by Susan Harris
“There’s a trick to it, man. Mind if I give it a go?”
Donnie’s voice broke through the quiet as Derek retreated from the battle with the car seat and frowned. Donnie offered him a sheepish kind of smile then held out his hands to take the car seat. An irrational fear coursed through him, and he fought the urge to clutch Ash to him.
A growl rumbled in his chest. His eyes flashed amber.
Donnie held up his hands, still smiling. “You know, when I was a teen, I spent one summer working in a toy store that sold nursery stuff. I must have fitted a dozen car seats just like that. We had to have special training to be able to do it. I’m sure that with all the new health and safety regulations, it would take a rocket scientist to get that thing in place.”
Derek arched a brow, and Donnie chuckled. “Or maybe someone who has done this before. I get wanting to do this stuff yourself, D, but everyone needs a little help sometimes.”
Derek knew what the vampire was doing, could read it a mile off. Donnie was keeping a check on Derek’s emotions, being that rock-steady soundboard that he always was to everyone. Donnie was not someone he should be cautious of handing his daughter’s care to. The vampire would walk into the midday sun before he would harm a hair on her head.
Handing the car seat to Donnie, Derek took a step to the side and watched as the vampire bent down, half into the back seat of the car, set the seat into the slot and, after a few clicks, ducked out of the car and straightened.
Donnie reached in and gave the car seat a little jostle, but the seat seemed glued in place.
“See, nothing to it.”
“Does that mean we have to pretend that you’re a rocket scientist now?” Derek grunted, annoyed he couldn’t do what Donnie had but thankful at least one of them had been able to solve the mystery.
“I’m pretty sure Ricky could have done it too but no need to make you feel any worse.”
Derek laughed, easing the tension in him as Ever shook her head at them over the roof of the car. She slipped into the back seat with Ash as Derek got into the driver’s side and Donnie took the passenger seat. They drove in relative silence, the radio off, heading from the hospital to the edge of the city, where Caitlyn and Donnie had purchased a warehouse. The couple had intended to renovate the building to live in, but after a discussion, they knew they could not leave the home that they had lived in together.
Even if it meant Ricky and Melanie would be building a house right next door.
“Are you going to tell us what the commissioner said?”
Ever’s voice broke through the silence as Derek huffed out a breath and dragged his fingers through his hair. “The city is mine to command. He handed over control of the Garda, the defense forces and the navy to me. I told him it wasn’t up to me to lead them, and his response was that a human commander could not lead during this war and they needed a supernatural who understands the world.”
Derek kept his gaze forward. A muscle ticked in his jaw before he felt compelled to lift his gaze to the mirror, where blue eyes watched him with pride that made him feel like he could take on the world.
“There is no one better to lead them, Derek. It was always going to be you, once he retired, and now, no matter the outcome, perhaps this is the start of expanding P.I.T., just like Tom wanted.”
Thomas “Sarge” Delaney had been more of a father to him than his own had, had been the man who had dragged him from his depressed state and given him purpose. He had a knack, did Sarge, for finding those most in need of guidance and setting them on a better path. Derek wished he was here now to offer that guidance once again.
The warehouse came into view, as did the vampire standing outside waiting for them. They parked outside the building, and everyone got out. Caitlyn walked up to Donnie and stepped into his body. Derek watched as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Derek had known Caitlyn a long time, had spent many a night walking under the stars and moonlight as they talked through their fears, their hopes. He was glad that she had found Donnie, that she had not let her self-perceived darkness ruin her chance at a little happiness.
Ever had walked around to the other side of the car and removed Ash’s car seat with little difficulty. When she caught him looking at her, Ever smiled. “What, like it’s hard?”
Melanie laughed. “Never in a million years would I have thought I’d hear a Legally Blonde quote from a Valkyrie queen’s lips.”
His mate curved her lips. “Elle Woods rocks.”
