“The bolt should have killed you. No man can survive.”
“I am not just a man. I am a wolf, created for you, by you, and I carry your curse. The god bolt recognized the energy in me. I merged them.” Golden arcs skipped across his fingers. He stared, mesmerized by the energy he clasped in his hand.
“Let it go.” It wasn’t Odin who spoke, but Maccus. Unafraid, he walked up to Bjorn. “Let it go or it will devour you. You’re not meant to hold it for long. Your body cannot contain it forever.”
He was right. Bjorn was starting to fade, to become translucent before her very eyes. He didn’t react at all to Maccus, deaf and blind to all but the energy trying to consume him.
“Release it,” she yelled. “It’s killing you.” There was only one way to stop him. Anja threw her arms around him. Her entire body arched back, electrified and on fire. A scream ripped from her throat.
Bjorn flung the god bolt into the sky where it exploded, turning the air golden before it diminished. So pretty for something so deadly.
“Anja.” He caught her in his arms as she fell. “Anja.” He peppered her face with kisses. “What have you done? Why did you touch me?” The horror in his eyes made her heart ache. He’d blame himself for this. She couldn’t have that.
“Together.” The one word was all she could manage. Involuntary shivers racked her from head to toe. It was as though every cell in her body was being ripped apart. Dying the first time around hadn’t been this painful, and she’d had only a taste of what Bjorn had gone through.
She wasn’t going to make it. Her human body simply wasn’t capable of withstanding such an attack.
“I won’t lose you.” He placed his hands on her and closed his eyes. His body bowed back. All the energy that had slammed into her rushed toward him.
He was pulling it out of her.
She jolted as though struck by lightning, but in reverse, the energy leaving her body rather than entering. Like before, it wrapped around his hands. This time, he immediately raised them to the sky and released it. Sparks flew. Thunder cracked.
Then his lips were on hers, hard and hot. He didn’t kiss her, he consumed her. She tangled her fingers in his hair and clung to him. How often could they cheat death? When would a kiss be their last one? When she finally released him, they were both breathless. “I’m alive.”
“For now.” Freya sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Enough drama. You need to come with me before things get even more out of hand.”
It was too much to hope the gods would simply go away. That’s not how things worked. Bjorn stood and lifted her to her feet, keeping his arm locked around her. Sven stood apart from the rest, his expression grim but resigned. Fate could not be outrun.
“We’ll be together.” She had no idea how she’d keep such a promise, but she would.
Bjorn pressed a kiss to her temple and nodded at Freya.
The man appeared seemingly out of thin air, taking everyone, even the gods, off guard. There was no fanfare, no smoke or mirrors, no lightning or thunder, no void. He was simply there.
And, by the gods, he was impressive. All she could do was stare.
The man stood well over seven feet and was clad all in black—jeans, boots, T-shirt, and long leather coat. His frown was as dark as midnight. His eyes were jet black and fathomless and seemed to hold all the secrets of the universe.
Anja sniffed the air. Was that flowers? She sniffed again. It was. He smelled like flowers. Totally at odds with his badass appearance.
Bjorn went on alert, claws released. Sven held his weapon ready. Asher pulled Jo behind him. Morrigan stood beside Maccus watching intently. Alexei appeared more resigned than anything. Only Cassie was smiling.
Odin seemed perplexed. “What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in millennia. I thought you came out only in special cases. And no one has died, not yet, at any rate.”
A long scythe appeared in the man’s hand. “The day is still young.”
Cassie cleared her throat. “Ah, hi, Dad.”
Anja’s jaw fell open. This being was her father? If Cassie was a reaper, this man had to be…Death.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“You’re Death’s daughter?” Bjorn hadn’t seen that one coming. “I thought reapers were created by Death, not related to him.”
He’d learned as much as he could about other pantheons, reading as many legends as he could get his hands on. It’d been a way to pass the time, and knowledge was power. And a warrior’s greatest strength was his mind.
Cassie shrugged. “I’m both. It’s complicated.” Cassie pushed a lock of black hair off her forehead and went to her father. “What brought you here?”
Death set the wicked-looking scythe into a sheath at his back and embraced his daughter. Bjorn sheathed his claws but kept his guard up. An already volatile situation just got worse. Having so many powerful creatures in one spot was making his skin itch.
“Did you know about this?” Anja whispered.
He pushed her behind him. Not that it would be much protection. This was Death. “I had no idea.” And neither did Asher or Jo if he was reading them correctly.
“Death doesn’t take sides,” Odin stated, his voice commanding and filled with a note of finality. “Death sits outside all the pantheons, doesn’t get involved in the inner workings.”
“Balance must be kept,” Freya added.
“Balance.” Death nudged his daughter to one side. “Let’s talk about that.” He turned and studied Anja.
Bjorn growled under his breath and stepped in front of his wife.
“Sheath your claws, wolf. I have come for the truth.”
“It’s okay.” She eased around him, rubbed her hand against her thigh, and then stuck it out. “Anja Knutson.”
A smile twitched at Death’s lips. It was gone so fast Bjorn wondered if he’d only imagined it.
