Fate Forgotten (26 page)

“Us?” His hands dropped from her body, the concern in her face beginning to alarm him in a way her silence had not. “Who else? What is it, that you’ve chosen not to consult me?”

“Ra and I.” She dropped her gaze from his face, seeming to stare at some point in the middle of his chest. “We’ve begun the call for a Council.” She swallowed and wrapped her arms around her body. Hugging herself, as if she had no one else to hold. “We hope to have a vote in favor of returning Adam his memory.”

He stared at her, his heart twisting. No wonder she had been distant, encouraging him to stay in Asgard when she went to see Ra. No wonder she had been unhappy. For all this time? How long had it been going on? How long had they been planning to put Eve in a danger she hadn’t known since Creation?

“Do you even intend to warn her? Were you going to wait to tell me until it had been decided, and the deed done?”

“No, Thor.” She was looking up at him again, meeting his eyes. Her hands found his face, trapped it, forcing him to look at her. “We want your help. We need your help. You know him better than anyone. Know them both. We need that knowledge. And this was your idea. You suggested it in Council. That we should bribe him to work for us instead of against.”

He pulled her hands away and stepped back. “You know better than anyone that I did not mean it. That it was only to paralyze them. You worry about the threat of the Christians to the East, but you would unleash that madman on the world? You who told me Adam and Eve were the larger threat?”

“You said she would never accept him. Never let him touch her. If that’s true, you’ve nothing to worry about. She’ll be safe, whether he accepts our terms or not. The world will be safe. And perhaps it will be enough to slow the tide if we can turn God’s own son against Him.”

He shook his head. And then again, turning from her. That Athena, who claimed to love him, would do this. With Ra. Conspire together. Against everything he had protected for more than fifteen hundred years. He reached for Eve, and was startled to find Adam near her. Too near to her. They were both in Rome. And he had been what? Trying to seduce Athena from her melancholy, while she and Ra put Eve in the path of harm?

“Thor, please. We need your help. Your cooperation. You cannot turn your back on the rest of the world. Bhagavan and Buddha helped you to spare her life. You owe them this. And if you help, you’re sure to find a way to protect her more than she already is.”

“I have to go,” he said.

“Thor—”

But he did not hear the rest, drowned in the crackle of lightning and the rumble of thunder in his ears. He had arrived in Rome before she had even completed her sentence, the white light dissolving into stone and tenements.

He stumbled into an alley and leaned heavily against one of the buildings, concentrating on his breathing. Focusing on keeping the skies calm, that he would not be found so easily. The feeling of betrayal made his steps heavy, and his stomach twist into knots of grief.

How long had she been sleeping with him, sleeping in his bed and planning all of this with Ra? How long had she let him make love to her, unwitting of her intentions? The two of them had always conspired together, loyal to one another above all. He’d known it from his first days upon this earth.

He never should have let her into his bed. Never should’ve allowed her into his hall. He wished that she had left with Zeus and her uncles, if this was how she would repay him for his kindness, for his affection. He wished he had never touched her.

In the dark, he went looking for Eve.

It was morning before he found her, and in his exhaustion he almost overlooked her in the crush of people who lined the road. A procession. A parade for something to do with the pope. Keeping his eyes on her, he cast his mind out for Adam, worried that in all this mess he would not be able to locate him. Adam had always been harder for him to find. Eve always glowed bright and hot and beautiful. Adam was more diffuse, a flickering presence that came and went. But not today. Today he burned.

The pitch of the crowd changed, the excitement rising, and he pushed forward through the mob in order to remain near to Eve. Adam was getting closer, and he did not wish to lose sight of her now.

The pope appeared around the corner, carried in a litter, the curtains drawn back. Thor froze at the sight, and the realization that struck him. He turned back to Eve just in time to see her expression twist into dismay. Her skin took on a greenish cast. She turned away from the parade and the pope, and tried to force herself back through the crowd that pressed around her, eager for a glimpse of the man who would ascend to Saint Peter’s seat. Her lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying, and the people did not part for her.

She tripped and fell, and Thor had the sudden fear that she would be trampled by the swarm around her. He threw a large man out of his path and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her with him into the shadow of the alley and safety from Adam’s sight as he passed them by in his litter, waving to his people.

Thor felt as though they had both stopped breathing, and it was only after Adam, Pope Valentine, had passed that he exhaled, and she sagged against him.

She glanced up, and then looked at him again, frowning slightly. “Thank you.”

He nodded, releasing her arm when he realized he was still holding it. He didn’t trust himself to speak. All he wanted to do was draw her closer, lower his head and bring his mouth to hers.

She turned back at the throng, starting to disperse. Some followed the procession, others made their way to their homes.

He cleared his throat. “He has no business leading the Church.”

“It was only a matter of time before its corruption was proven,” she said softly. “This city was in safer hands when its people worshipped Jupiter. If you have any choice, leave, and do it quickly.” She pulled her hood over her head, hiding her face. It took all his will not to stop her when she stepped back out into the street.

