by Leia Stone
“What do you mean?” An icy wind brushed through the trees. I had a Jotunheim flashback and stepped closer to Tore.
He wrapped his arms around my waist. “It was generally expected in Asgard that I’d follow my father and train to be his successor. Revenge had never been my thing, but when my mom died, there was this hole inside of me. I didn’t know how to fill it with my own energy, and you know how it works—where there’s a vacuum, some kind of energy has to fill it.”
“And the darkness filled you,” I surmised.
Tore grimaced. “Exactly. I was a monster for a while there, which was exactly what my father wanted. But it wasn’t who I was. The Alfödr assigned me to guard Gud Morder right after my mother died—I think he felt it would give me a sense of purpose. But that darkness was growing inside me, and my father was training me at the same time. One night, while I should have been protecting the sword, I got a tip that one of the hostiles on my father’s watch list had shown up in Asgard. I tracked him down—it turned out, he’d come back to return what he’d stolen from the Alfödr; he’d come back to make things right. But I was too blinded by the darkness to recognize his intention. And even though he pleaded for his life, I ended up killing him.” Tore winced. “He didn’t deserve to die. He was someone who was genuinely remorseful and whose soul deserved redemption.”
“Tore.” I placed a palm on his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“Not half as sorry as I am. But my father, of course, was thrilled. In his view, revenge is very much an eye-for-an-eye kind of deal. And he saw what I’d done as an indicator that someday I’d conduct myself as God of Revenge in the same way he did. But in my mind . . .” Tore looked up at the trees. “In my mind, redemption is a very real possibility. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t be here.” He shifted his gaze to look at me. “The night I killed that man was the night Nott stole Gud Morder. I left my post to track him down, and when I came back, Nott hit me with her sleeping curse. If I’d kept a clearer head, I could have deflected it sooner and stopped the theft. And we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Tore hung his head. “I am so sorry, Allie.”
“Well I’m not.” My fingertips grazed his chin and pressed lightly upward, forcing Tore to meet my eyes. “Who knows if I would have met you, or Greta, or the rest of the guys, if all of that hadn’t happened? I could have gone my entire existence without ever knowing any of you, which, in my opinion, would have been an even bigger travesty than something happening to my butt.”
The corners of Tore’s eyes crinkled, but he didn’t quite smile.
“I’m glad you’re the son of Revenge. Because if you weren’t, if that night had never happened, I never would have met you. And I’d never have fallen for you.”
Tore rested his chin on the top of my head. “Revenge is the last thing I want to be, Allie.”
My heart tugged as I sensed Tore’s very real agony. He knew what was expected of him, but had to find a way to fulfill his destiny on his own terms. Not anyone else’s. I could sure relate to that.
I stood on tiptoes and pulled Tore’s head down so his forehead rested against mine. “If you want a different life than what your father wants for you, I’m sure you can manifest it. You’re a pretty powerful demigod. You know, when you’re not faced with a can of pepper spray.”
Tore brushed his lips to mine. “I still have to pay you back for that one, don’t I?”
“Naw, we’re even. Besides you said you didn’t want to be Revenge, remember? That means no paybacks.” I batted my eyelashes.
Tore chuckled. “What do you say, Pepper? You ready to go heal those two pieces of your weapon and continue your quest to save the cosmos?”
“I guess.” I shrugged nonchalantly. “If that’s all we have to do today.”
Tore pressed his hips against mine, and gave me a sexy smile. “I can think of a few other things we could do.”
Yes. Yes to all, absolutely, yes.
“Where are you guys? The pieces are all laid out. Let’s get a move on.” Bodie’s voice crackled from Tore’s wrist. Tore raised one eyebrow before pushing up his sleeve to speak into the communicator. “Be there in two.”
“Duty calls?” I asked.
“Always does. But first . . .” Tore brought his hand to my back, pressing my pelvis hard against him. My eyes widened as he leaned forward to give me a slow, lingering kiss that sent a warm wave pulsing just below my belly button.
Oh. My. Demigod.
He righted me much too quickly, and gave me a firm slap on the butt. “You heard Bodie.” He grinned. “Get a move on, Pepper.”
My eyes narrowed. “You did not just do that.”
Tore backed up slowly, a glint in his brilliant blue eyes. “What are you going to do about it?”
I bent down to scoop up a snowball and hurtled it at him with all the force I could muster. It hit him square in the face, leaving icy flakes dripping from his lashes. “That,” I retorted. “No paybacks, remember?”
“You’re lucky you’re cute.” Tore shot me my favorite sexy grin and bolted forward. I ran through the trees, but it didn’t take Tore long to catch me. He scooped me up over his shoulder and carried me laughing all the way back to the cabin. We may have had unfinished snowball business, but right then, we needed to take care of actual business.
It was time to heal Gud Morder.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WE STOOD IN A TIGHT circle in the center of the complex. Bodie and Johann had carefully set the pieces of Gud Morder and Greta’s crystal wands on a satin cloth. They now stood at each entrance, guarding against any potential ambushes. Mack and Tore stood a few feet to my right, and Greta took her place beside me. She stared at Gud Morder in awe. The pieces did have a spectacularly brilliant energy; they held so much power that they were kind of overwhelming.
