by Nora Ash
As if I wanted to leave Magni and Saga behind.
I rubbed at my ribs where my two ties squirmed for every step I took, increasing the distance between us. Every newly awakened omega instinct in my body screamed at me to turn around and run until I was once again wrapped up in their embrace, safe in the arms of the two men who’d shown me that the only place I’d ever feel whole again was between them.
But I couldn’t. Not if I wanted them to live.
I didn’t understand much about my new powers, but the sensation echoing through my entire being had been clear: I had to go. It had to be me. Even if doing so meant leaving my mates behind.
“I’ll get you home to them soon, I promise,” Bjarni rumbled, his bear-sized hand patting my feathered shoulder as he looked at my fist pressed against my ribs.
Weakly I smiled up at him. Unlike Modi, he’d taken up pace by my side, allowing Magni’s brother to take the lead so he could keep me company.
“I hope so. This sucks.”
“Not so long ago, you were moaning about how much you hated both Saga and Magni,” the blond giant teased. “Pretty sure you were hoping to find a way to get rid of both of them.”
“Yes, funny how being torn apart from the inside makes a girl change her mind,” I replied, though without malice.
Out of all the stupid alphas I’d been saddled with, Bjarni was the easiest to like. He was gentle and sweet, and he didn’t try to boss me around every other second.
And he seemed to actually care if I liked him or not. As much as my heart panged with longing for Magni and Saga, I couldn’t exactly say they’d gone out of their way to endear themselves to me. They hadn’t seen the need.
I smiled a little more warmly, remembering the hot cocoa with little dots of marshmallows Bjarni’d made me back on their farm. It felt like decades ago.
He breathed in deeply and squeezed my shoulder. “You can make a man forget the end of the world is here when you smile like that, sweetie.”
I flushed and batted his hand off with a snort. “You just had to go and ruin it, you cheesy goof,” I chided, refocusing on Modi’s figure up ahead. “This is no time for flirting.”
“Saga told me to take care of you,” he hummed, seemingly unconcerned with my brush-off or heated cheeks. “And when your next heat comes, I will claim you for my own. I figure it’d be nice if I can tell you I love you afterwards without having you squirming to avoid answering me, hmm?”
This time, the flood of heat to my cheeks came from an entirely different type of embarrassment, and I straightened my back and increased my pace, not wanting to dwell on the images his suggestion conjured up. I’d learned the hard way that once my heat struck, I didn’t have much of a choice in who I let mount me. So far, realizing I was an omega hadn’t been super fun.
Bjarni chuckled behind me, but he let me put a bit of distance between us—yet another difference between him and my mates.
“This is odd.”
I looked up as Modi came to a halt, his head swaying from one side to the other as he took in the view of the lush valley sprawling out along the gravelly path we’d been following.
“Hmm?” Bjarni rumbled behind me.
“I’ve never seen Folkvangr so… quiet,” Modi answered, twisting around to frown at Bjarni. “You said you passed through here when you first entered Asgard, right? Where were the warriors?”
I bit my lip to stop the bubble of annoyance from spilling out in a snarky comment. I’d told the idiot that there weren’t any warriors in Folkvangr when we came through, but he’d dismissed me. Apparently he’d even take the word of his sworn enemy over a human omega.
But as much as I wanted to remind him that I’d fucking told him so, I was trying to conserve the amount of bullshit I called him on. He might be an insufferable jerk, but he was still one of the two men tasked with helping me save my mates. Ideally I wouldn’t piss him off to the point he’d tell us to sort it out ourselves before we’d even left Asgard.
“Yeah, no warriors. Figured Odin had called on them, now that Ragnarök is here. That not the case?” Bjarni said, crossing the distance to Modi’s vantage point in a few long strides. “Yup, looks pretty much like it did when we got here.”
I made my way to them and peered around Bjarni’s shoulder. Freya’s temple-like home stretched toward the sky in the valley below. The only difference from when we first visited was that the setting sun was now drawing long, dark shadows around the structure and the surrounding woodland.
