by S. T. Bende
“Exactly.” Tyr winked. Then he squatted next to the bucket. He stared into the water for a long time, his fingers lightly resting on his forehead.
“How do you catch fish breath, anyway? Do you know what you’re doing?” I hovered over Tyr’s shoulder.
“Not exactly.”
He grabbed a fish with two fingers. It flopped wildly. Tyr held out his open hand, and a thin mist floated from his palm. It engulfed the animal, cocooning it in a light green casing. Tyr touched the top of the casing with one finger and pulled back. The fish fell to the ground dead; the casing cracked open.
“Did that work?” My voice was half an octave too high to sound natural.
“No.”
Tyr picked up a second fish. He held out his hand, and this time a stream of water shot at the creature. The water froze on impact, surrounding the fish in a block of ice. Tyr studied the block, turning it in his palm. He muttered something in a language I didn’t understand. The ice floated above his hand, the fish suspended in mid-air. Tyr pointed a finger at the animal, sending a red beam of light at its mouth. The fish’s eyes bulged, but otherwise it remained immobilized in ice. Tyr drew the red beam back with his finger. Just before it reached his hand, it emitted a burst of flame. Tyr jumped back, smoke coming from his finger. The fish fell to the floor.
“It’s dead,” I whispered unnecessarily.
“I’m aware,” Tyr muttered, and my heart opened a little bit more. Tyr might have been a god, but there were still things that didn’t come easily to him. Watching his struggle made the distance between our worlds felt slightly less infinite.
The third fish exploded. The fourth fish disappeared. By the time Tyr picked up the fifth fish, a thin sheen had formed on his forehead. He stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth and bit down as he waved his hand over the creature. It stilled in his palm. He used two fingers to brush a lavender mist over the animal, and when it was sealed in the casing he tapped it nine times. On the last tap he drew his finger back, and a pale blue vapor rose from the fish. Tyr’s eyebrows raised.
“You did it?” I guessed.
“You sound surprised.” His voice was dry.
I watched as he produced a small vial. He directed the vapor into the capsule, and sealed it tightly before putting it into his pocket. Did he just command a magical mist into a bottle? This was by far the most fascinating date I’d ever been on.
“One ingredient down, one more to go.” The corner of Tyr’s mouth turned up in a half smile. “So we’ve got a few fish left. Debone now or back at the house?”
“Excuse me?”
“The fish. Do you want me to debone them here or back home? We’ll fry them up for dinner and—” He broke off. “Skit.”
I followed his sight line to the edge of the forest, where a large wolf was partially hidden behind a redwood. The wolf’s eyes locked on mine and he pawed at the ground, like he wanted to charge. I could have sworn his eyes flashed red and his nostrils flared.
It couldn’t be. We’re in the middle of nowhere.
I whirled to face Tyr, hoping for reassurance. He threw our fishing gear onto the deck in a frenzied movement, ripped open one of the benches, and pulled out a massive crossbow.
“Mia, get in the cabin. Now.”
I was frozen to the deck. My legs wouldn’t move.
“Go now!” Tyr barked. My stomach fell. It was a tone I’d only heard once before; the night Fenrir changed everything.
My eyes drifted to the forest, where a snarling beast left me shaking.
“Should I take the fish or—”
“Get inside!” Tyr exploded. He raised his hand and a beam of light shot across the boat, striking me in the chest and pushing me into the cabin. I landed unceremoniously on the bed and jumped to my feet as Tyr forced the cabin door closed with a second beam. My heart hammered as I raced to the door, ready to fight at my boyfriend’s side. I jiggled the knob but it wouldn’t budge.
“Tyr Fredriksen! Open this door right now! Let me do something to help you for once, or I’ll…” What? What would I do? I was on the middle of the lake, stalked by a killer dog, and magicked in a room by a Norse deity who seemed to think the best way to defend me was to lock me in places. I pressed my face against the glass, and wished he’d trust me to defend myself. I might not have had magic lightning hands, but if they had a spare stun gun lying around, I could have debilitated the animal faster than I could have reeled in another fish.
