by Gwen Rivers
I can’t speak yet. Words, those tricksy adversaries, elude me. He knows about the baby, about Hanson.
Aiden pulls back just far enough so he can see my face. His eyes flash emerald fire. “What did she do to you?”
I shake my head, not wanting to talk about it.
“Nic,” he breathes.
“It’s over,” I murmur. “I just want to focus on you. I’ve missed you.”
His expression is tight and I can feel his wolf prowling beneath the surface but he just pulls me in tighter.
Now that I’ve started though there is more I need to tell him. More that can’t wait. Into his shoulder, I make my apology. “Aiden, I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want…that is I didn’t plan….”
He stiffens, then sets me back so we are once more looking eye to eye. “What is it, Nic?”
“The baby.” Tears are brimming, those hormones getting the best of me once again.
“Hey,” he cups my face in his big hands. “Nic, I know you didn’t mean for this to happen. Neither of us did. I was there, remember?”
His tone is amused, of all things. I stare at him, unable to comprehend this change of heart. “But you told me you never wanted kids. You were adamant about it.”
“I know. I didn’t. Not with her.” He cups my face in his warm, rough palms. “But you aren’t her. You’re mine. And this baby will be ours.”
Ours. The word sends a hot wave through me that spreads from my heart to my fingertips. It’s similar to the way I used to feel about the monsters I had hunted. Possessive. Greedy.
Looking into Aiden’s eyes, for the first time, I feel hope. Maybe I can do this after all. As long as I have him, anything is possible.
Game Plan
“We have to go back,” I say to the group gathered around Sophie’s kitchen table.
Blank stares from every direction. Sophie’s blue eyes are huge as she takes us all in. No doubt we are a motley crew of misfits. Werewolves, giants and serial killers, oh my!
I’m not as confident as I want to be that this is the right move, but after catching up with Aiden, I know there is no alternative. I am a wanted felon on this side of the Veil.
“It’s suicide.” Angrboda peels the label off a beer bottle. “There aren’t enough of us to combat the Draugar.”
“I have to agree,” Chloe says. She appears better, though there is a large bump on her forehead that she holds her own beer bottle against.
I turn to face my wolf. “Aiden?”
“Where you go, I go. And so will the pack.” He chucks a thumb out to the missing side of the house where the majority of the wolves have congregated beside the burnt carcasses of the SUVs.
Pack. While I’d been tortured and experimented on, Aiden had gone and found himself a pack. And a sister. Lucky for her purple hide. If not for that connection, I would have murdered her for handing Aiden over to Freya. I glare at the seer with dislike.
She glowers back. “You really think we all deserve to die? The fey realm is two worlds out of nine. I say let Underhill have it.”
Aiden shakes his head. “It isn’t practical. Pharaildis won’t stop with killing the fey.”
I add my support to his observations. “How long until she finds a way to free Loki? Between herself and Fenrir, Underhill controls the entire Unseelie Court. She wants to kill Aiden. She wants to kill my child to prevent the prophecy of the One True Queen. I won’t let her just go ahead with her plans.”
Laufey’s eye is swollen but she nods. “We can’t just abandon our friends and allies. And yes, while I mostly mean Fern, don’t forget she holds Soladin, Nahini, and the other Fate as well.”
“But every dead soldier on our side adds to her army,” Angrboda points out. “I say we stay here and try to live in peace.”
“Peace?” I gape at the giantess. “Did you not see how they came down on us today like fire from the sky?”
“That was a few mad mortals. You’re talking about going up against every being that has ever died beyond the Veil.”
“Trust me, there are plenty more like Hanson.” I suck in a deep breath and put my hand over my belly. “I’m past the point in my life where my only goal is to stay out of prison. Freedom comes with a price and I am willing to fight for it, for ours and for all the fey.”
“As am I,” Laufey stands.
Angrboda shakes her head.
“We could really use your help,” I say to Chloe.
Her teeth sink into the flesh of her lower lip. “You know I can’t interfere with Fate, but I’ll do what I can.”
