by S. T. Bende
“You have got to be kidding me.” Tyr blinked.
“I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible,” Freya spoke gently. “We can’t port out of the compound with our enemies looking for it; it would compromise our location. And Fenrir and Hymir are going to be watching Midgard pretty closely. Activating a portal or the Bifrost would catch their attention right away.”
“So maybe we don’t magic our way out of here.” I paused. “By the looks of the trees, we’re somewhere in the Pacific northwest, right? That’s driving distance from Arcata. Could be a long drive, depending on where we are, but it’s doable.”
“You want me to drive you to school?” Tyr sounded incredulous. “And what am I going to do with you when I get you there? I’m not letting you just walk around unprotected. And the cloak isn’t enough to protect you from Fenrir anymore—you saw him shrug off the shot from your particle accelerator; he’s been laced with enough dark magic to debilitate our weapons.”
“Well then, we need to come up with another idea. I realize we’re all in danger, and it probably seems silly for me to worry about my grades when I should be worrying about staying alive, but up until now, school has been my life. I’ve never failed anything, and I have no intention of starting now.” I alternated my stare between Freya and Tyr. They exchanged a glance.
“We do have internet,” Freya offered after a long pause. “Any chance your professors would let you attend class virtually?”
“You mean like FaceTime a lecture?” I glanced at the high ceiling, trying to recall the RSU handbook. Of course, I’d read it cover to cover when I’d sent my enrollment papers. “I’d need a doctor’s note explaining why I’m physically incapable of attending class, but the university allows it.”
“No problem.” Tyr made a small circle with his finger and a piece of paper fluttered into my lap. “Sorry about your pneumonia.”
Really? I picked up the paper he’d magicked out of nowhere, and read aloud. “Due to an acute case of pneumonia, Amelia Ahlström is unable to attend her classes at Redwood State University. Please provide an acceptable course of home study so that she may continue to keep up with her coursework, despite her illness. Sincerely, Dr. Fredriksen.” I turned it over. “It’s on hospital letterhead.”
“I am nothing if not thorough.” Tyr winked. “Freya will send it to the school when we’re done here. I’m sure they’ll be happy to allow the accommodation. And Charlotte can FaceTime your Art History class with you in case they don’t get back to you until Wednesday afternoon.”
“Impressively resourceful, and meticulously thorough.” Freya smiled. “Just like somebody else in this room. Am I a world-class matchmaker or what?”
I sighed. My college love story was about as far from my parents’ considerably less complicated tale as it could get. My parents. “Hold on. Are my parents okay? And Jason? And Meemaw? If Fenrir’s so hell-bent on hurting Tyr through me, he’d know to go after my family, wouldn’t he?”
“They’re fine,” Freya assured me. “I put cloaking spells on your parents, your brother, and your grandparents just before I came here. And unlike Henrik’s technology-based lighter, my spells were created using älva dust. So they’re infallible.”
“Älva?” I asked.
“Fairies,” Freya explained.
“Shut the front door. Y’all have fairies?” My jaw opened so wide it clicked.
“We do. Älva are a particularly magical breed of light elves, found in northernmost Alfheim. Not even the heaviest dark magic can break their spells. I had Henrik incorporate some of the älva dust in the protection for this compound, too.”
Well, I’ll be.
“So Fenrir can’t find them? But you still can.” I chewed my fingernail.
“Exactly. I also put an aura trace on them, so if they’re in any kind of danger, it’ll set off a sort of internal alarm with Tyr. He’ll know right away if anything’s going on with them.”
“Thanks.” I exhaled. “You really thought of everything.”
“I most certainly did.” Freya beamed.
A fierce whoosh came from outside. My throat tightened. Not again. We jumped to our feet, racing for the back door.
“Stay behind me, Mia.” Tyr threw his body in front of mine.
He didn’t need to worry. When I peeked around his shoulder I saw a muscular figure walking across the lawn, toting two suitcases.
“Henrik!” I darted around Tyr to hug my friend.
“This is for you.” Henrik set the larger suitcase inside the French doors, and left the smaller one on the porch steps. “And this is mine. I’m staying at Elsa’s right?”
