Gods

by Ednah Walters

  “You’re an idiot. If you cheated on Celestia and made her unhappy, I’d woo her.”

  “And I’d burn you alive.” I stepped from the seat and sat on the lower steps. “Come on, let’s eat. And FYI, I have no intention of ever making my Celestia unhappy.”

  The next several hours passed fast. Soon it was time for the party.

  ~*~

  Asgardians loved their parties. The food was plenty, the mead flowing endlessly, and the singers entertaining. The party was still going strong when Celestia and I left for our quarters. The Grimnirs tried to follow us, but I shook my head. They were being treated as guests and had sat among the young gods the entire night. I’d even seen some of the gods hit on the female Grimnirs, and the goddesses hadn’t wasted time either.

  I, on the other hand, had eyes for only one woman and got teased mercilessly about it by my cousins. Not that I cared. Celestia looked amazing tonight and all I wanted was time alone with her.

  She had traded her fur-lined cloak and boots for a lighter cloak and high-heeled sandals, but kept her white dress. She looked sexy, yet innocent in that dress. Watching her enjoy herself and charm the others tonight had been worth the six hours of being grilled by my relatives. They’d wanted to know about my dragon and of course, Mother. Hopefully, our presence tonight got them thinking more kindly toward her.

  “My feet are killing me, but it was worth it,” Celestia whispered, lifting the hem of her dress. “At first, I was intimidated. I mean, you are tall, but some of your people are gigantic. Must be the Jötun blood. They also dressed like they are about to go into battle. And the women are oh so beautiful, yet smart and strong. They don’t look like they sit around and wait for servants to feed them fruit.”

  “Everyone in court trains for combat in case of an attack.”

  “Just like the Jötun. I guess Ragnarok is always at the back of everyone’s mind. Anyway, I kept thinking I’d do something embarrassing and they’d laugh at me, but then they started asking about life in Midgard and in Eljudnir, and I was on familiar territory. They have so many misconceptions about Eljudnir. If only they knew how amazing your parents are.”

  “You were flirting with my cousins.” They were so lucky I knew she loved me.

  Celestia’s laugh warmed instantly. I couldn’t help but smile. “Oh please. They are terrible flirts. I like them, especially Viggo. He’s funny.”

  “He’s too free with his kisses.”

  She laughed again and elbowed me. “It was a peck, Eirik. The dancers and the music was amazing, the food, the drinks…” She stumbled despite holding on to my arm. “Stupid shoes.” She removed the sandals.

  “The mead.” I scooped her up. “You are wasted.”

  “No, I’m not. If I were, would I do this?” She jumped from my arms, landed on the floor like a cat, gathered the hem of her dress, and took off, her cloak flying behind her. Man, I hope she never changed. The Asgardian guards she passed didn’t even blink. The two Eljudnir ones grinned and shrugged when our eyes met.

  I chased after her. When I caught up with her, she was leaning against the door to our quarters, laughing. “You should see your face.”

  “You are faster than me.”

  “That means, you can’t outrun me anymore.”

  I kissed her, picked her up, and pushed open the door. The crystal lights flared. The door closed behind us with a soft thud. Her dress slid sideways, showing me a glimpse of her thighs. My blood heated.

  She wore a leather garter with three sheaths around her thigh. Two of the blades were for runes, a stillo for creating portals and a regular artavus for body runes. The third one was the dagger Lavion had gifted her. I wondered if she knew it could shift into a scepter.

  “Where did you find the belt?” I asked.

  “Cute, isn’t it?” She pulled out the dagger. “It was one of your mother’s. I have hiding places inside the boots I wore earlier too and in every pair Maera made. At night, I’m supposed to hide them under my pillow.”

  I chuckled, even though I wasn’t sure I liked Mother’s influence on her. On the other hand, I was the one who’d asked her to help Celestia learn about runes. I carefully lowered her down.

  “Does that mean you two think I can’t protect you?”

