– T A Y A H –

Kaden was conscious.

His mood was downright soured until John dropped the sack of silvers and a few gold pieces into his big hand. Then it quickly became a childish grin that matched John's own.

I leant back on the legs of my chair at the table watching them discuss the type of new armour they were after. But my concern was more readily for the immortal that sat silently next to me adjusting Kaden's chess pieces before her. She still wasn't speaking to me.

I rolled my head in her direction with a sigh. She remained moving the pieces. I kicked the chair back down to four legs and placed an elbow on the table to set my head against.

"How long do you plan on keeping this up?" I murmured.

Her silver eyes flickered with something. An exasperation I had come across when I knew I pushed her to her limit. I resisted the urge to smirk and kept patient. But I wasn't a patient person and she knew this and it was driving me mad. I let my head drop from my hand and pressed it dramatically against the table.

"What did you do to her?" Kaden rumbled as he took a seat opposite the immortal goddess.

"Nothing. Let us play." Kára responded casually. 

I shot her a flat look that she was indeed going to torment me further. She finally cut those burning silver eyes to me and they were totally unreadable. I wanted to hold them longer but she looked back to the pieces that Kaden had finished arranging.

"Are we wagering?" Kaden asked with a Cheshire grin at her. For some reason it made me want to knock him back unconscious. She was mine. I couldn't even have her attention for realm sake–

"Yes, mortal. Let's make it interesting." She murmured, bridging her hands before her.

I fidgeted in my chair watching the way something dark lit up her eyes. Kaden just slapped a meaty hand in anticipation. 

"Fifty silver!"

"No not coin..." She smirked. "This."

She pulled out the leather wrapped object I had been asking about since she had walked into the door. Then without delay she pulled the wrap and revealed a gloriously carved recurve bow–a royal made bow.

My jaw was hanging open as was Kaden's.

"You beat me, you have the bow mortal."

I tried to speak but Kaden's booming laugh beat me. He struck his hand forward and she shook it once.

"Deal."

"Would you stop your oversized, mouth flap yammering so I can FOCUS! Thank you." John cut out across the room as he toyed with his contraptions. 

Kaden and the demi-god didn't cast him a second glance as they began their game. I crossed my arms and glared at the chess pieces that interested her far more than I did. What had I even done to deserve this kind of cold? So what I told her not to kill the mortals? Yes our fight may have resulted in an arrow through her leg but...

I felt a very casual hand land on my thigh under the table as Kaden moved his pawn forwards eagerly. I cut a glance at her beautifully emotionless face that appeared like nothing had happened. She took her time moving the knight out from behind her pieces next.

Then her hand started travelling very deliberately higher making everything feel like it was on fire. I clenched a fist on the table and stared at the chess board wondering what the hell she was playing at now. No responses, barely looking at me and now she was trailing a line of heat right up my leg–

Her fingers grazed right over the most sensitive part of me and a flame suddenly lit my hand. Kaden flinched from his move and glanced at my hand, "No fire in the house!"

Only now did I catch the small smirk that played on the corner of her lips. So that was what she was after. Instead of any sane response for today she was going to torture me for her own personal amusement.

I called away the power that was burning in my fist with effort and locked my hands together trying to keep my breathing even. She had resumed trailing her fingers in the exact spot they should never dare be in front of my friends I considered as brothers. She knew this.

Kaden moved his rook and she pressed slightly harder against my centre making me grit my teeth and sigh aggressively through them. He glanced at me.

"It's not that boring, Tayah. Gods." He grunted.

"I'm. Not. Bored." I grit out, while she rubbed circles around the most sensitive part of me in maddening slowness.

Her other hand moved a bishop and her face gave absolutely nothing away. Nothing that said, please continue while I just burn your friend alive in front of you by rubbing her right there–

She drew that dangerous hand up to the waistband of my riding leggings and I cast her a warning glare. One that said this was going too far. She placed her knight forward on the board and glanced at me with nothing but innocence on those beautiful features. She was going to be the death of me.

Her hand went below the material against my skin and I struggled not to burn the table to ash in front of them. It was the only thing keeping her real game hidden–she was never interested in having the gods damned chess match in the first place.

Kaden smirked at the Queen on the board before moving something. I didn't even take note because her two fingers had started drawing long lines against me. I could feel the arousal that made it so gods damn slick. My legs writhed under the table as I tried and failed not to get lost in the feel of her against me.

She smiled openly now. I would kill her for this. Draw on every piece of power I had to–

I dragged another breath in when she dipped inside me briefly. I wanted to moan out and tell her not to stop. I wanted to do many things to that smug immortal that played damn chess and wore a smile but I couldn't.

"Kára." I murmured as carefully as I could.

She raised an eyebrow at me while she moved her finger slowly inside me. I swallowed and closed my eyes trying to focus but it was so damn hard. The men were entirely oblivious to us and I was dying to have her touch me like she really could.

"Tayah, let me finish my game." She told me simply as she turned back to the board with no small amount of humour in her eyes.

Finish your game?! Seriously.

My hand sparked against my control and I brought my fist up to my mouth so I could bite down hard against it. She was toying with me in every sense. Moving her hand deftly and letting her fingers go deep only to retract them and circle me again.

I was losing my fight with my desire when Kaden finally slapped his rook down heavily and stared across the table at my amused immortal.

"Checkmate."

"Indeed." She drawled, thinking of something else. "The bow is yours mortal."

I shifted my leg position for the hundredth time  under the table trying to feel more of her against me while Kaden whooped and jumped up to grab his prize.

"John MAN! Look!" He rushed over to John's work station to flaunt the toy.

I cut the bullshit and grabbed Kára by the collar dragging her face towards me and breathing heavily. She watched me with her own measured darkness and smirked.

