Chapter 31

Asgard was the home of the Norse Gods; a part of the God Realm that could only be reached through the Aether. Near Earth, but not of it, it lay on a parallel plane to our world with the Aether holding us together like glue. When Thor saw the bite on my neck, he immediately carted both Nick and me to Asgard. More specifically, to his home; Bilskinir Hall.
It was as massive as the man himself and not even remotely resembling anything I thought a Viking Hall should look like. It was more of a palace; an edifice of soaring ceilings, tall windows, and not a single room smaller than my entire house . . . including the bathrooms. It perched atop a sheer cliff that I was told guarded the entrance to Asgard. Far below it ran a channel where the lake of Asgard met the sea.
Across the sea lay other god domains, probably hundreds of them, but I didn't want to think about that. I focused instead on the crashing of the waves against the rocks below. The sound flew up the cliffs and permeated the whole place like constant background music, but the briny smell didn't reach us. All I could smell was Thor; fresh and electric and so male.
Nicholas had settled in nicely. Cats are naturally drawn to magic (I lamented this fact every time he got loose in my altar room) so a realm built by magic probably felt like home to him. He walked prouder and stalked the Hall as if he were its true master. Okay, so, not much of a change in behavior for him.
I wish I could say I was just as comfortable as Nick was, but it was the first time I'd been in the God Realm by invitation and it took awhile for my body to realize it wouldn't have to fight its way out. I was tense while Thor led me to his library and chilled enough that he started a fire in the large hearth there. I settled into a leather wingback chair beside the fireplace to absorb the heat.
"I'm going to contact Teharon,"Thor said as he laid a quick peck on my forehead.
"Okay,"I murmured; not knowing who this Teharon was or why he needed to be called, but feeling way too shell-shocked to be able to muster any concern.
I stared into the flames; the fire sparking and waving wildly at me. It was so close that I could feel the heat radiating off it with blazing intensity, and yet I couldn't get warm. The cold felt bone-deep; freezing me from within. I started to shake; a fine tremor that soon turned into full blown palsy. I tried to focus on calming my twitching limbs, but flashes of my dream kept replaying in my head. Red eyes staring at me tenderly, dark skin glistening in the firelight, sin-black hair swinging in a shining arc, and those sharp teeth.
I fell off the chair and landed on my knees; covering my face with shaking hands as I cried out in denial. The shame hit first; crawling up my throat to choke me. I told myself that I'd done nothing wrong, that the shame was Huitzilopochtli's for taking advantage of my dream-bewildered self and that nothing had physically happened, but still, it consumed me. He had made me want him, want what he'd done to me, and that was the greatest damage of all.
I hadn't fought him. I hadn't even known that I should have. He'd stolen my ability to defend myself; my right to say no. He'd made me complicit in my own rape; turned me against myself. He had defiled more than my body, it was my mind, and in doing so, he'd planted a seed of doubt. I could feel it taking root; spreading out through my veins and arteries. Pulsing through my blood like a pathogen was the idea that I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't going to win this war. I was a human trying to fight Gods, and my abilities just wouldn't make the cut.
I remembered the sharp pleasure of his teeth in my neck and then lower; the vivid memory of him lying between my thighs made my face heat. I squeezed my eyes shut; rubbing at my forehead as if I could simply smooth away the horror. My cheeks were wet, and I wiped at them distractedly and then pulled my hands away to stare at the evidence of my tears. Weakness.
"Oh, hell no."I felt my upper lip curl into a snarl as I picked myself up off the floor. "I may not be a goddess, but I am a witch, and I'm not without power."I'd be damned if I'd let that son of a bitch destroy me with one little dream. "Next time, I'll know better. Next time, you'll be the one wiping away tears, you bloodsucking bastard!"
I felt the vow settle inside me; expelling the poison he'd left. I may not win the war, but I wasn't going to sit it out either; crying in a corner, just because Blue had got the better of me in dreamland. I pushed away the lingering visuals with determination and decided that I was done brooding over it. I needed to distract myself with something else. I lifted my chin and looked around the room with more interest.
I was in a very English-looking library; two stories high. There was a little ladder attached to the wall on casters which could travel about the room along a brass rail. In one corner of the library there was a tiny painting displayed in a very substantial and ornate gold frame, which perched on an easel. A small light attached to the top of the easel illuminated the painting gently. Was that a Renoir? I sniffed away the last of my tears as curiosity caught hold of my artist's heart and thawed the chill away.