Thor felt her determination to follow her own advice, and it was not a moment before she was lost again in the crowds. He wished her well and safely away. Adam as a Pope was something he had never dreamed. Then again, perhaps it would serve the gods. Adam could not help but sow strife around him. Perhaps they would not need to return his memory to him. Perhaps this would be enough. If the Church fell, it might be enough to save the East.

But there would still be the threat of Islam. At least as long as the rival sects fought between themselves, they did not expand. If the Church fell, there would be nothing to stop the spread of the second faith. Had that been the True God’s intent?

He cursed.

Athena was right. Adam was their best hope of preserving the East. Thor could protect Eve from Adam after that man’s memory was returned to him. If he had to carry her to the House of Lions himself, she would be made safe. And if he helped, if he offered Athena his assistance freely, he could make sure the threat to her was not ignored.

Swear to me you will protect her from him, Athena.

Surprise colored her mind, and then gratitude.
My word. Sworn on the Covenant. Sworn on my love for you.

He closed his eyes and prayed that Eve would forgive him.
Then you’ll have my aid.

Chapter Twenty-six: Present

Lars appeared to be dozing, leaning back in his chair, his hand wrapped loosely around her fingers. Garrit was absent. Judging by the sun, she thought he was probably eating dinner with his parents, and part of her was grateful he wasn’t hanging over her, worrying, now that she was healing. She told herself that her relief had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that when Garrit left the room, it was Lars who held her hand to keep the pain away.

She felt the bruising around her ribs with her free hand. Touching the places that hurt and trying to decide if the pain had lessened. It was impossible to tell. She hissed when she pressed too hard against a particularly sore spot, and Lars’s fingers twitched, but he didn’t open his eyes.

What had possessed Adam? How had he even managed to get hit by a bus in the first place? She supposed she should be grateful it wasn’t a train. Still. It made no sense.

Or did it?

Was it her fault? Had she distracted him at just the wrong moment and caused the accident? He had been upset, she knew that, though she hadn’t known anything more. She hadn’t been aware of his surroundings, just his anguish.

She closed her eyes and even though it hurt, she began to reach for his mind.
Adam?

Lars’s hand closed around her fingers, almost painfully. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her. “Don’t,” he said.

“Don’t what?” He couldn’t have known what she was doing. Could he? Or was she so insufficiently healed, so affected by the ordeal that he had heard her?

“All the pain you feel is from him, Abby. Calling to him is the last thing you need.”

She looked away, annoyed that she hadn’t considered that. “How do you know?”

“I know.” There was a hardness in his voice. An absoluteness. It wasn’t a statement that should be argued. “Horus is limited in what he can do for you. As am I. No one wants to see you in any further pain.”

“Are you some kind of homeopathic herbalist too?” It was less a question and more a jibe, and she felt her cheeks burn. It was as though she were incapable of an appropriate response to this man. This man who somehow took her pain away. She should be grateful to him, and he was her family, besides. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

He stroked her hair from her face, tucking a strand back into place behind her ear. “You’re in pain. And you’re blaming yourself twice over. I would be more surprised if I didn’t get the sharp edge of your tongue.”

It was so bizarre to be treated this way by her offspring. As though she were the child. She didn’t know what to make of it. He seemed strained and worn, and even hurt as she was, it felt as though she should be doing the caretaking. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“You’re rather loud right now.” He leaned forward, nodding to their hands. “Horus thinks it’s because of the trauma. He believes your mind suffered more than anything else. It’s still struggling to get back to an equilibrium. One more reason not to reach for your brother.”

“Can Garrit hear me too?”

“No.” His hand tightened again. “Just us. Because we’re drawing off the pain. It’s an old Eastern technique. Similar to Reiki, or acupuncture.”

She sighed with relief, grimacing as the heavy exhalation caused her ribs to ache. And then she wondered how much Lars could hear, and felt her face flush again. “Oh.”

“You’re not yourself, Abby. Don’t worry.”

“You heard it all.” Her stomach sank. Garrit was her husband. She couldn’t betray him this way.

Something flickered in his eyes and he stared at their hands again. “Believe me, I’m aware of your vows. I would not ask you to break them.” He lifted her hand and pressed it to his lips.

Her heart raced, and she knew that she should pull her hand away. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. And the pain that would come if she did provided the most convenient excuse.

“Stop,” she said. That was the best she could do. A meek whimper that she didn’t mean, and she hated herself for her weakness.

“Forgive me,” he said. And he stopped, his face dark with regret as his blue eyes searched hers. “If you knew—” He fell silent and shook his head. “I’m sorry. This is difficult for me.”

“I don’t understand how.” She wanted to look away, but his pain was impossible not to see. And it was Thorgrim’s face. Thorgrim’s eyes. Seeing him hurt was almost worse than the physical discomfort she was in. “I mean, I don’t understand why. We’ve had so little contact.”

“More than you realize.” But he pressed his lips together, keeping himself from going on.

She wished she could follow the words he didn’t say, but there was nothing there but the emotion. Want and determination. “Just how involved have you been?”

“I consider these people to be my family. The only family I have left now. When they needed me, I came. From the moment Adam set foot on these lands, I was here. To protect them as much as you.”