“Angrboda?” I face the mother of Fenrir.
The giantess looks around the table, then throws her hands up in the air. “Fine. I guess I’m outnumbered. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“So here’s the plan,” Aiden folds his hands on the table. “We go in, snag big brother and drag his—er, Gretchen’s—carcass back across the Veil.”
“Um, isn’t Fenrir like royalty?” Liam asks.
“An Unseelie Queen,” I say with a nod.
“With magical powers?” Another werewolf, a redhead wearing one of Sophie’s long dresses, asks.
It’s Aiden’s turn to nod. “That’s right.”
“So, if he’s a queen with magic powers, how exactly are we supposed to abduct him?” The eyebrow over Liam’s blue eye juts up.
“I know the Underground Palace better than anyone in residence,” Aiden says. “The corridors which are collapsed, the ones that have been abandoned, the ones that are undoubtedly guarded. We’ll send in a small team to overpower him. All we need to do is avoid Underhill’s notice.”
“Oh, is that all,” Liam snorts.
“I’m going to lure her out,” I say.
“No,” Aiden snarls.
Which is exactly why I didn’t tell him in private. A wolf guarding his pregnant mate who was just sprung from jail is not prone to reason. If I’d told him upstairs, I don’t doubt he would have locked me in the room until the meeting was over.
“I have to. She banished me so I’m sure she has some way to track me. I won’t do anything foolish—I’ll just stay long enough to draw her notice.”
Aiden looks ready to argue when Angrboda steps forward. “Váli is right. You and the babe are far too valuable to risk. I have also been banished, so I will trigger the alarm.”
I hold her gaze for a long moment. I see many emotions flickering in the depths of her eyes. Regret, determination, anger.
“All right,” I acquiesce. “Chloe and I will wait at the farm.” Now that the FBI is out of the picture, it should be safe enough.
The backdoor opens and Garret strides in followed by Tate and Jedda. “Sophie? Are you all right? What the hell happened to the house? And what are all those naked guys doing on our prop—” he looks around at the crowd gathered in his home.
I get up. “Garret, I’m so sorry.”
Aiden reaches for my hand and tucks it inside his palm.
Garret’s blue gaze goes to the connection and his eyes narrow. “Is this the guy? The one who left you?”
I bristle at the tone. “This is Aiden.”
Aiden releases me and reaches out, extending his palm to shake Garret’s hand. “A pleasure, sir.”
Garret offers him a quicksilver smile, takes Aiden’s right hand in his left. His other hand balls into a fist. Then there is a crunch. Aiden staggers back, blood gushing from his nose.
“Aiden!” I fall to his side at the same time as Sophie cries out, “Garret!”
Garret ignores both of us, his eyes blazing blue fire at Aiden. “You just count your lucky stars that I’m not armed. That’s my daughter and I want to know right now whether your intentions toward her are honorable.”
I stare at him, open-mouthed.
“Sir, they are, sir.” Aiden sounds like a first-year cadet instead of a millennia-old god.
Garret goes on as if Aiden hadn’t answered. “Because if they aren’t, I’ll hunt you down like the mangey
beast that you are. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need a drink.” Shaking out his hand, he strides into the other room.
Sophie hands me a dishtowel and then hustles over to Tate and Jedda. “Come on boys, bath time.” She hurries them out of the room.
“Holy shit.” Liam is gaping at the scene. “Dude was lucky you didn’t really show him your inner beast.”
“I thought you said he was bookish?” Aiden winces as he touches the bridge of his broken nose.
“He is. And I was sure he didn’t like me.”
Liam snorts. “Yeah, but he’s still your dad.”
“What are you still doing here?” Aiden snaps at Liam. “I thought you were going.”
The other wolf shrugs. “No hurry.”
“Well, I guess that means the meeting is over.” Angrboda stands up and gives Liam a hearty once over. “If we’re going to die tomorrow, I want to find some company for the night. Too bad you’re family.”