Despite the gravity of the impending war and violence, they all shared a laugh as they made their way inside the warehouse. Just inside on the ground floor, it looked like a shell of a place, but Caitlyn led them up the stairs and pushed open a door, then stepped aside to let them enter.
Derek was blown away by the mobile command center Caitlyn had managed to get in place. The full length of the warehouse was covered in clusters of people, boards, evidence on the walls. You had witches and warlocks tracking violence in the city, shifters led by former teammate Fionn breaking off into teams with the vampires and arming themselves.
“I think, once this is over, that P.I.T. needs its very own building. We were all too cramped in that room.” Caitlyn stood beside him, her arms folded over her chest as she took in the hustle and bustle as someone shouted that there was an incident on North Main Street and Chester had called for aid. Fionn and his team headed out with a brief nod to Derek.
“I’ll miss that old room though. For many a year, it was the only home both you and I knew,” Derek said with a sigh as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Home, I have learned, is not a place. It is more the people that are in that place that make it a home.”
Derek flashed his oldest friend a toothy grin. “You’ve become very philosophical in your old age.”
Caitlyn simply rolled her eyes as a hush fell over the group gathered, as if they had just realized that they were being observed. The warlocks and witches were not looking at him, however. They were looking at his mate.
Oblivious to the attention, Ever cradled Ash to her and paced, having set her sword down next to the car seat. Derek himself smiled as Ever turned, halted her movements when she realized everyone had eyes in her direction.
“It’s like she shines just like the sun.”
Derek had not been paying attention or else he would have scented his best friend and partner stride up beside him. Ricky’s black hair was pulled back off his face, his green eyes flaring for a second before he sucked in a breath. Derek knew that his friend was having trouble with his newfound psychic vampire status and controlling his powers. He felt a tinge of sadness for Ricky, for his road had not been easy, yet he was alive and happy to be raising his son with Melanie by his side.
“Looks like your missus has had a power upgrade. She feels more like teen Ash now, like she uncorked her power. Ever could give Loki a run for his money now. Her aura is golden, burning as bright as the sun. I see it. So do the rest of the idiots staring at her.”
There was a whoosh of air around the building as Erika dropped to one of the window ledges and raised her brows. “Incoming in three, two, one.”
The warehouse all but shook as the beat of wings sounded like thunderclaps outside. One by one, the Valkyries tucked their wings away and entered the warehouse. A sheen of wetness in their eyes once they spotted Ever, they fisted their hands over their chests and bowed their heads.
They were dressed, all but Kenzie, in leather skirts and armor made with Asgardian steel. Their weapons, which ranged from axes to daggers and spears, had been forged by master dwarfs from a place called Nidavellir.
Power crackled in the air as Ever strode over and handed Ash to Derek, the little baby curling into his chest, resting her head where his own heart beat.
Ever walked back over to where the Valkyrie waited, taking her sword in her hands as Kenzie came through the window and almost stumbled, would have done so if Erika had not caught her. The former blood-kissed girl who h
ad been just as much of a victim of Cain as Caitlyn had been was now a Valkyrie, even if her status was relatively knew. She had been struck by a Godbolt, yet Ever had managed to mark her as Valkyrie, making her kin, so to speak.
Derek knew that Valkyrie numbers had dwindled over time. Some had died and others were lost, and now, as Derek watched the five legendary warriors staring at his mate with such reverence, he was proud of her for finally accepting that she was indeed worthy of being a kick-ass Valkyrie queen.
The Valkyrie dropped to one knee as the hulking brute that had taken Kenzie under her wing began to speak. “We held the line until you were ready to return, my queen.”
Danae, that was her name, had blood and gore clinging to her skin, much like the other Valkyrie. Kenzie even had a nasty bruise to her eye, which was swollen but didn’t seem to bother her.
Ever closed her eyes as her birth mother landed in the window and stepped down to watch what was unfolding. When Ever opened her eyes again, her blue eyes seemed to shimmer. “You held the line well, all of you. And now we shall once and forever more, until our last breath, defend this land as if it were Asgard itself until my daughter is old enough to hold the line herself. Now rise, for we Valkyrie kneel before no master, even a queen.”
