by Gwen Rivers
A moment later, a line splits down the hall in front of them. Freda appears first wielding Seelenverkäufer. Alric by her side. Then Jasmine. Chloe, Liam and finally….
“Addison.” The name is expelled from his very soul. She is breathtaking, as gorgeous as her immortal mother. She’s tall, almost six feet with a willowy build. Long honey blonde hair flows freely down her back, perfect bow-shaped lips. And her eyes….
Her eyes are his.
Pup. His wolf thinks at him, radiating satisfaction. Strong, magnificent pup.
Harmony comes up to stand beside him, one purple hand on his shoulder as she lends her silent support.
“Mama!” Addison runs straight to Nic first, lifting his mate off her feet and spinning her in a circle.
“Missed you,” Nic squeezes her eyes shut, but not before he sees the tears of relief gathering in her eyes.
Addison sets her down and then looks directly at him.
Their gazes lock. He can feel a burning in his own eyes as he beholds this perfect, brilliant creature.
On her feet once more, Nic reaches for his hand to tug him forward. “Addison this is—”
“You’re my dad?” Addison tilts her head to the side.
He starts, recognizing it as his own gesture. What other mannerisms had she inherited from him? From Nic? So much time, he lost so much time with her, with them both. Sixteen years. It hadn’t registered before this moment. His throat is dry, and he can’t seem to form words. He nods mutely, stranded in place even as he craves so much more.
She throws herself against him so hard that he loses his grip on Nic and almost topples to the floor.
Nic covers her mouth with both hands but he can see the delight shining in her eyes.
“Thank you for protecting her,” Addison whispers in his ear.
He closes his eyes and holds his daughter close. “It’s what I was born to do.”
I find Chloe in the dungeon, staring down at the spot where Addy had died. I move to her side and put an arm around her waist.
“Did she suffer?” Chloe asks.
I don’t want to share the horror of watching Addy crumble with Chloe. Part of me still feels as if it’s my fault.
Chloe straightens her shoulders. “She chose this, Nic. She chose to interfere. I’m sure she knew I wouldn’t get to her in time. But she came anyway. For you, for me, for Addison. For the whole freaking universe.”
I nod against her shoulder and ask the question I’d been dreading. “What happens next?”
“Next?” She laughs without humor. “I need to locate other Norns and we will need to find one to elevate.”
“You didn’t do that when Sissy died.”
“We should have. But we didn’t. First out of grief and then because—” she cuts herself off abruptly.
“Because of me.” I sigh. “It’s okay, Chloe. Really.”
“So now I have a mess. Shit, Nic. I don’t even know where to begin.”
I take a deep breath. “I do. You remember that girl who was in FBI custody with me?”
“Astrid?”
I nod. “She was like you.”
“Like me how?”
“I saw her eyes do that swirling thing. I think that’s why Hanson kept her.”
Chloe goes completely still.
“Say something,” I tell her.
“Shit. She was right there in front of me and I didn’t even see it.”
“And now she’s dead.”
But Chloe shakes her head. “She was shot. A mortal wound wouldn’t stick.”
“Wouldn’t stick?”
“She would have regenerated. Only a Fate can kill another.”
“Are you telling me we buried her alive?” And I can’t go back to get her. Oh gods, oh, gods!
Chloe sinks down onto the floor and puts her head in her hands.
“We’ll find her. Liam and his pack will help you. I have a lead on someone she used to know. It’s slim but hopefully, it will prove to be enough.”
If anything, Chloe looks more upset. “All this time, she’s been out there alone. Nic, you don’t know. Don’t know what it’s like to have those abilities.”
“We’ll find her,” I say. “We have a seer and an army of ghosts. We have werewolves. We will find her Chloe. I promise.”
“No,” I say for the hundredth time.
“Mama.” It’s not exactly a whine. Addison doesn’t whine. But it’s not exactly not a whine either.
“Nic.” Aiden, my wolfish Benedict Arnold, stands by her side. “Harmony said she needs to do this.”
“No.” I point at the Shadow Throne, which I’ve been avoiding even looking at. “You haven’t felt what those things can do. I have.”
“It’s my destiny.” Addison’s chin goes up. “You can’t be the boss of me forever.”
I hold my arms wide to encompass the whole of Underhill. “My house, my rules.”
“Nic, she needs the authority to do what must be done.” This comes from Taj. “The fey will only respect her if they know she is the One True Queen.”
