Protector (Night War Saga Book 1)

by Leia Stone

  The water had its desired hormone-freezing effect. Back on the shore, I gave the original Mack a fist bump of excitement. “I got the piece,” I said with a grin.

  “Well done, Allie,” Mack praised.

  “Great job,” Bodie chimed in.

  But Tore stayed silent, putting his boots on with stiff movements.

  “You okay?” I slipped into my own shoes.

  Tore shrugged. “That was too easy. Nott knows you’re after the weapon pieces, and it sounds like a night elf nearly recovered this one. That elf’s backup should have arrived already. Something’s off.”

  I reached out to touch his shoulder. “I got it, so you can relax now.”

  He gave me a tight smile and pulled his weapon free, leading the way to where Johann waited.

  Halfway through the forest trek, my armor sent a sharp pinch from my shoulder down to my elbow.

  “Ow!” I cradled my arm.

  “Allie?” Tore turned around, concern lining his features. When I looked up, panic seized my heart.

  “Look out!” I screamed.

  In a flash, a dozen night elves rappelled from the trees around us. They dropped to the ground in hunting crouches, each brandishing an illuminated, red weapon in their black-clawed hands. Since there wasn’t time to strategize, I reacted on instinct, falling into my training and pulling my sword from its sheath. The Mack Pack circled around me while Tore let out a fierce cry and used his broadsword to hack into the nearest dark elf. The Macks raised their swords, then shoved them deep into the earth, creating a glowing, blue ring around me. Whoa. Then the Macks stepped outside of the shield, drew new swords from sheaths on their backs, and charged into the fight. They cut down night elves with terrifying ferocity, making me extremely grateful that all of Elora’s sons were on my side.

  A flash of red caught my eye, and I gripped my sword as one of the night elves charged at me. I readied myself to deflect its attack, but the second the elf reached the glowing, blue shield, it hissed in agony and flew backward. The shield had deflected it. So cool!

  Outside my ring, Bodie and Tore cut down night elves like maniacs. Their preferred approach seemed to be to slice a perp in half, then hack the black mist that rose off its corpse into particle-sized pieces. They’d eliminated at least half of the hunting party when I heard a rustling in the trees above me. I barely registered the movement before a night elf leaped from a branch and flew overhead, landing right within the circle of the shield. Oh, God.

  I wasted no time raising my blade and dropping back into a fighting stance. With a flick of my wrist, I molded an energy bowl out of the forest dirt. Then, before the elf could get his bearings, I pivoted forward, jabbing him with a quick elbow to the temple while sucking a large chunk of his energy away. The blackness skittered down my armor and fell into my bowl, where it hissed menacingly. I took a step back and drove my sword down to his shoulder, but he blocked the blade with his own, stopping me from severing his arm. I used the reverberation to my advantage, spinning to my left and raising one foot so I could drive my knee into his groin. He fell forward with a groan. Game. Set. As he lay doubled over, I shifted my grip so I held my sword in front of me. With no hesitation, I placed both hands on the hilt and drove the blade through his heart. Black, tar-like blood gurgled from his chest while thick claws raked my leg. The elf hissed his last breath at the same time his hands wrapped around my ankle, snapping it.

  “Argh!” I screamed as I fell backward. Through my pain-filled vision, I saw the dark mist rise over the elf’s body. I tried to lift my sword to hack it into pieces, but the agony streaming from my shattered ankle was overwhelming. I couldn’t get my arm off the ground . . . and the mist was descending, seemingly looking for another host. Oh, God.

  In a burst of blue light, Tore’s sword blasted through the shield and pierced the black mist. He chopped the elf’s soul into pieces, then threw his blade to the ground and dropped to kneel at my side. His eyes were full of concern as they scanned my body. When they got to my foot, he frowned. “Your ankle okay, Pepper?”

  “No. But it will be, right? You promised me demigod healing.” I shivered as a fresh wave of pain wracked my leg.

  “It will be. But that looks like a bad break. We’ll call for a healer to help you fix it sooner.” Tore looked back at the dead elf, and then at the black blood that coated my sword. He carefully helped me stand, wrapping his arm around my waist to support my weight. “Well done, Allie. You’re definitely destined for Valhalla, now.” He winked.

