by S. T. Bende
“Got it. Well, I’m not going to bring more security to Asgard. But I won’t do anything to hurt it, either. Not on purpose, anyway.” I took another drink of coffee.
“I know you won’t. Like I said, Tyr’s an impeccable judge of character. If he trusts you, so do I.” Forse drained his mug and carried it to the sink. “Come on—finish your fruit, and we’ll go set the crab nets. I have a feeling we’ll bring in a big haul today.”
****
“What do we do now?” I watched as the net sank into the water in the small cove. Forse tossed markers after it, keeping an eye on the floating buoys.
“Now we wait.” Forse opened a small cooler he kept on the dinghy, and offered me a bottle of water.
“I’m good, thanks.” I declined the beverage with a head shake.
“There are plenty in here if you change your mind.” Forse uncapped his own bottle and drank, draining its contents before closing the cooler and returning his attention to the ocean. While he stared at the surface, I looked around. Forse’ fishing boat was much smaller than Tyr’s. It had an open deck with wooden benches lining the sides, and a small motor at the back.
“Is Brynn still with Elsa?” I asked
“She is. With everything that’s going on, we figured an extra set of eyes on our girl couldn’t hurt.”
“How’s Elsa feeling?” I ventured.
“She’s doing well. Her vitals have been on a steady rise since she got here last night.”
“Are you and Elsa close? I mean were you friends? Before her… accident?”
“We were friends,” Forse said. He stared at the horizon, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Oh my gosh. You like her! Are you together?”
“What? No.” Forse shook his head. “I’m not sure how Tyr would feel about that.”
“Hmm. Well, have you ever asked him?”
“No.”
“He might not be bothered by it,” I pointed out. “If you guys are that close, he’d probably love you dating his sister. He’d know you’d never hurt her.”
Forse kept his gaze on the water.
“I haven’t exactly met her awake, but she seems pretty special,” I added.
“She’s very special,” Forse corrected.
“How do you mean?” I studied the gentle waves of the ocean, watching for signs of movement from the net.
“Elsa has an unprecedented gift. But she’s only recently come into one of her, uh, talents.” Forse paused. I sensed he was evaluating my trustworthiness. I kept an easy smile on my face, which broadened when he gave a nod and continued talking. Whew. I passed. “Elsa’s a hybrid. She always knew she was a High Healer, and she’s been functional in that role for a while. But recently she found out she also has Unifier tendencies. She must have gotten a partial inheritance from her mother.”
“That sounds like a lot of responsibility,” I said.
“Especially for someone so young. When she found out she had the unifying gift, she asked me to help her learn to use it. She was pretty scared—she’d just lost her parents, and she didn’t have anyone to coach her. We started spending more time together.”
“And you asked her out?” I nudged him with my toe.
“I helped her hone her abilities.”
“But you wanted to ask her out.”
“You ask a lot of questions,” Forse grumbled.
“She wanted you to ask her out too, didn’t she?” I guessed.
“Let me check the fishing net.”
“Interesting.” I thought for a minute. “What does Freya say about it?”
Forse stayed silent as he leaned over the boat.
“I see. Well, you’re going to have to tell Tyr eventually.”
Forse finally looked at me. “Relationships make me… uncomfortable.”
“Why?”
“I had a bad experience.”
“Oh.” I wanted to ask more, but my companion was back to staring at the water. Somebody had definitely done a number on him. “Well, I hope it works out with Elsa. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
Forse nodded at the buoys. “Here they come.”
I watched as he steered the boat around the net, gathering the buoys on the deck.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Help me pull them in.”
Forse began gathering the net, and I followed suit. We worked together to pull it in, Forse tying it tight before setting the bundle of scurrying crabs in the boat.
“This is a decent catch,” he praised. “Let’s get them back to the house.”
“Sounds good.” I watched the net while Forse steered the boat toward the shore. The crabs scuttled on top of each other, writhing against the ropes. “And maybe we can pay a visit to Elsa.”