“They can take our gods' damned word for it,” I snarl.
Addison has changed into a long, bloodred sleeveless gown. She looks elegant and regal. She doesn’t need to sit on the freaking chair of death to prove anything to anyone.
“Let me talk to her,” Aiden says to the group.
Talk some sense into me he means. Have fun wasting your breath, pal.
“Nic,” his tone is soft.
“What?” I spit and wait for the condemnation.
“I love you.”
I close my eyes, unwilling to hold my mate’s gaze. “I’m being unreasonable again, aren’t I?”
“Maybe a little.”
“She’s my baby, Aiden. Our baby.”
“She’s taller than you are.”
I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter. It’s my job to protect her.”
“You can’t protect her from living, Nic. She wants this. The fey need this. Let her do what needs to be done.”
I exhale a ragged breath. “Damn it, it was easier when she was little. Eat your broccoli. Don’t stick a knife in the toaster while it’s plugged in. I don’t know how to be the parent of a teenager.”
He smooths my hair back away from my face and kisses the crown of my head. “You think I do? I have had exactly zero practice.”
My lips twitch. “And you’re still better at it than me.”
“Just remember that when she wants to date.” I can hear the snarl in his voice at the very thought and I feel a bit better.
“So how do I do this?” I ask.
“Step back. Be there to catch her. Let her spread her wings.”
“Can’t we start with something less deadly than the damn Shadow Throne?”
“I’ll be right here with you.”
“Okay.” I take one more hit of his fortifying scent and then turn to face her.
She scrutinizes my expression and then breaks into a sunny smile.
My guts clench as she ascends the stairs and turns to face the gathered room. There are no words, no speeches for the crowning of a new ruler.
She sits. We all wait. One heartbeat. Two.
Lightning cracks down through the ceiling.
The throne ignites and the dais turns molten.
Addison’s green eyes reflect the flames which do not touch her. Wisps of darkness curl up over her shoulders and snake around her waist.
My gaze is locked on her, my heart pounding against my ribs.
The Shadow Throne is…changing. The legs melt into the flow of lava which circles the throne like a moat. The shadows grow thicker until I can barely see her face.
“Addison,” I breathe.
She rises from the darkness and walks through the lava as though walking across grass. From one hand a jet of fire flickers. She opens her other hand and a ball of ice forms.
“She’s magnificent,” Aiden’s green eyes shine with pride.
“Long
live the One True Queen,” Harmony calls.
All in attendance fall to their knees. All except for me and Chloe. As a Fate, she bows to no one. And I am Underhill. She who can rearrange the world.
And will gladly do so for the ones she loves.
“Long live the One True Queen,” I say and put a hand on Aiden’s head.
Epilogue
“We need to get out of this bed eventually,” I snuggle closer to Aiden’s warmth. “We have company coming for Yule.”
“Cold, love?” He snaps his fingers and a fire blazes in the hearth.
There is a knock at the chamber door and Agent Hanson, eyes still glazed in her thrall, moves forward bearing two goblets full of mulled wine. A snarl rips from Aiden’s lips, but the mortal ignores us as she heads back to her kitchen duties.
“You need to relax,” I told him. “You know she’s locked down tight.”
“Doesn’t change what she did to you.”
I swallow. “No, but I landed the first blow,” I tell him about her husband and how his death had set her on my trail.
Aiden’s thumb traces along the contour of my cheek. “Still, she was the one who married a monster. Yet she focused all her vengeance on you.”
The stone floors have warmed enough that I chance stepping out of the comfort of our bed. Aiden makes a disappointed noise when I pull on a robe. He teases me about my mortal modesty, even when the two of us are alone.
I pad over to the table and pick up both cups of wine. It’s been warmed and smells of cinnamon and cloves. I take a sip before bringing Aiden his cup. “Have I mentioned how glad I am that I can still taste things?”
He takes his own cup but then sets it on the bedside table. Then he plucks my goblet from my hand and lands it next to his.
“Hey, I was enjoying that.”
“I’ll give you something to enjoy.” He snags me around the waist and pulls me down onto his lap.
“You’re insatiable.” And I love that even with the two of us being together day and night, it hasn’t dulled the edge of his desire for me. Or mine for him. “About Hanson and the others. She’s going to have missed seventeen years in Midgard. No one will believe her stories. Isn’t that punishment enough?”
“Maybe one of these centuries I’ll master the art of forgiveness the way you have.”