“Correct. Unless you want to stay at my place.” Freya waggled her eyebrows. “Brynn’s monitoring Elsa at the moment or she’d have come to greet Mia, but she’s going to be bunking with me. So long as you can behave yourself, you can have the second guest room.”
“Stop it, Freya.” Henrik ducked his head with a smile. He so liked Brynn back. “Fenrir’s still in Arcata. He took off after you guys when you escaped, so I summoned the taser from the weapons closet and followed him outside. When he realized he couldn’t get to you, he turned on me. I got in one good shot before a portal opened up. He got away, but he was limping pretty badly—he’ll need some time to regroup, for sure.”
“You debilitated the wolf with a taser?” I couldn’t believe it.
“Well, it was the only weapon I enhanced with the powder leftover from the security beef-up on this place. Freya told me to make sure I enchanted at least one teched-up device with älva dust. Good thing, too. Guess I’m starting from scratch on the guns, eh?” Henrik scratched his jaw. “I know the Norns want us to tie him up, and I get that Fenrir’s more useful to us alive than dead. But skit, I wish I could have just ended him there. Or at least got in a few shots with the crossbow before he fell through the portal. To further delay his healing, of course.”
“Of course,” Freya agreed.
“Well done,” Tyr praised.
“Any time. Have you seen Elsa yet?” Henrik asked.
“No. I don’t want to disturb her team any more than we already have tonight, so I’ll wait for morning.” Tyr checked his watch. “Only a few more hours, by my clock. But you need to debrief Brynn, so you can head over there now, Henrik.”
“Takk. Oh, before I forget, your laptop and your phone are in there, Mia.” Henrik pointed to the bigger suitcase. “You left them back at our place when you, eh, took off.”
“Thank you,” I said gratefully. “I’d have missed those a lot.”
Freya stifled a yawn. “If you will excuse me, I think I’ll go catch a few hours of sleep too. Busy day tomorrow, ja?”
“Very. Are you going to visit the dwarves with me?” Tyr asked her. “Last I heard from Odin, he’d managed to get us an appointment in the morning.”
“You need me to go with you?” Freya asked.
“They do have a weakness for pretty girls,” Tyr pointed out. “And there’s no way in Helheim I’m taking Mia. She’s staying here with Forse.”
That was news to me.
“Fine. What time do you want to leave?” Freya covered her mouth as another yawn escaped.
“First light?”
“Make it eight,” Freya countered. “And throw in a cup of coffee.”
“Deal. Go to bed. Henrik, you good getting over to Elsa’s?”
“Yep. Mia, you okay?” Henrik touched my arm.
“I’ll be fine. Thanks for looking out for me.”
“Any time. You’re one of us now.” He shrugged. “We take care of each other.”
“Call if you need anything. Both of you.” Tyr nodded as Freya and Henrik made their way down the porch and to their respective houses. When they were both safely inside, Tyr shut the French doors and scooped me in his arms.
“Upstairs, prinsessa. I need to get at least a few hours of sleep before I hit up the dwarves.” He carried me up the stairs and set me on the massive bed. He tugged off hi
s jeans and T-shirt, and climbed in after me in his boxer-briefs, pulling the downy comforter up to our chins and tucking me safely under an arm. “You doing all right with all of this?”
“We’re safe here? You’re sure?” I asked.
“I’m sure,” Tyr promised.
“And these dwarves—you won’t be in any danger?” I ran my thumb along his chest.
“I’ll be fine. I promise. Especially with Freya. They’ve seen her before; they’ll do anything she tells them to.”
“Okay.” I bit the inside of my cheek, grateful he couldn’t see me in the moonlight. My face had to be positively etched with concern.
“The only thing I want you focusing on is taking care of my girl.” Tyr’s lips grazed my earlobe, and I inched closer to him. “You’re not allowed to worry about me. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“All right,” I agreed, relishing his heartbeat against mine. The pulse, coupled with the rhythmic pounding of the waves outside, should have soothed my level-nine anxiety.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something awful was coming. Soon.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THE MINUTE I OPENED my eyes, I fought the urge to squeeze them shut again. Sunlight streamed through the big windows, bathing the cream-colored room in a brilliant light. While I snuggled deeper into the soft pillows, I heard the shower shut off. I turned just in time to see Tyr emerging, wrapped from the waist down in a plush white towel.