  I returned his wink with a tense smile. My foot dangled at an unnatural angle, and my body felt paralyzed with pain. But I had the piece of Gud Morder in my satchel, and I still had my life. For those two things, I was very grateful.

  I was learning to appreciate small victories these days.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “TO ALLIE!” JOHANN HELD up his glass, and the rest of the guys followed suit.

  “To Allie!” Bodie grinned. “May all your kills be as deliciously sweet as your first. Skål!”

  Those were hardly the words I’d have chosen, but I sensed the pride behind Bodie’s words. And I had to remind myself these guys were warriors—killing elves was their version of playing football. I raised my glass in thanks.

  “Skål,” I toasted back, taking a drink before setting my glass down on the table by the couch. After ending the dark elves, we’d Bifrosted back to the Canadian safe house and locked the piece of Gud Morder in our safe. Then we’d commenced celebrating. My ankle still sat at an unnaturally bent angle, and while we’d called for an Asgardian healer, she hadn’t arrived yet. So this party was being held in the living room, where I could prop my busted leg up on the plushy ottoman that matched the tan, L-shaped couch. I’d tried clinging to my necklace since that had sped up my healing before, but this break was much worse than the ‘mild’ fracture in my jaw. I tried not to spoil the festivities by wincing in pain every ten seconds, but it was really hard. That night elf had made my ankle hurt like a mother.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t shield the top of the protection ring,” Mack apologized for the umpteenth time. “My brothers will work on that.”

  His brothers had saved my life with that shield. I wasn’t about to complain.

  “Speaking of, you have a lot of brothers. And they all look exactly like you. Are you guys . . .” I did mental math, “sextuplets?”

  “No, but we are each a year apart.” Mack lowered himself into the armchair beneath the window.

  “Well, thank them all for saving my butt back there. I really loved meeting your family. Your mom’s all kinds of awesome.” I raised my glass at my newly minted god-brother. My attention shifted to Tore as he lowered himself on the couch next to me. “And thank you. If you hadn’t killed those night elves, a lot more of them might have been jumping down on me from the trees. You saved my butt, too.”

  “That was purely selfish. It would be a travesty if anything happened to your butt.” Tore winked, and heat flooded my cheeks. Did he just . . . ?

  From their seats in front of the fire, Johann and Bodie gave in to fits of hysteria.

  “Stuff it,” I hissed.

  “That’s what she said,” Bodie guffawed.

  Honestly, were all guys giant fifteen-year-olds? I looked to Tore for support, but he just lifted one corner of his mouth in a lazy smirk. Men.

  “How’s the ankle, Allie?” Mack’s gentle voice redirected the conversation. I sent him an energetic message of thanks.

  “It hurts,” I admitted. “I’m ready for that healer to show up, already.”

  “She should be here soon.” Mack checked his communicator. “She said she’d drop in after she finished her rounds in the healing unit.”

  I assumed the healing unit was the Asgardian equivalent of a hospital.

  “My sister’s supposed to be sending some cookies with her, so I hope she gets here soon.” Bodie looked at the oversized clock that hung over the doorway. “I’m hungry.”

  �
�You have a sister?” I asked. It occurred to me that I didn’t know a lot about my protectors, except that Mack had a gaggle of brothers, and Bodie and Johann took tremendous joy in making me turn every shade of red. Bless.

  “I have two sisters,” Bodie corrected. “The Alfödr gifted me with twin terrors. Drove me nuts when we were kids. Of course, now that they’re older, and they have hot friends . . . well.” He shrugged. “I have a healthy appreciation for my siblings.”

  “Of course you do.” I laughed. “What about you, Johann? Any brothers or sisters?”

  “One of each.” He leaned back on his elbows, and tilted his face toward the fire. “My brother’s a warrior, and my sister teaches primary students.”

  “Do you miss your families?” I looked around the room.

  “Ja, but we see them when we get leave.” Johann shrugged.

  “And we have each other.” Bodie reached over and slugged Johann in the shoulder. Johann’s arm buckled so he fell onto his elbow.

