by Leia Stone
“This thing has a lot of energy. And it seems to be connecting with my necklace.” Another surge from my arm to my throat left me trembling. “They feel really powerful together.”
Tore expertly took the armor and began to strap it over my left shoulder. He gently brushed my blonde strands out of the way before securing it with the leather buckle. When the shoulder piece was attached, he slid the silver cuff over my left forearm.
“Allie, it’s not the objects that are powerful. It’s you. These are just awakening parts of you that have been asleep in Midgard.” The way his hands caressed my arm as he snapped the wrist cuff into place made me almost forget about what a self-entitled jerk he could be. Though come to think of it, he hadn’t been that jerky since we got to my mom’s house. Maybe now that I’d jumped onboard the crazy train with him, he’d be nicer. As he reached for the leather strap, his fingers brushed my chest. I shivered.
“Sorry,” he muttered. His eyes locked on mine. Suddenly all of the air vacated the space around us, and breath was hard to come by. That electric pulse was back in my belly, and I wasn’t sure if I was the only one feeling it. Tore swallowed hard. He glanced briefly at my lips, and the belly-pulse intensified. He gave the leather strap one more tug, then took a step back and let his eyes slowly rake over my body. My cheeks warmed, and I gulped, suddenly nervous under his gaze. More than ever, I wished I could read his energy.
Tore stared for what felt like forever. A rakish smile tugged at his mouth, but he didn’t say a word. When I couldn’t take the scrutiny anymore, I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. “So, if this is all real, then you must be a demigod, too? Or a god. Or whatever. I don’t really understand how all of this works.”
Storm clouds rolled across Tore’s eyes, ending whatever moment we’d been having. His jaw twitched, and he clenched and unclenched his fists. He was either really angry, or really . . . nervous? There was a slight vulnerability behind the storm that caught my focus. What’s going on?
“Tore?” I pressed.
He pulled his shoulders back. “Yes, Pepper, I’m a demigod. My . . . father,” he said the word as if it tasted like acid, “is the God of Revenge.”
My eyes nearly bugged out of my head at his declaration. I pepper sprayed the God of Revenge’s son? Seriously?
Clearly, I’d be sleeping with one eye open for the rest of my life.
****
Tore didn’t say much after he dropped the, I’m the heir to Revenge bomb. My totally relevant, and slightly panicked, follow-up questions were met with a series of I-don’t-want-to-talk-about-its. If I’d been able to read his energy, I’d have scanned him to see which of his centers lit up, to determine where Papa Revenge had inflicted his damage. The fourth center, the one near his heart, would have suggested emotional trauma, while the third, the one above his belly button, might have indicated a feeling of powerlessness. Sadly for my self-preservation, Tore remained an energetic blind spot—maybe that was because he was a demigod, or maybe it was because he was just weird. Physically, however, he was an open book. His entire body radiated frustration when he ripped off his beanie, pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead, and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Listen, Allie,” he rumbled from his tense position in front of my mother’s sofa, “we’re not talking about this. We have bigger problems to solve—like how we’re going to track down your weapon, get it fixed, and wake up your mom.”
“And how you’re going to teach me to kill a god,” I added. Since we weren’t getting anywhere on the topic I really wanted to discuss, I’d let him slide on the family talk . . . for now.
“Exactly. We know Nott broke Gud Morder into eight pieces and sent them across the realms. Since she probably has her night elves guarding the pieces, we need to get you trained up, like yesterday.” Tore ran his hand through his hair. It was tangled from the Bifrost travel, and I very much wanted to touch it. Focus, Allie! His sudden niceness was getting to me.
“Then let’s get started.” I clapped my hands together. The cuff on my wrist glinted, and another surge of energy pulsed between the armor and my necklace. “Can we train in Asgard, because . . .” I bit down on my bottom lip. Because I only just saw my mom, and I don’t want to leave her again.
“We can’t stay here.” Tore popped my balloon of hope. “There was an energetic shift across the cosmos the minute you put on that armor. You felt it, ja?”
Of course I did. I nodded.
