by Nora Ash
I scrubbed my face with both hands and inhaled deeply before I continued down the corridor. I was done following these harebrained schemes. Done with trying to sort out whatever Aesir mess had been stirred up in Asgard. This wasn’t my home, and its inhabitants were not my people. I cared for exactly two people in this world.
Ensuring the survival of my brothers and me was all that mattered—and right now, the logical first step in that plan was for us to escape this fortress.
I walked undisturbed the entire way to the god-king’s stables. Valhalla’s servants had grown used to my presence, letting me pass mostly unnoticed. The iron ring lodged on my left index finger ensured my powers were inaccessible, rendering me harmless in the eyes of Odin and his kin, but even Asa magic could do little to dampen my innate ability to blend into the shadows.
The large wooden door was unguarded, making me hesitate for a moment, hand over the doorknob. One of Odin’s most prized possessions was inside this room. He would never risk Sleipner being stolen—and I couldn't imagine him leaving a steed capable of flight unguarded while three captives resided within Valhalla’s walls.
I let my hand drop to twist at the iron ring on my finger. Not for the first time, I wished I still had my connection to my magic. It felt like I’d lost an eye, my ability to sense treachery hindered. If there was a trap on the other side of that door, my magic could have warned me.
As if I’d spoken out loud, a metallic clunk of the handles being pushed down rung through the hallways. Hinges squeaked as the door swung open, but the space behind it revealed no one.
“Grim,” an all-too-familiar voice said from within. “I have been expecting you. Please, come in. We have much to discuss.”
Thirty-Six
Annabel
The trek up the mountain to Valhalla nearly broke me.
Just staying conscious had been difficult since before we'd passed through the portal into Asgard, and after just a few yards, my legs buckled.
Bjarni caught me before I faceplanted on the path and pulled me into his arms mid-stride. It seemed effortless, but I wasn’t fooled—I felt his exhaustion in our bond.
“Put me down, Bjarni,” I murmured, even as my head lolled in against his shoulder. “You’re injured too. I’ll walk.”
“I’m not so injured I can’t carry my mate,” he rumbled. “Just a short while and we’re there.”
Despite my body’s refusal to stay upright, a surge of adrenaline made my heart beat faster. Soon I would get to see Saga and Magni again, and the first, horrible step to stop Ragnarök would be over.
Hopefully they would have found Mimir, or at the very least know where he was. But first I was going to sleep. In a bed. With all my mates near me, and that awful, aching emptiness in my chest banished for good.
Loki hadn’t said much since he'd helped me heal Modi—the fight with Nidhug had taken it out of him too. But now he walked behind Modi, golden rope around his wrists and head held high.
I’d been on the fence on whether or not I’d help the God of Mischief escape Valhalla, but after what he’d done for us in Niflheim, I didn’t have much of a choice. He could have fled when I freed him, but he’d stayed and fought. He’d saved us. And yeah, it was probably for purely selfish reasons, since he believed he needed me and at least one of his sons alive, but the end result was the same.
I owed Loki a life debt.
The path to Valhalla was mostly empty, but the few Viking warriors, servants, and even a Valkyrie we passed on the way turned and stared, gasping whenever they spotted Loki.
“Been a while since you’ve visited the place, eh?” Bjarni said. He cracked a half-smile at his dad. “Seems you made quite an impression.”
Loki ignored him. He kept his eyes on Valhalla’s large port, the set of his jaw betraying his unease at our approach. Not that I could blame him, really. Whatever hand he’d played in bringing forth Ragnarök, walking toward your own beheading had to suck.
We were greeted by throngs of silent Valkyries lining the gate on either side. Wordlessly, one of them broke free and came to stand in front of us, hand outstretched toward Modi.
He hesitated. “Our agreement is with Odin. My brother and the two Lokissons are to be freed.”
The blond woman nodded. “That is the agreement, son of Thor.”
Modi drew in a deep breath, nodding as well. Then he handed her his end of Loki’s rope. “Very well.”