“Maybe.” Forse shook his head. He certainly wasn’t a chatty one, but I could hear the smile in his voice.
For all of our sakes, I hoped Elsa woke up soon.
****
“And that’s how you barbecue a steak. Boom. Mic drop!” Henrik flipped the meat and threw down the spatula. He’d ditched the fake eyeglasses and wore aviator shades in their place. In his “Kiss The Cook” apron and backwards baseball cap, he looked every bit the frat-boy he could have been… if he wasn’t biding his time as an immortal bodyguard. He was relaxed and happy, grinning at Brynn as she gazed adoringly at him from her seat across from me at the picnic table.
“These look amazing, Henrik.” The valkyrie looked up from under long lashes.
“Why do you think Tyr won’t let me move out?” Henrik chuckled. “Just wait until you try my Mississippi Mud Pie tonight.”
“My Mississippi Mud Pie,” I corrected. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe. He just helped me make it.”
“I’m the one who suggested adding the vanilla to the crust.” Henrik raised an eyebrow. “I trust you’ll find that improves the recipe significantly.”
“You baggin’ on my Meemaw?” I crossed my arms with feigned irritation. It was impossible to be upset with Henrik over anything—upset with anyone, really. Things were finally looking up. Tyr and Freya had returned unharmed and were changing out of their travel clothes before dinner, and Henrik reported that he’d put the final touches on Fred, and the arm was fully functional. We could all feel that something good was coming—the end of Fenrir, a break in the fighting—maybe a happy-ever-after for us all.
“I’m sure your Meemaw is lovely. Just as I’m sure she wishes she’d added a dash of vanilla to the butter when she made her piecrust. Just sayin’.” Henrik shrugged.
“Don’t mess with her Meemaw, man.” A rough voice came from behind me. We turned to see Tyr walk through the French doors. He wore faded blue jeans, and a ribbed white Henley. His feet were bare, and his hair was still damp from the shower. He crossed the porch in four long strides and dropped to sit beside me.
“Hei again,” he murmured. He put his hands on my hips and pulled me onto his lap.
“Hi.” I nestled my head on his shoulder. “How was the shower?”
“Lonely. Wish you’d have taken me up on my offer to—”
I swatted him.
“Did you and Freya get what you needed from the dwarves?” Brynn jumped to my rescue.
“I guess.” Tyr scratched the back of his neck.
“What’s wrong?” Henrik turned off the grill and removed the steaks.
“It wasn’t what I was expecting them to give us,” Tyr admitted. “It doesn’t seem strong enough to hold Fenrir.”
“The dwarves have never gone back on their word,” Forse pointed out. He came out of the house carrying a platter of crab meat and a bowl of melted butter. “If they say it’s strong enough, it’s strong enough.”
Tyr rubbed my hip softly. His frown betrayed his doubt.
“Want to show it to us?” I offered.
“You talking about this ribbon?” Freya strolled out of her house and walked across the lawn with something in her hands.
>
“Ribbon?” Henrik, Brynn, Forse and I spoke in unison.
“Ribbon,” Freya confirmed.
“You’re kidding me.” Brynn’s eyes narrowed.
“To hold Fenrir?” Forse stroked his chin.
“Did they think you were talking about another Fenrir? A wood sprite or something? Maybe it’s a more popular name than we thought.” Henrik put the steaks down on the table next to the potatoes.
“Nope. They swear this will do the job.” Freya laid the ribbon on the picnic table and we leaned over to examine it.
“It’s pink,” Forse said dubiously. “And shiny.”
“I know.” Tyr’s face was dark.
“They want you to tie Fenrir up with a shiny, pink ribbon.” Henrik closed his eyes. “Man, those dwarves have a wicked sense of humor.”
We stared for a good minute before Brynn broke the silence. She pulled her shoulders back and put on a brave face. “If the dwarves say it’ll work, then it’ll work. Right?”
“Right.” Freya nodded. “They’ve never betrayed us before, and there’s no reason to think they’d lie now.”