“Well, Nott will have felt it, too.” Tore tapped the edge of my cuff. “That armor is a part of Gud Morder. The dwarves fashioned it to fit your adult frame, so that when you were of age, you’d be able to activate your weapon. It’s the only piece Nott wasn’t able to steal, since the Alfödr kept it in Asgard’s vault.”
“So Nott knows I have the armor now? Doesn’t that mean we should stay here in Asgard? It’s probably a lot safer than Earth, what with all the, uh, gods and stuff living here. Right?” Anything to not leave my mom. Also, gods seemed like better defenders than mortals.
“Actually, it’s the opposite. Since that armor is dwarven made, its signature is amplified by Asgard’s pure energy. So long as you’re here, it’s like a beacon, screaming ‘Nott, come get me.’ Besides, Midgard needs you. The longer you’re away, the sicker it gets. You’re its protector, and you need to be there as much as possible until your mother is well and can send her healing energy through the realms.”
What? I was the protector of Earth? Talk about pressure. Fury surged through me as I glimpsed my sleeping mom through the open door. I was more than ready to kick some night goddess butt if it meant I could help her. “Fine,” I growled. “But I’m taking down Nott the minute we build my weapon.”
Tore put his hands on my shoulders. “Easy, Pepper. Nott’s a formidable enemy, and she’s working with some of the blackest spirits around. The night elves are soul suckers. They’ll steal your energy and turn it into something so dark you’ll wish you’d never been born.”
“Fantastic.” A stream of air left my lips. “So I have to learn to fight the night elves and Nott?”
“Ja,” Tore confirmed. “Which means you have to go back to Midgard, and you have to stay with us. We can protect you from the night elves until you learn to take care of yourself.”
“Fine.” I huffed.
“And.” Tore took my chin between his thumb and forefinger again. A pulse shot from my face down to my belly. Sweet mother. My eyes slowly moved up to meet his twinkling blue ones. “No more shooting me with pepper spray. That skit isn’t going to work on Nott or the night elves, so let’s get you some real tools, ja?”
“Okay, get over it already.” I was too distracted by the energy resonating between his fingertips and my heart to come up with a better comeback. Pull it together, Allie. He’s just a guy. A guy with major issues. Son of Revenge, jeez . . .
“Good.” Tore released my chin. “Say goodbye to your mom, and let’s get out of here. We have a lot of work to do.”
He certainly wasn’t like my other protectors; he didn’t have Mack’s sensitivity or Johann’s sense of humor or Bodie’s playfulness. Tore was all business. He went in that special category that I tried to pretend I didn’t secretly love. He probably drove a motorcycle when he was off duty, wore leather jackets, and had a phone full of girls he called late at night when he was ‘lonely.’
But it wasn’t the time to think about what Tore did when he was ‘lonely.’ Instead, I had to say goodbye to the mom I’d only just seen for the first time in almost two decades. This sucks. With quick strides, I crossed to my mom’s room and marched through the doorway. I stood over her bed and gently took her hand in mine.
“Goodbye, Mo—” I froze. I’d never called anyone Mom before. This was huge for me. I bent down so I could press my forehead against hers, and for the first time in my life, I said, “Bye, Mom.” My lips brushed her cheek in a kiss, and I could swear the corners of her mouth turned up in another little smile. “I’m
going to fix this, and you’re going to be okay,” I vowed. Then I turned on one heel and walked to the door before the big, hot, stupid tears could unleash themselves. “Let’s go,” I called over my shoulder as I blasted past Tore and wrenched the door open. “You coming, Vidarsson?”
The click of the lock sliding into place and hurried footsteps in the snow preceded Tore’s low voice at my side. “So, you’re finally on board?”
I shot him a look. “You were right. I did need to come home to see what I had to fight for.” My eyes narrowed into slits. “And I want to come home again real soon, so teach me how to kill Nott so I can have my family back.”
The sexy grin lit up Tore’s face again, sending a hot pulse along my energy centers. “That’s my girl,” he murmured. “Let’s get back to the cabin. We’ve got work to do.”
I raised one eyebrow. “You’re not really a professor, are you?”
He just winked, sending a fresh surge of heat through me. Oh, man. This guy was going to be the death of me.