  “Right. Lucky me, I get to spend an eternity working with you.” Johann pushed himself back up and rolled his eyes.

  “You love me, Hannie, and you know it.” Bodie grinned.

  “Call me that one more time, and so help me I’ll—”

  “Enough.” Tore chuckled. He slid one arm along the back of the couch so it rested behind my head. His fingertips just grazed my shoulder, and a surge of heat shot all the way through me. I didn’t know if it was deliberate or if he was just stretching, but I had the overwhelming urge to inch closer to his side. No snuggling with your protector, Allie. Bodie would never let you hear the end of it. Neither would Hannie. Snort.

  Bodie sat straighter then. “You don’t know how we all know your mom, huh? You want to see something?”

  He raised his hands so they cupped a translucent ball, about a foot in radius. Light sparked between his palms, creating a soft glow. I’d totally forgotten about Bodie’s gift. I wasn’t sure how it worked, but it seemed like he trapped memories and could replay them—like an Asgardian DVD player. I leaned forward, expecting him to take my head in his hands, but this time he shook his head. “I can show it to everyone,” he offered.

  Awesome!

  The light in his hands grew until it became a thin flat panel—a projector of sorts—and a scene played out on the light.

  “Holy mother. You’re like a flat screen TV!” I gasped. The boys chuckled, moving closer so they could all see the images.

  There was some kind of a party going on. Wildflowers, crystals, and colored silk hung from trees in a garden. My mother sat on a low chair, her belly swollen with pregnancy.

  “Your mom’s baby shower,” Bodie chimed in.

  Elora sat at my mother’s feet. Both women were laughing. Two men stood in a corner, gesturing animatedly with their hands.

  “My dad and your dad,” Bodie said, nodding to the two men.

  My dad. I looked over the man in the tan pants. He was tall and strong. I had his jaw and his penchant for talking with my hands when I got excited. My eyes welled with tears. He stopped talking to Bodie’s dad then and looked over at my mom to give her a wink.

  “Dessert time!” A beautiful woman glided into the garden, carrying a tray of cookies and sweets. Tore stiffened beside me, and I knew from one look at the woman’s blonde hair and clear-blue eyes, that it was his mother.

  “I miss her lingonberry cookies.” Johann sighed. Tore just nodded silently beside me.

  Two men approached my mom with gifts in their hands. They deposited them at her feet, enveloping her in a gentle hug. “Eir!” They grinned. My mother’s entire face lit up as she embraced the two men.

  “My dads,” Johann offered, smiling at the memory.

  Dads? Oh dads. Right on.

  A flash of light from outside drew our focus to the window. With a clap of his hands, Bodie dissolved the memory.

  “Thank you.” I turned away from the window and threw my arms around Bodie. Now that I knew our parents had been friends, I felt closer than ever to my boys. “That was everything to me.”

  “Any time, Allie.” Bodie hugged me back.

  Another flash of light pulled my attention back to the window. Outside, a spectrum of colors flashed in a sparkly pattern, sending a beam onto the snow just beyond the porch. “Oh my God,” I whispered. “What’s that?”

  “It’s the Bifrost.” Johann rolled his eyes. “Come on, newbie. You’ve seen that before.”

  Oh. Right. The burst of light in our front yard was the magical god-porting rainbow. Silly me.

  “Johann, get the door,” Tore ordered.

  “I don’t hear anybody at the—” A firm knock interrupted Johann’s objection. “Jeez, she moves fast.”

  “That’s Greta.” Bodie winked. “Fast.”

  “You wish.” Johann elbowed Bodie as he got up. He crossed to the front door and opened it a crack. “What’s the password,” he teased.

  A tinkling laugh came from outside. “Open the door, Johann!”

  “You guessed right.” Johann wrenched the door open and pulled a petite redhead into a hug. “Hei, Greta!”

  “Hei hei,” Greta mumbled into Johann’s chest. “I can’t breathe.”

  “Right! Sorry!” Johann released his hold and ushered her into the living room. “Greta, you know Tore, and Mack. And Bodie.” He waggled his eyebrows, and Bodie shot him a glare.

