“Like plague and hunger,
Chaos welcomes you.
For black deeds and plunder,
Darkness embraces you.
Goddess free this demon from his mortal coil,
So mote it be!”
The wind whirled around them, picking up leaves and dirt. Khan watched as the vanir stared at Radha, hatred in his eyes. When he lunged forward to grab her from the ground, Khan and Nikon bent against the wind and stood in his way. The vanir stretched his claws and swiped at Nikon, who ducked beneath his arm and pushed him back toward the center of the swirling cloud.
Khan knew what the horse-man intended to do, and he couldn’t allow it, couldn’t rob Radha of her one true mate. He leapt forward, pushed Nikon away, and wrestled with the vanir, even as the wind began to tug at his body. He felt air beneath his feet, and then both of them were rising.
“Khan, let go!” Radha screamed. “Let go!”
He felt hands on his ankles and glanced down to see the satyr climbing his body.
Frigg beat at his temples, but still he didn’t let him go.
As the swirling cloud rose above the trees, Nikon peeled Khan’s arms from Frigg’s body. Frigg reached back, his fist doubled, but he was pulled away, rising rapidly into the sky.
Suddenly, he and Nikon fell, bouncing off, and then crashing through branches until they both landed on their backs beneath the sacred oak.
Khan couldn’t breathe.
“The wind was knocked out of you,” Radha said, bending over him to breathe into his mouth, forcing air into his lungs.
When he gave a loud gasp, sucking in air, she sat back and glanced at both males. “If that wasn’t the stupidest thing ever. Letting yourselves get sucked up into a tornado. How on earth did I come close to chosing two such stupid mates.” She pushed off the ground and began walking away.
He and Nikon came up on their elbows.
“She called us both mates,” Nikon said, giving him a lazy smile.
“That she did.”
They shared a long look, and then began to laugh. She’d made her choice, and not one they’d expected, and perhaps not one she’d even realized she’d made.
Rising, they followed the woman who would be theirs.
Chapter 9
Radha passed her sisters and the other demons, huffing loudly. She was so angry tears burned her eyes. She didn’t care that she stepped on branches and stones. Didn’t care that the air was cold, and that gooseflesh had risen all over her body. She had to get away and not think about how she’d felt when the three demons had been sucked up by the dark winds the Goddess had sent to banish Frigg to Hel.
If they’d waited a second before charging at the vanir, the spell would have worked smoothly, removing him from their orbit. Forever. But noooo! They always had to compete—prove who was the biggest badass. They’d both been ready to sacrifice themselves for her.
Footsteps and curses followed her. She moved more swiftly, her arms swinging as she marched, her fury filling her with so much energy, she felt as though she could have walked all the way to New Orleans and back.
She was not stopping. They could kiss her ass if they thought she’d take either one of them now.
A hand landed on her shoulder, and she pivoted and raised her fist, aiming at a chin—whose, she didn’t care. The blow hurt her knuckles, and she cried out. Nikon muttered something and cradled her fist. Ali moved beside them, and once again, she was sandwiched between two large, very warm bodies. Her nipples prickled.
Dammit. Not now. I will not notice how good they smell, how hot their skin is, or how hard the muscle beneath their hides feels. I won’t be attracted any more. Not to idiots!
But she was only fooling herself. The longer they stood there, their hard cocks trapped against her back and torso, the harder they were to resist.
“You’re both idiots,” she muttered.