“Detached from his emotions?” Val said. “If that were true, then we would have never come on this wild-goose chase in the first place. Thorin is loyal to you to a fault. Why should your authority default to him? Are you saying I’m compromised? That I cannot do what needs to be done?”
“You know I am Odin’s grandson by his firstborn,” Thorin said, “if you want to compare family lineage. And yes, Val, you have proven repeatedly how you frequently think with your”—Thorin’s eyes swiped over Val’s figure—“libido. You are capricious, and your loyalty is questionable.”
“Just because I’m not a blind follower doesn’t mean I can’t—”
“Boys!” I said, playing referee again. “Can we do this King of the Jungle fight later? Let’s work on devising a cohesive plan. Let’s end this thing while I’m still young enough to have a normal life.”
“A normal life?” Skyla said. “You think you can go back to some mundane existence after all this?”
“White picket fences, two-point-five kids, and the American dream?” Val asked and took my hand. He rubbed a thumb over my knuckles and squeezed.
I shrugged one shoulder. “Sure, why not?”
“Your attachment to your humanity is a liability,” Thorin said. His eyes narrowed at my hand clasped in Val’s.
I pulled away and scowled at Val while Thorin continued.
“Helen will use it against you. As Baldur said, this is war, and there is no room for sentimentality.” Thorin raised his chin, peered down his nose at me, and held himself rigid like a military commander. All the softness he’d shown me the night before receded.
Baldur was entrusting his authority to Thorin, who had Mjölnir to back it up. Where did I fit into that hierarchy?
I met Thorin’s cold stare with my own bold gaze. I turned up my coffee cup, drained it dry, and set the mug on the counter without even a clink to give away my irritation. “It’s business as usual, isn’t it? You, Thorin, overbearing tightwad.” I ignored the choking noise Val made. “Me, Miss Mundy, messy obligation. Just don’t forget I’m not as helpless as I used to be, and you made me a promise.”
Thorin nodded. “Skoll’s head on a silver platter. I haven’t forgotten.”
“Good.” I went to the kitchenette for a coffee refill, turning my back on Val and Thorin before I said or did something regrettable.
Skyla came scooting after me as the low rumble of male conversation filled the room. “He didn’t mean it as harsh as it sounded.”
“He’s right, though,” I said. “As much as I hate admitting it. My humanity is a liability, as well as my sentimentality. Regardless of our differences, I do have a great deal of sentimentality for my parents. Helen could easily use that against me. I’ve got to do something more proactive to protect them. I just don’t know what.”
Skyla tapped a finger against her bottom lip and furrowed her brow. “Maybe you could tell them the truth, or…” She inhaled a sudden sharp breath, and her face brightened. “Baldur.”
“What about him?”
“This network of his—why can’t he use it to watch out for your parents? They have unlimited resources, Solina. Ask Baldur to put guards on your parents or something like that.”
“You think that would work? You think he would go for it?”
Skyla raised a shoulder and dropped it. “All you can do is ask.”
Taking her advice, I pulled Baldur aside and pleaded my case—my parents’ case, to be precise.
Baldur flushed and dropped his gaze. He worried his thumbnail as if picking a rough cuticle. “It shames me that you had to ask. I should have thought to do such a thing myself.” He raised his blue eyes and peered at me through cinnamon lashes. “Forgive me, Solina. And of course. I’ll make the call now and have someone stationed at your parents’ house within the hour.”
“Discreetly, though, okay?”
He nodded. “Of course. The less attention we attract, mortal or supernatural, the better.”
I reached around his massive shoulders and squeezed him in a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Baldur chuckled and patted my back. “You don’t have to thank me. As I said, I should have thought of this myself. Thorin would say it’s a smart tactical move that benefits us all.”
I harrumphed and pulled away. “Thorin says a lot of things. Doesn’t mean he’s always right. But in this case, I won’t argue.”
Baldur brushed his knuckles over my chin, a fatherly rebuff. “Thorin has always been a singular sort. We haven’t been required to access our humanity in a long time, and it’s like shrugging on a dusty, stiff old cloak. But the longer we wear it, the more comfortable and natural it feels. Perhaps Thorin’s humanity needs a little more time to break in, but it will. Just be patient with him.”
“Hmm. If you say so.”
Baldur’s grin widened, and he winked. “Trust me.”
Later in the evening, Skyla came into my room, plopped on the bed beside me, and tugged at a few strands of my hair, separating it into thirds as if she meant to braid it. I had hidden away from the guys, pretending to watch a pay-per-view movie when, really, I was spending that time replaying the contrasting scenes of the gentle man from last night against the harsh but familiar Thorin who had basically told me again how my life meant nothing beyond the guarantee of his own survival. He had gotten into my head—maybe into my heart a little, too—and I hadn’t quite figured out how to get him out.
“What is it?” I turned my attention to Skyla.
Skyla reached the end of the thin plait she had woven into my hair and started another row. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“’Bout what?”
“The Valkyries. They would be an amazing weapon to have on our side. We know Helen has infiltrated at least some of them. I want to find out how far the corruption goes.”
“And then what?”