Nearby, there was a long mahogany table scattered with books; some were spread open as if in the midst of being read. A few chairs clustered around the table, but the main seating was more centrally located; in the form of sofas and wingbacks like the one I'd originally been sitting on. The room was all shiny wood and maroon leather with plush, hunter-green carpeting. For me, it was love at first sight.
I got up and walked around the library in a daze. My fingers trailed over the leather spines, the embossed gold titles. Mark Twain, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, it went on and on. Most of the books were costly; some were probably priceless. I peered into a glass case installed directly into the floor-to-ceiling shelving. A book was propped open; revealing delicate drawings interspersed with loopy script in sepia ink that filled every inch of its aged-linen pages. A brass plate beneath it read: Leonardo da Vinci Codex Leicester 1506-1510.
"Holy Shit,"I breathed as I reverently touched the glass.
"You like Leo?"I hadn't even heard Thor return.
"Leo?"I spun around to gape at him. "What; were you like friends or something?"I laughed and then started to choke when he merely raised a brow. "Mother-of-pearl! You really did know him, didn't you?"
"I've been around for awhile, Vervain."Thor chuckled, and the man beside him joined in. "Leave it to you to be more impressed with an artist than a god."
"Leonardo da Vinci wasn't just an artist,"I sputtered, "he did much more than paint. That book right there is proof of it. He was a genius."
"Humph."Thor smirked. "He was a step away from insanity; taking all the stories I used to tell him about Atlantis and trying to turn them into reality."
"Stories?"I lifted a brow. "Are you trying to tell me that you were Leonardo's muse?"
"Yes, well."Thor frowned, and the man beside him laughed harder; hitting him on the shoulder.
"She's more charming than I expected,"Thor's friend said.
The newcomer was bare-chested, and I wasn't complaining. That chest was as much a masterpiece as any da Vinci; wide, smooth, and sculpted. It should have been on display in its very own glass case. His hair was long, hanging down to his waist, and it was loose except for a thin braid that ran along the side of his face. The braid was wrapped with leather and adorned with a white feather with a red tip.
His large, long-fingered hand reached out to take my own, and I forced my gaze up to his. He had one of the most serene faces I've even seen on a man. High forehead and cheekbones with a widow's peak, a square chin, and strong lips. His nose was long and proud. His eyebrows, like raven's wings, curved delicately over almond-shaped eyes and had an upward flip at the ends. It was a beautiful face, but it was the bright turquoise of his eyes which really made it striking. Against the rich brown of his skin, those eyes seemed to glow; demanding attention until everything else simply became background.
"Vervain Lavine,"the rich smoothness of his voice flowed over me. "I'm Teharon of the Mohawks."
I cocked my head and stared at all of that lovely hair again. "Did you miss the memo on the hairdo?"
His eyes crinkled when he laughed. "I'm not a warrior; I'm a healer. They call me He who holds Heaven in his hands."
I had to clear my throat twice before I could speak again and even then, it came out a little hoarse, "I'll bet they do."
"I brought Teharon here to teach you to spirit-walk,"Thor growled, "not flirt with you."
"I'm not flirting."I felt my face heat. "Okay maybe a little, but I can't help it; you're all gorgeous. What's a girl supposed to do?"
"Choose!"Thor rumbled, and Teharon laughed louder.
"Be at ease, Thunder God."Teharon patted Thor's shoulder; reaching up to do it since Thor was a good foot taller than the Indian. "I came to teach, not steal; there's no war-party at my back."
"Oh, great, an Indian joke."Thor sighed and took the chair I'd vacated by the fire.
"What's spirit-walking?"I was finally regaining my brain power. "And why do I need to learn it?"
"Thor has told me about your situation."Teharon gracefully sank to the floor and sat, well, Indian style. He gestured to the carpet before him, and I sat as well. "I know of Huitzilopochtli's powers. His ability to control minds is great, but, as with all great magics, it has its limitations. It only works if his target is in his vicinity. The greater the distance between him and his intended victim, the less control he has. When he took your blood, he was able to form a link with you that has let him surmount this restriction. With his bite, Huitzilopochtli has strengthened the link even more. That he was able to do so in a dream is troublesome, to say the least."
"You're telling me."I sniffed.
"I can show you how to use that link,"Teharon continued, "turn it around on him. With proper training, you could not only protect yourself from Huitzilopochtli's invasion but also invade his mind in return."
"This could be the chance we've been waiting for."Thor leaned his forearms on his knees to get closer to the conversation. "They know we have their plans now so they'll most likely alter them, but if you can peer into the very mind of one of their most aggressive leaders, we'll have the upper hand once again."
"I'm game."I smiled at Thor's relieved expression. "What do I need to do?"