The Valkyrie’s blue eyes roamed over Loki’s face, her lip curling in distaste. With a yank, she turned around, forcing him to stumble forward as to not fall flat on his face.
“Sisters! With me!"
The gathered Valkyries crowded in around Loki, pushing us out of the way as they took up position around him. As one, they walked through the gates of Valhalla and into the great hall within.
“I guess we follow,” Bjarni said.
Modi nodded. “It would seem that way. Magni… is close. And Saga.” He rubbed his chest where our bonds were hooked.
I could feel them too, which I was pretty sure was the only reason I was still conscious. Adrenaline alone kept me awake, my instinctive knowledge of my other mates' nearness keeping me alert.
We crossed the threshold to the mighty fortress, following the throng of Valkyries leading Loki to the dais at the front. This time not a single Viking noticed my presence—everyone was staring at our prisoner in silence.
Odin sat at the front, raised up above the hall on his throne, his staff in one hand and a raven on each shoulder. As was true the last time I saw him, he looked every inch the god-king, but my gaze barely touched him because by his side stood Magni, Saga, and Grim.
They saw me at the same moment I did them. Magni and Saga jerked, both moving forward as one. They didn’t bother with the stairs, leaping from the dais and rushing through the hall, jumping over benches, tables, and warriors alike, until finally, finally—
“Sweetling!”
“Annabel!”
Saga plucked me from Bjarni’s arms, pulling me close as Magni grabbed my chin and pressed a deep kiss to my lips, slipping his tongue in between as he claimed my mouth for his.
His scorching lips nipped at my neck and hands roamed the length of my body, searching every millimeter of my skin for injuries.
“My mate,” Saga groaned against my ear. “You’re here.”
I clutched at him, winding a hand into each of their long manes, holding them so wonderfully, perfectly close.
The hollowness I’d carried since we parted melted away as if it’d never been there, and for the first time, all four bonds hooked in my chest hummed peacefully from within.
“I love you both,” I gasped in the short moment’s breath I was allowed before Saga claimed my mouth from Magni. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Magni rumbled in my ear. “I should never have let you leave without telling you.”
“Should never have let you leave at all,” Saga breathed in between desperate kisses. “Never again.”
“It was fortunate that you did," Modi said from the other side of the cocoon of Magni's and Saga's bodies. “Without her, we would never have captured Loki. Or survived the journey home.”
Warmth bathed my already humming heart. It meant so much to hear those words from Modi—the man who’d been adamant I was nothing but a burden when we first set out. But not anymore.
I broke away from Saga’s kiss to give him an appreciative smile. He caught my gaze, and the tenderness and pride in it took my breath away.
Magni unwound one arm from my body and clasped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Thank you both. For taking care of our mate and for bringing her back to us.”
“She belongs to us too now,” Bjarni said, just the barest of threats making its way to his voice. “Don’t thank us for looking after our own mate.”
“We felt you bond,” Saga said. He pressed his forehead against the top of my scalp, drawing my scent in for a few breaths before he looked up to his brother
and Modi, a frown marring his handsome face.
I rolled my eyes, irritation mixing with the bliss of finally being reunited with all my mates. “Can we not? This is definitely not the time for a territorial pissing contest.”
“The girl is right,” a dark rasp interjected. Grim appeared by Saga’s side, his mismatched eyes only briefly touching mine before he focused on his brothers. “Our father is about to face judgement. Perhaps… this… can wait?”
I flushed, a touch of embarrassment wheedling its way through my exhausted euphoria, but when I dared a quick look around, exactly no one was looking in our direction. Loki had climbed the stairs to the dais. The Valkyries, except the blonde leading him, remained at the foot, taking up guard.
“Loki,” Odin said, his voice filling the great hall even though he didn’t shout. “I am so very pleased to see you decided to return to the home you betrayed.”
“Your invitation was hard to refuse,” Loki replied. Sarcasm dripped from every word as he held out his bound wrists.
