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He’d been attached to the Huntsman long before he’d discovered what he was, but Odin didn’t owe Frost an explanation, so he didn’t bother giving one. Instead, he took the time to try and come up with a way to safely get Hunter away from whoever was holding him at knifepoint before Isa could react and try turning one or both of them into a Popsicle.
“That isn’t going to change anything, however.” Isa turned his palm, summoning a ball of ice.
“There’s no way for you to win this,” Odin said.
“You mean because my army is scattered and my home was burned to the ground?” He shrugged a single shoulder. “Unfortunate setbacks, but you’re forgetting one very important detail, brother.”
“What’s that?” He knew he shouldn’t ask, that it was playing right into Isa’s hand, and yet he found himself doing it anyway.
“Taking everything you have is a specialty of mine.”
In any other circumstances, he might have laughed. The only thing keeping him from doing so was the knife currently being held against Hunter’s throat. Because even if everything else wasn’t, Isa’s ability to take his Huntsman was a real distinct possibility at the moment. One word from him was all it would take for the man holding Hunter to kill him.
“The Snow Brumal will never follow you.” Where the hell was Vetle?
“They will if you’re incapacitated,” he replied, smirking wryly when Odin frowned. “Oh, I still have no intention of killing you, brother. We aren’t blood-related and I can’t ink your ashes or take your power. You’re no good to me dead. But alive…Let’s see how many of your precious family hold out when I parade you around and the whole world knows you’ve been made into my bitch.”
Odin wished he could turn and check to see what the hell Loni was doing. If there was only one man behind him and that man was currently keeping Hunter at bay, where the fuck was she, and why wasn’t she doing anything? Was she too messed up after witnessing Corbi’s murder?
If she didn’t get her shit together she may be forced to see another one soon.
“There are witnesses here,” Isa continued, “which means so long as I beat you, the Brumal will have to follow me whether they like it or not. Some will defect, no doubt, but not all. And once I’m a Shout with a Whisper? The rest of the city will fall back in line and kneel at my feet. You may have burned down the Faraway Mansion, but my businesses are still flourishing, not that money is an issue. I’ll take over Club Cherry, too. What floor do you sleep on again? It’s the upper level, correct? I hope your room is big enough. I’m not a fan of tight spaces, at least, not to sleep in.”
Isa’s gaze pointedly trailed over Odin’s shoulder, landing on Hunter suggestively.
Odin stepped forward without thinking, freezing when Isa held up a hand and shook his head. Behind him, he heard Hunter suck in a breath and knew that he’d been threatened with the knife because of his action.
“It’s really too bad that Whispers got the short end of the stick, don’t you agree, brother?” Isa sighed as though he believed what he was saying. “They were made powerless, forced to tie themselves to a Shout in order to gain protection. I bet that’s how you convinced Hunter isn’t it? Or, did you perhaps force him into it? Trying to act all noble when in reality you’re no better than me or any of the Shouts who’ve mated before you?”
“People in the past didn’t force a mating bond,” he growled. “Those who did were animals. The bond is stronger when freely given.”
“And it’s permanent,” Hunter chimed in.
Odin wanted to scold him for doing so but didn’t want to risk Isa making another move so held his tongue.
“I won’t be able to use you for an extreme power boost,” Isa agreed nonchalantly. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t get some from taking your blood. I’m also curious about what it is about you that has my brother so wrapped around your finger. Is your ass really that amazing that he’d toss me and my offer of partnership aside just to keep fucking it?”
“Enough,” Odin snapped.
“What? It can’t be his sparkling personality,” Isa continued, pretending to think it over. “And he’s attractive, sure, but he’s got nothing on me—at least, he didn’t before you destroyed half my face.”
“You don’t seem all that upset about that.”
“I’m furious, actually, but I’ve been assured by a reputable doctor that things can be fixed. Once I’ve settled all our affairs here, I’ll get to that.”
“How do you think this is going to work?” he asked. “You’re going to threaten Hunter’s life and I’ll just stand here and let you beat me close to death? Is that it?”
“It’s not like your Whisper is going to be much help,” Isa said. “He’s weak and powerless. And your subordinate isn’t fairing much better, since she hasn’t stopped staring at the ground since Hunter saved her life.” He leaned to the side as if to get a better look at Loni and made a face. “She may even be catatonic at the moment.”
“You just murdered her sister right in front of her,” Odin growled.
“Was that one of the twins?” He glanced at the pieces of red, practically unidentifiable, bits scattered all over the sidewalk. They’d all but melted now, turning into gushy scraps of flesh.
The only upside was that having died the way she had, not a single piece looked like it’d come from a person. Even her clothes had turned into nothing but particles blowing across the street.
“I hadn’t noticed.” Isa sounded disappointed. “What a bummer. I wanted to keep them. I know how important they are to you. It would have been nice to add them to my arsenal against you. I’ll need ways to keep you in line once the literal knife is no longer aimed at Thorn’s neck. I suppose now I’ll simply have to settle for Jita and Vetle.”
“Better idea,” Hunter said, his words quickly followed by a scream.