Tyr didn’t seem to need my help. On the other side of the glass, he loaded the crossbow and fired off a shot. He quickly fired off two more without blinking. His face was fierce—jaw locked, brow furrowed, and eyes practically shooting sparks. He exuded an air of authority that reminded me of exactly who he was.
And of how much was at stake.
I kept my face against the window. My throat clenched as Tyr fired another round of arrows into the woods. The wolf evaded each shot, crouching as if he wanted to pounce, but the boat was a good hundred yards from the shore; there was no way he’d make it that far.
“Skit.” Tyr swore loud enough for me to hear through the glass. He threw the crossbow down and held his hands straight out. He pointed at one of the hundred-foot redwoods, then made a swiping motion with his arm. The tree broke in half and crashed to the ground. Fenrir looked up with a start and ran to the water just as the tree fell. It landed exactly where the wolf had been standing.
Fenrir crouched again, keeping the boat in its sights. This didn’t look right. There was no way any wolf could…
It hit me like a freight train with busted brakes. Fenrir could do anything. He’d killed Tyr’s immortal parents. He’d hurt Elsa. He’d broken through the allegedly impenetrable defenses surrounding Tyr’s house. And now he’d tracked us from Arcata to the backwoods of Humboldt County. What were we going to do?
My eyes sought out Tyr’s for reassurance, but he offered none. His expression was dangerous, his features contorted in fury. Underneath the rage, his eye twitched. He chanced a glance at the cabin, and when his eyes locked on mine his expression broke my heart.
Tyr was afraid. For me.
He waved his hand at the shore, and a ten-foot wave rose from the lake. It would have taken the wolf under if Fenrir hadn’t leapt in the air. The animal flew toward the boat in a narrow arc, closing the distance between us with alarming speed.
“Look out!” I shrieked, hoping Tyr could hear me inside the locked cabin.
Tyr picked up the crossbow and lined up his shot. My pulse quickened—there was no time for Fenrir to alter his trajectory. The arrow struck the wolf mid-chest and sent him falling into the water. He floundered, his jaws snapping open and shut as he struggled to make his way back to shore. The boat rocked as Fenrir’s movement stirred the waves, and I struggled to stay upright with the sway.
“Imprison him, Henrik,” Tyr commanded.
Henrik?
Without warning, a figure fell from the sky, landing in a low crouch near the water. Henrik stood on the sand, his broad shoulders stiff, and his hands balled in tight fists. Before I could wrap my mind around what I’d seen, Henrik let out a cry and leaped from the shore. He flew over the water, heading for the floundering wolf. Fenrir raised his head when Henrik was still ten feet away. The wolf gave a feral growl that echoed around the lake. Just before Henrik could wrap his arms around the beast, it disappeared. Henrik flew headfirst into the spray, coming up empty-handed.
What the hell?
“Let me out of here!” I pounded on the door, but Tyr didn’t look at me. “Tyr Fredriksen, you turn around and open this door right now, or so help me I will… I will… I will mix your coffee mugs with your water glasses in those pristine kitchen cabinets of yours!”
Tyr turned with an expression that danced between amused and horrified. He twirled a finger at the door and it flew open. Without wasting another breath, I ran out of the cabin and glared at Tyr. “Stop locking me in places. I’m not as helpless as you seem to think I
am.”
Tyr didn’t answer me. Instead, he barked an order. “Henrik, secure the boat. We’re getting out of here. He was too close to Mia.”
“We are so talking about this later,” I muttered.
“I’d expect nothing less,” Tyr murmured. He pulled me to his side. My thick life jacket acted like a buffer between us as he wrapped a protective arm around me and waved at Henrik. The other god flew toward the boat, landing lithely on the deck. Tyr held his crossbow in one hand, and me in the other, while Henrik cast what looked to be enchantments from both ends of the boat.
“Good.” I shivered.
Tyr’s mouth was set in a firm line. “I picked this lake because it was so remote. How did he find us way out here?”
“He must have tracked Brynn when she brought the boat this afternoon.” Henrik finished his spell and came to the center of the deck. “You okay, Mia?”