“No. Her warriors aren’t in Valhalla,” Modi mumbled, his frown deepening. “It seems the good goddess may have a few more questions to answer than I'd first thought. Come.”
He led us farther down the path and into the valley surrounding the splendorous Folkvangr. Everything looked exactly as it had when we’d first arrived in Asgard, except…
“Where are the birds?” I asked, tilting my head to stare up at the silent trees. “And the insects? Everything is… quiet.”
Neither alpha answered me, but both looked around, shoulders tensing when they found the same lack of life as I had. Without a word, they both slid their weapons free from their belts.
“Stay between us, Annabel,” Bjarni murmured, his free hand coming to rest on my shoulder once more.
“So, this isn’t… natural, right?” I pressed. “Something’s going on?”
“Perhaps.” It was Modi this time, his distracted tone reflecting his focus being on the building ahead. “We won’t know until we speak with Freya. Let’s move on.”
Nothing jumped out at us as we made our way to the beautiful temple, but the sense of foreboding itching up the back of my neck increased for every step—and judging from the way the warriors flanking me moved, I wasn’t the only one.
Bjarni stuck to my ass like glue, grunting at every gust of wind rustling the leaves and swaying the grass, and Modi tensed every few seconds, whipping his head from side to side as he scanned our surroundings until we finally entered Folkvangr.
“Freya?” the redheaded god boomed. “Reveal yourself, woman!”
I arched an eyebrow at his less than respectful way of addressing the goddess—maybe his surly demeanor had less to do with me being a human than I’d originally thought. Maybe Thor’s legitimate son was just your run-of-the-mill sexist prick.
Fab.
“Freya?” I called out, keeping my tone infinitely more polite. “Please, goddess. We need your guidance.”
Modi snorted by my side. “Please, don’t give her a big head—she gets difficult if she knows you need something from her.”
I shot him a glare out the corner of my eye. “She was trying to help us—somehow I doubt she’s gonna play games when it’s about the goddamn end of the world. Freya!”
A low howling through the wooden pillars holding up the temple roof was the only response.
I shuddered despite my leather outfit, but in defiance of the niggling at the back of my skull that wanted to get out of the eerie structure and away from the deathly quiet valley, I continued deeper.
The great hall where Saga and I had saved Magni lay blanketed in shadow, no fires lighting up the altar this time.
“It’s so cold,” I mumbled, the chilly pressure weighing down on us from the high ceilings making me unwilling to raise my voice. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”
“Even I can feel it, sweetie,” Bjarni rumbled behind me, his free hand coming to rest on my shoulder. “Something’s happened here. And it ain’t good.”
“She’s not here.” Modi, who’d gone off to one of the side halls while we explored the great hall, came out from between two pillars opposite the altar. His forehead was locked in a deep frown. “No one is, not even a single servant. This is… unlike her.”
“Are there any clues where she might have gone? A note? Anything?” I asked, idly rubbing my hand against the altar. It was smooth under my palm, and cold like the rest of Folkvangr. The furs we’d slept on were nowhere in sight.
&n
bsp; “Doubtful,” Modi grunted. “The energy here… I don’t think she left of her own will.”
“Someone kidnapped the Goddess of Love?” Bjarni asked, arching an eyebrow. “Why? She harms no one.”
“Maybe because she knew something was wrong in Asgard,” I reminded him. “If someone found out she knew there was a traitor…”
“I suppose,” he relented, his brows knitting into a frown to match Modi’s. “Well, shit.”
“We need to find her,” Modi said, and to my utter surprise, he looked expectantly at me. “Get on with it, then.”
“Uh… What do you expect me to do about it?” I asked.
He arched an eyebrow. “Isn’t this why you’re here? Trud would be able to sense something helpful—either Freya’s whereabouts, or a clue to who the fuck’s taken her. You insisted you had to come instead, so get on with it.”
“Oh. Right.” Well, shit. He did have a point. Sort of.
I gave him an ungrateful glance before closing my eyes. I wasn’t exactly comfortable with the magic inside of me yet, but I’d felt it enough to know it was there and that it was powerful.