  “Thanks for coming.” Tore waved from the couch. “This is Allie; she got banged up pretty bad in Alfheim.”

  “Hi.” I raised a hand. I’d have stood, but the agony in my ankle had prevented movement for the past two hours. “I’m really grateful you’re here.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” Greta smiled warmly at me. Her emerald eyes crinkled at the corners, and her energy radiated a pearlescent white. She wore her long, red hair loose, except for two braids in the front, and she wore a beautiful white gown with a white corset over it. I was an expert at first impressions, being able to read energy and all, and by all accounts, Greta appeared to be a good egg. I was glad she’d come.

  “Hei, Greta.” Mack pushed up from the armchair and crossed to Greta’s side. He clasped the healer’s hands warmly in his own.

  “Hello, Mack. It’s good to see you.” Greta smiled warmly up at him. “And Bodie, your sister sent these for you to share with your friends.” She set a container of cookies down on the coffee table. “How have you been?”

  “Good. I’ve been good.” Bodie had scrambled to his feet and now stood at attention in front of the fireplace—the farthest spot from Greta that was technically still in the room. Get out, did the healer make him nervous? I scanned his energy, and saw his heart center absolutely pinging with excitement. Oh my God! Bodie totally liked Greta!

  “Have a seat, Greta.” Tore gestured to the opposite arm of the sectional. Greta removed the backpack from her shoulder and set it on the ground before sliding into the cushions and crossing her legs.

  Another flash of light came from outside.

  “I am so sorry, Tore.” Greta looked apologetically at the demigod beside me.

  “Why?” Tore asked. “It’s not your fault Allie got hurt.”

  “No, that’s not why I’m sorry.” Greta hemmed. Her face was pinched in anxiety.

  “Then why are you—”

  “Hell-ooo.” A high-pitched voice rang from outside.

  Greta winced as Tore’s features hardened. “Synna,” he muttered.

  “She insisted on following me.” Greta shot Tore a pleading look. “I told her this wasn’t the time, but . . . well, you know how she is.”

  Tore clenched his jaw. “I sure do.”

  “Who followed you?” I asked.

  The front door flung open, and a straight-up supermodel sauntered inside. Where Greta was girl-next-door pretty, this chick looked like she’d stepped off the pages of a fashion shoot, warrior style. Long, dark brown waves tumbled over her shoulder, grazing the barely contained cleavage peeking from the deep V-neck of her shirt. A
t her hip was a large sword that looked like it had borne heavy use—the metal had nicks and scratches all over it. And for reasons that eluded me, she’d worn thigh-high boots laden with sheathed daggers to a healing party.

  The energy in the room shifted from joyful to edgy faster than the Mack Pack had stopped the night elf onslaught. Who was this girl? And why did she make everyone so uncomfortable?

  “Synna.” Tore frowned. “What are you doing here?”

  With a haughty hair toss, Synna sauntered into the living room. None of the guys stood up to greet her.

  “I came to see you, silly. Our six-month hiatus was up five weeks ago, and you never called. Then I remembered you were trapped here, and I figured you were probably dying of boredom. So I came to you.” Synna plopped herself onto the couch next to Tore, and ran her fingers through his hair. His hand locked down on my shoulder, tension radiating from the digits.

  “This isn’t the time to talk about us. Why don’t you go back to Asgard, and I’ll call you when I’m ready?” Tore sounded dismissive, but the familiarity in his tone made me check his energy. Still nothing. Dang it, the boy was a closed book. What was his deal with Synna? What did he mean by us?

  “I’m here now.” Synna scooted closer to Tore. He leaned away from the contact, so his chest brushed against my arm. Mmm . . . Tore’s pecs.

  I pulled myself out of my ogle and noticed the guys’ energy had shifted again. Their protective vibe was up—the one they wore as a unit whenever they were looking out for me. Their vibe crushed my hope that this chick was Tore’s overly touchy sister—one he’d never mentioned having. Since I was pretty sure Tore was an only child, I could only assume Synna was Tore’s . . . girlfriend. Crap.