Defender (Night War Saga Book 2)

by S. T. Bende

  Tore framed my waist with his hands again and pulled me on top of him in one quick move. Yes, please. My lips met his, and for an endless moment I gave myself over to the feeling of his mouth on mine, his hands on my butt, and the way his thick biceps flexed beneath my fingertips. Much too quickly, Tore rolled so we lay side by side. He withdrew his kiss, and I nearly face-planted in my desire to maintain full lip contact. Dang it. As I recovered, he fixed his ice-blue eyes on me and reached up to gently hold both sides of my face.

  “Allie Rydell, I’m in love with you,” he murmured.

  I stopped breathing. Super-hot demi-god say what?

  Tore raised one eyebrow. “You okay?”

  “You love me?” I whispered.

  “More than I can possibly tell you.” He stroked my cheek with one thumb, sending a surge of warmth through my body.

  “Good,” I murmured. “Because I love you, too.” Then I grinned like an idiot.

  At the edge of my vision, the hooks in Tore’s heart lightened to a pale brown. As I glanced down to examine the change, a flash of light burst through my bedroom window. A prism of colors filled the room as the Bifrost dropped in, and Tore quickly brought his shield back down. He pushed himself up on one elbow and removed his hand from my cheek to squeeze my butt.

  “What do you think? Can I get a raincheck on this make out session?” Tore asked.

  Laughter bubbled from deep in my chest. “Only if you’re good.”

  “Oh, Pepper.” Tore swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. “I’m very good. Hope you can handle me.”

  I sat up and quickly re-braided my hair. “I hope you can handle me, Protector.”

  A low growl built in Tore’s throat. “Gods, you’re sexy.” He picked up my armor from the chair in the corner of my room and held it out. He must have brought it downstairs with him when I was in the shower. “You need help putting this on?”

  “Sure.” I slid my arm into the shoulder piece and turned so Tore could strap me into it. Then I slid the cuff over my wrist and retrieved the photo of Tore’s mom from where it had been abandoned on the edge of the bed. Oops. “Thank you for sharing her with me.” I smiled at the photo before handing it to Tore.

  “Thank you, Allie. For letting me see I don’t have to be alone.”

  My heart absolutely melted.

  “Of course,” I whispered.

  Tore crossed to the door and pulled it open. “Bifrost’s down, which means Greta will be here any minute. I’m going to run this picture upstairs and grab a few extra weapons. Meet you on the porch in two?”

  “Yup.” I watched his beautiful backside exit my bedroom, committing the visual to memory. Holy mother. What a day.

  Tore had barely disappeared from view when I heard the pounding on the front door. The noise sent poor Killer into a near-apoplectic fit of barking that made the pictures on the wall tremble.

  “Down, Killer!” I commanded as I walked into the entryway. He immediately quieted. Hmm. Cool. First the dragons, now the dog. Maybe I was becoming an animal whisperer.

  Greta flew into my arms the second I wrenched the door open. Tears streamed down her cherubic face, leaving twin wet trails flowing from her emerald eyes. I raised an eyebrow when I looked over her shoulder—Greta had been joined by her shorter doppelganger. The girl’s fiery red hair was a few shades darker than Greta’s strawberry hue, and she was obviously a few years younger. But other than that, they were nearly identical.

  “Greta?” I held her at arm’s length to study her heartbroken face. “Are you okay?”

  “I can’t believe Nott took Bodie.” She wiped her tears on her sleeve.

  “I know,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

  Footsteps on the stairs pulled my attention away from my friend. Tore jogged toward us wearing more weapons than a ninja.

  “Hei, Greta. Hey, Mel—what are you doing here?” Tore raised a hand to greet the teenager on the porch.

  She stepped inside, gesturing to Killer. “Dog watching, I guess.”

  Tore and I furrowed our brows in unison. Greta crossed her arms at our disapproving expressions. “I’m going with you guys, whether you like it or not,” she declared.

  Tore groaned. “Greta, you’re not battle trained. You can help Bodie by staying here and staying safe.”

  With a glare, Greta pulled her crystal wands from her bag. She raised them over her head and clapped them together, sending a shock wave through the entryway that made Tore and me fall into each other. I managed to right myself, but Tore landed hard on his butt.

