, Dad?”
    Odin nodded numbly, never taking his eye off me. I pulled my gaze from his for a second, to watch my son and my lion leave the hall and head to the forest. My heart was pounding in my ears, so loud that I didn't hear Odin approach. He was just suddenly there.
    “Would you like some mead?” He looked nervous, as nervous as I felt.
    It was the first time we’d been alone since the day I'd told him we were over. I told him that unless something happened to change my relationship with Trevor, we could never be together again. Then I'd gone home to find Trevor missing, stolen by Odin's son Balder as a bargaining chip to get to