“Two pieces down, six more to go,” Tore offered over my shoulder.
I sighed. “Where to next?”
“Well . . .” Tore paused. “We could wait a week and see if Huginn and Muninn give us any intel. Or we could just pick one and go.”
I nodded. Inter-realm travel wasn’t high on my bucket list after what we’d just been through. But I understood it was a necessity. For now.
“Let’s get these two fused before we strategize.” I rubbed my hand over my armor. Tore had helped me strap it on when we’d returned to the complex. “Greta?”
Greta raised her palm over the pieces. “There’s just so much power here.” She looked over at Mack and Tore. “Did you guys tell Allie how her weapon came to be?”
“Not in detail,” Tore said.
“Well, she needs to understand what she’s fusing herself to.” Greta turned to me. “Gud Morder itself was forged by the highest gods of Asgard. Long before you were born, the Norns had a vision of your life purpose.”
The word was foreign and familiar, all at once. “The Norns?”
Greta nodded. “The Fates—immortal deities blessed with future sight.”
Whoa. I had a thousand questions, but I waited for Greta to tell me more. She didn’t disappoint.
“The Norns saw a great darkness befall Midgard. They foretold that the night would seek to snuff out the light. But they also saw the daughter of Eir wielding the power to drive back the darkness—they saw you save Midgard, Allie.”
Double whoa.
Greta continued. “The Norns knew you would need to harbor a tremendous love for Midgard in order to fulfill your prophecy, and for that reason, they decreed you must be raised in the human’s realm. Only through truly understanding Midgard’s people would you be willing to lay down your life for them—though of course, we all hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Tears built in my eyes. I finally understood why Gran had taken me away from Asgard, away from the mother I’d have given anything to have known, even in her cursed sleep. I had to live as a human to love this sometimes-crazy planet, to understand what it was to hike in a redwood forest, or ski down a snowy mountain. I had to understand the natu
ral beauty of Earth—of Midgard—to fall in love with it. And I had to love it to be willing to fight Nott to the death to protect its resources. Natural disasters, climate change, resource depletion—all of it boiled down to one sick, heartless goddess.
I was determined to end her reign of terror on my planet.
“Six of the most powerful gods came together to create a weapon that would enable you to fulfill your prophecy.” Greta nodded at the pieces of Gud Morder beneath her palm. I leaned forward, enraptured. “Odin the Alfödr, Frigga the Goddess of Marriage, Eir the Goddess of Healing, Sif the Goddess of Beauty and Harvest, Idunn the Goddess of Wisdom and Immortality, and Thor the God of Thunder. They worked together to create your weapon. And they infused into it the power to destroy darkness and restore anything—or anyone—touched by its curse.”
Holy freaking . . . Thor touched this thing? I knelt down to examine the pieces. The hilt didn’t look especially menacing, but if the spiraling blades of the sword’s base were any indication, this was going to be some weapon.
Greta placed her hand on my armored shoulder. “Are you ready to heal the weapon and bond its power to your spirit?”
No. I was scared beyond belief. But instead of giving power to my fear, I met Greta’s grass-green eyes with a confident stare. “I’m ready.”
I couldn’t step down knowing the history behind Gud Morder and the role I would play as its keeper. No way was I letting Nott take over my realm. And no way was I leaving my mother in that awful sleep any longer than I had to. It was time to end Nott’s curse—all of her curses—once and for all.
Greta moved her hands in a figure eight over Gud Morder. “With each piece we find, the weapon will become stronger; you will become stronger. You will have the power of the gods at your fingertips.”
“No pressure.” I gave a nervous laugh.
Greta smiled serenely. “Our prophets are never wrong.”
I hoped with all of my being that was true.
“Call forth the Liv,” Greta instructed. Tore and Mack inched closer, I guessed so they could jump in if anything went wrong. Please, don’t go wrong. I took a deep breath and called up the wild power inside of me. In a rush, it burst from both of my palms, saturating the weapon in its brilliant light.
Greta lifted her crystal wands from the satin cloth, and molded the blue, healing energy into a kind of cocoon. “Okay,” she said. “Now pick up the pieces.”
I rubbed my hands together to slow the blue force. With a breath, I reached into the mass of swirling energy and grabbed the hilt of Gud Morder. It vibrated as my palm closed around it, and I knew that Greta was weaving her magic throughout its fabric.
“Now attach the next piece,” Greta instructed.
My fingers wrapped around the base of the sword. Now it vibrated so forcefully, I very nearly dropped it. With great care, I brought the base and the hilt together, binding them where they had been ripped apart. Greta’s wands waved around my hands, and a burst of blue shot from my weapon. The pieces shook harder, warming as Greta sent another wave of the Liv through their core. They heated up as the vibration moved from the weapon to my cuff and up through my shoulder armor.
“Greta!” I cried. “What’s happening?”
“Just hold on, Allie,” Greta urged. The heat intensified, my armor acting as a conductor that held the burning energy tight against my skin. It jumped from my armor to my necklace, then pulsed up and down my centers like a pinball.
“It hurts!” I yelled.
Tore growled beside me.