  “What the Hel!” he scolded.

  Greta placed her hands on her hips. “I can take care of myself, Tore Vidarsson, and you know it.”

  Holy mother, Greta was fierce.

  Killer sniffed Tore’s hand and gave him a big lick before trotting over to sit beside Mel. Tore sighed as he pushed himself to his feet. “Fine, but if you’re going with us, it’s only as the team healer. You’re going to stay in the back, and you’re going to stay out of the way.”

  “Fine.” Greta re-crossed her arms.

  Tore looked down at her before adding, “And teach Allie that wand-clap thing.”

  She mock saluted. “Yes, sir.”

  Tore turned to me. “Why can’t you call me sir?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You wish.”

  “I do,” he agreed.

  The slam of the back door was followed by the clomp of heavy footsteps. A moment later, a snow-covered Johan and Mack emerged from the kitchen, their arms laden with weapons.

  “Hei, Greta. Mel.” The guys deposited their weapons in the hallway before giving Greta and her sister hugs.

  “What are you doing here, Mel?” Johann asked.

  “Greta’s going with you guys, and she says I have to watch the dog.” Mel shrugged.

  Mack nodded and pulled Mel aside. “Take Killer outside to urinate every hour. If he has an accident, use the baking soda cleaning mixture in the blue bowl on the kitchen counter. It should work on the area rugs without damaging their coloring.”

  Mel raised one eyebrow. “O-kay.”

  “Don’t let him chew on anything,” Mack continued. “We’ll get dog toys when we return, but for now, sticks will have to do. I’ve left a pile outside of the back door. Use the bigger ones first; they’ll take him longer to work through.”

  Mel laughed. “We’ll be fine. My healing tutor is coming by later, so between the two of us, we’ll manage to keep the dog in check.”

  Mack patted her shoulder, the tension never leaving his face. I tried to telepath him serene thoughts, but he didn’t look any less stressed. I made a mental note to work on my clairvoyance skills with Greta, too.

  “Okay, we’ll be back in a few hours.” Tore ran his hands through his hair. “Hopefully, before Revenge’s team gets here and we have to leave for Muspelheim.”

  While I nodded my head, I wondered if anyone else’s stomach was in knots. No? Just mine?

  “My dads are ready for us,” Johann chimed in. “Let’s head out before Garrett bakes any more welcome-home pastries. Hjalmar’s back on his paleo diet, and it drives him nuts when there’s an excess of sweets around the hus.”

  “Uh, I’m happy to relieve your hus of any and all sweets,” I volunteered.

  “Me too,” Greta agreed. “In the name of saving your dads a fight, of course.”

  “Right,” Johann chuckled. “Well, shall we head out?”

  “Grab your weapons, and let’s move,” Tore ordered. We gathered around the pile of swords, daggers, and arrows and selected our favorite pieces. Tore helped me re-adjust the straps on my armor before he opened the front door. Johann, Greta, and I filed through, but our light elf friend lingered behind. “Mack, come on,” Tore urged.

  “Coming,” Mack grumbled. He emerged backward onto the porch, still calling out instructions about the proper use of his homemade cleaning solution. If this whole protector thing didn’t work out, Mack definitely had a future in home ma
intenance.

  “Goodbye, Mack,” Mel replied with a laugh. “See you guys in a few hours.”

  Tore closed the door behind him before jogging to the clearing. “You know the drill. We get in, get our intel, and get back here. The weapons are just precautionary; I don’t anticipate encountering any hostiles in Vanaheim. Recovering Bodie is our priority; everything else will have to wait.”

  “Agreed,” I voiced, and the rest of our group nodded.

  “Good.” Tore looked to the clouds. “Heimdall,” he shouted. “Open the Bifrost!”

  And with that, the rainbow bridge shot down from the sky, sucking us upward and bringing us one step closer to getting our friend back.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “GOD, I HATE THE BIFROST.” I buried my face in Tore’s chest while the realm of Vanaheim circled my head in a dizzying blur. Green and white swirls gave way to the black of Tore’s t-shirt, and I regained my footing by focusing on the sensation of my boyfriend’s strong pecs pressed against my cheek. Mmm. Much better.

  “You okay?” Tore rubbed his hand along my back.