  “No, this is for me to protect you. She said consorts, wives, mates must protect their men.” Celestia swayed on her feet. It was a wonder she didn’t fall flat on her face and stab herself. She was tired and was carrying a sharp magical dagger. She must learn how to fight first before strapping blades, unless…

  “Can I see that?” She gave me the dagger, and I went into super speed and slipped the blade across the edge of her palm. She screamed and yanked her hand away.

  “Eirik! What are you trying to do?” She studied her hand, her eyes widening. “Oh. There’s no cut.”

  “I had to confirm that the blade couldn’t harm you, Dimples.” Like Gunnlögi, she was protected from it. “I think I owe Lavion a lot more than I thought.”

  “You could have just asked me to do this”—she slid the blade across her palm, and I cringed—“instead of scaring me like that.” There was no heat in her voice, but she was right. I should have asked her. Even though I knew the blade wouldn’t cut her, I cringed when she slid it across her arm again and again. “This is interesting.”

  No, it wasn’t. I wanted to claim her as a man claimed his woman. It was all I kept thinking about as I watched my cousins flirt with her tonight. No, it was all I’d thought about for days.

  “Can you put that away, so we can go to sleep? I’ll stay out here while you get ready.”

  She lifted her dress and slid the dagger in its sheath without arguing. Instead of going to the bedroom, she crossed the space between us.

  “Sleep? Really?” She went on her toes and slipped her fingers through my hair. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off me tonight and now you want to sleep?”

  Sleep was the last thing on my mind. I lowered my head and kissed her shoulder. She sighed. I kissed her neck, moved up to her ear.

  “Go change,” I whispered.

  She pulled my head down for a toe-curling kiss. I took over letting my need for her win over my cautiousness. She was mine and I was hers. I carried her into the room and undressed her. Laid her down on the bed and for a moment, I just studied her.

  “You are breathtaking,” I whispered, my hands unsteady as I worshipped her with my fingers, then with my lips. I went into super speed and got rid of my clothes.

  “Wow, and you’re magnificent, ” she whispered, sitting up. She studied me without an ounce of embarrassment. Her curiosity, admiration, and awe made me feel invincible. When I joined her, she reached for me and I was lost.

  ~*~

  CELESTIA

  Bree woke me up with a message. “Frigg sent brunch and the girl who brought it said she’ll be back to take you to her.”

  Brunch? My watch said it was almost noon. I’d slept the morning away and who would blame me. Eirik had kept me busy until early this morning. Last night was awesome, and I couldn’t wait to see him.

  “Where’s Eirik?”

  “With the warriors in the field. Do you want to eat in here or out there with us?”

  “With you guys.” I followed her to the living room, where Kainani was already serving herself blueberry pancakes, eggs, and bacon. An Asgardian girl was removing more platters of food and placing them on the table. She offered me a choice between a hot and a cold drink, then left. The two Grimnirs shared a lot about last night’s party. Apparently it had continued until morning.

  I ate, showered, and changed into my regular clothes—ripped jeans and a nice frilly top. The girl led me to a side entrance connecting Valaskialf and Valhalla, then up a set of stairs to an observatory deck overlooking the warriors’ training field. Frigg wasn’t the only one watching Eirik fight. The older gods and goddesses and the younger ones lined up along the wall, their silence almost spooky.

  While most of the warr
iors wore uniforms of some sort, Eirik fought shirtless, something he’d never done outdoors in Eljudnir. I soon found out why. His transition from man to part dragon to dragon seemed seamless. His skin scaled at just the right moment before his opponent’s weapon connected with his skin. His wings shot out when he needed them and retracted when he didn’t. I’d never seen him use his wings as a weapon either. Then there were his moves when he was a full dragon or when he used Gunnlögi. He was glorious, and last night, he had been mine.

  As though aware of my presence, he looked up and found me. I waved, my face warming as I remembered last night. He grinned and missed the hammer aimed at his side. I closed my eyes and cringed.

  “He’s okay.” Frigg said, pulling me next to her. “I’m sure you’ve watched him train often, so bear with me as I enjoy this moment before we leave.”

  “I want him in my field,” Freya said from her other side.

  “After this?” I asked before I could stop myself, my protective instinct kicking in.

