Redeemer (Night War Saga Book 3)

by Leia Stone

  “Right. I destroy Nott, save Midgard, wake you, and we all live happily ever after,” I surmised.

  “Except you didn’t destroy Nott, did you?” Mom raised one eyebrow.

  Wait. How did she know that? Oh, right. She saw things from her sleep. Oh, God, had she seen me wanting to jump Tore? Dear Universe, Please let my mom not have seen that. Thanks. Xoxo, Allie.

  “Um . . . no. I didn’t destroy Nott.” I played with the fabric of the duvet and really hoped the Universe had my back on that last ask. “Tore wanted me to, but when I stabbed her, two orbs rose from her body and I knew that one was her original soul—the one that was hers before she allowed the darkness to overtake her. I destroyed the dark orb, but I used the Liv to return the light orb to Nott’s body.”

  A smile tugged at my mom’s lips. “And what happened when you did that?”

  “Well, when she came to, she apologized for everything she’d done when she’d allowed the darkness to possess her,” I surmised. “And Tore forgave her. He pardoned her, on the condition she stay away from us, and never hurt anyone again.”

  “Correct.” My mother beamed. Why was she so happy? “Don’t you see, Allie?”

  “Don’t I see what?” I felt as dense as a bowling ball. I was so not showcasing my stellar intellect. Way to impress your mom, Allie. Crushing it again.

  “You could have destroyed Nott, but you didn’t,” Mom said gently. “You redeemed her.”

  “I’d hardly say I redeemed her,” I objected. “I think she’s living somewhere alone as a bird in Iceland. She’s not re-entering society as a productive Asgardian or anything.”

  “Oh, sweet girl.” Mom chuckled. “Nott should have been executed for what she did. Tore had every right to avenge her wrongs with a death warrant. But you inspired him to make a different choice. And in doing that, you gave Nott a second chance—just like you gave Tore a second chance. He’d have very easily followed his father’s path had he and his friends not been tasked with protecting you. You heal, Allie Rydell. And you have the Liv. But you are not meant to be another Goddess of Healing. You are meant to be something unique—something Asgard has never had before.”

  My eyes widened as my mother clasped my hands.

  “Sweetheart. You are to be our Redeemer.”

  Redeemer? Me?

  “Yes,” Greta whispered. “That makes perfect sense. You and Tore are two halves, Allie. You balance him, and he pushes you. The Norns brought you together to protect the realms, but equally important, to protect each other. You’ll never let him descend to darkness because you’re literally filled with the Liv—with life. And he’ll never let anything bad happen to you because you really are his light. He told you that once, didn’t he?”

  Seriously? If Greta was going to blurt my deepest secrets in front of my mom and godmother, I was so never confiding in her again.

  The shuffling of feet from outside the door reminded me that the subject of our conversation was right outside.

  I shot Greta a glare, but she just gave me an irritatingly beatific smile. “I’m sorry. It just all makes so much sense now.”

  Elora squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t be embarrassed, dear. Eir could never keep my secrets, either.”

  “I could too!” Mom objected. “Well, most of the time.”

  “See?” Elora gave me a pointed look.

  I shook my head. What could I do but laugh?

  “So, may I see your Tore?” my mom asked. “He was very small the last time our paths crossed.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Tore strode into the room, crossing to stand at my mom’s bedside without missing a beat. Oh, God. He had been able to hear everything we’d said. I hate you, Greta. I. Hate. You. “Welcome back to us. It’s a pleasure to see you awake. And Greta’s right. I love your daughter very much.”

  Aw, Tore! The warmth in my heart matched the warmth in my cheeks.

  “Oh, my.” Mom clasped her hands to her mouth. “Oh, sweetheart. You look just like your mother.”

  “Thank gods,” Tore said with a rueful smile. “I’d hate to think I look like that other guy.”

  My mom just laughed. “Your father had some good qualities,” she tutted.

  “That he did,” Tore agreed. “But my mother has more. And I know she’ll be very thankful to see you again.”

  “Many beings will,” Elora agreed. “When you’re recovered and out of the healing unit, please let me throw your homecoming party. It will give me an excuse to bake.”