  “Never better,” I muttered. The nightmare that was inter-realm travel was nothing in comparison to whatever horrors Bodie was surely experiencing. And the longer it took me to recover from my travel sickness, the longer it would take us to rescue our friend. With resolve, I commenced the deep yogic breaths Mack had taught me to use in order to cope with Bifrost travel. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Drop my grounding anchor. Good. Now, let’s hurry up and do this so we can save Bodie.

  With my equilibrium restored, I raised my head to catch my first stationary view of Vanaheim. The greens and whites that had whirled past my eyes turned out to be forest and snow. My friends and I stood ankle deep in a grass-filled meadow, with moss-wrapped evergreens on one side and snowcapped mountains on the other. A village rested at the foot of the mountains, providing its residents easy access to what looked like miles of pristine powder and epic cornices. Wow. I made a mental note to ask Tore to bring me back here for a ski date once we’d recovered Bodie and the Nott nightmare was behind us. Somewhere up there was a trail that needed my name carved into it.

  “Everybody ready to move out?” Tore called to the group.

  A fast headcount revealed that Greta, Mack, and Johann were huddled in a tight clump beside Tore and me. Mack held his crossbow at eye level, but after turning a quick circle, he strapped it over his shoulder with a nod. “We’re clear. Johann, lead the way.”

  “Aye, aye.” Johann mock saluted. “Head to the village, and go straight up the main road. My place is a quarter-mile up the hill.”

  “I haven’t been to your realm in a while, Johann,” Greta said. “But isn’t the forest normally snowy this time of year?”

  I glanced at the emerald moss climbing the evergreens. There wasn’t a flake of snow anywhere near the trees.

  “I thought so, but I haven’t been home in a while, either. Tore’s kept us pretty busy the past few years,” Johann said.

  “Has my training regimen been too taxing for you?” Tore slung an arm around my shoulder.

  “Not at all,” Johann chuckled. “But Mack’s morning mindfulness lectures definitely have been.”

  “If you don’t want to be enlightened, by all means, keep on sleeping in.” Mack shrugged.

  “Come on.” Greta stamped one petite foot. “Bodie is gods knows where, and he needs our help. Move it.”

  I liked the healer’s style.

  The boys jumped to action, marching forward in a protective cluster around Greta and me. We reached the edge of the meadow, then headed into town. Johann’s village was a hub of activity. Despite the cool temperature, residents were out in full force for Vanaheim’s version of a farmers’ market. Wooden carts lined the cobblestone streets, their beams draped with animal pelts and freshly-slaughtered poultry. Ew. Other stands held row upon row of exotic-looking fruits and vegetables—glittery red spheres that sparkled in the sunlight, deep green leaves big enough to be a dinosaur’s version of kale, and a spiky purple orb that may have been delicious but looked way too much like Mack’s mace for me to want to eat it. As we walked through town, shoppers called out to each other in greeting, and more than a handful enveloped Johann in warm hugs.

  We passed another fruit cart, and Johann stopped to grin at a rotund woman clad in a white apron. “Mrs. Maraki,” he said. “It’s been too long.”

  My friends and I clustered behind Johann as Mrs. Maraki clapped his back joyfully. The tassels of her fur-lined hat bounced as she released him from her hold. “Oh, Hannie, welcome home! Your fathers will be so happy to see you!”

  “They’d better be.” Johann took a woven bag from the pile at her stand and tucked a dozen spiky purple orbs into it. “It’s early in the season for pirysans, isn’t it? I’m not used to seeing those at market for another month or two.”

  “It is.” Mrs. Maraki shook her head. “The weather’s been off this year. The snow has already melted from the forest.”

  Beside me, Greta raised one eyebrow. “Thought so,” she muttered.

  Johann turned his head to the trees beyond the meadow where we’d dropped in. He grimaced. “We noticed that.”

  “Our crops are still fertile, thank the gods, but they produce on different schedules now, unpredictable schedules. The effects of the Night War are taking hold on Vanaheim.” Mrs. Maraki frowned. “Alfheim and Nidavellir will be next. And then Asgard.”

  I shot Tore an anxious look. My gut clenched at his tight nod.

  “We won’t let it get to that,” Mack chimed in. “You have my word.”

