Of Gods and Monsters

by Susan Harris

  The dead ambled forward, dropping into the split in the ground as a hound leapt from the gap and stood beside Hel. This was no ordinary hound, for it was made of fire and brimstone, and when it howled as the dead fell into the abyss, the sound was shrill enough to shatter glass.

  Hel reached down and rubbed the hound’s head. “Who’s a good boy? You’re a good boy. Mommy’s bestest boy.”

  “I would not have believed this had I not seen it with my own eyes. That goddess is not quite right.” Marcel muttered.

  Caitlyn had little comfort to offer Marcel as some of the dead broke off, trying to flee, but the vampires had arrived, and they pushed the dead back and back. The Valkyries returned, and they swooped low and scooped up the dead and dropped them into the ground. Vampires screamed as the dead tore into them, and Mateo retreated as Kenzie swooped overhead.

  “La Chica Bella, a lift?” he called out to Kenzie, who shook her head at the vampire before he vaulted over Derek’s car and into the air, where Kenzie caught his arms and flung him into the path of the dead. Caitlyn knew the vampire was trouble when she heard him whoop with happiness as he drove the dead into the hole.

  Hel beat the scepter into the ground, each touch like a gunshot. Caitlyn helped where she could, fighting against the dead and forcing them back the way they came if one managed to slip away from Marcel’s vampires.

  Melanie fired off a few shots of her guns, the dead seeming to be impervious to the bullets. It seemed to take hours to clear the street of the dead, and when the last fell into the pit they’d crawled out of, Caitlyn was covered in sweat and gore. They all were.

  As the last of the dead was cleared away, Hel stomped the scepter down three times, the ground quaking once again before it closed up, but not before the hound of Hel leapt into the rift.

  Hel turned to face them, tossing the scepter into the air. Loki caught it with ease before it vanished from view. Hel fluffed her tutu and then strode over to where Melanie stood, throwing her arms around Melanie, who had yet to lower her hands holding the guns.

  “This was awesome! I can’t believe Odin called them all from my domain! That’s just rude.”

  Caitlyn wasn’t sure if she would describe the fact that the thousands of dead that Hel held dominion over had walked down the streets of Cork city as awesome, but the goddess bounced around like a child hyped up on fizzy drinks and chocolate.

  Marcel shook his head and walked over to where Mateo was wiping blood from his face.

  Dusting off her tee, the goddess let loose a sigh. “I was trying to hear what was going on, here on Midgard, and I left the door open for him. He shouldn’t have been able to sneak my little pets out the door without me knowing. Whoops!”

  Hel turned to Caitlyn, looking at her for a hard moment before she frowned.

  “I almost had your mate to take Baldur’s seat beside me for a hot minute. But I totally was denied. Too bad. I think he would have been waaay more fun than Baldur ever was.”

  Caitlyn’s heart sank to the very soles of her feet as she regarded Hel. “What do you mean?”

  “Well,” the goddess drawled, “there was this moment where his name appeared on the list in my head. But when I went to get him, I couldn’t. I assume that means he’s still alive … or not.”

  Caitlyn reacted before anyone had the good sense to stop her and pulled Hel toward her with a growl. “What do you know of Donnie?”

  Hel’s features flashed, as if that would scare someone like Caitlyn, who had faced her fair share of monsters in her time and was not afraid of a little death. The goddess of death inhaled through her nose, and she let loose a moan Caitlyn had no answer for.

  “Oh, you could kill me. I can feel it down to my marrow. Death is in your blood, vampire queen. I like the taste of you.”

  Caitlyn let her go with a snarl as Hel fixed her tutu and then vanished before Caitlyn could reach for her again. She pivoted toward Loki. The lord of mischief had the good graces to look sheepish as he held up his hands in surrender.

  “Would you believe it if I said she takes after her mother?”

  “Do you know what it is she spoke of?”

  Loki shook his head. “I’m sorry, Lady Caitlyn. If I knew, I would certainly tell you.”

  Everyone had returned to the warehouse to clean up after the fight with the dead, yet Caitlyn remained outside, as if standing outside would bring Donnie running around the corner and into her arms.