“I didn’t just dive headfirst into a freezing lake. Are you okay?” I countered.
“I’m great. Just pissed.” My normally jovial friend emitted tremors of anger. “I’m sorry, kille. I’ve been scanning the area all afternoon. He only just showed up when you saw him on the shore. He must have transported.”
“Transported?” I asked.
“Used a portal to jump realms. Wherever he’s coming from, he’s found a way to enter Midgard undetected.” Henrik slung his bow over his shoulder.
“What does that mean?”
Tyr’s eyes softened as he turned into me. He pushed a strand of hair off my face and cupped my cheek in one massive hand. “It means Fenrir has forged a direct line to this realm. He can show up without warning.”
Henrik let out a sharp breath. “You want me to swap positions with Brynn?”
“Yes. Effective tonight, Mia’s your primary.” Tyr narrowed his eyes at the spot where the wolf had been. “Move her into the cabin. I don’t want her out of your sight.”
My head whipped back and forth between Tyr and Henrik. “What are you talking about?”
But they continued talking as if I hadn’t said a word.
“I’ll send Brynn to pick up her things. We can’t let her out until we trap him.” Henrik stared through me as he spoke.
“Can’t let me out of where? Y’all better not lock me in anywhere again. It’s seriously not okay that you keep doing that.” My words fell on deaf ears.
“Make sure Brynn puts some kind of enchantment on her house—it’s the first place Fenrir will go, and we don’t want him picking off her roommates. Odin has enough messes to deal with right now without two dead human girls.” Tyr spoke over my head.
“What is going on?” I stamped my foot.
“He got my family; he’s not getting my girl.”
“Will somebody tell me what’s happening?” I pleaded.
Tyr looked down like he’d just remembered I was there. He reached up to stroke my face and shook his head. “Sorry, prinsessa. There’s been a change of plans. You’re moving in with me.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“I’M DOING WHAT? ARE you insane?” My tone was unladylike, but the situation called for it. A guy couldn’t just order a girl to move in with him. Maybe they did that kind of thing in Asgard, but not in twenty-first century America. And certainly not with me.
Tyr ignored my glare. He drove to shore in total silence, despite my increasingly loud protests. It only took a minute to reach the water’s edge, but I used every one of those sixty seconds to voice my objection to his Plan Mia’s Life For Her stratagem. Who exactly did he think I was? I was a Super G champion, not some simpering damsel in distress.
I drew my shoulders back and lifted my chin. “In case you didn’t notice, buddy, I am a woman. Not a chattel. You can’t just order me around like some thing. If you want me to live with you, you have to date me for a really long time, profess your love, talk to my father, because he’s uber traditional and really quite sensitive when it comes to these things, and ask me if I want to live with you. Not order me. Ask me. There are social rules for this type of behavior, and you, buddy, are breaking all of them. Are you even listening to me?”
But he wasn’t. He pulled up to the shore and jumped to action. “Henrik,” Tyr barked. “Enchant the dock. Protective spell. Then bring the car as close as you can. The vial with the fish breath is in my pocket, so at least something good came out of this. I’ll cover Mia, and we’ll head back together.” Tyr tied the boat to the pier and picked up the bucket with the remaining fish inside it. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and began to guide me onto the dock.
“I can walk on my own, thank you very much.” I wrenched my shoulder out of Tyr’s grasp, unsnapped my life jacket and shoved it into his hands. With a sharp turn I stormed down the dock, marching a foot ahead of him. It was easier to be upset with Tyr than it was to think about the terror I’d felt when the wolf had attacked again. My insides churned at the memory. There just wasn’t anything about this moment that was okay.
“It’s clear,” Henrik shouted. He’d pulled the Hummer right up to the dock, and moved from the driver’s spot to the backseat. “Hurry.”
Tyr and I hustled the short distance to the truck. He leaned into the truck to hand Henrik the fish before turning to help me in the passenger’s seat, but I’d already climbed in on my own. Tyr crossed to the driver’s side, closed the door and fastened his seatbelt. He hit the accelerator and the truck peeled backward, making a big “U” on the dirt. He raced through the redwoods, heading for the highway. Trees flew past at a frightening speed, but Tyr’s steady hand kept the vehicle on course. He was determined.
