Marked by Death (The Godhunter, Book 4) Read Free Page B

resemble an insane person.
    You’re not insane , the voice was steady and calm.
    “ Stop that. What are you doing, reading my thoughts now, too?”
    My mind is melded with yours at the moment , a tinge of condescension crept in, of course I can read your thoughts. You don’t have to speak out loud. You’re mine; you can speak to me through thoughts whenever you wish.
    “ Stop saying that! I’m not yours!” I took a deep breath when I realized I’d been screaming. “I’m the Godhunter and a witch,” I said more calmly. “I’m Rouva to the Froekn, mate to the Firstborn, and Tima to the Intare. I do not belong to you. I just don’t have the space on my dance card, sorry.”
    Rich, warm laughter shook through me before it was suddenly terminated in shocked silence. Yeah, I did that to gods a lot. Shocked them because I made them laugh. Gods were usually too serious for their own good and they rarely expected someone to knock them out of their stoicism. Then I show up, Wolverine gloves over jazz hands. I'll crack a joke in the middle of a fight if I can manage it.
    The silence stretched out and I started to relax, thinking he’d left, but then he spoke up. You cannot sway me with your comedy. You attacked Death and now you must pay the price. I will humble you beneath my boot and you will beg for more. The bite of slavery will be all the more harsh for you because of your new found nobility but you’ll bear it because your body will not be able to deny me. You’ll not even be able to escape me in death because I am Death and I’ll deny you. You’re mine forever.
    “ Fuck you!” Okay, so it wasn’t the sharpest come back but it was all I could think of at the time. He had pushed all the right buttons and taken me over the line from mad to enraged. Very few people could do that, mad yes, enraged no.
    Yes, that will be a part of it as well , the laughter was back, as you’ve already seen.
    “ You dog headed, son of a bitch!” I screamed, noting in the back of my mind how appropriate that insult was. “Bring it on. I’ll suck you dry alright, but it’ll be your magic I’m drinking down and I won’t be the one on my knees!”
    All I got in response was more laughter that slowly faded away. Evidently Anubis wasn't as impressed with my ability to take back the power gods had taken from us humans. So far, I'd killed two goddesses with my new talent, taking their magic for my own, but that didn't seem to faze Anubis. Which made me very nervous.
    I looked out the wall of widows across from me that showcased my beautiful butterfly courtyard and headed for the French doors that opened onto it. I needed a little serenity before I headed back outside to be with the others and the verdant tropical courtyard was just the thing.
    I opened the doors and stepped into the thick perfume of jasmine, vanilla orchids, and honeysuckle. Immediately, brilliant hued butterflies flew around me and I felt my heartbeat start to wind down.
    Butterflies were a powerful symbol for me, they were the form my love magic took. All my different magics had some kind of form I could see when I looked inward, but the butterflies resounded the most symbolically with me. A fragile looking thing but its power to transform was the strongest of all my magic. It calmed me to remember that I was not simply a human witch anymore. I would not be taken so easily.
    I lifted a hand and a shimmering blue butterfly landed on it. Its wings flapped slowly, hypnotically, and I smiled as its tiny legs lifted and lowered on my fingertip. Anubis may think I'm just a tiny bug he can squash but he's going to discover that my fragile form houses some very powerful magic... and there's always room for more.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
    “ Loki!” I shouted as I plowed into the gorgeous god. I hadn't been paying attention to my surroundings as I headed back to the party. My thoughts were still too focused on