Yet the Valkyrie did not rise.
They were showing their respect and their loyalty, and Derek felt his wolf howl in agreement with them, even as Ever turned her head, as if lured by the call of the wolf.
Erika got to her feet first, clapping the Valkyrie on the shoulders so that they would rise. Ever sheathed her sword as he watched Erika incline her head to Freya.
“The old bat’s been worried about you.”
Ever snorted, shaking her head. “She is more concerned what will happen if I should die. Don’t be fooled that it is motherly instinct rearing its head, Erika. Freya is who she is. I understand more than ever the urge to protect one’s child. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for Ash. Perhaps Freya did what she did for her own self-preservation. It matters not when the world is on the cusp of ending.”
Caitlyn cleared her throat beside him. “Perhaps we should take this conversation a little more private.”
They left the little command center and went up another flight of stairs to what looked like a living area. Donnie sank down onto the couch, as did Ricky, who pulled Melanie into his lap. Caitlyn perched on the arm of the chair beside Donnie, who placed a hand on her thigh. Derek still had Ash in his arms, still fast asleep, when he felt a presence beside him.
“I had forgotten what it was like for a babe to be that small.”
Derek glanced down at Freya, Ever’s mother, studying Ash with curiosity, just like Ever was watching Freya with equal parts curiosity and maybe a little fear. Ignoring the other conversations that were happening around them as Loki and teen Ash came through the door, Derek pressed his lips together before he asked. “Would you like to hold your granddaughter?”
Freya jerked back, as if the title surprised her, as if his question had surprised her. “You would trust me with her?”
“I don’t know you well enough to trust you. But there are enough lethal supernatural creatures and Norse deities in this room to cut you down should you even breathe wrong in her direction.”
Derek held out his daughter to the goddess, who gingerly took the baby and cradled Ash in her arms. The baby squirmed, opened her eyes for a split second, then went back to sleep.
Freya began to sing in a language that Derek did not know, her voice sounding as if the heavens had opened up and angels sang a choir of words to his little girl. Derek fought the urge to stay close as he walked to where Ever and teen Ash had eyes wide in disbelief.
“It is told,” Ever said with a soft smile, “that Odin was lured to Freya because he heard her sing and he had a need for beautiful things. Her voice was the most stunning in all of Asgard, yet after I was conceived, Freya never sang again.”
Derek cupped her cheek as he glanced at Ash. “Maybe this is when she starts to become the grandmother that you know and love.”
“You were kind to her when you didn’t have to be,” Ash said sharply, and Derek could scent her anger in her emotions.
“I think the world could do with a little more kindness in it. We have given her the opening to change. It is up to her to accept it.”
Derek nudged his daughter with his shoulder, then strode to where the rest of his family sat. Melanie was dozing, her head buried in the curve of Ricky’s neck, his hand tangled in her mass of red hair. Donnie still had one hand on Caitlyn’s thigh, but his other one ran over the compass in the palm of his free hand, his thumb tapping on the glass.
“I just wish that I knew what I was meant to do with this bloody thing,” Donnie growled, his eyes flashing red before Caitlyn placed a hand on the back of his neck. Her vampire mate calmed instantly. “Ever said that this thing called to the gods like a beacon,” Donnie continued as he looked at Derek “but I am no god, Derek. It doesn’t call to me in the slightest.”
“Perhaps I can be of some assistance, nightwalker.” Loki of Asgard, Ever’s adopted brother and a god in his own right, held out his hand to Donnie, who placed the compass in the god’s hand.
Loki shuddered, a serene look on his features as he closed his eyes. “The power you need to unlock the secrets of the compass is in your blood. The compass knows it belongs to you, and it waits to be awakened. Though the path to answers will not be easy.”
