Page 10 of Her World In His Hands

“Where’s your wife?” She hadn’t meant to sound so peevish, yet the bitter words spilled from her lips of their own accord.

His brow furrowed. “This is how you greet me after an eternity apart?”

“And whose fault is that?” she snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

“Fate?” he shrugged.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Sassa felt the simmering rage of years bubbling in her veins. “You didn’t listen when I warned you to stay away from Giantesses. No, the almighty, Njord knew better! Well, you know what? Nothing has changed. I want you out of this house and back in Asgard with all the other useless, redundant Gods!” Her words ricocheted about the room like popcorn thrown onto a fire.

“They aren’t at Asgard, they’re in Valhalla,” he replied with irritating calm.

“Well take yourself off there then!” she demanded.

“Hmm, I thought I was one of the named Gods you weren’t employing?” He cocked his head, one brow raised in question.

“What do you mean? I-Oh! The men at my club… You mean they are… ” her voice trailed off. She stared at him wide eyed.

“The real Gods? Yes.”

“Holy shit! Thor and the other Dominants they aretheactualGods? The Goddesses too?” she asked.

“Yup! It was the lucky break I’d been hoping for when you invoked their names. I’ve spent all my time since Odin gave his blessing for Skadi and I to divorce, searching for you… What happened to the brooch I gave you that would have enabled me to find you?”

“I threw it in the Fjord. I never wanted to see you again; you betrayed me!”

He shook his head solemnly. “No, you cannot call what happened a betrayal because it wasn’t deliberate. I wanted to spend eternity with you, Sassa. I still do… ”

“Well, I don’t want to spend another minute with you! You’ve condemned me to a life of immortality which is a miserable state of affairs for a human forced to lose those she loved and left to live forever alone!” she snapped bitterly.

“Sassa, Sassa, don’t worry, I’m here now. It’s clear that you’ve no idea of the life you could live with me. As a god I can show you how to enjoy immortality, you’ve no idea of the delights we can share together.”

Watching him deliver this arrogant speech, it dawned on her that Njord had no idea how much she’d changed. No longer the innocent girl he’d known who’d lacked all knowledge of the world or the people who inhabited it, she was a mature woman.

“You mistake me for the same ignorant creature you met hundreds of years ago. I have eons of harsh life experience which you lack. You who have spent the time dallying in sumptuousness fulfilling your every desire. I want no part of you and your kind… ”

“My kind?” he interrupted angrily. “My kind?We are Gods!”

No one believes in you anymore. You’re just another lifeform,” she said dismissively. Turning, she gave a soft snort of derision and headed back into the hallway. “I want you out of this house, and your species out of my club right now!” she called a parting shot over her shoulder.

The dogs greeted her ecstatically, as though she’d been gone hours instead of minutes, perhaps that was the greeting Njord had been expecting from her? Fueled on righteous fury she stormed back towards Ardmachree. The magnitude of coming face to face with the man who had haunted her dreams for hundreds of years was mind shattering. She waited until she was out of sight of the house and halted, staring sightlessly over the stunning view of the Loch. Shock gradually gave way to deep longing and then to fear. Fear that he would discover her most precious secret and steal it away, or worse be livid with her and take unforgivable action. Shaking her head, Sassa immediately dismissed the thought. Njord was not unreasonable and he was no a beast. Pain of loss caught her heart in a vice like grip. No amount of reasoning on her part was able to control how she felt about him.

The age-old ache seated deep in her soul engulfed her.Better to hold onto her rage than go down that path.“Aaargh!”

Her cry startled the dogs who stared up at her in concern. “Come on, let’s away home,” she told them setting off after the dogs, who happily led the way.

Njord crossedto the window and watched his love stride off, his overwhelming feeling one of anticlimax. He’d been prepared for her to have changed, but the level of vitriol she’d directed at him was a shock. It pained him that he’d been the cause of her suffering, the anguish of her years spent in lonely existence. His actions had been selfish. He alone was responsible for making poor choices which had rebounded, hurting the woman he loved, the knowledge cut him to the quick. He owed Sassa and he intended to make good on promises made long ago. The fact his heart had stuttered at the sight of her was testimony to how she still affected him, even after nearly a thousand years apart. Blessed with a strong sense of smell, he knew she’d been aroused, the scent of her flowing nectar had his cock rearing, rampant and hard. Sassa would be his eventually, but for now he needed to draw on the patience he’d learned from the unhappy years of marriage to Skadi.

CHAPTERFIVE

Deep thrummingand whirring alerted her to the arrival of a helicopter. Crossing to the window she watched it lowering to the ground. The downward thrust of air flattened the grass at the edges of the helipad. A man jumped down, she took note of the fact Nick Godden was tall and broad. Sassa quickly turned and left the room, she intended to greet him in the entrance hall.

“No,” she gasped, coming face to face with her unwelcome visitor.

“Hello! Miss McAlexander, I presume? It is good to meet you at last. Nick Godden at your service.” He held out his hand.

Conscious of Shona Murray hovering nearby, she gritted her teeth and swallowed her fury at the sight of Njord standing in her hallway. How dare he masquerade as Nick Godden! Forced to take his hand, she allowed Shona to usher them both into the formal drawing room and closed the door behind her housekeeper before swinging around to face her tormentor. “What the fuck are you doing?” she hissed.

His eyebrow lifted. “Language, language!”

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