The god-king only looked at him, his face impassive. “You have been found guilty of treason, God of Mischief. You have been found guilty of orchestrating Ragnarök. Tomorrow you will face the consequences of your betrayal.
“At moonrise, you will look upon your brothers and sisters of Asgard one final time. It is my hope you will do so with remorse for the fate you have brought down upon us all. But regret or no, once the moon rises, you will be executed.”
“Am I not even allowed to plead my defense?” Loki asked. “What is this mockery of justice, god-king? You would condemn an innocent man to death without granting him so much as a trial?”
Odin leaned forward on his throne. Even from way back where we stood, I saw the fury in his one eye as he stared at the dark god. “You had a trial, serpent-tongue. If you had been less of a coward, if you had remained in our realm, you could have pleaded your case then. But you fled—and so we had your trial in your absence. You are guilty, Loki. And tomorrow, you die.”
He stood in a swirl of gray robes, his gaze landing on the head Valkyrie. “Take him to the cells below.”
The great hall was silent as the grave until Odin disappeared through the doorway behind the throne. Then, as one, the thousands of warriors started shouting, some whooping, others chanting songs of victory. Above the long tables, enormous, gilded horns appeared, pouring mead into every cup.
“Let’s go,” Magni said, hoisting me into his arms. “We have much to discuss.”
Thirty-Seven
Annabel
Saga, Grim, and Magni led us back to the tower room they’d been locked in the first time we arrived at Valhalla, but it seemed they’d been granted more freedoms since. No guards were stationed in the hallway outside the door, and no one seemed to care how and where they moved.
Magni placed me on one of the wooden beds in the room. It smelled like him, and I hummed and leaned into him, my mind finally starting to relax. I’d been wiped out since our fight against Nidhug, but we hadn’t had time to rest—or otherwise replenish my reserves. Being here, surrounded by all four of my mates, bathing in their scents and their nearness, was blissful relaxation.
The bed dipped as Saga sat on my other side and possessively wrapped his arms around my midriff as he pressed in close. But where before I would have expected jealousy to burn in our bond, now it was peaceful. He didn’t mind that Magni had taken me to his bed. In fact, he didn’t mind Magni’s presence at all.
“You’re friends?” I murmured, nuzzling against the blond alpha’s scruffy stubble.
Magni hummed a noise of agreement.
“No wonder Father is not here to greet us,” Modi mumbled. He knelt down on the floor in front of us, reaching out to touch my leg as if on instinct rather than conscious thought. “I am sure he is unimpressed.”
Magni snorted. “That’s one way of putting it. Though I don’t think he knows nor cares. The whole mate-sharing thing was enough to earn his unwavering disapproval. He hasn’t been back to Valhalla since you left. Trud said he's sulking back home.”
Bjarni caught my eyes, one blond eyebrow edging up a half inch. I knew what he was thinking, but we both understood that now wasn’t the time to revisit the whole "Thor might be the traitor" concept. There’d be plenty of time to worry about that later—after some sleep.
“Rest, sweetie,” Bjarni said. He sat down by Modi’s side, sliding a hand up my other leg in a calming gesture. “We’ll catch up while you relax for a bit, hmm?”
I smiled sleepily at him. Out of all four men, he was the one I could always count on to pamper me—which he confirmed when he absentmindedly slipped my boot off and began pressing his fingers into the sole of my foot.
I slumped back against Magni and Saga with a happy sigh. The last thing I saw before my eyelids slid closed was Grim leaning against the wall across from the bed, arms folded over his chest and lips pressed into a thin line.
One day he was supposed to mate me too. I wondered if he was watching his brothers quietly bonding with men who had once been their enemies and if he resented me for uniting them. If he feared the devotion that came with a mating bond.
I drifted off to the rumbling sound of my four alphas’ voices, soothed into the core of my soul.