Skyla grinned and sliced a hand through the air. “Then I’m going to cut it out. Get them back on our side—loyal and dedicated.”
I sat up and folded my legs beneath me. “How are you going to do that?”
“I’m going back to the Aerie.”
I grabbed her arm. “You can’t leave me. I just got you back.”
“I have to, girlfriend.” Skyla pried my death grip from her arm. “I can’t let Helen corrupt our best allies.”
“You can’t leave me alone with them.”
Skyla gave me a knowing look. “You mean you don’t want me to leave you alone with him, with Thorin.”
“Him too.”
Skyla took my hands and held them in hers. Her big, earnest eyes were pleading with me. “This is my purpose, Solina. Save the Valkyries from the poison within. It’s my part to play in this. Once they’re whole again, the Valkyries can assume their rightful place at the side of the Aesir. Helen will never be able to defeat you.”
“Why does it have to be your responsibility?”
“Because even though I don’t have the proof, I know I’m one of them. It’s me who has to do this. An outsider. An objective third party.”
“And why should they believe you?”
Skyla shook her head. “They shouldn’t. That’s why I have to go and convince them.”
I pulled her into a tight hug and tried not to cry. “Other than Mani, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”
“Trust Thorin.”
I pulled away and wrinkled my nose. “He’s proven he’s as fallible as the rest of us.”
“Loyalty is not a fault, Solina. You were willing to take the same risks for me and for Mani. If you wanted to stay safe, you wouldn’t be here right now. And if Thorin didn’t respect you, he’d have already locked you away somewhere.”
“I�
�m not as scared when you’re around,” I said. “I can’t talk to them like I talk to you.”
Skyla dipped her head and showed uncharacteristic humility. “It’s not forever, babe. I’ll be back, hopefully with a battalion of Odin’s finest battle divas.”
“And you’ve got to leave today?”
Skyla looked at the clock on the bedside table. “I’ve got to leave now. I’m catching a flight out in a couple hours. But don’t worry. I won’t leave you completely empty-handed. There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“What?”
Skyla grinned and waggled an eyebrow. “I think I know where Helen is keeping the wolf.”
Chapter Thirteen
After Skyla borrowed a set of clothes from me and got dressed, I bit my lip and fought the urge to beg her to stay. “Be safe,” I said. “And keep in touch.”
She hugged me. “I promise.”
Thorin was waiting for us outside my room when Skyla and I opened the door. “What’s going on?” he asked. “What have you two been scheming?”
Skyla cut her eyes to me and bit back a smile. “He acts like he knows us or something.”
Thorin frowned at me. “What are you up to, Sunshine?”
“You don’t have to look at me that way. I was going to tell you.”
“Sure you were.”
“No, really. I’m going to need your help.”
Thorin’s head tilted, his eyebrow arched. He was interested. “Oh, yeah?”
“Skyla’s time with Helen might have been useful after all. She’s got some leads on where Skoll hides out when he’s not chasing after me.” I turned to Skyla and gestured to Thorin. “Tell him.”
“Hati and Skoll were wolves, first and foremost.” Skyla looked at Thorin for confirmation. When he nodded, she continued. “Their human exterior is more mask than man. It goes against their nature to live in big cities around lots of people. Hati couldn’t hold down a day job because he didn’t do well with socially appropriate human behavior. Only Loki and Helen have managed to control them. Otherwise, they’re a public nuisance and a danger to Helen’s inconspicuousness.
“So, Helen makes Skoll go into hiding when she doesn’t need him because it keeps him out of trouble, but she keeps him close enough to call back at her whim.”
“While I agree with all you’re saying,” Thorin said, “it’s still a lot of speculation. If we are going to hunt Skoll, we need something more solid than that.”
Skyla nodded. “I overheard one of the guards talking about Helen last night, before Solina came and rescued us all.” She flashed me a smile, at which Thorin grimaced but said nothing. “One guy said he’d seen a lone wolf hanging around outside the warehouses. Then they argued about whether it was really just a coyote or not. The one guy was pretty damned insistent it was a wolf, though.”
Thorin rearranged his posture, standing taller and surer. “Presuming that the guard did see a wolf, and not a coyote, and presuming that wolf was Skoll, how do we know he’s still there? What if Helen’s moved him to another location after our escape?”
I put a hand on Thorin’s arm to turn his attention to me. “And what if she hasn’t? It’s as good of a place to look for him as any.”
Thorin’s brows drew together. “I couldn’t convince you to stay here, could I? Let me hunt him alone?”
I pointed to myself. “Bait, remember? Skoll wouldn’t let you get anywhere near him unless you have something he wants. And I think he wants me rather badly.”
Skyla bobbed her head. “Helen’s orders.”
I shook my head. “No. I mean, I’m sure Helen’s orders are encouragement enough, but don’t forget I killed Skoll’s brother. I know something about what’s motivating him. Skoll wants revenge. If he’s desperate enough, he’ll do anything to get it. It could make him rash and clumsy. It could make him vulnerable.”
Thorin gazed at me, his expression tinged with wariness. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or to be afraid of you.”
I snorted. “Did you expect that I would always be that naive and meek-mannered girl you picked up at the airport all those months ago?”