  “Of course, dýrr. He’s only been sparring for a couple hours and seems to be unstoppable. Why?”

  “He needs to eat and rest after this. He burns a lot of energy when he shifts.”

  Frigg and Freya traded smiles.

  “That’s good to know,” Freya said. “I’ll tell my people to have a feast waiting for him and plenty to drink.” She took off, paused to talk to one of the other goddesses, and then disappeared inside the hall. I stared after her. She was the most beautiful of the goddesses with a voluptuous body and golden hair that brushed her thighs.

  “Let’s go, ladies,” Frigg said and took my arm. The other goddesses moved closer. She waved her hand and a portal appeared. Through it, I could see a familiar room. It was the same place I’d visited while I was in a coma. It must be her hall. I followed, seeing familiar lounges with thick cushions. She had me sit by her side.

  “Ladies, let’s welcome the young goddess and future head of the Ásynjur Court,” Frigg said. As the twelve goddesses entered the room, she introduced them and explained what they did. They were in charge of love, marriage, fertility, protection from harm, grief, food, wisdom, loyalty, and future plans. They each offered me something—a bracelet, hairpin, ring, or necklace.

  The first twelve were the Handmaidens, the unmarried goddesses loyal only to Frigg. Then more arrived, most of them married since she mentioned their husbands. The names blurred after a while. Freya was last to arrive and she also came with more goddesses. I counted a total of thirty-four. Once everyone found cushions or lounges to recline on, I sat between Frigg and her second-in-command, Freya. Servants brought drinks and bowls of fruit and snacks.

  “I left instructions with my people to feed Baldurson before he faces my warriors,” Freya leaned closer and whispered. “I hope that meets with your approval.”

  Yeah, like she needed it. Still, I said, “Thank you.”

  “You are welcome. It’s great to see how much you two care about each other.” She raised her voice to share with the room. “Baldurson wanted to know what we were doing and if his young consort would be okay. I reassured him we were not monsters and if anything happened to her under our tutelage, we would fix her. He almost passed out.” Laughter followed while I wanted to crawl under a rock. “He demanded to know exactly what we planned to do and I told him we have a code of silence, and whatever happens in Fensalir…”

  “Stays in Fensalir,” the other goddesses echoed, raised their glasses, and chugged their drinks. I sipped mine. I was staying off mead after Jötunheim, unless Eirik’s mother was around.

  “Ásynjur Court is my court, just like Odin has his Aesir Court,” Frigg explained. “Usually we meet in Vingolf, the formal hall, but we thought we’d make this less intimidating for you. While our men plot the next battle or train, we take care of families. Do you remember your last visit?”

  “Yes. I remember the gardens, the meadows, a river, and your spindle.”

  “I do enjoy churning different kinds of clouds.” She glanced at the others. “Okay, ladies, before we ask Celestia to tell us about her healing abilities, let’s go over what happened with Svana’s daughter.” She glanced at Freya.

  “Her marriage went smoothly because of our intervention, ladies,” Freya said and raised her glass. “Lofn, thank you for working tirelessly on those two. I hope other lovers didn’t suffer while you focused on Raine and Torin.”

  “No, they didn’t. I have wonderful helpers and I’m back on schedule,” a lady in a red cloak said.

  “Lofn is the goddess of forbidden love,” Frigg whispered to me. “She makes sure lovers stay together and escape the wrath of their family, clan, or society.”

  “Or in this case, the wrath of the Norns,” Freya added from my other side and grinned as though enjoying the idea of sticking it to the Norns.

  “Hlin, are you helping Raine accept her father’s death gracefully?” Frigg asked.

  The goddess in the green cloak smiled. “She finds solace in her family and her new husband. Her grief will be brief.”

  As they continued to discuss Raine, I realized just how powerful and resourceful these goddesses were. While Odin and his court waged wars and trained for Ragnarok, Frigg and her goddesses made sure the rest of the world ran smoothly, from protecting those in danger, guiding birth, relationships, and love to healing the sick.

  “Now, let’s talk about Celestia,” Frigg said. “Tell us about your healing gift, dýrr. Eir”—she pointed at a blonde with a golden band around her hair—“is our healer and will answer any questions you may have.”