Bjarni might be strong as an ox, and Modi might be able to shoot lighting with his fingertips—but I was the one with premonitions. I was the one touched by Fate. I was the one who was going to figure out what the hell happened to Freya.
Hopefully.
I breathed slowly, reaching inside myself for that golden light I’d come to know as my magic, but only a faint flicker met me. I strained, trying to force it up to meet me, gritting my teeth and putting my full willpower into it.
“Annabel, stop.” Bjarni’s voice seemed to come from far away and was followed by warmth clasping around the back of my neck, shaking me none too gently.
I opened my eyes with a gasp, unfocused eyes finding Bjarni’s gray-blue. He was crouched in front of me, and it took me a moment to realize that all that was keeping me remotely upright was his grasp on my neck. His sword lay on the floor next to us, making me suspect he’d had to discard it quickly to make sure I didn’t faceplant into the stone altar.
Growling, he touched his free hand to my nose. His fingers came back bloody. “You pushed too hard.”
“Pushed too hard? All she needs to do is a damn locator spell,” Modi snorted from somewhere behind me. “This was a mistake. She’s not strong enough. We’re going back to get Trud, end of discussion.”
Bjarni straightened to his full height, bringing me up with him. “I’ve seen this woman bring your brother back from the brink of death. Trust me, she is plenty strong enough—but she needs guidance. If we go back, we’ll lose half a day, if not more, and time’s not on our side.”
“Guidance?” Modi growled. “I’m not a fucking teacher, and last I checked, you had as much spark as a mountain troll. Better to lose half a day than take an inexperienced omega cunt into the wilderness!”
“Watch how you talk about my future mate!” Bjarni snarled, flexing his right hand as if searching for his sword.
“Guys, can we not?” I snapped. “Bjarni’s right, I need… help. Saga guided me during the trials, and when I healed Magni.” I bit my lip as unwanted images of exactly how Saga had helped me came flooding back. I looked up at Modi. “Can you do the same?”
He grimaced, and I could sense his urge to protest about my presence bubbling right underneath the surface, but for whatever reason, he kept it back this time. Lips flattened into a line of displeasure, he ground out, “What do you need?”
“I’m not sure. Saga… he reached inside of me somehow and guided my magic,” I explained, trying to recall what the non-sexual aspect had felt like.
“Hmm,” Modi grunted, and before I could blink, his hand came down on my shoulder and power zinged through my bones like a bolt of lightning.
I straightened with a yelp, my vision turning pure white—and then in a blaze of heat I was pushed forward at barreling speeds, thundering through tight pink tunnels and throbbing organs until finally, a warm golden glow surrounded me.
Impatience washed over me—not my own emotions, I dimly realized. Modi was here with me. Inside of me.
Crackles snapped around me—irritation. He was waiting for me to call my magic.
I did, not wanting to test him. This was nothing like Saga’s gentle guidance—it was like riding a fucking thunderstorm inside my own head. A short-tempered thunderstorm.
My magic came more willingly this time, but it still seemed sluggish, as if I was trying to wring water from the muddy bottom of a well.
Where is she?
I let the question echo through the golden light until it tremored through my entire being—and then everything went gray.
“Don’t search for me, little one.”
I blinked at the sweet, familiar voice echoing all around me.
“Freya?” I muttered, twisting around to see her. “Where are you?”
“Lost,” was the infuriatingly unhelpful answer.
“Who took you? We’ll find you."
“You don’t have time. And where I am, no human can follow. Ragnarök is more important, child. Was Mimir in Valhalla? Did he…” Her voice faded to a whisper, her words eluding me.
“We didn’t find Mimir. You’re breaking up,” I called, feeling all kinds of dumb for sounding like this was some sort of driving-through-a-tunnel-on-a-cell-phone situation.
“…don’t have much time. Your energy’s fading. You need to let your mates tend to you, or your power will be drained. You’re still weak after healing Thor’s son. Don’t waste your time in Folkvangr. Go. Save the world, omega. Only you six can do it.”