“You going to talk to me now?” I crossed my arms.
Tyr kept his eyes on the road. “About what?”
“I’m not moving in with you.”
“Yes, you are.” Tyr drove.
“No, I’m not. That’s something couples decide together. Maybe not in whatever boondocks part of Asgard you come from, but in these parts, that kind of thing isn’t a unilateral decision.”
Henrik snorted from the backseat, and Tyr shot him a look. “Fine. Mia Ahlström, would you please move in with me?”
I shot him a fierce look. “Now you’re just being patronizing.”
“I’m not patronizing anyone. I’m trying to play along. Because at the end of this conversation, Brynn is getting your stuff and moving it to my place. This isn’t a negotiation.”
“You don’t get to tell a girl she’s going to move in with you.” I recrossed my arms and turned to Henrik. “He doesn’t get to tell me I’m moving in with him!”
“He does, actually.” Henrik didn’t even try to hide his amusement. “He’s the God of War. Even Thor doesn’t get to question him.”
“Maybe that title means something in Asgard, but around here, you can’t just order people around. There are steps to observe. Rules to follow. And besides, I’m not ready to live with you. I don’t even know your middle name.”
“It’s Ragnar.” A corner of Tyr’s mouth twitched.
“Oh. Well.” I tapped my foot. “That’s a really nice middle name.”
“Thank you. Now, is this argument over?”
“No. I am not moving in with you. I like you too much.”
“That makes no sense.” Tyr reached across the console to hold my hand. “You like me. I like you. You’re the only girl I want to be with, and you’re the only girl I’ve ever asked to move into my house. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“Ever? You’re, like, a thousand years’ old. Seriously, you’ve never lived with a girl?”
“Nope. I like my space.”
“Oh. Well. You’re not living with me because…” It was hard to maintain the right amount of indignation when he was touching me. “Because you’re doing this for the wrong reasons. You’re not doing it because you want to live with me; you’re doing it because a killer wolf god is after me, and your macho alpha gene is kicking in. This is an impulse decision, not a rational one.”
Tyr shr
ugged. “I do want to live with you. And my alpha gene is always kicking in. They don’t have to be exclusive.”
“But if we live together, I want it to be because we both want to, not because we’re afraid of something.” I pounded my fist against my thigh. It was like talking to a rubber wall. Everything I threw at him bounced right off.
“Listen, baby, I get that you’re scared. There’s a lot to be scared about right now. But you don’t ever need to be scared of this.” He placed my hand over his heart. “This isn’t going to change. You mean more to me than you know, Mia Ahlström, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you. Even if it means pissing you off.”
I held very still, debating Tyr’s offer. Pros: Spend freshman year living under the protection of the Norse pantheon. Increase likelihood of surviving bizarre wolf attacks. Catch nightly glimpses of the Norse God of War in his pajamas. Cons: Um… My brain was stalled on the mental picture of pillow talk with Tyr.
“You don’t have to share my room. You can have the upstairs guest room. But I need you close; at least until we trap Fenrir. Then, if you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”
He kissed my fingertips with a smile, but I heard the strain in his voice.
The truth was, if I moved in with Tyr, I’d be happy as a chipmunk in an acorn tree. And that would make it that much harder to move on someday when he had to go back to Asgard. Tyr was constantly taking care of me—the sweet dates, the early morning runs, the surprise visits at school. He ‘mysteriously’ showed up after class to walk me to my car, and his secondary bodyguard just happened to be my roommate. Whether it was Freya’s interference, or Tyr’s protective nature, I’d been looked after since the day I arrived in Arcata. So much for my college independence; I’d left my parents’ home to be guarded by the gods.
And now they wanted to move me into their cabin. Because they didn’t think I could defend myself from their evil wolf.
“Tell me what happened that day in the woods. I need to know why Fenrir attacked me, and not one of the other girls Freya picked for you.”