  “Why, Mack Medisjon, while I live and breathe.” Mrs. Maraki stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the lumberjack. Clearly, the woman was a hugger.

  Mack gently embraced her in return. “Hei hei, Mrs. Maraki. It’s good to see you again.”

  Mrs. Maraki stepped back to beam up at Mack. “Did Hannie tell you that pirysan pie recipe you created for me won first prize at the Saint Lucia’s bazaar this year? It’s going to be featured in the village cookbook.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Mack smiled serenely.

  “We’ll take two dozen with us.” Johann tucked the spiky fruits into his bag and drew two gold coins from his pocket. “They’re Hjalmar’s favorites, so he can eat a few of them raw like the stick in the mud he is. And Garrett can use the remainder to bake more pies for the rest of us.”

  Mrs. Maraki folded Johann’s fingers back over his coins. “Your money’s no good here. You just tell Garrett to share some of that pie with me the next time I see him.”

  “Oh, he will. But I insist.” Johann placed his money near the till on the corner of the cart. “Tusen takk, Mrs. Maraki.”

  “You always were such a sweet boy. I’m so happy to see you again, Hannie.” Mrs. Maraki pinched Johann’s cheeks. His ears turned pink as he led us away from her booth.

  “So, Hannie.” Greta teased as we walked through town. “Seems like your neighbors are glad you’re home.”

  “Yeah,” Johann chuckled. “Mrs. Maraki’s farm has kept our fridge stocked for as long as I can remember. Bummer to hear Nott’s war is affecting her crops.”

  “I’ll say.” Tore frowned as he laced his fingers through mine. “I thought Midgard would have to fall before the other light realms were affected. This ups the stakes.”

  “Well then,” I squeezed Tore’s hand, “we’d better get Bodie back and get the rest of Gud Morder rebuilt already. Then we can kill Nott and put an end to this once and for all.” Not to mention I was overdue for some mother-daughter bonding time.

  “You’re sexy when you talk destruction. You know that?” Tore winked, sending a surge of heat through my body. I was overdue for some Tore bonding time, too.

  I nudged his arm with my shoulder. “Thanks, Protector.”

  As we walked through town, we passed a series of two-story, stone residences. Some had balconies from which jubilant neighbors waved a hearty hei hei to
‘Hannie,’ while others had snow-dusted yards, in which children played heated games of tag. It took several minutes to reach the edge of town, but before long our boots trod lightly across the snow-packed trail that led to Johann’s parents’ house. After a few minutes, we stood in front of a two-story home with large windows, sweeping beams, and a wrap-around porch complete with a swing. A tapestry of wintry blooms added color to the flowerboxes beneath the windows, and a warm energy surrounded the entire structure. From the outside, Johann’s home was Swiss-chalet-chic meets down-home charm.

  My centers opened up to drink in the love that poured from the structure. Johann’s house was absolutely lovely.

  “Hannie!” The front door flew open, and a slender girl with olive-hued skin charged across the porch. Her long, black hair flew behind her as she threw herself at Johann.

  “Jale!” Johann spun the girl in a circle before depositing her onto the snow. “I missed you, sis!”

  “I missed you more,” she declared.

  “Where’s our bro?” Johann asked.

  “Jarryd’s in Asgard on a training mission.” Jale stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. “Garrett’s been baking like mad since you called. It’s hard on him when you’re gone. You could visit more, you know.”

  “I know.” Johann’s brown eyes crinkled in a smile. “But then you wouldn’t get all the pies when I came home. You’re welcome.”

  Jale slugged Johann in the arm. “You’re terrible.” She laughed before waving at each of us in turn. “Hei, Mack, Tore, Greta. And . . .” She drew out the word as she studied me.

  “I’m Allie.” I waved.

  “Oh! You’re Eir’s daughter.” Jale smiled warmly at me. “I’m Jale, Johann’s sister. I hope my brother’s been behaving himself while he’s been protecting you.” She glanced at the dagger at my hip. “Though it looks like you can do just fine protecting yourself.”

  “I’m trying.” I shrugged. “It’s a steep learning curve.”

  “No skit,” Tore muttered. I elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Where’s Bodie?” Jale looked behind us. “Did he get caught up in the market?”