“Wait!” I cried, because this time the fading of her voice seemed permanent, the gray mist emptier, as if I was the only thing there now. “You can’t go. We need help. We have to find Loki, and—”
My voice died when what she’d said finally took root.
“Wait… what do you mean, ‘let my mates tend to me’?”
Only silence met me. Silence, and a distinct sense of foreboding.
“You can’t be serious. Freya! Come back!”
“Enough!” This time the voice that rang through the mist seemed to come from all around me, and it was distinctly more aggressive—and followed by a hard shaking. “I said—enough!”
The mist evaporated in a burst of lightning and scattered around me in twinkling flakes. I blinked dazedly at Modi baring his teeth in my face as the world slowly racked back into focus.
“You’re bleeding all over the place. What kind of a seer are you?” he growled as he wiped none too gently at my face and nose. His hand came back red. “I knew taking a human on this journey was a folly.”
“Well, if you wanna argue with the Norns, be my guest,” Bjarni said as he shoved him out of the way, wrapping an arm around me so he could ease me to the floor. “There we go, nice and easy now.”
The floor was cool under my palms as I steadied myself against it, but thankfully my leather pants shielded my butt from the chill. I was still feeling kinda dazed from whatever I’d just done, and I was grateful to not have to try to keep my balance.
“Well?” Modi pressed. “Did you find our wayward goddess?”
“I spoke with her,” I said, but was interrupted when Bjarni promptly pressed two fingers around my nose and tilted my head backwards.
“Whant are ynou dnoing?” I protested, batting weakly at his hand. “Staph int.”
“Don’t be difficult,” he hummed, unconcerned with my efforts to shoo him. “The sooner we get this nosebleed taken care of, the sooner you can tell us what Freya had to say.”
I bared my teeth at him in irritation, but since my lower face was blocked by his ginormous hand anyway, my annoyance went fully ignored.
In Bjarni’s defense, his nose-pinching did stop it from bleeding within a few minutes.
“There,” he said, releasing my nostrils to give my thigh a light pat. “Now, you say you spoke with Freya?”
Modi, who’d been impati
ently pacing between us and the altar while my nose got it together, stopped abruptly by my side, arms folded across his massive chest. “Be quick about it, omega.”
I glared at him. “Well, as I was about to say—she says there’s no time to look for her. That humans can’t go where she is anyway. And basically that our only focus should be to stop Ragnarök. And that it has to be us. No one else.”
So if a certain Mister Lightning Fingers could stop trying to send me back…
Modi gave me an incredulous look. “Really? That’s it? Nothing helpful whatsoever?”
“No, the connection wasn’t holding any longer,” I said, trying not to feel like a complete failure despite the irritated god. “I... my energy is kinda… burned out, she said. After healing Magni.”
“Burned out?” Modi threw both arms to the sides. “Burned out? Then what the fuck did she suggest we do? Build a campfire and watch you sleep for a few days? Bjarni, even you must be able to see that this isn’t going to work. If we’re not back in Asgard with Loki in tow before the moon is full, both of us will lose our brothers!”
“Njal’s prick,” Bjarni muttered, rubbing his beard with fingers still speckled with my blood. “He has a point, sweetie. Finding my father isn’t about stopping Ragnarök. If we take you back, we’ll still be able to fulfill Mimir’s prophecy once Saga, Grim, and that redheaded idiot are safe. Maybe it’s better if we do. Let you rest?”
He was being sweet; I dimly recognized that. Trying to gentle me into going back, and largely out of concern for my wellbeing, it seemed. But a flood of panic instantly washed away all rational thought as the same sensation of urgency set in as it had when we’d discussed finding Loki back in Valhalla.
It had to be me. I didn’t know why, or even how I knew that—I just knew that something horrible would happen if I didn’t. Something that made the sore bonds in my chest quiver and ache with desperate foreboding.
“I don’t have to go back,” I blurted, clutching Bjarni’s arm. “Please, don’t, I—I don’t need to rest to regain my energy.”