  “Ooh, pickleberry pie.” My mouth watered at the memory.

  “If you must,” Mom agreed. “But keep it small, Elora. I know you.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I only—”

  A series of beeps from Tore’s communicator cut Elora off.

  “Let me just check this. Huh. Traitor apprehended attempting escape,” Tore read aloud. “All involved parties report to the holding unit immediately. Hmm. I’m so sorry, I should go. And apparently, Allie should go with me.” He quirked one eyebrow. “Redeemer?”

  Right. Because that was a thing now.

  “Do I have to? I’d rather stay with my mom.” I’d waited seventeen years for this moment. Surely Tore could handle one teensy little—wait, had Tore said traitor? “The traitor who tipped off Nott? The one from the Alfödr’s inner circle? That traitor?”

  Oh, hell no. I so wanted to have words with . . . with whoever that was.

  “I’ll have you back here as soon as I can,” Tore promised. “I know what it means to be reunited with family.”

  Of course he did. He was awaiting his own reunion back on Midgard. The sooner we dealt with this traitor jerk, the better. I mean, usher his soul into more advanced consciousness. Yeah, that.

  “Mom, I’ll be back. I am really happy you’re awake.” I bent down to give my mom a gentle hug.

  “Not half as happy as I am. I love you, Daughter.”

  My chest clenched and tears pooled in my eyes again. “I love you, too,” I choked out. My mom said she loves me! Breathe, Allie. Breathe. You’ll have thousands of moments like this in your future. But since I’d had far too few of these in my past, I committed this particular one to memory. It was definitely a keeper.

  “Come on, Pepper.” Tore held out his hand, and I reluctantly allowed him to pull me to my feet.

  “Pepper?” Mom raised one eyebrow. Thank God. She hadn’t seen everything from her sleep.

  “I’ll fill you in,” Greta offered.

  “No, you won’t,” I hissed at my friend. “Go heal someone. I’ll be back soon.” Then I added, “Love you, Mom!” as I followed the chuckling Tore through the doorway. I stopped to hug Mack, Bodie and Johann, fighting back tears and whispering a grateful, “We did it.”

  “Thank gods,” Bodie whispered back. “I’m so happy you have her back, Allie.”

  “Me, too.” I pulled back to look at my friends. “And I’m so happy I have you guys. You never gave up. You risked everything to end Nott’s reign; to save our realms, and to save my mom.”

  “We love you,” Mack said simply.

  “We do,” Johann agreed.

  “I love you guys, too.” I pulled them close again, with a sniffle. “And my mom’s going to love you just as much as I do. Go in there and meet her.”

  “We’ll be back.” Tore tilted his head toward the end of the hallway. “Allie?”

  Right.

  “Thank you,” I said to my friends. Mack, Bodie and Johann nodded.

  Tore held out his hand, and I let him lead me away from my boys and out of the healing unit. We’d deal with the traitor straight away. And then, I had some major mother-daughter bonding time to catch up on.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  TORE LED ME OUT of the healing unit and across a bridge to a beautiful castle. The two heavily armed Asgardians guarding the door bowed as we passed. We probably owed their reverence to the fact that Tore was Revenge, but it still felt weird.

  “The prisoner is in
the holding unit. I suppose you want me to hear him out before deciding how to proceed?” Tore’s boots clanked against the pristine, stone floors.

  “Yes.” I elbowed him slightly. “And let me see if any healing can take place before you go all Revenge on him, okay?”

  If the traitor had any healable darkness in his soul, maybe he wouldn’t need the toughest skit Tore could throw at him to make things right.

  Tore just gave me a sideways glance and shrugged. Our new arrangement would take some getting used to. For both of us.

  We reached a massive set of double doors. Two armor-clad men framed the entry, each carrying an enormous, glowing sword. The men nodded at us before swinging the doors open to reveal a wide staircase. It spiraled downward toward the main floor of the castle. Tore marched down the stairs, and I followed his lead. He seemed to know his way around.

  “Do we know anything about this guy?” I asked

  Tore rounded a corner, leading me along a narrow hallway with glass doors leading from either side. “Nothing. Hopefully he’s cooperative.”