“Forgiveness is for quitters.” I cup his face in my hands “And I’m officially out of the game.”
Sometime later, I finally convince Aiden to leave so I can focus on getting dressed. He does so with great reluctance. I have just finished pinning my hair atop my head when I sense another presence in the room.
“I was wondering when you would show up.” My gaze locks on her reflection in the mirror.
“So sure of me…Underhill.” There’s a smugness to her tone.
I take my time with the clip before turning to face the goddess. “I knew you’d want to gloat.”
“I wanted to catch you alone. And since the wolf rarely leaves your side, our girl talk had to wait.” I detect the note of bitterness in her words.
“Can’t say his name?” I raise a brow.
“He isn’t my Váli any longer.”
“You’re right, he isn’t.” If the goddess needs to refer to my mate as the wolf in order to assuage her pride over his rejection, so be it. Let her have what she views as a win.
“So what’s it like, knowing you’ll spend the rest of your existence imprisoned here?”
I take a moment to look around the massive chamber that has become our temporary home. It’s filled with stuff Chloe, Addison, Sophie and Harmony have brought from the farm or purchased as mating gifts. Blankets and books, candles, an iPod, even a laptop, though I haven’t figured out how to charge it on this side. Clothing, both his and mine. A painting of the farm and another portrait of our beloved daughter flanks the fireplace. Aiden plans to build us a cabin overlooking a lake. The same one he had designed and intended to build near the farm.
Does knowing I can never leave bother me? Maybe it would if I didn’t have such a loyal pack of werewolves that hunt in the forest. If the Wild Hunt didn’t swing by a few times a week to raise hell. If I had to do without regular visits from Addison and Chloe, Sophie, Garret and Tate, Fern and Laufey, Soladin and Taj. If Aiden wasn’t with me, helping me figure out how to work my powers, this might be a hellish fate.
“I miss Gretchen,” I say at length. With her forced to stay in Midgard to keep Fenrir chained and me bound to this land, we couldn’t do more than wave at one another through gaps in the Veil. She’s a great pen pal though, keeping me apprised of all the changes going on in Midgard and Liam’s constant antics in setting up the pocket realms with the giants. That fool wolf is going to get himself killed one of these days.
If Freya is disappointed in my reaction, she doesn’t show it. “I’ve come to warn you. There are pockets of the fey who are…less than pleased by your new edicts. They want magic to stay the same.”
“Want in one hand, shit in the other. See which fills first.” One of Addy’s favorite truisms.
The goddess wrinkles her nose at the adage. “Don’t underestimate those who are backed into a corner. It is then that an animal is most deadly. The goddess Skathi is monitoring their activities even now. Ragnarök is still coming.”
“Thanks for the update.” I retrieve my wine goblet and sit, crossing my legs. “By the way. I wanted to ask you about Gleipnir.”
“What about it.” Her tone is too casual.
I take a sip, my gaze locked on her face. “Well, it’s made by dwarves, right?”
“Yes.”
“And no one else can make it, correct?”
“That’s correct.”
I study my wine goblet. “And dwarves forge only for the gods?”
“What’s your point?” Her tone is impatient.
I study my wine for a moment. “So how did Pharaildis get enough of it to ensnare Aiden?”
Her expression is carefully blank. Not a flicker of emotion.
I lean back in my chair. “I find it interesting that your own, personal dwarf helped set Aiden free from your house and then turned around and gave Underhill the means to trap him.”
“He is no longer my dwarf.” Freya neatly dodges the question. “He has been…dismissed.”
Our gazes lock. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, Freya. But I doubt the other gods would like it, especially if it means their demise.”
“The gods of Asgard don’t fear death.”
“But you aren’t a god of Asgard…are you?” Nowhere in my studies have I found any mention of Freya falling at Ragnarök.
Her lips part but before she can say anything I surge forward, sinking my nails into her flesh. “Stay away from Aiden. Stay away from Addison. If you want to end the gods, that’s between you and them. But I swear that if you try to use one of my loves in your schemes again, I will move all nine worlds to end you.”
Wrath and hatred flare in her cat eyes but then the door opens. She vanishes out of my grip.
“Nic?” Aiden asks. “What’s taking so long? Everyone is waiting.”
“Just getting my bearings.” I loop my arm through his. “Ready to celebrate?”
Aiden brushes his lips over mine in a tender caress that means everything to me. “With you by my side? Always.”
~The End~
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