  Their story had yet to turn full circle, and Caitlyn could not believe that she had endured all she had to lose him now that she had found him. Caitlyn had told Donnie that she loved him many times, though not as much as she should have. When he returned to her, she would not see the sun rise without reminding him that she loved him.

  Caitlyn felt something land on her shoulders and glanced up to see Derek drape a jacket around her.

  “A watched kettle never boils, Cait. Come inside.”

  “I should have said more before he left. I should have given him more of me when he was here. I didn’t think on it, as I am not as free with public displays of affection as everyone else. Yet I feel the need for him to know that he has all of my heart.”

  It was safe to say all of these things to Derek, for they had shared many a secret during midnight walks. Derek knew her as much as she knew him, for theirs was a friendship built on trust and loyalty.

  “You get to tell him, Caitlyn. Of course you do. Ash proves that he comes back because he’s alive for her to tease the hell out of him. You can tell him all that you said to me, all that’s running through your head, when he comes back.”

  Caitlyn pulled the jacket around her, not because she was cold but because she wanted comfort. Derek rested his shoulder against hers, and Caitlyn, who quite often shied away from such a touch, leaned into the offer of comfort.

  “We have both been given a second chance, mon loupe,” she said. “And I worry that I have squandered it. Your Ever knows that you would leap in front of a bullet for her. Does Donnie know that I would do the same for him?”

  “He does, Cait. He does. And if the idiot doesn’t, then you get to smack him upside the head so that he doesn’t doubt it the next time.”

  Caitlyn wanted to believe him, to trust Derek, who had not steered her wrong in the decades they had known one another. Still, she lingered outside on the road, as if thinking of her Donnie would conjure him to her side, where she would hold him to convince herself that he was safe with her.

  Mon dieu, she prayed that she would.

  Donnie

  * * *

  Donnie pried his eyes open, the pounding in his head so strong, for a minute he thought he was lying on some field, having taken a knock to the head. His heart was not beating as he stared up into the darkness, surrounded by mist and fog, a very grumpy warlock staring down at him.

  “What took you so long?” Ricky demanded, hands on his hips, his features dark as he glared.

  Donnie chuckled, then grabbed his head as he rolled to the side, first getting to his knees, then rather shakily to his feet. “I’m sorry. I was getting my head kicked in and dying. Again.”

  “Ya, well my kid stabbed me and then I blew my brains out. Don’t see me standing here bitching and moaning, do ya?”

  Running a hand over his hair, Donnie felt a moment of panic as he tried to feel the pull of the mate bond, but though it was still there, it was diluted somewhat. Relief washed over him, and he staggered, probably would have fallen if Ricky had not reached out to steady him.

  “Okay, sit your ass down before you fall over.”

  Ricky led him to a boulder, and he leaned against it, Ricky looking at him with concern. “You look like death. Paler than normal, as if that’s possible. What the hell happened to you in there?”

  Donnie took a minute to take everything in before he replied to Ricky’s question. “I was in Paris, with Sebastian.”

  “Caitlyn’s Sebastian?”

  Donnie nodded. “Yup. It was the night that S
ebastian met Cain. When he first brought him home and then he became obsessed with Cait. Sebastian told me that if I walked away, if I left him to walk into the house, he would never have met Cain and Caitlyn would have gotten to live a happy life with her husband and kids.”

  “Jaysus …” That was all Ricky said, his voice trailing off, even though Donnie knew that he had to tell him the rest.

  “I saw her and Jessamine in the window. I felt her happiness. It would mean she never came to Ireland. Was never a vampire. And I would die. So I walked away. I left. And then I got my head kicked in again, right in Temple Bar, and Caitlyn never came to save me.”

  “Fucking hell … and I thought my vision quest was messed up.”

  Donnie glanced over at Ricky, who waved a hand dismissively.

  “I faced off with me da. That was kind of okay, but then apparently, I’m afraid of myself more than anything. I stood across from me, the me who let the magic in him take control. Then he showed me Zach all grown up, and he drove a knife into my heart. I knew no matter what I did, I could never expect him to do that. I’d rather put a bullet in my head. So I did.”