“Then the matter’s closed.” Brynn leaned over to light the candles in the hurricane vases and sat back down. “Steak’s done to perfection, we’ve got fresh crab legs, potatoes are hot, and Mia’s Meemaw’s Mud Pie is in the freezer. Let’s eat.”
Tyr shifted me off his lap as everyone began dishing up. The crease between his eyes hadn’t eased, so I whispered in his ear. “You okay?”
He nodded. But the wrinkles in his forehead smoothed, and he lifted my hand to his lips for the briefest of moments. I squeezed his fingers, and he winked at me.
“Elsa’s doing great today,” Brynn interrupted our silent exchange. “Her vitals are improving hourly—must be the sea air.”
“Or the proximity to Forse.” The corners of Freya’s eyes crinkled.
Forse turned bright red.
“Meaning?” I turned to Freya, who’d taken the seat to my left. I wasn’t about to out Forse. But if the matchmaker did it…
“Elsa’s had a thing for Forse for, like, forever.” Tyr rolled his eyes. “Only he’s been too stubborn to do anything about it.”
“Wait. What?” I turned to the justice god. “Tyr knows?”
“I didn’t think so.” Forse’s ears were crimson.
“Mia knows?” Tyr stared at me.
“There’s only so much shop talk you can do on a boat,” I pointed out.
“True.” Tyr nodded. “So what’s holding you back, man? If it’s me, don’t worry about it. She’d be lucky to have you.”
“It’s not that.” Brynn shook her head. “It’s her, isn’t it?”
“Her who?” I asked.
“A crazy chick burned Forse forever ago, and he’s sworn off relationships ever since. I keep telling him Elsa’s nothing like his ex, and this will end happily for him, but apparently I’m not an expert.” Freya tapped her fingers on the table.
“Can we talk about the ribbon again?” Forse muttered. He was obviously uncomfortable. I felt bad as he fidgeted with his silverware. We shouldn’t be talking about his ex.
“Forse showed me some great spots around the cove today,” I jumped in. “Did you know that rock just south of here is where the 80s film about the kid pirates was filmed? Do y’all watch human movies in Asgard?”
“We do.” Forse shot me an appreciative smile. “And that was a great movie.”
“The one with all the Coreys in it?” Freya’s face lit up. “I didn’t know that was shot here.”
“I love that you guys watch human movies. What are your favorites?” I kept the conversational ball rolling.
It turned out Freya liked superhero movies. Brynn liked chick flicks. Henrik and Tyr were partial to action movies, and Forse liked classic films. And The Notebook.
“The Notebook?” Henrik snorted.
“It’s a deeply evocative film.” Forse kept his chin high.
Tyr chuckled softly. “My sister loves that movie.”
From the wistful look in his eye, it was obvious Forse already knew.
We finished dinner and moved down to the fire pit, where Tyr lit a massive bonfire. Freya brought out blankets, and we gathered on the Adirondack chairs. From my perch on Tyr’s lap, I was pleased to see Brynn and Henrik inching closer together. Maybe the quiet of the compound would give them the time they needed to get together. Things were finally calming down—we were safe in a secret cove with nothing but lapping waves, ocean air, and a gorgeous bonfire to focus on. In this moment, things seemed absolutely perfect.
I should have known it couldn’t last.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE dune?” Tyr shifted me on his lap and squinted over the bonfire.
“I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.” Freya shook her head and speared a marshmallow.
“The sand’s stirring ten yards north of the break, and the air above the site is dark. It almost looks like someone’s aura… oh, skit,” Tyr growled.
Henrik looked up from his spot on the grass with Brynn. She’d been leaning against him, laughing at one of his animated stories, but now both looked like someone had shoved a ramrod right up their backs.
“Dark’s bad for an aura, right?” Henrik asked cautiously.
“What do you think?” Tyr narrowed his eyes and waited. I stared into the distance, but my human eyes couldn’t see anything.
Forse rose calmly and turned a slow circle. After he’d assessed the compound, he turned to Tyr. “The protections are in place, but he is trying to break through the west entrance. What do you want to do?”