  It didn’t take a telepathic dragon to read between those lines. If the perp didn’t talk, things were going to get ugly.

  Yikes.

  We stopped outside one of the glass doors. I was following so closely behind Tore, I hadn’t seen the guard standing sentry outside. But as I stepped up next to my boyfriend, a grin stretched across my face.

  “Astrid!” I greeted her happily. “Hey, we woke up my mom!”

  “I’m very happy to hear it.” She smiled at me, before turning a more focused face on Tore. Right. Traitor. Must be serious. Oops.

  Tore folded his arms across his chest before addressing Astrid. “What do we know?”

  “It’s a mess,” she admitted. “Nobody knew that one of Nott’s former lovers was in the Alfödr’s personal guard. The traitor was feeding Nott information hoping she’d take him back. He confessed everything—pled guilty to treason. The God of Justice signed off on his declaration, and because of your involvement in this mission, he’s turning this perp over to you. By all accounts you can kill him if you want to.”

  Tore clenched his jaw. “Thank you, Astrid.”

  She nodded. “I’ll wait out here.”

  Tore placed his palm against the glass and a green beam scanned his hand before the lock clicked open.

  Whoa.

  I followed Tore into the room, drinking in the sight of our traitor. He was a fit-looking man—broad-shouldered with wavy, dark hair. He sat on the metal bed, hunched over with his face in his hands. My fists clenched as I thought of every time we’d dropped into a realm to find Nott waiting for us with dragons or dark portals or frost giants. It had been this guy’s fault. Every. Single. Time.

  This Redeemer thing was going to be harder than I’d thought.

  “Do you know who I am?” Tore spoke firmly.

  The man looked up and nodded. “You’re the new God of Revenge.”

  Tore stepped closer. “What were you thinking, giving Nott sensitive information about our missions? You could have gotten Allie killed. That may not mean anything to you, but it should. If she’d died, the Liv would have been destroyed. Asgard would have had no healing goddess. Your Alfödr, who you swore to protect, would have been vulnerable. And I would have hunted you down and killed you myself.”

  Whoa. Down, Tore.

  I placed a hand on Tore’s bicep, willing his energy to settle while I performed a scan of the traitor’s body. He had no cords or dark orbs—there was nothing inside of him for me to heal, save for the throbbing brown blob of sadness that weighed heavily atop his heart.

  Huh.

  The traitor stared despondently at his feet. “I . . . we lost so much together I thought this might bring the Nott I knew back to me.”

  I gasped at his words, the Alfödr’s story coming back to me. “Wait,” I whispered. “I know who you are. You’re the father of the baby she lost. Aren’t you?”

  The man’s eyes met mine. They held so much pain, my own heart broke a little for him. “I lost my child and my lover that day,” he said.

  My hand squeezed Tore’s bicep. We had to give this guy his happy ending. It was within our power, and the solution was insanely simple. We could get him out of Asgard’s hair, and give him what he’d wanted, all in one fell swoop.

  “Tore,” I said.

  “Allie,” he warned. I could almost hear him in my head, detailing all the reasons this man didn’t deserve to live. We locked eyes in an epic standoff, neither of us willing to back down. It would have gone on forever, but the traitor’s strained voice pulled us from our power struggle.

  “Is she dead?” he asked.

  And my heart tugged again. Dang it, I didn’t want to feel bad for these people. They’d made my life unbelievably difficult.

  “Yes,” Tore said.

  “In a sense,” I added.

  The traitor looked up, hope shining from his eyes. “In a sense?”

  “The Nott that terrorized the realms is gone. But . . .” I ignored the look Tore was shooting me—the one that very clearly said, What the hell are you doing Pepper?

  “But the old Nott returned,” I continued. “She will live out the remainder of her existence in solitude in Iceland, Midgard.”

  Tore squatted down to meet the perp at eye level. Anger radiated from his torso as he addressed the man whose choices had caused death, destruction, and unfathomable amounts of pain. “You betrayed Asgard,” Tore said. “You sold the Alfödr’s secrets right out from under his nose. Gods, light elves, humans, and countless others died because of your decisions.”