My head may have been foggy with sleep, but my nerves were suddenly on high alert.
“Good morning, gorgeous.” Tyr ran a hand through his wet hair and shot me a grin that spiked my heart rate more than coffee ever could.
“Morning,” I murmured.
“Sorry to dash out on you, but Freya will be here any minute.” He crossed to the bed and gave me a very thorough kiss. My breathing came in ragged gasps as he walked away.
Tyr picked up his toothbrush and quickly brushed his teeth, then opened a drawer in the bureau and pulled out some clothes. When he dropped his towel, I had to force myself to look away. His bare backside was even more glorious than I’d imagined.
At the sound of a zipper, I figured it was safe to look up. Tyr stood in front of the dresser, looking every bit the warrior in black cargo pants and a fitted black tee. He crossed to the edge of the bed to lace his combat boots.
“I’ll be back for dinner. Steaks are marinating in the fridge, and Forse promised to catch some kind of fish this afternoon. Henrik’s gonna man the grill.”
“Yum,” I mumbled. The gorgeous god and the spectacular suite had me rendered speechless.
“Brynn’s next door with Henrik and Elsa, but she’s been instructed to shadow you if you feel at all uncomfortable.” Tyr finished tying his boots and stood up.
“Wait, shouldn’t Brynn and Henrik be going with you? They’re your bodyguards.”
“Yeah. But like I said, we don’t anticipate any hostilities. And nobody’s stupid enough to mess with me and Freya.” Tyr smoothed the front of his shirt. “Forse is downstairs at the breakfast bar. He’ll take you out fishing if you want. I know you were disappointed you didn’t get to bait the hook last time.”
Tyr ducked when I chucked a pillow at him.
“Go.” I laughed. “Save the world. Say hi to Freya. And tell the dwarves I said ‘Heigh-Ho.’”
“I wish they were that kind of dwarf.” Tyr shook his head. “You okay here all day?”
“I’ll be fine.” I stretched my arms above my head. “Beautiful beach, clear skies, and did you say breakfast bar?”
“I did.” Tyr leaned down to kiss the top of my forehead. When he pulled back, he cradled my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Forse will take good care of you today, and I’ll be home before you know it.”
“Go on.” I stretched to kiss his lips. “Henrik and I will bake something fabulous for dessert.”
“Deal.” Tyr planted one more lingering kiss on my mouth before I heard the knock downstairs. “That’s Freya. See you tonight, babe.”
“See you.” I waved as he bolted from the room. I didn’t want to ask why he grabbed his crossbow on the way out.
The day stretched ahead of me, and somewhere downstairs the God of Justice was eating his breakfast. Much as I wanted to meet Forse, I didn’t want to make a first impression with bedhead. I brushed my teeth and took my time fixing my hair, putting on just enough makeup to look presentable.
My phone rang, and I grabbed it off the nightstand, thinking it must be Tyr. Maybe he’d forgotten his Uzi, or his AK-47, or his magic wand, and he needed me to run it out to him. “Hello?”
“Howdy, Sis. How’s the big, bad world of Arcata?” My brother sounded typically chipper for a Saturday morning. It couldn’t have been much later than ten on the east coast. The sleep-late gene had skipped him.
“Oh, hi, Jase. About that. I’m not exactly in Arcata.”
“Where exactly are you then?”
I glanced around the beautifully decorated bedroom, then to the ocean that sparkled outside the full-length windows, and the coast that stretched all the way to the tree-dusted mountain a few dozen miles off. It was definitely living… if you forgot we were here to escape a dark magic-laced, homicidal wolf who was working as the agent of my boyfriend’s crazy giant birth father. “Just out of town for a little bit.”
“Don’t you have classes?” Jason asked. “It’s not like you to play hooky.”