Death took Anja’s hand in his, holding it as he stared into her eyes. Standing behind her with his arm around her waist, Bjorn held on tight. He wasn’t taking any chances on having her whisked away. But all Death did was nod and release her.
How many people would dare shake Death’s hand? She was exceptional.
“Loki.” Death spoke the name in a normal voice, but the god appeared in the clearing.
“What the hell?” Loki’s eyes widened as he took in the group. “This is quite the gathering of misfits. Why am I here?”
“Tell them.”
“Tell them what? I was enjoying a nice quiet meal, a bottle of wine, and the company of a lovely lady. I’d like to get back to that.”
Death’s scythe whistled through the air, coming to a stop a hairsbreadth from Loki’s neck.
Loki swallowed but didn’t move. He didn’t dare. Bjorn had read that Death’s scythe could kill anyone, even a god.
“You would destroy the balance by killing a god?” Odin strode forward with a frown, as pompous as ever. “Over what? This woman? This motley group?”
“Shut up, Odin,” Freya muttered.
Death turned the handle of his weapon toward Cassie. “My daughter, the one you tried to kill, is now a part of this motley group. Speak,” he told Loki.
“Fine. I did a favor for a friend. He wanted her.” He pointed at Anja. “Plucked from the afterlife and put in his path.” He pointed at Bjorn. “I don’t see what all the fuss is about.”
“Loki is behind this. Not Anja.” The truth was out, but Bjorn knew better than to think this was the end of it. “This is your proof.”
“She still can’t stay,” Freya insisted. “The dead simply can’t leave the afterlife. That would lead to chaos.”
Understanding slammed into him. “If your followers leave, you get weaker.” All the gods gained energy from being worshipped.
“She can’t stay.” Freya appealed to Death. “You know tha
t better than anyone.”
“Who did you do the favor for, Loki?” Bjorn asked. They’d all suspected Lucifer.
“I really can’t say. Confidentiality and all that.”
“Enough.” Death whispered the word, but it carried more punch than a primal yell. Everyone fell silent. Not an insect or bird or animal could be heard. The entire world held its breath.
Bjorn tightened his grip on Anja. “No matter what happens, don’t let go,” he said to her. Death might seem laid-back, but he was pissed. It was in the almost imperceptible tightening of his jaw, the deepening lines around his eyes.
Death closed his eyes, and a pulse of energy shoved them all back a step. Lucifer popped into the clearing a second later.
“That was unexpected. I didn’t know we were having a party.” He tugged at the cuffs on his shirt. “And all my favorite people are here.” He waved at Maccus and Morrigan. “What do you want, Death? I was about to get laid by a lovely succubus and her demon friend.”
Bjorn’s fangs dropped and he growled. One good bite and he’d rip out Lucifer’s throat. He was the cause of this.
The devil smiled at him. “Aren’t you enjoying your conjugal visit?”
His wolf exploded out of him and pounced, knocking Lucifer to the ground. Lucifer tried to shove him aside but couldn’t move him.
“What the hell?”
Energy warped the air. Bjorn reached out with his mind and grabbed it, anchoring it. The wolf moved his muzzle closer.
“Ah, you want to call off Fido.”
Maccus laughed.
“I don’t understand.” Anja had somehow regained possession of her sword and stood ready to fight. God, he loved that woman. Sven was by her side, axe at the ready.
“It seems as though Odin’s god bolt changed Bjorn,” Maccus told her. “Some of the energy melded with him, making him even stronger than before. It’s time to put an end to this once and for all.”
Was such a thing even possible? Lucifer held a deep grudge against Maccus and the Brotherhood. As much as he’d enjoy biting the devil’s head off, that would cause bigger problems. Bjorn shifted back to human and dragged Lucifer to his feet.
“You do know you’re naked, don’t you?” Lucifer asked.
“I don’t care.” Such things didn’t bother him.
“You can let me go.”
“And give you a chance to escape? I don’t think so.”
“He won’t leave,” Maccus assured him. “I’ll chase him into Hell and drag him back if necessary.”
“Fine, I’ll stay.”
Bjorn couldn’t resist giving him a small shove as he released him. It put Lucifer and the Norse gods on one side and the Brotherhood on the other with Death between them.
The devil straightened his clothes and slicked back his hair, as though this were nothing more than a social visit.
Bjorn hated him to the very marrow of his bones in that moment. “This is all a game to you. You have no stake in this other than your misplaced pride.” He turned to Loki. “And you risked the wrath of your fellow gods by taking Anja from Freya’s realm. Then you sent out emails pretending to be Odin and put out a bounty on her life. All for a potential favor at some point in the future.”
He threw back his head and howled. Trees blew back, wind whipped up. Whatever Odin had done to him earlier, Maccus was right—he was permanently changed.
“Anja isn’t going anywhere,” he informed the goddess. “Neither am I. And neither is my son. We’re all staying here. You can all fuck off back to where you came from and leave us alone.”
…
Anja sucked in a breath as Bjorn threatened the gods.
Righteous anger pushed back the fear that had become a permanent part of her. The gods were not infallible or all powerful, and they could be defeated.