Thorin chuckled. “You were never meek, Sunshine.”
“When I get to the Aerie, I’m going to put a bug in the Valkyries’ ears,” Skyla said, steering the conversation back on path. “I’ll mention that you and Thorin are on your way to the desert to hunt Skoll.”
The plot sank in. “If Helen has a double agent in the Valkyries, she’ll pass the news to Helen, who’ll send Skoll out to meet us,” Thorin said.
“I’ll have the proof I need to show the Valkyries that they’ve been compromised. Then we can work together to flush out the mole.”
“And either way, we’ll have Skoll’s head.”
“I have to get a move on,” Skyla said. She swept me aside and went to the foyer. As she opened the door, she turned to Thorin. “I’ll call and leave you a message with an update.” Pointing a finger at both of us, she put on a stern face and said, “Play nice, you two.”
Skyla walked out and didn’t look back. I missed her the moment the door closed behind her. I turned to Thorin, who had shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and stared at the door, a reluctant look on his face as if, maybe, he shouldn’t have let her go.
“When should we leave?” I asked.
“Sunrise,” he said. “But we need to go out now and get supplies.”
I went into my room to grab my shoes but raised my voice so Thorin could hear me. “Hati worked for you for a while, didn’t he?”
“Skyla tell you that?”
“No, I read it in the police file on Mani’s murder. Hati worked for you, but not Skoll. But did you ever see him? Were they ever together?”
Thorin appeared in my doorway and rested a shoulder against the doorjamb. “I knew who Hati was but not what he was up to.” He looked down and scuffed the carpet with the toe of his boot. “And no, I never saw Skoll. Not in human form. It’s not the first time I’ve run into them since Ragnarok, but I never suspected Hati was going to do what he did. I thought all that was over with a long time ago. It’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have let down my guard.” Thorin took a deep breath, but whatever he was going to say next, he decided against.
I had no reply for Thorin except to say I thought he should have been more careful with Hati, but that would have been the equivalent of poking a beehive with a stick.
“This won’t be luxury, Solina. It’s a desert, and we’re going in with the barest of what we need to get by.”
I bit my lip and bobbed my chin in a curt nod. “I’m sure I’ll be totally unprepared and be a complete wuss. I apologize in advance.”
Thorin cracked a smile. “Thanks for the warning.”
I followed him to the front door, expecting Val and Baldur to fall in behind us, but Thorin and I stepped into the hallway alone. “Where are the others?”
“I had already sent Val and Baldur back to Vegas before Skyla told us her news. It’s Helen’s headquarters. The only other place Skoll would be is at Helen’s side. Val and Baldur are going to try to catch Skoll’s trail there. If Skyla is wrong, and if Helen doesn’t have a mole in the Aerie, I still want to get my hands on that wolf.”
“Maybe we should switch places.” I winked at Thorin. “Let Baldur and Val rough it in the desert.”
When Thorin and I stopped before a bay of elevators, he pressed the call button. “No, I want you far away from Helen. Skoll poses much less threat and is more vulnerable on his own. Divide and conquer.”
The elevator bell chimed, and the door slid apart to an empty car. Thorin and I stepped inside, and he pushed the button for the lobby.
“Couldn’t the same be said for us?” I asked. “We’re divided. Easier to conquer.”
Thorin huffed
a breath through his nose. “I’ve already raised all your doubts for myself. At some point, we have to stop questioning and start acting. You said so yourself.”
“Using my own words against me? Good strategy.”
The elevator opened, and Thorin and I strolled across the elegant lobby. People turned to watch him—he had that kind of presence. He’d been a god for eons, while I’d only played at it for a few months. My humanity still shrouded me while Thorin’s fit like a sheer veil, barely hiding the divinity beneath.
“People notice you,” I said in a low voice only he could hear. “Everywhere we go, you turn heads. It’s like they can tell something’s different about you.”
Thorin’s mouth curved into a crooked smile. “They’re looking at you, too.”
“No…” My protest started and stopped on that single word.
The gazes that first settled on him had turned to me, studying, evaluating.
“They’re probably all wondering what a guy like you is doing with a girl like me.”
Thorin snorted. “The only person you’re fooling is yourself, Sunshine.”
A valet had brought the Yukon from the parking lot and left it idling under the portico for us. Thorin tipped him and slid behind the wheel while I climbed into the passenger seat. Thorin pulled out from the hotel’s driveway and eased into traffic. The sun had set, and the city lights limned his face—he looked like a two-dimensional illustration.
Thorin drove the whole way in silence, but as we pulled into the parking lot of a camping supply store, he took a deep breath and said, “I’ll admit I’ve had conflicting interests before, but now I have Mjölnir, and I’ve been released from my vows to Baldur.” He turned to me, and conviction blazed in his dark eyes. “There’s nothing but you to hold me back.”
“Me? How am I going to hold you back? I’ve never had the least bit of influence on you.”
The muscle in Thorin’s jaw clenched as he fought some internal battle. “That’s not entirely true. But I’m asking you to trust me, no matter what. No matter if I say or do something that you don’t agree with, or that pisses you off. I’m doing what’s best for me, and that happens to be what’s best for you, too.”
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