ENTANGLED (#2 The Valkyries)

Chapter 35 - The Sea God's Reputation

Yeah, I felt him with every step, damn him. A constant simmering arousal that taking my pleasure with Anna would only exacerbate. Between Pazuzu's erotic teasing and Manannan's constant guilting, I was losing my fucking sanity.

But it didn't stop me from bringing her to orgasm as she cried out and shook in my arms.

Anna's breath panted against my shoulder, then she placed a flurry of light kisses on my neck before meeting my gaze with slumberous eyes. "Let me make you cum, Mist," she murmured, her fingers gliding gently over my face.

Yet my back prickled and the hair rose at my nape. I sent a tendril of power out and shadows at my periphery resolved into a building sense of aggression, anticipation, and avarice on the air currents.

"As much as I'd enjoy that, it's not a good idea," I said, trying to draw her attention to the crowd of demons that had gathered around us. With so few females in their population, seeing Anna climax in my arms was creating more attention than was safe. We weren't surrounded by the protections of the temple or the palace. "We need to go to the tavern. Now."

Her eyes widened and it was all the warning I needed. I spun, blocking the chitinous arm of the scorpion demon reaching for us and kicking him back into two more.

"Lord Pazuzu will not take kindly to you attempting to touch his mate," I snarled as I drove back two manticores with fists, elbows, and feet. Shielding Anna behind me, I shifted us along the brick wall towards the corner that led to the tavern. Damn it. Why didn't I have a weapon? Pazuzu really needed to rethink that fucking rule if he wanted me to keep Anna safe. Bad enough I'd had to invoke his actual name, but protecting the sanctity of my thoughts wasn't worth Anna's life if this crowd got out of hand.

We were almost to the corner when a demon shoved to the front, then turned his back to me and howled his fury at the crowd. But I'd seen enough to recognize him—Dedrick, the wolf demon alpha and Pazuzu's Captain of the Palace Guard.

"If you value your meagre lives, you will disperse immediately before Lord Pazuzu arrives and eats you all, one bite at a time, for disturbing his females," Dedrick growled. "Assuming I leave any of you alive first. The next to attempt to touch them dies."

"I'm sorry," Anna whispered from behind me. "I didn't realize I'd cause this."

Her tone was choked with tears and my jaw clenched as I kept a wary eye on the demons. They'd stopped trying to grab us even before Dedrick's arrival, but I wasn't about to protest his assistance. Anna had zero ability to defend herself and there were only so many I could hold off at once with a shield of air. Eventually, I'd tire. Unlike Shannon, I wasn't powerful enough to lift Anna into the air with me.

"It's my fault, Anna. I should have recognized the risks," I murmured as I drew her around the corner. Meeting Dedrick's eyes, I mouthed "thank you" to him as we escaped the last of the crowd. With a few quick steps, I opened the heavy wooden door and ushered Anna into the tavern.

A door-rattling thud shook the brick building, sending a trickle of dust and ash falling from the ceiling as we strode inside. I cast a wary eye up, before catching sight of Ethan's lifted hand waving at us deeper in the warmly lit interior. Groups of demons drank, ate, and played games in clusters around the small stone tables. Although a few glanced at us as we wove our way through the busy room, their eyes widened and they looked away quickly, often with a twitch of their nose. Pazuzu's scent must be thick on us and unlike the idiots in the alley, these demons had no desire to piss off their lord.

Marcus slid two amber-filled copper mugs toward us as we sat. "Didn't know what you drank, Anna, so we got you Mist's favourite. If you don't like it, shove it over to her and we'll get you something else."

I snorted but Anna grinned. "Thanks. I'm not sure I'm up to drinking Mist's favourite. I don't have her immortal metabolism. Or yours. Do they have anything in human strength here?"

Marcus and Ethan met my eyes and chuckled. "Not sure. I'll go check," Ethan offered, rising from his seat.

I sipped the mead, enjoying the smooth bite. Not quite as good as Asgardian, but it was decent. "So how have you been? Any gossip from the temple?"

Bloudwedd tilted her head. "Nothing out of the usual. It's the rumours from the palace... or should I say, those of the guards that visit the temple, that seem to have the gossips buzzing. An elf at the palace?" Curiosity burned in her eyes.

Anna snarled, "That damned sea god. He won't stop badgering Mist."

Bloudwedd held my gaze and I sighed. "Manannan Mac Lir is here."

Bloudwedd jerked back on her stool, almost tipping off the backside before catching her balance. "How did he get trapped her? He's way too powerful for the Unseelie to have captured and pawned off as part of their deal. Not to mention Queen Aine would have the Summer Realm up in arms if they went after her father."

I blinked. Manannan was Aine's father? Yet he'd stayed out of the last two wars between the elves and Asgard. He seemed determined to convince me to return home... as if it was that simple. I couldn't get home without Pazuzu's agreement any more than Manannan could. Why had Pazuzu granted him passage here? Did the damn elf not know he had to work a five-year contract to get home?

"I don't know, but he's spending his entire time trying to convince me to go back to Asgard." I rolled my eyes. "As if I wouldn't at the first chance."

"Why does he think you don't want to go back?" Bloudwedd asked, frowning.

I drained my mug and reached for the second as Ethan returned with another mug for Anna. "I have no idea. Too much seawater has addled his brains, clearly."

Anna smirked, nodding her thanks to Ethan. "I think he's jealous. He watches you. I bet he goes and masturbates every time Lord Pazuzu fucks you in front of him."

Ethan choked on his drink. "Who are we discussing? And damn, I'd love to see that."

Marcus thumped him on the back. "Mist and our lord prince having freaky sex in front of the Sea God who's pining after Mist and trying to convince her to return to Asgard."

Ethan's head swivelled back and forth between us. "Manannan Mac Lir is here, on Muspelheim."

"Yes, the one world where he does not have a woman in every blasted port," I growled.

Marcus's eyes widened. "Um... did you not know the Sea God's reputation before you... I assume you two hooked up?"

I drained the second mug. "Yes and yes... but he told me he wanted a monogamous relationship with me, then barely two days later, the lying fucker screwed someone else," I snarled.