Lovers (Lycan Series: #3)

The Death Kiss

I wiped my eyes harshly with my jacket sleeve, nodding in agreement vigorously before writing my last message.

Jasper knows how to get my voice back.

Thanatos' wings tucked back and he got off the bed. "We'll get it back together."

I took his hand as he pulled me out. I put the notebook back into my pocket just as Oliver flew onto the cover.

"I'll help you get your voice, and then I'll have to disappear." Thanatos said softly. "I can't be away from my duties in the Underworld for too long."

I nodded, completely understanding. Thanatos always went out of his way to help me- killing the Fury imposing as Heimdallr, hiding my trail from Hades, helping me get my memories back, and now giving me a ride to see Aphrodite and Ares. He already stayed back to take care of me from my mysterious portal travelling sickness thanks to Ryland and Jasper.

He helped me walk down the stairs where we saw Jasper in the kitchen with Callie. She was playing with the longer bits of his hair, twirling it around her finger. Like a snack admiring its prey before devouring it.

"Jazz. Give Faye her voice back."

Callie eyes widened as Jasper seemed to break out of his stupor and horror dawned on his face. "Faye-"

The blond creature stepped around to cup his face. "Oh darling, you did this to poor Faye? You must've be feeling well. Maybe you should take a na-"

Thanatos lunged forward to curl a hand into her hair at the nape of her neck. She screamed bloody murder but his eyes pure silver as he grasped her jaw with one pale hand which seemed more skeletal than usual. Her mouth slammed shut as Thanatos dipped her for a long kiss.

Her body shuddered until she collapsed without Thanatos holding her up. He straightened, black wings raising high. His mouth was a twisted into a pale red smile, as if he had strawberry chapstick on. Looking at Callie again, I noticed that her body had shriveled up. Like all the life force had been sucked out of her until only her husk remained.

"Give Faye her voice back." Thanatos warned. "Or else what happened to Callie will happen to you as well."

Oliver chirped in agreement from my pocket.

I was still in shock over what happened as Jasper drove forward past Thanatos, slamming shoulder with his purposefully as he pulled the metaphorically silver chain around my voicebox- a gift given to him and Draver from Artemis back when I first met her and she silenced me at my birthday party.

"Faye." his eyes spoke of sorrows and remorse for his actions. But deeper, I saw his battle against showing his disgust over being this close to a mated female.

"It's okay," I smiled weakly. "Let's find Draver and Ryland. The Trials are tomorrow. If they're not back by now, it's pointless to keep searching."

Lightning struck at our doorstep, forcing Jasper to shift into a wolf and Thanatos to melt away in the shadows.

The door swung open. There stood Odin, Huggin and Munnin on his shoulders, both Geri and Freki by his sides once Jasper moved to his right.

"Come, Faye. We must talk."

I followed him out of the cottage to see the street was empty. Not a soul in sight, not even animals scurrying around trees or picking at the berry bushes that lined the houses.

"As you know, you are the Prime Valkyrie. My first creation." he began tenderly as we walked down the street. "With Loki growing more powerful, I must challenge him with an army strong enough to battle the other realms he's conquered."

"With einherjar?" I played dumb, hoping that my obvious lack of confusion wouldn't signal that I knew anything about the Trials.

"No, Faye." he turned left, going down a more narrow path that climbed the side of the mountain. "With you. There is a thing called the Godly Accords, which you know I broke when Artemis agreed to hide you and Rosemarie in Greek mythology in exchange for Geri and Freki's bodies to be shared hosts for Jasper and Draver."

We came to a stop in front of the Rainbow Bridge, a diverging path where Heimdallr stood.

"Heimdallr is going to send you to the Trials. I will be there, along with everyone else." he gestured to the wolves at his side and the ravens on his shoulders. "Thor and Frigga will be here to hold down Asgard. You are to be my champion in the Trials. It's a three day competition in a pocket dimension where anyone can participate and wager anything. This year I am hosting the Godly Accords in Vanaheim. If you win against the other Champions, my bet of having the armies of every participant's master will be fulfilled. If you fail, we will have no army to go up against Loki."

"Is Loki participating in the Trials?" I found myself asking.

Odin turned to look at Heimdallr, who then stepped forward to speak. "Loki is of many faces. I cannot discern if he himself is participating or he has a champion for himself."

"Come Faye, it is time."

He touched my shoulder and we apparated to the Rainbow Bridge. Heimdallr dropped his sword into the mechanism, nodding to me for good luck before he twisted the sword in the giant sheath and we teleported to Vanaheim.

The land was beautiful and lush, like a futuristic nature world from a video game.

"I've never been to Vanaheim." I murmured, reaching down to the touch the pillow soft grass. "I have no recollection of this place even with my Valkyrie memories."

"Vanaheim is only accessible for the Old Gods. Often Frey and Freya will return here to greet the Elders." he slipped forward. "This is one of very few times I have been able to access Vanaheim. I spoke to the Old Gods about the tribulation we face. They agreed to host it here, from a place that lacked populations that could be a threat. Those who participate are given instructions on how to arrive to the Rainbow Bridge for Heimdallr to transport them to Vanaheim."

He strode forward, but I stayed a step behind so I could take in Jasper and Draver. Both of them were content in wolf form, occasionally pausing to lift their snout in the air to take in the fresh nature scents the flooded this realm.

Ryland and Ryker had taken to the skies, dipping down now and then land on Odin's shoulder to chirp something to which Odin merely gave a tight nod before they launched back into the air.

Oliver fluttered in my pocket. I pulled the notebook out and let him detach from the cover. He flew straight into the sky, doing his own fake surveillance that made me want to laugh especially when he started mocking Ryland and Ryker by coming down to croon in my ear.

We finally stopped at the top of a grassy green hill, looking over a large waterfall lake next to a large coliseum mounted into the side of a cliff.

"Vanaheim is much more beautiful than you made it, Odin." a quaint and powerful voice called from my right.

I turned to see the goddess who made my blood boil and my Valkyrie wings flap out wildly. The goddess who had Apollo create the Black Plague to wipe out Jasper and Draver when they grew too powerful and bloodthirsty at the expense of millions of lives, the goddess who was selfish and killed me over and over just when my mates were getting close to me in fear of Eros pinpointing our beacon of love for Loki to find me.

"Artemis," I purred viciously, surprising myself when my javelin and wings didn't summon almost immediately at the intense rage I felt just looking at her face. "So good to see you."