“It’s nearly over, Allie. Just one more minute.” Greta’s wands moved faster.
“Argh!” I screamed. And with my yell, the heat dissipated. The weapon in my hand stopped vibrating, dropping to room temperature with one last flash of blue. Greta stepped back as a final shot of power knocked into my chest, taking my breath away. The pieces had fused together. And, just as important, they had fused to me.
My boys studied me from their positions around the barn. “I’m okay,” I assured them. “It just hurt like a mother.”
“Sounded like it,” Bodie offered from the doorway. “Sorry, Allie.”
I shrugged. “I can handle it.”
And I could. I stood calmly in the center of the complex, surrounded by the team that would help me end Nott and her Night War. Power coursed through the left side of my body, pulsing from Gud Morder to my armor and back again. And strength filled me from the right, where Tore’s warm fingers intertwined with mine. Our eyes locked, and I knew his determination matched my own. Bodie, Mack, Johann, and Greta stood around us, fierce devotion pouring from their energy centers. I nodded at each of them in turn. We were in this together. And we would end this, no matter what it cost us.
I shot my favorite protector a wink, raised my weapon in the air, and declared war.
“Look out, Nott. We’re coming for you.”
*Allie and her protectors return in NIGHT WAR SAGA: DEFENDER.
**If you liked this book, then please leave a review! Reviews are hugely important to indie authors, and we truly appreciate them. Mange takk! <3
See what happens next for Allie and her protectors, in
NIGHT WAR SAGA: DEFENDER
Allie Rydell left her life behind to protect the world from the Goddess of Night. But after weeks of training, hunting, and learning to use the life-giving power that inexplicably chose her, saving Midgard seems more impossible than ever. Nott’s followers have eyes across the realms, and they’re determined to collect the bounty on Allie’s soul. And the closer Allie and her protectors get to the pieces of the immortal weapon that could save them all, the more destruction Nott manages to unleash—not only on the world Allie loves, but on the friends she’d give her life to save.
Darkness is coming. And this time, it won’t leave any survivors.
Order DEFENDER now!
MANGE TAKK!
Leia: First and foremost, I want to thank S.T. for being her amazing self. You are my soul sister, S.T., and I can’t believe we drafted this in two weeks! It’s so much fun writing with you, and I look forward to many more! #flipphonesisters. To my release team and Matefinder pack, thank you so much for being so supportive and keeping me smiling. I write these books for you. For all of my readers, I am so grateful. Thank you, Alerim, for the beautiful cover, and Patti Geesey and Eden Plantz, for the edits. To my supportive family and to anyone I forgot: Thank you! But most of all, thank God for Mack and his Namaste moments. #beardedelvesarehot
S.T.: To my #SpiritSister, Leia Stone—thank you for inviting me to share your beautiful energy. Writing with you has been a whirlwind of awesome, and I can’t wait to do it all over again! (p.s.—you know you miss that flip phone!) Mange takk to our teams and the community of readers who have supported us from day one. We get to write in these worlds because you join us in them, and we are beyond grateful that you dream across the realms with us. Takk to Alerim for your artistic eyes, and to Eden for your eagle ones. Takk to our entire production team, our beta readers, and to Kristie Cook and Stacey Nash for all the things. Tusen takk to my husband and our biggest little blessings from God—I love you more than words can say. Takk to every single person who works tirelessly to protect Midgard—may you always fight on. And of course, takk to MorMorMa, the trees, the Force, and the #MackPack. Because, reasons.
ALSO BY S.T. BENDE
Meet the God of War and his Norse crew in THE ÆRE SAGA.
THE ÆRE SAGA: PERFEKT ORDER
THE ÆRE SAGA: PERFEKT CONTROL
THE ÆRE SAGA: PERFEKT BALANCE
Meet the God of Winter and his Norse crew in THE ELSKER SAGA.
THE ELSKER SAGA: TUR (a novella)
THE ELSKER SAGA: ELSKER
THE ELSKER SAGA: ENDRE
THE ELSKER SAGA: TRO
THE ELSKER SAGA: COMPLETE BOXED SET
See the crews together in the bonus Ære/Elsker crossover novella . . .
THE ASGARDIANS
Stay in touch with S.T. at www
.stbende.com. And get a FREE copy of TUR and stay up to date on the latest news from S.T. Bende by signing up for her newsletter!
All’s fair when you’re in love with War. Mia Ahlström just discovered her new boyfriend is the Norse God of War. Choosing Tyr may be the biggest distraction—or the greatest adventure—she’s ever had.
Read PERFEKT ORDER now!
ALSO BY LEIA STONE
MATEFINDER TRILOGY (Optioned for film)
Matefinder: Book 1
Devi: Book 2
Balance: Book 3
HIVE TRILOGY
Ash: Book 1
Anarchy: Book 2
Annihilate: Book 3
NYC MECCA SERIES
Queen Heir: Book 1
Queen Alpha: Book 2
Queen Fae: Book 3
MATEFINDER NEXT GENERATION
Keeper: Book 1
Water Blessed
Stay in touch with Leia: www.amazon.com/author/leiastone
Facebook: www.facebook.com/leia.stone/