CHAPTER FIVE
TORE WAS NOT LYING when he said we had work to do. The minute I got back from Asgard, he removed my shiny new armor and locked it in a safe somewhere upstairs. Then he called me into the guest room and ordered the boys to join us. When I walked into the little space, I noticed a few changes. A stack of books rested on the nightstand, with spines that boasted titles like “Strategic Combat” and “Killing Games.” On top of the dresser lay fresh sets of workout clothes and two new pairs of running shoes which were, no doubt, all my size.
“Okay, give it up. You guys don’t actually have overnight guests that leave this stuff behind, do you?” I pinned Johann with my gaze.
“Oh, we have overnight guests,” he chuckled. “But yeah, the Alfödr gave us your specs, and we knew you’d land here eventually, so Mack stocked up for us.”
“If you prefer another brand, I’d be happy to run out in the morning. Some of these items I’ve never had to shop for before.” Mack looked slightly uncomfortable.
“Mack texting us from the stores, asking what cut of sports bra to buy, is totally my favorite part of the mission so far.” Bodie laughed.
“Shut up and focus,” Tore commanded. “Allie’s seen her mother, and now that she understands what’s at stake, she is on board to jumpstart her training. Bodie, Johann, bra-buyer, the three of you will convene in the morning and escort Allie to school. Allie, tomorrow’s your last day of classes before Thanksgiving break, ja?”
“Uh, yeah.” I pretended I hadn’t seen Mack’s ears turn pink when Tore called him bra-buyer.
“Excellent. Then you only have to go one day on no sleep. You can finish at least one of the books on your nightstand by morning, and be ready to discuss it with me in the afternoon. We’ll double down over the week, and pick up the pace from there.” Tore looked pleased with himself.
“Are you crazy?” I blinked at him. Had he just said no sleep? That was absolutely the worst thing anyone could have said to me. That, and no coffee. “It’s the middle of the night, and I still have to finish my Calculus homework for tomorrow, remember? Plus, I never agreed to no sleep, ever. Double plus, a book’s not going to teach me how to fight. I should be doing, not reading.”
I mean, honestly. It wasn’t like they’d hand an artist a theory book and expect her to paint a masterpiece.
“There will be plenty of doing.” Tore’s lips moved slowly over the word, and fire filled my cheeks. With all four of the guys crammed into the little guest room, it was very intimate—and energetically overwhelming.
“That’s not what I meant,” I muttered.
“Sure it wasn’t,” Johann snickered from beside the window as Bodie elbowed him in the ribs.
“What Tore means,” Mack sat on the edge of my bed and glared at his roommates, “is that we’ll get started on the physical component of your training tomorrow after school. You need to have a basic grasp of how our weapons work before you pick one up.”
“I know how weapons work. Gran started me in fencing when I was ten.” I groaned. Hold up. “I always thought it was weird Gran put me in that class instead of art or something normal. All my friends got to take ballet, and I had to stab people. Was that because she wanted to prepare me for . . . well, all of this?” I waved at the boys with both hands.
Bodie ran his fingers over his cropped black hair. “Your grandmother knew what you’d have to do. Part of hiding you here meant you both had to give up your powers, otherwise Nott could have tracked you. So your Gran couldn’t train you on Asgardian weapons. Swords were the closest thing she could find—it’s a pretty translatable skill.”
Wow. That hit me hard. “So Gran was . . .”
Tore cleared his throat. “An Asgardian protector. She gave up all her warrior fame and glory to take care of you.”
“Gran? A warrior?” No freaking way. World’s best blueberry pancake maker, maybe. But warrior? That was a stretch. Sure, she’d schooled me whenever she pulled out her rapier to spar, but I couldn’t see Gran killing anyone.
Mack put a hand on my shoulder. “She was one of Asgard’s finest. My entire family was sorry to hear of her recent passing.”
I gave him a small smile and changed the subject. “So, are the swords you guys have, uh, Asgardian? Do they all glow like the one Tore had when that demon showed up?”
“The night elf,” Johann corrected. His charcoal eyebrows furrowed.