  Donnie shook his head, pushing himself off the boulder. “You can never tell her, Rick. Caitlyn can never know.”

  Ricky shook his head, holding up his hands. “Dude, nuh-uh, nope. Don’t ask me to keep that secret for you. I can’t. Secrets have bad consequences for me. Besides, those kinda secrets come back to bite you in the ass. You gotta tell her.”

  A growl of frustration rumbled in his chest. “And what if she thinks that she wishes that fucking test was real? That she had never become a vampire and we had never had a chance? I can live with the not knowing. I can’t live with knowing that she hates me because I was afraid of a ghost and not being good enough for her. Would you want Melanie to know?”

  “My Lanie already knows I don’t think I’m good enough for her. I tell her often enough.”

  Donnie whirled around with a snarl, ending the conversation as he stalked forward. He heard the shuffle of Ricky’s footsteps behind him, following after him, but Donnie had no clue where he was going. There was a large mountain obscured by frost and mist, so Donnie headed toward it, finding a dirt path.

  Ricky came to walk beside him as they made their way up the narrow path, and then as if by magic, the mist cleared. A doorway into the base of the mountain opened up. Donnie went closer, ducked his head inside, and all he could see was darkness.

  Straightening, Donnie faced Ricky and let out a sigh. “I take it we need to go in there. I think my eyes will adjust but not sure if your eyes are like a normal vampire or more human still?”

  Clicking his fingers with a grin, flames danced along the tips, Ricky beamed. “Looks like I got my mojo back. It’s okay, darling, I’ll keep you safe.”

  Laughing as Ricky went to the mouth of the cave, then continued on inside, Donnie followed after him, letting the lick of blue flames be his guide. They went down and down along the path, with Donnie listening for any sounds, any scents, but he could only catch his own.

  The path seemed to wind downward, as if the way in which they traveled would bring them both down into the depths of Hell itself. Donnie could hear Ricky’s heart kick up, though his buddy never said a thing to him about any fears he might have, even though Donnie knew that he himself was feeling the effects of this descent into more and more darkness.

  “What I wouldn’t give to be sitting on the deck at home, few beers, Ireland vs. the All Blacks on the TV.”

  Ricky glanced over his shoulder. “The girls staying just for the Haka and then leaving us to our own devices.”

  “Then coming out to yell at us for breaking a window.”

  Ricky laughed, the sound reverberating off the walls, making Donnie grin until Ricky stopped suddenly, so unexpected that Donnie nearly plowed into the back of him. Ricky trembled and licked his lips.

  “There is something down there.” Ricky pointed his finger toward what seemed like a never-ending blackness. Donnie couldn’t see or feel anything, but he trusted Ricky and his unique hunger for energy.

  Nudging Ricky’s shoulder, Donnie took off at a jog, toward the way Ricky had pointed. Ricky was hot on his heels, keeping in step with him as suddenly an archway came into view, a white marble against the opaqueness of the darkness that seemed to ignite the cave into illumination in an instant.

  There were runes carved into the marble, but Donnie didn’t read runes, and Ricky narrowed his gaze and said it looked like some sort of warning. They exchanged a look, then side by side, they stepped through the archway.

  Torches were littered all around the cave, a small waterfall streaming silently down the wall, the lack of sound unnerving as Donnie glanced around the abandoned cave. If he didn’t know any better, Donnie would have thought he was standing in a prison of some sorts.

  “There’s nothing here,” Donnie mumbled, his voice a mere whisper, though he wasn’t sure why he was whispering.

  “Oh, there’s something here all right, but it hasn’t come to say hello yet. Come out. I can feel you back there.”

  Donnie felt the sudden shift in the air, like one predator realizing a bigger threat loomed on the horizon. Bracing himself, Donnie edged closer to Ricky, who rolled his shoulders, letting a little bit more power into the flames in his hand.

  Time seemed to slow, the sound of a chain being dragged against the floor of the cave the only indication that anything was happening, and then Donnie saw red eyes before a figure materialized out of the darkness and Donnie flinched.