“Yeah,” Liam says faintly as he watches Angraboda walk away. “Too bad.”
“Dude, quit gawking. She’s like your grandmother,” I snap.
Liam shakes his head as though to clear it.
“Are you all right?” I hold the cloth gently to Aiden’s nose.
“It will be. My pride took the worst of it.” He chuckles. “Sucker punched by a mortal. A bookish mortal.”
At least he isn’t angry. “I guess that’s what dads are like.”
“I’m just glad he doesn’t have any magic, or I’d be nothing but a twitching pulp on the floor.”
The others trickle out to make their preparations for our journey.
Aiden removes the towel. The bleeding has slowed and he’s healing before my eyes. Tossing the bloody towel in the trash, he offers me his arm. “Take a walk with me.”
I clasp his hand. “Want to get out of here before Garret comes back?”
His green eyes are sincere as he holds my gaze. “I just want some time alone with you.”
We step out onto the moonlit path and down to the beach. He raises his face to the shining fullness above.
“I guess I need to get used to thinking about the big picture.” I slide a hand over my belly.
His smile is soft. “I still can’t believe it.”
“Me either. I thought Hanson was messing with me at first.”
Aiden studies me. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I will be. Losing Astrid was the worst part.” Briefly, I tell him about the Norn girl. “Nothing good happens to people who befriend me. Sarah, Astrid, Gretchen.”
“Gretchen isn’t your fault. From what the wolves tell me, Fenrir is placed randomly in each lifetime.”
“It’s so odd, to think that Fenrir lives inside of her.” I shake my head. “Is it coincidence that he was born into a mortal at the same time in the same town as me?”
“I doubt it.” Aiden pulls me into the shadow of the barn. “Nothing is a coincidence. Someone somewhere is pulling the strings.”
I run a hand along his jawline. “Don’t let them catch you, Aiden. You’re just as valuable as I am now.”
He pulls my knuckles to his lips. “I won’t get caught. Not by Underhill or the fey.”
“And don’t get distracted either.” As much as it pains me, I know I can’t send him after Fern, Addy, Bard, Nahini, and Soladin. “This is about dethroning Fenrir and taking the power out of my mother’s hands. With three of the four thrones out of her grasp, she’s trapped.”
“I won’t.” He hesitates. “Have you thought about what we do when we get Gretchen back? We may have neutralized the FBI special unit, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t threats to us here.”
“I’m going to help her start the life she wants,” I say. “She can get out of town, go to college, and do something great.”
“And you think she’ll keep our secret?”
“It won’t matter. By the time we let her loose, we’ll be back on the other side of the Veil. One way or another.”
He scrutinizes my face. “You sure you don’t want to stay here?”
It’s the first time either of us has mentioned it. In many ways, life in Midgard is simpler. Hide in plain sight, pretend to be normal.
“I tried to run away from my responsibilities before. It didn’t end well.”
We are both silent for a time, enjoying the chill breeze and each other. I want to tell him about what Angrboda said, about me needing to take Underhill’s place, but I find I can’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I focus on something else.
“Chloe told me you were in Asgard.”
“Not by choice.” He holds my gaze. “You know I was trying to get to you.”
I did. “You said Harmony helped Freya capture you but you never said why.”
“Freya,” he spits the goddess’s name like a curse. “She wanted…well, it doesn’t matter now. She’s not going to get it.”
He looks to me and I feel that tug, the connection between us burrowing deeper than I ever believed possible.
“No more secrets,” I whisper.
Aiden scrubs his free hand over his face. “She said she wanted to have my child. To protect her from Loki’s wrath.”
He’ s mine. A spear of that same possessive energy burns through me. The goddess had been with him and wanted to take back what was mine.
“Nic?” Aiden let’s go of my hand and I see that mine is engulfed in flame. “It’s okay. I didn’t touch her.”
“I’m going to kill her,” I murmur. Not with the heat, I am feeling but with cold detachment, with surety.
“You can’t. If Underhill is successful, the gods of Asgard will all be needed at Ragnarök.”