"I'm. Sorry. It was. My fault. You. Were. Shot." I panted out each word. Each meaning that would hopefully release me from her wrath.

She smiled so slowly, so leisurely. "I haven't been shot by an arrow in a good two hundred years." She told me. "There was a reason for that."

"You've made your point." I practically begged her.

Her hand was still there. Still heating me endlessly and I had to have her.

"I think I have." She agreed.

She pulled her hand out entirely and I grabbed her neck and kept her there.

"You can't. Be serious." I panted.

She leaned forward and kissed me much more deeply than I would have considered since the men were not far behind us. Her tongue ran the length of my lower lip and I think I felt my arousal more than I had ever in my life needing her to do something...

She pulled back and stood from me. 

"Consider us even." She smirked, walking away from me and leaving me to lose my mind entirely. I growled low and brought fire into both my fists. She kept walking to the door.

"NO FIRE IN THE HOUSE–" John bellowed at me but I threw it anyway.

My immortal rage and my very mortal desires needed something. The flaming energy vanished before her raised fist and she turned her head over her shoulder catching my eyes.

"Outside." She commanded.

I was more than ready to comply.

* * * * *

I had many different plans when I followed her out of that door and into the chill night. All of them to finish what she had started and none of them with any room to negotiate. But it seemed that it would all melt away very rapidly.

Kára was already frozen on the top of the stairs staring out into the empty docks with creaking ships. I felt the presence too.

She caught my eyes and pulled her hood over her eyes nodding in its direction silently. Suddenly all my very heated thoughts turned to ice. Because I felt that energy signature and it wasn't immortal or mortal. It was a God.

I moved on silent steps behind her as we rapidly descended the stairs. Why now? Was this when I would be punished for fusing a portal to the mortal realm without any consent or desire to go back? Was it possible to dispute the word of a god?

I watched the furs on the back of her shoulders move in the slight wind as we edged around the tall wooden walls of the warehouse. The salt clung to us as we followed the potent pulse of power.

Then we saw the cause of it.

Robed in darkness and a stark five feet taller than any mortal stood Odin. Kára dropped to a knee with a fist on her chest and I slowly mirrored the move before the god. Its wordlessness made everything heavier. Judgement.

The wind seemed to pause around us. I noticed the ships freeze in place too. The balance of time temporarily halted.

"Odin." Kára, murmured reverently. "I'm sure you know how our plans had to be adjusted."

"That is not why I am here, daughter." The voices of many cut through the air cleanly. I flinched and averted my eyes to the ocean beyond hoping to escape notice beside her. But she too seemed to freeze, awaiting words.

"Revna is soon to become compromised." Came the simple response with no emotion. "It appears she is realising her own values and Anselle's align."

"What." Kára grit out in shock, raising to a stand with bright eyes.

"I feared this when I sent her back to the realm she deems inferior." The voices murmured at once. "But it is better to bring forth the doubt to light rather than let it fester in the dark."

"I don't understand. What do you mean compromised?" My immortal demanded, her energy was pulsing around her in betrayal and anger. It felt similar to the Odin's. His original.

"Revna has long fought with the purpose of aiding and shaping mortal lives. Anselle however, seeks to shape everything she sets her sights on. It has become clear that is now my immortal. As I speak she is twisting her mind as she attempted with Tayah." My heart hammered when the God's attention seemed to dip towards me. I still knelt before him.

Kára's hand glowed and cracked viciously.

"How much time do we have?" She demanded.

"You will be too late to reach her before the damage is done, but you may be able to save Astrid." The voices murmured.

"Astrid?" I asked, suddenly rising to my feet and feeling cold grow.

"Yes, daughter." The God's attention returned to me. "Astrid is loyal and Anselle will not hesitate to remove her once she restores power from Thanatos."

The damn shield. Revna would give her the damn shield. I knew there had been something darker in those eyes when she carelessly sent shards of stone through bodies that night. Revna may even do it herself.

"It's my fault she's on this realm, I must do something–" I began.

"No." Kára growled, still watching Odin. "This is realms more dangerous with an experienced Valkyrie and one that is soon to restore her power–"

"Which, daughter. Is exactly why I did not come empty handed." The god drawled, bringing forward the cloaked arms and materialising a gleaming object before them.

The chrome shield. Odin's own infused weapon and defender.

"I believe this belongs to you, daughter." Odin said, offering the gleaming object to me. I stared for a beat lost in the meaning before I drew to a stood and carefully took the shield from the cloaked arms that seemed more smoke than cloth.

I could feel Kára's shock beside me.

"And you, daughter." Odin, materialised yet another piece of Valhalla. "The very gauntlets of Poseidon you used to access the Underworld. These should suffice once more."

The golden gauntlets glowed in the dark and sang with power. Kára carefully stepped before the god and bowed her head before accepting them.

"As for your protection on this realm, daughter. I took the liberty of consulting with our forger. It appears you have an item worthy for your task." The voices almost chuckled as they produced a rich red cloak with a black inside layer and hood.

I stared in wonder as it was offered yet again.

"I don't know if I can–"

Kára elbowed me hard and the God chuckled.

"My Stormbringer is aware there is no refusing such things–even if you will it."

I quickly stepped forward and took the rich cloak from the sleeves of smoke and shadow. Then I started noticing the ships begin to creak slowly again and the waves resume their surge.

"Time waits for no deity. Find Astrid. Search the central bell tower and you will find our immortals." The god commanded. Kára touched her chest with her fist again and I felt her power crackle. "If a sacrifice must be made to ensure balance is restored you know what must be done."

And with that final word the dark cloak vanished.

A wave hit the pier and we both flinched before staring at each other in bewilderment. But it soon ended. My immortal's eyes hardened.

"Let's go."