  “I know I deserve death.” Tears brimmed in the traitor’s eyes. “I was blinded by grief, and I didn’t think. I’m truly sorry.”

  My boyfriend shot me a sideways glance as I beamed rainbows of love at him. Please let this man live.

  Tore groaned. “You can pay your debt to the realms by residing in Helheim for one year. If you survive your sentence there without causing any trouble, then your obligation will be met.”

  Gratitude burst across the traitor’s face. “Thank you, sir.”

  Tore stood. “You are banned from entering Asgard, ever again.”

  The man swallowed hard before nodding.

  “But if you make it to the blue lagoon in Iceland, search for a large white bird that kind of looks like the moonlight. You might find what you wanted all along,” I added.

  Tore shot me another look and I smiled. Midgard was my turf, right? I might as well keep Nott and this traitor close enough to keep an eye on them.

  “Thank you both.” The traitor bowed his head.

  “Don’t make us regret this,” Tore called over his shoulder as he turned on one heel and stalked from the room. I hurriedly followed. “You know at this rate, we’re going to have to station some guards on Iceland.”

  I chuckled. “My thoughts exactly.”

  Sorry, Iceland. You are slowly becoming my Asgardian traitor jail.

  “One year in Helheim,” Tore said to Astrid as we walked past her. “Transfer him when you’re ready.”

  Astrid nodded once, and I waved to her as I followed Tore up the stairs. We didn’t speak until we were out of earshot of the many guards that paced the halls of the castle. When we were finally alone, I turned to face my boyfriend.

  “Well.” I exhaled. “We beat Nott, we found the traitor, my mom’s awake and your mom is healed. What are we going to do now?”

  Tore’s hands slid in behind my shirt to caress my lower back. “Now we celebrate. And then . . .” He leaned in and kissed my neck sending a wave of heat coursing through me. “Then, Bora Bora.”

  I grinned. Finally.

  ***

  Two days later, happy Asgardians filled the garden of my mother’s home. My protectors, their parents, Greta, Astrid, Lela, and dozens of strangers stood together. They celebrated the end of the Night War, the health of my mother, and Ophelia’s unexpected return. We’d experienced heartbreaking l
osses, but there was much to be happy about, too.

  Mack and Lela gazed adoringly at each other by the rose bushes. Elora and Ryul approached them, each carrying two cups of a sparkling liquid, and after Elora kissed Lela’s cheeks, the four of them raised their glasses together. They may have been toasting the end of the darkness, but I liked to imagine there was glimmer of a toast—from Elora, at least—in celebration of Mack and Lela’s budding relationship. I had no doubt my god-brother would be making good on his promise to marry Lela very soon. They were such a perfect fit.

  Ophelia stood with Johann’s dads by the lavender plants. Her head tipped back in laughter at something Garrett said, and happiness coursed through me. Over the past few days she’d settled beautifully into her former life, returning to Asgard to help Tore and I transition my mom home from the healing unit. She’d been doing much of the cooking while I’d tended to my mom’s recovery, and I’d been more than willing to consume copious amounts of lingonberry cookies while Ophelia had attempted to teach Tore the recipe. My boyfriend was a terrible baker, but it was worth a few burned cookies to see the twinkle in his eyes as he did something so simple with the mom he thought he’d lost forever.

  On the far end of the yard, Johann and Astrid walked hand in hand beside the raised vegetable beds. He whispered something in her ear, and she beamed at him. I sent them a mental high five, happy to see all my protectors settling into a groove with their perfectly matched partners.

  Now it was time for me to track down mine.

  Greta’s tinkling laugh drew my attention to the food-laden picnic table. Ah, there’s my guy. I crossed the yard to stand beside Tore, who listened with a frown as Greta finished telling an animated story to Bodie’s mom.

  “So, Tore stood in the doorway and said, ‘You’re not coming with us.’” Greta mimicked Tore’s voice, earning a scowl from my prickly protector.

  “I don’t sound like that,” he argued.

  “You do. And then,” Greta continued, “I gave him a teensy little nudge with my energy wands, and he went flying.”

  Bodie’s laugh filled the yard. “Man. I can’t believe I missed that.”