I say nothing. Where there’s a will, there’s a way and I have some magic on tap, thanks to our baby.
“How do I control this?” I ask holding my hand aloft like a torch.
Aiden studies my hand. “Try and picture dousing the flames in your head, like you’re coving the fire with a jar.”
I concentrate, but the flames burn brighter. “It’s not working.”
He covers my hand in his again, the two of us burning together. “This power is different from mine. It’s tethered to you but also to the child. And she can feel what you feel.”
Without warning, he sinks down to his knees and presses his face against my stomach. “Hey now, little one. It’s all right. I’m going to take good care of your mommy and you.”
The flames wink out.
Aiden looks up at my hand and smiles. “Have you thought of any names yet?”
I shake my head.
He rises to my feet and then takes my hand again as if nothing had happened. It’s these moments with him I love best. The times when I can forget the things I’ve done and the destiny lurking around the next corner. It doesn’t matter that he’s a wolf god and I’m an uncrowned fey queen. We’re just Nic and Aiden, strolling in the moonlight.
I stop and pull him close. “Promise that you’ll take care of her. Genetics are against her, with Pharaildis on my side and Loki on yours. You’re the only good influence she will have.”
“She’ll have you,” he murmurs with total sincerity.
I love that Aiden sees me as good, even though I’m not. “How can you possibly say that after all the things I’ve done to you? All the pain and the suffering I’ve caused. Don’t you know the Unseelie are wicked by nature?”
He shakes his head. “No, they aren’t. You aren’t. I see you and where you come from.” He gestures back to the house. “All good things. No amount of Loki’s DNA can fuck that up.”
I let out a relieved breath, the first one since I found out I was with child. “I don’t know what kind of mother I’ll be.”
“The best kind.” He grins. “Because unlike my mother, your priorities are in order.”
I’ve never heard him talk negatively about Sigyn before. “What changed your mind?”
“Harmony.” He picks up a rock and bounces it in his palm, then c
hucks it out into the sound. “I guess I never felt worthy of her love. Nari was gone and I’d killed him. So there was no going back for me. I accepted that she stayed by Loki’s side even when he treated her like dirt because she didn’t think I was any better. But to have a newborn babe and give her over to Freya…?”
“That’s messed up.”
His expression is grim. “She’s a coward. That’s not loyalty. She’s no better than Lachesis leaving you alone without your memories. Call a spade a spade. It’s neglect and abandonment.”
I’ve never heard him talk this way before and tilt my head to take him in. In the short time we’ve been out, his nose has healed completely and he is just as physically flawless as he was the first time I saw him. But there is a change that goes beneath the surface, a new light around him. “You seem…different.”
He threads his fingers through mine. “I feel different. Better. Whole.”
I smile. “Because we’re together?”
He shakes his head. “I mean that’s part of it, but it’s more than that. You are my world, and our daughter will be too. But Nic, I feel…content. I’m at peace with myself and with the wolf.”
Acceptance. I smile and squeeze his hand. “That makes me so happy to hear, you have no idea, Aiden. I want you to smile more, to laugh more.”
“As my lady commands,” he bows low over my hand.
“None of that,” I wait until he stands upright then press my lips to his. He tastes of coffee and cold air and Aiden. His unique scent of cedar and sage mingle with the wildness of the man I love. The wolf I love.
He holds me close, allowing me to play, to kiss and touch him as I will. So new. These feelings are fresh, bright and shiny. For me, for both of us. The building heat, the surge of need to get closer. To be closer. Yet they are right.
“Nic,” he breathes. “That’s a gallows kiss.”
I pull back. “Maybe it is. Maybe I’m worried.”
He traces my lips with his fingertip. “You, my brave beautiful mate, have nothing to worry about. Nothing will keep me from you. Not your mother, my father, not even the end of the worlds.”
I swallow and nod. “You promise you’ll come right back?”
He nods. “Right back. But that’s not for several hours yet. Do you have any ideas on how we should pass the time?” His grin turns wicked.