Death may or may not be on their side, but it didn’t matter. Not any longer.
“I am Anja Knutson.” She took her place beside her husband. “I fulfilled my vow to Freya for more than fifteen hundred years, yet she reneged on me. She took my son and made him into her warrior rather than giving him the life I was promised he’d have. I did not break my vow.”
The implication was clear.
“You are still dead,” Freya snapped back.
“I was dead. Thanks to Loki, I am no longer in the afterlife. I was given a new human form.” A certainty built inside her. “I no longer belong there. I will fight to remain with my husband and son, just as I did the first time.”
Sven took his place beside her. “I stand with my parents. My axe belongs to them for as long as we all shall live.”
Bjorn’s hair fell to his broad shoulders. His bare feet were planted on the ground. He was gloriously naked, a warrior unafraid to face down his enemies without a shield or weapon. His wolf gave him an edge, but he would fight even if he were still a man.
He’d given in before only because she had. She’d wanted to save him and their son, but there was no winning in this situation for any of them. Not unless they fought for what they wanted.
“The Brotherhood stands with them.” Maccus spoke, but all of them stepped up behind them. “Think long and hard before you start this war.”
“This is ridiculous.” But Freya no longer looked or sounded as sure as she had. Anja had always viewed her with awe. Now she saw her as imperfect, just like any other person. The gods were more powerful than most, but they had just as many failings as they did strengths.
A lonely howl sounded in the distance, followed by another and then another, until it was an unending chorus.
Loki chuckled. “Looks like we have a furry army on our side. You’ll be too busy battling wolves to protect yourselves.”
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword.
“Don’t worry,” Bjorn told her. He stood unmoving, totally at ease. “Trust me.”
One wolf rushed from the trees, followed by another and another. They raced toward Bjorn. He growled and they all stumbled to a stop.
“I am alpha. I am father to you all.”
Holy shit. He really had changed. Or maybe he was simply becoming what he’d always been meant to be. Maybe guilt had held him back from embracing his true self. More wolves poured out until a dozen stood, all quivering, panting hard from their run.
“I am the Allfather,” Odin insisted.
“Be my guest,” Bjorn shot back.
“Attack them,” Odin ordered the wolves.
Several of them took a few steps forward. Bjorn’s head snapped around and they backed up again and whined, their tails tucking between their legs.
“I am alpha.”
They were in a standoff. Only one person had not taken a stand, and he truly was the only one that could not be defeated. If Death came for her, she was helpless.
Death stirred. “This ends now.” He pointed at Lucifer and the others. “You will leave the Forgotten Brotherhood alone. You will leave Anja and her family alone. If you do not, I will stop reaping souls.”
“You can’t do that.” Odin stumbled back a step.
Death raised an eyebrow. “Do not tell me what I can and cannot do. I was here long before all of you and will be here long after you are nothing but a distant memory.”
Now that was a scary thought. Anja couldn’t imagine being that old. He seemed so alone, in spite of having a daughter. Her heart went out to him.
He turned his head and looked straight at her. “You have a pure spirit.”
Crap, could he hear her thoughts?
“I can.”
Well, that answered that. Her faced warmed as she wondered what else he’d heard.
“I rarely listen on purpose, but sometimes I hear what I’m meant to hear.” He placed his fingers against her forehead. A soothing warmth spread through her body and soul. “You are no lo
nger in the timeline.”
“What does that mean?” she asked. She was lightheaded. It was as though she was cocooned in a cozy blanket on a cold winter’s night or floating in a cool stream on a hot summer’s day. It was a sense of total well-being.
“It means you are immortal and will live as long as Bjorn. If the day comes you both want to end your lives, call and I will come.”
Anja was almost speechless and beyond grateful. “If you ever need anything, you have only to ask.” The vow came from the heart and was one she’d honor no matter the cost.
“There is nothing I can offer that will ever be enough.” Bjorn pulled her against his chest and kissed her forehead. “You have given me my life. Anything I can do for you, anything I can give, it is yours for the asking. You are always welcome in our home.”
Death seemed a bit taken aback by the offer. “There will always be a bed for rest, a meal to fill your belly, and friends at your back,” she told him.
“I offer my services if needed,” Sven added.
Death’s lips twitched. “I think you will be busy.” He glanced toward Maccus and the others.
Anja’s heart soared. Sven would fit well with these other men. He could have real friends and a life.
“This matter is done. I am responsible for every soul reaped in all the worlds. You think to bypass me with the Valkyrie.”
Odin’s smile was smug. “They have always taken the souls of our dead.”
“Because I have allowed it. I can rescind that gift as easily as I gave it. It freed up a reaper or two for other things. You Vikings do love to slaughter one another.” He walked to his daughter and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Do not vex me or I will cease to reap souls,” he reiterated.
“That would cause havoc. People must die.” Freya’s cape fluttered around her as though it were alive.
“Then I will reap them and take them to another realm until all your god powers bleed away. There will be no souls for Hell or Valhalla or any of your fellow gods. And I would make sure they understood who was involved.”
He pointed his finger at Lucifer. “Let this go if you wish to remain king of your domain. Do not make me have to speak with your father.”
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