Loki handed the compass back to Donnie and opened his eyes. “I believe that you will be following the compass soon. Might I suggest that you take a traveling companion with you? All of the best quests in history are duos.”
Then the god winked, walking back to where Erika, his own mate, stood.
“What do you think he meant?” Melanie murmured, still a little drowsy as she lifted her head.
“Who the hell knows? I kind of get the impression he knows I need to go and not go alone and the secrets of the compass are in my blood.” Donnie glanced down at the compass.
“I’ll go with ya,” Ricky said loud and clear, a look of sheer determination on his face.
“Nah, Ricky, mate, you can’t do this with me. You have Mel and Zach to think about.”
Ricky rolled his eyes. “And you have Caitlyn to come back to. We will both make sure that we come back to those we love. I’m not about to let you go off after a magical compass with no one watching your six. Fuck that shit.”
Donnie shoved to his feet as if he was struck. “I know what I need to do.”
Derek stepped back as Donnie kissed Caitlyn hard. “I will come back to you.”
“I will hold you to that promise, Donnie O’Carroll,” Caitlyn replied with a small smile.
Ricky was kissing Melanie as if they were the only people in the room, and when they broke apart, Ricky winked at her. “Hold that thought.”
Stepping away from Melanie, Ricky and Donnie stood in front of Derek, and he embraced them. “Stay safe, you hear me? Don’t do anything reckless.”
Ricky chuckled. “You realize who you’re talking to, right? Reckless is my middle name.”
Derek watched as Donnie snarled, letting his fangs elongate. Then he pierced the flesh on his palm and placed the compass in his blood. For a moment, nothing happened, then Donnie reared back his head and screamed as a flash of black light like a shadow leapt from the compass and tore a hole in the fabric of the universe.
Derek glanced into the tear, and he saw nothing, felt nothing but cold and nothingness. Ricky took a step toward the tear, cast a glance over his shoulder at Melanie one last time before he smirked in Donnie’s direction.
“Let’s go, Frodo. Mordor awaits!”
Then the fool dove through the tear and vanished before their eyes.
“I guess I gotta go now and drag his ass back. Fucking Frodo, my ass.”
Then Donnie charged after Ricky, his bulky frame slipping through the tear, and then the blackness shimmered and crackled before it fo
lded in on itself and, like the two supernaturals who had gone through it, vanished from view.
They all stood frozen for a minute, unsure of what to do next until Caitlyn rose from her seat. “I find I am in need of a fucking drink.”
Melanie barked out a laugh at the same time as Derek did, then watched as Caitlyn pulled a bottle of whiskey and glasses from a cabinet tucked away in the corner.
“They’ll come back, right? Derek, they’ll come back, right?” Melanie asked quietly.
Derek found he couldn’t answer the truth-seeker’s question, for he did not want to lie to her and for her to know that he had lied. Instead, like he would his own kid, he wrapped his arms around the young vampire and simply held her, hoping, for now, that could be enough until her mate came back.
If they came back at all …
Ever
* * *
After Ricky and Donnie had vanished through some sort of portal, the mood had turned somber, yet Ever knew that decisions needed to be made. Caitlyn had offered her a drink, but she declined, wanting to keep her mind clear and focused. She was also struggling to shield her own emotions as Freya still held baby Ash and seemed like she had no intention of returning the babe.
Derek came over to her, his keen eyes taking everything in and reading her like only he could. “Go and get her if you like. But we do need to figure out how we go forward. We cannot take her to fight Odin.”
Ever had been thinking the same thing, but the thought of being separated from her child was splitting her in half, where one part of her wanted to end her father’s reign of terror and part of her wanted to protect her daughter.
“I have a suggestion,” Melanie said softly as she came to stand beside them.
She glanced at Derek, who nodded for her to continue. “Zach is with his grandma right now, and Killian has warded the house to keep anyone out that might want to hurt them. I know she would look after the little one until it’s safe for you to go get her. And Killian had called in Samhain to fortify the wards as well for extra protection.”