  A teen with inky-black hair, naked from the waist up and a simple cloth wrapped around his waist, stepped forward, his eyes flashing red before they changed to a fathomless black. To be fair, Donnie wasn’t sure what was better, the red or the black.

  “Is that who I think it is?” Ricky asked.

  Donnie didn’t say anything, just glanced down at the chains around the kid’s ankles and sighed, letting loose a bark of laughter that jerked Ricky’s head round.

  “Loki doesn’t let him loose.” Ricky sighed, shaking his head. “We do. She was wrong to blame him.”

  “You speak of my father like you are friends.”

  Donnie turned his head back to look at the chained teen, hearing the maturity in his voice as well as the power locked inside him.

  “He is. Kind of.”

  “Have they sent you to kill me? Am I finally to be free of this place?”

  Donnie really wasn’t sure what they were supposed to do, but Tyr had sent them here for a reason. Odin’s fear of wolves was widely known. The very reason Fenrir had been bound was due to the prophecy that Odin would be swallowed whole by Fenrir during Ragnarök.

  “I guess we got to get the chains off him.”

  Ricky inched closer as the teen’s lips widened, his teeth more wolf than human. Ricky reached to touch the chains and swore as a shock sent him flying backwards into the wall with a grunt.

  “The chains were bound by the blood of Tyr. Only one who carries the blood of the God of War may open the chains.”

  Donnie glanced over at Ricky, who had gotten to his feet and was brushing dirt off his jeans. Donnie crouched down to inspect the chains. These were chains forged of steel, and as Fenrir had stated, Donnie could smell the blood on them as if it were as fresh as when it was newly spilled.

  “The legends state that the dwarves who forged Mjölnir, who created Loki’s scepter and Odin’s spear, forged the chains from many a thing. Forged a chain whose strength couldn’t be equaled; it was wrought from the sound of a cat’s footsteps, the beard of a woman, the roots of mountains, the breath of a fish, and the spittle of a bird, against which it’s therefore futile to struggle. Gleipnir is its name.”

  The hairs on Donnie’s neck stood to attention as Fenrir continued to tell his story. “Then Tyr used his own blood so that no other but his blood could release me. Did you bring him to release me?”

  Donnie got to his feet and looked at the kid, who was prob
ably centuries older than Donnie was, right in the eyes. “I’m sorry, kid. Tyr was killed by Odin. A lot has changed while you’ve been locked up here.”

  Fenrir folded his arms across his chest, tilting his head like a wolf would. “Then the end is here. Ragnarök is upon us. All those who could have released me are dead. My part to play is over.”

  Ricky glanced at Donnie. “What about Erika?”

  “We’d never get her here in time. Tyr should have been more specific about needing someone with his blood before he told Sif to give me the compass.”

  “And if we managed to get her here, Loki might not let us free him.”

  Fenrir was glancing from Donnie to Ricky with a blank expression. “Who is this Erika you speak of? And who is she that my father would hold dominion over her?”

  Ricky chuckled, shaking his head. “I dare you to say that to her face. Erika is the general of the Valkyrie army and your dad’s girlfriend. She is also the only child of Tyr.”

  “Then the rest are dead?”

  The question surprised Donnie because as far as he knew, Erika had no brothers and sisters. Odin had many children, though, like Loki, so maybe there was someone else out there that could help to put hands on the chains at Fenrir’s ankles.

  “The magic eater does not carry the blood of gods in him. I can scent it.”

  “Gee, thanks … I’m not sure how to react to magic eater,” Ricky said with a flush on his cheeks, but Fenrir wasn’t looking at Ricky. He was looking at Donnie.

  Then the wolf smiled, and Donnie took an involuntary step back. He had stared down many an unsub. Hell, he had faced down the first vampire ever made, but when Fenrir looked at him, Donnie felt like he was a meal, prey being sized up before he was mauled to death.

  “You say Tyr sent you here?”

  “Ya, he did.”

  “Come closer, nightwalker.”

  Donnie was walking forward without knowing he was moving, as if Fenrir’s voice had lured him like a siren to his death. When Donnie was within reaching distance, Fenrir lunged, grabbing Donnie’s arm and sinking his teeth into the flesh at his wrist.