Kisses along my jawline brought me back from the depths of sleep. I hovered on the edge of consciousness for a long while, my mind fighting to dip back into oblivion, but the lips against my skin were unyielding.
“Mmph,” I protested, but it was quickly swallowed in a deep kiss.
I groaned another protest into the mouth gently teasing my lips apart, but despite my desire to go back to sleep, I lifted my arms and wound them around my mate’s shoulders.
Saga. I felt him in our bond, his happiness and desire, and recognized his scent as I breathed him in.
When he pulled back from our kiss, I cracked my eyelids open. Despite the darkness in the room, I saw the outline of his long hair and wide shoulders clear enough thanks to the moonlight streaming through the window.
“D’you mind? I’m trying to sleep here.”
“Shh,” Saga whispered, giving my lips a peck when I opened them to admonish him for shushing me. “You’ll wake them.”
I dared a glance to my side, noticing several big lumps in the darkness, some on the other beds, some on the floor.
“What time is it?”
“Late,” he said, delving back to trail kisses along my jawline. Despite my still-exhausted state, heat bloomed everywhere his mouth touched. “But I couldn’t wait any longer, sweetling. I’ve missed you too much. Missed your scent. Your taste. The way you feel underneath my palms.”
He followed the last sentence up by stroking one large hand down the length of my body and up between my thigh, squeezing my vulva. It was then I realized they’d undressed me.
Without waiting for further permission, Saga pressed in against my clit, sending a zing of pleasure up my spine.
“I’ve missed you too,” I murmured, breathier than I’d meant to. “But we can’t just… Not while everyone’s here. And I’m exhausted…”
“Sure we can.” Saga sounded completely unfazed, save for the smoldering heat deep in his throat. He kept his hand pressed right up against my clit, working it slowly while his kisses turned to light nips down my throat. “So long as you’re quiet while I make you milk my cock. I don’t mind sharing your little cunt like I did on Freya’s altar, but if you’re too tired to take four knots tonight, I suggest you keep any noises to a minimum.”
“You’re incorrigible,” I grumbled—but his fingers between my thighs were working. I spread my legs a little, allowing him better access, and breathed deeply at the intensifying pleasure.
“Just worried for my mate. Bjarni told us how there’s only one way to help you get your energy back. My only desire is to serve my omega.”
His words, his tone of voice… it was such a Saga thing to say, I couldn’t hold back an amused snort. “How very selfless of y
ou.”
“Shh.” Saga covered my mouth with his hand and looked to the floor. One of the guys—Bjarni—had stopped breathing quite as deeply, probably disturbed by my giggle. Saga kept his hand in place until my blond giant rolled over, his breathing deepening once more.
“We agreed to let you rest until morning,” Saga whispered as he eased his palm off my mouth. I could feel his smirk in the darkness. “And we drew straws on who’d get to keep you in their bed. I may have cheated.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I slipped my hands from his shoulders down his torso until I could wrap my arms around his sides, pressing myself close to him. My heart thrummed, partly with awakened desire, but mostly with relief at his nearness.
“Don’t cry, sweetling.” His voice, silky soft and reverberating with tenderness, was followed by gentle kisses to my cheeks. Only then did I realize tears were trickling down them.
“I was so broken without you,” I whispered.
He bumped my forehead gently with his, pressing his weight down on top of me until my heartbeat slowed, comforted by his nearness. For the longest time, all he did was breathe with me, his hand on my hip rather than between my legs.
“Bjarni and Modi told us of your bravery,” he finally said. “How fiercely you fought. How powerful your magic is. How strong your spirit. I hated every minute we were apart, but I am proud of you for withstanding our separation. I am not sure I could have done the same, had I been the one who had to put distance between us.”
“Yeah. You would have. Every one of you,” I said, pressing my cheek to his. “There was no other choice. You would do anything to ensure my survival. I understand that now.”
He hummed a small noise of agreement. “There is nothing I won’t give for you, Annabel. Nothing.”
I bit my lip, remembering Loki’s judgement. “Your father…”