“Enough small talk. Allie, start reading the books,” Tore ordered. “They’ll explain the properties of the weapons we’ll be training you on. Bodie, Johann, Mack, get some rest. I’ll have a training regimen laid out for us tomorrow. I’m going to bed.” With that, Tore turned and stalked from the room. The rest of us just watched him go.
“Hey! What about my Calculus homework?” I called to Tore’s retreating back. “My books are back at my place, and I have class in like six hours. I can’t just drop everything and read because some demigod said so.”
But Tore didn’t bother responding. He jogged up the stairs and out of sight without so much as a helpful suggestion. Argh. That boy was infuriating.
“Your books are right there, Allie.” Mack pointed to two bags by the closet. “Bodie and I went over to your place when we saw the Bifrost take off, and we brought some things back for you. Your textbooks, some clothes, the candle by your bed.”
“Ja, your roommate’s pretty hot,” Bodie added.
What? Mallory had just let strangers into our dorm in the middle of the night and let them take my stuff? What kind of operation was she running over there? I’d have to have a chat with her if I ever got furlough from the Fierce Four.
“Don’t be mad.” Johann correctly read my expression. “I told Mallory I was your cousin, and you were coming to stay with me for a few nights over Thanksgiving. You just have to text her to confirm my story, or, her words, she’s ‘calling the cops, buddy.’”
“Thanks,” I said begrudgingly. “So you guys are going to class with me tomorrow, huh? Being big, bad protectors and all?”
“Interestingly, we’ve suddenly been reassigned to a new course schedule. One that closely mirrors yours.” Bodie winked.
“Awesome.” I let out my most put-upon sigh, but secretly I was relieved. It was nice knowing I had a personal protection team to jump in if one of those night elves showed up on campus.
“Of course, Mack cried a little when we told him he had to drop Women’s Studies.” Johann snickered.
Mack cracked his knuckles, and Johann’s laughter subsided.
“Do you need anything else before we go? Towels? Toothbrush? Questions about the breakfast menu?” Bodie offered.
“I brought her toothbrush.” Mack rolled his eyes. “I’m not an amateur.”
“I do have one question,” I hedged.
“Name it.” Johann leaned against the wall.
“What’s up with Tore being so uptight about his family? He told me he was the God of Revenge’s son, and then he got all weird.”
I tucked my feet under my legs as the boys exchanged guarded glances.
“It’s not our place to say.” Bodie shook his head. “But what I will tell you is that Revenge is . . . well, he’s not the warmest guy. He’s driven by duty, you know?”
“Got it.” That helped explain his son. Tore wouldn’t exactly win Mr. Congeniality any time soon.
“Well, thanks. I’d better finish my Calc homework and get some of this reading done. I’ll see you guys in the morning?”
“We’ll be in the kitchen when you get up,” Bodie promised.
“Ja. Mack’s on kitchen duty, and he makes awesome breakfasts. Got any requests?” Johann walked toward the door.
“Well, Gran used to make these amazing waffles . . .” I trailed off.
“Done.” Mack stood up. “Norsk waffles and fresh fruit for breakfast.”
“And coffee?” Hope colored my tone.
“Always coffee,” Mack agreed. “God natt, Allie. Try to get some sleep when you’re done with your reading. It’s going to be a long couple of weeks.”
I nodded. When the boys left, I closed the door behind me and settled in with my math homework. A part of me knew that moment, sitting with a textbook and a page of black-and-white, answerable questions, was the last moment of normal I’d have for a long time. And I wanted to savor it.
****
Muted sunlight streamed through the curtains of my window early the next morning. I rolled onto my side, pulling the thick down comforter over my shoulders, and just stared at the wall. I couldn’t believe I’d just agreed to live with four guys. Gran was probably rolling over in her grave. But certainly I didn’t want to be alone—not after I’d seen what the night elf was capable of. And I didn’t want to drag Mallory into all of this either. She’d seemed calm enough when I texted her confirming Johann’s cousin-story, and there was no point freaking her out by bringing Allie-hunting demons to her door. Sigh. It looked like I was a temporary resident of Protector Palace. I sure hoped the boys were halfway decent roommates.