“Well, it’s the weekend,” I reminded him. “And then, eh, fall break?” It wasn’t a total lie. We had a few days off.
“You coming home for Thanksgiving, or are you going to hang out with the tree huggers and that man of yours?”
“I’ll probably have to stay here. You know, um, to study for exams,” I hedged. Who knew how long I’d be holed up in this safe house?
“Then I need to pay you a visit. Maybe in a couple of weeks? My exams aren’t until the week before Christmas, so I have a little wiggle room in my study schedule. I want to see you. And I want to meet the dude.”
“His name’s Tyr,” I reminded my brother with a smile. “And I’d love for you to meet him.” So long as we’re not being hunted by monsters of the underworld. If that’s the case I want you to stay far, far away.
“Good. We need to have the talk. He needs to understand that if he hurts my baby sister, I’ll crush his kneecaps. You’ll notice I’m not asking if he’s on this little vacation with you, or what the sleeping arrangements are. Because I am not in a kneecap-crushing mood at the moment… but I could get into one if I had to.”
I giggled. “I love you, Jase.”
“Love you too, Mees. Have fun out there. But not too much fun.” He imitated Dad’s stern voice.
“Will do. Bye.” I turned off the phone and put it in my pocket, grinning. When all of this was over, and I finally got to see him, I was going to give my brother the biggest hug ever. And warn him not to touch the God of War’s kneecaps.
With my brother convinced of my safety, I padded downstairs. I wound my way around the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, ran my fingertips across the smooth granite surface of the kitchen island, and opened one of the glass-front cabinets to pull out a coffee mug. While I filled it with my morning jolt of energy, I admired the functional elegance of both the hanging pots, and the second island that separated the dining table from the cooking area. Tyr’s kitchens toed the line between practical and beautiful really well.
When I caught sight of Forse, I nearly spilled my coffee. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting the justice god to look like—maybe old and weathered like a Hemingway hero? But I sure wasn’t expecting the chiseled Adonis in an ivory sweater and khakis, sitting at the second island and tucking into an apple turnover. He was Hyannis Port chic, with just a touch of naughty footballer in his twinkling eyes.
He was drop-dead gorgeous.
“Do you all look like you just stepped out of a magazine?” My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh my god. That was out loud.�
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The vision chuckled as he wiped crumbs from his lips.
“What I meant to open with was, hi. I’m Mia. Pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m Forse.” He held out his hand, and we shook. He had a firm grip, but surprisingly soft hands.
“So you’re babysitting me today?”
“You’re helping me, actually,” Forse corrected. “Our crab supply is dangerously low, and I hear you’re a solid fisherman. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all.” I set my coffee next to the fruit bowl on the island, before climbing up next to Forse and selecting a mango. I cut into it and took a bite. “This is amazing—where’d you find these this time of year?”
Forse shrugged. “Freya handles the shopping when she’s in the compound. She probably had one of the valkyries fly them in from Australia. Mangoes are in season there right now.”
“Oh.” I cradled my cup with both hands and held on tight.
“Our world must seem strange to you.” Forse lifted his coffee mug.
Oh, definitely not. A realm of gods is overseeing the fate of mankind, which currently rests in the claws of an evil magic dog controlled by my boyfriend’s giant father. Totally not weird. But I kept my words to myself and mirrored Forse’s movement, taking a sip of the black coffee. It was hot and strong, and it tasted absolutely heavenly.
“As much as I know of it,” I said truthfully. “I know you guys have to be kind of secretive.”
Forse set down his cup. “We’re usually not supposed to expose ourselves to mortals, but Tyr’s position gives him discretion most of us don’t have—since he’s charged with evaluating threats to the realm, Odin gives him free rein to mingle with different races.”
“Oh. So he’s… mingled with a human before?” I studied my fingernails while Forse chuckled.
“Nothing like that. You guys are definitely one of the few inter-realm relationships we’ve seen. But Tyr’s aligned forces with friendly factions before—light elf armies, the occasional gnome battalion. His judgment is impeccable, and those interactions have always resulted in increased security for Asgard.”