ENTANGLED (#2 The Valkyries)

Chapter 37 - Family Connections

Manannan's head flew up, blue eyes meeting mine as I scowled at him. Why the fuck could he not take a hint? What in the Nine Realms was he doing talking about me with Pazuzu? His jaw flexed, eyes darkening, and I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm aware that I have no claim on you, Mist. You've made your choice obvious. But I still want you. You're a rip current within me and I can't deny your pull," he growled, rising to his feet. "If you change your mind, I will prove to you why I am the better choice." With a nod to Pazuzu, he strode past me in a swirl of moist, salt-tinged air that curled around my skin like a lover's caress.

I gaped. Had he really said that? Surely not... not after tossing me aside so carelessly.

Pazuzu rose, took my hand, and drew me back to the chair as he sat with me on his lap.

"You look stunned, kitten. Did you doubt that he still wants you? He's made his intentions and interest clear," he asked, eyes searching my face.

I sputtered, unable to come up with a single coherent answer.

A small smile appeared at the edges of those sensual lips. "I take it you had a relationship with him that didn't end well?"

My fingernails dug into the leather of Pazuzu's pants, Manannan's promise from that day ringing in my ears.

"Would you be willing to join with me, my fierce Valkyrie? We might not be soulmates, but I'm drawn to you, Mist. I could see us binding ourselves together, if you felt the same?" His fingers fed bits of seaweed and fish rolls to me as his lips caressed my neck and whispered over my earlobe.

I shivered against his warm, muscled chest, pressing my breasts against him as I licked his fingers. "Only if you are willing to be with me, alone. I won't share you. No more women in every port, Sea God. If you want me as a mate, I expect fidelity," I murmured against his skin, threading my hands into his thick hair.

"By every shell in the oceans of Litaui and Tír na nÓg, I swear it. You have my heart, Mist."

"Then you have mine, as well."

"Yeah, you could say that, my lord," I gritted out, then forced my grip to relax. "The lying bastard promised fidelity, then not two days later, fucked another woman."

Pazuzu's eyes narrowed and his head tilted. "You saw him be unfaithful to you?"

I slashed a hand through the air. "No, I overheard him discussing it with another."

He caught my hand, kissing my palm. "But you did confront him about it?"

"What was there to confront him about? The meaning of his words were clear," I scoffed. "And I've had enough discussion about him. Did I hear correctly that Anna is a descendant of Inanna or Ishtar? And Inanna was your mate? You stole her from Manannan?"

Pazuzu opened his mouth, then closed it, frowning at me. After a few seconds, he nodded. "You were evesdropping for quite some time, were you? So you know Lamashtu killed Inanna?"

How long had that evil female been killing his mates? No wonder he worried for Anna's safety... and mine.

"Yes," I confirmed.

His face tightened. "What you don't know is that Inanna was pregnant when Lamashtu killed her."

Understanding dawned. "So that's why you've been so eager to get me to accept your mating bite. You want offspring with Anna and me, and with Anna being from Inanna's line, the probability of her being compatible as a fertile mate is much higher."

Pazuzu blew out a slow breath. "Yes. That is my hope."

"Well, even if I won't agree to your bite since I am not in a position to have children right now, I'm glad that Anna agreed." I chuckled and grinned at him. "I've heard about the potency of those bites. If she isn't pregnant yet after your heat, she will be soon. Does Anna know of her heritage?"

"No, I don't believe she does. Her parents died shortly before she agreed to the deal to come here. She has no living relatives."

I frowned. "Maybe on Midgard, but Ishtar still lives, as does Aine. Now that Anna knows about the immortal realms and your mating bite will extend her life into the hundreds of years, she should have the choice to know her immortal relatives. Ishtar is the mother of my other best friend, Kara, a fellow Valkyrie."

Pazuzu didn't answer for a few seconds, then said, "If Kara has a twin sister, then yes, we are talking about the same Ishtar, a fertility goddess. Although I thought her daughters were Aphrodite and Artemis."

I grinned. "Yes, Sjofn and Kara were known as Aphrodite and Artemis for hundreds of years, but they tired of the mortals' mythology twisting their reputations."

He chuckled. "Ah yes. I know something about myths and legends on the humans' world. After all, I'm the Devil, the Fallen Angel Lucifer they've twisted into a religious figure."

My heart thudded. "No way," I whispered. "Really? I thought you were just speaking in general terms when you said that before." I'd known the concepts of demons and making deals with the devil came from mortals' interactions with those from Muspelheim, but this... I eyed the male beneath me. "You don't look like any of their depictions of the Devil as a horned beast or original seducer."

Black seidhr smoked around him and he shifted us to standing, his wings appearing as curved horns sprouted on his head. It took me a moment, but I recognized the horns from his dragon form... although these were much, much smaller. His ebony dragonscales covered every inch of his skin, and together with the fangs now visible, he looked far more beastly. It was easy to see how mortals might not have recognized the dragon aspects brought to the fore.

As I caressed his black scales, he let them recede, revealing his olive skin and achingly handsome features. "Okay, yeah, I can see where the multiple depictions of you originate. Now you look like the original temptation, the wicked fallen angel that seduces the unwary," I teased, brushing ebony hair from his forehead to glide fingertips over the ridged horns. Almost like the texture of seashells, but I didn't want to think about that damn sea god right now. Damn him for constantly invading my thoughts and dreams.

"Mmm... but you aren't unwary, kitten," Pazuzu murmured, leaning forward to catch my lips as he lowered us down to a bench.

My thoughts scattered in an explosion of heat, and I embraced the distraction.