“Is it…?” I rested my palms on Tyr’s shirt. Maybe feeling his heartbeat would slow down mine.
“Fenrir’s here.” Tyr didn’t take his eyes off the dunes. He tilted his head like he was listening for something. “And he’s angry. He came back to the Arcata cabin after he ported out, but Elsa wasn’t there. He wants to finish her off and then…”
“What else? There’s something else,” Henrik said.
Tyr’s chest tensed beneath my hand. “If we don’t give him my sister, he’s coming after Mia.”
“Like Helheim he is.” Freya jumped to her feet. She picked up a rapier I hadn’t even realized was sitting under her Adirondack chair. An honest-to-goodness rapier. “Let’s go tie up that monster with our shiny pink ribbon.”
“I wish it was that easy.” Brynn stood and pulled a set of nunchucks from her waistband. Henrik rose to one knee and reached into a pocket of the blanket. He unearthed two shiny blades that looked an awful lot like real samurai swords.
The entire party was packing, and I hadn’t even worn shoes.
“It can be that easy,” Forse spoke calmly. Like Tyr, he kept his eyes on the dunes. “Fenrir’s judgment is clouded by his anger. He’s never had anyone slip out of his grasp before, and he’s furious Elsa lived. But he’s even angrier Mia escaped unharmed. We might be able to take him down, but…”
“But what? What? What?” I tried not to sound like a four-year-old.
Forse spoke without looking at me. “With offspring of Loki, there’s always a price. You know how it is.”
No. I most definitely did not know that. Nobody had mentioned any prices on Wikipedia, Art History, or in our little rat-escaping bedtime stories. What was Forse talking about?
“I already said I’ll pay it,” Tyr muttered. He lifted me off his lap and set me on the grass. “This has gone on long enough.”
“What are you doing?” I chased him across the lawn. “Tyr, are you insane? Don’t go looking for a fight. We’re safe in here; Forse said so.” I spun on my heel. “We are safe, right?”
“We are safe,” Forse confirmed. “Nothing has ever breached my defenses. Doubly so now that we’ve reinforced the compound.”
“There you go then.” I grabbed Tyr’s arm and spun him around. “We can just stay in here. He’ll go away eventually.”
“And then w
hat?” Tyr’s voice was thick. “He goes after somebody else in my place? Nobody else is dying because of me.”
“You have to stop—”
“No, Mia. This ends tonight. I started this the day I begged Odin for Fenrir’s life. I have to be the one to end it. Fenrir isn’t taking my sister.” Tyr reached out and touched my cheek with the back of one finger. “And he isn’t getting anywhere near you, ever again. I love you.”
My breath caught in my throat. I tilted my head, and he cupped my cheek, stroking my jaw lightly with his thumb.
“Tyr,” I whispered. The moisture in my eyes threatened to spill over.
“I love you,” Tyr repeated. He pulled my hip into his and tilted my chin up. He brought his mouth down, crushing our lips together with a force that left me breathless.
“You’re welcome,” Freya called from behind us. “Also, told you so.”
Tyr pulled back to glare at his friend. “You gonna give me that ribbon or not?”
“Not.” Freya marched over to us and patted her back pocket. “It’s in here. And I’m coming with you.”
“Wait,” I begged. “Let me come too. I can help. Let me be the decoy—I’ll reel Fenrir in, and you can fly down and tie him up with the ribbon. Or I’ll go get my space gun from the house, and I can shoot him while you bind him and…” And what? The space guns didn’t work on Fenrir anymore. And there was no way Tyr would let me be the decoy. Or get anywhere near Fenrir. Or… or…
Tyr’s eyes were unreadable as I issued my silent plea. They narrowed infinitesimally, taking on just a hint of sadness. It finally hit me, the point he’d been driving home all along. I was mortal. Destructible. What did I really think I could do to help the gods?
What would I ever be able to do to help them?
“I really can’t help you with this, can I?” I whispered. “I can’t… I can’t fix this.”