  ~*~

  Several hours later, I found Eirik in his grandfather’s observation room. He showed me how to connect with him and watched Cora, Hayden with her mother at TC, Dad at work, and even students at my school, where things were back to normal.

  I observed and absorbed information from the goddesses and spent hours with Eir, learning how to control my abilities in the mornings. In the afternoons, I explored Asgard with Eirik, from beaches and waterfalls to gleaming halls. There was a party every night, but we often left early.

  Every night, Eirik and I celebrated our love in ways I never knew were possible, making me fall more and more in love with him. He was an amazing teacher and I, a willing and enthusiastic student. But we both knew, we’d soon return to reality, which included telling my father I wanted to move to Helheim. I planned to perfect my healing abilities and use it to help the people who needed it in the realm and Jötunheim, too. That meant officially taking my place by Eirik’s side. Father was going to flip. I already had a plan. If he had to choose between me healing people on Earth and doing it in the other realms, I knew what he’d say.

  Then there was Cora.

  We’d watched her with Raine, her parents, and Echo. We knew the day her parents told her the truth because she ran out of the house at hyper speed and didn’t stop until she was deep in the forest. It was painful hearing her cry. Eirik wanted to go to her, but Echo appeared and we stopped watching. For the rest of the week, we left them alone.

  On Sunday, the day before we left, Eirik came for me and took me to the tower to observe Cora. She was with Raine, Lavania, Ingrid, Svana, and Femi by the pool at the Valkyrie mansion in Kayville. We listened to their conversation and smiled. They were discussing Mystic Academy and Dev was contributing from Cora’s cell phone. Cora appeared normal. She even laughed a few times.

  “Are you sure you want to teach Defense Against Dark Souls, Dev?” Lavania asked and the gathered women laughed, including Cora

  Dev chuckled. “It’s my field, a mhuirnín. It would give me a chance to continue paying restitution for my naughty ways and redeem my soul.”

  The women’s expressions said they were smitten. The only one who didn’t appear impressed was Cora.

  “I know it’s a magic school and you’ve already said there will be no electronics allowed in the premises,” he continued. “But if a rúnsearc Cora agrees to continue helping me, we could make
it work.”

  The others looked at Cora, but she just shook her head slowly.

  “She’s hurting, Eirik. How can they not see that?”

  “Raine has noticed. See how she keeps looking at her. That means she hasn’t told her yet.”

  We watched them a little longer. “I have no idea what words Dev uses, but they sound sexy. Must be the accent.”

  Eirik’s arms tightened around my shoulder. “And now I know why Echo can’t stand him,” Eirik murmured. “He called Cora his secret love in Gaelic, Lavania— darling, and just now, Raine was his bright love.”

  “You speak Gaelic?”

  “No, but I understand it when I sit on this chair.” He looked at me pensively for a moment. “Can you bring someone back to life now?”

  I nodded. “Yes, but I have to do it right after they die when the body is still fresh and the soul is nearby. Eir showed me how to do it. I practiced on birds and smaller animals the last few days. I have to do it slowly. Five-ten minutes every six hours and stop before my life force reaches a certain level. The chills will tell me when to stop. Then I have to drink a lot of juice from Idun’s apples to stabilize my life force. Why?”

  “I was hoping you’d practice on Dev. He’s too dependent on Cora and it’s the least we can do after everything he’s done. First, he helped Raine’s father. Then he showed Cora what to do with her runes. Without him, we might never have known about her. And with him restored, Cora could focus on the next stage of her life and not on helping him.”

  My stomach hollowed out at the thought of bringing someone back to life. Eir had taught me well and said the rest was up to me, but was I ready to bring back a millennium-old Druid?

  “He could still teach Defense Against Dark Souls as a human, right?”

  Eirik laughed. “That’s the weirdest subject I’ve ever heard, but yes, he could teach students at Mystic Academy how to stop a dark soul from possessing them.”

  I smiled. “Okay. I will try. I’m not making any promises though. Whoa, what’s that?”