by S. T. Bende
“Mia.” I ignored Jason’s outburst. “Go upstairs. The realms need what only you and Elsa can give them.”
Mia glanced at her brother. “I really am sorry, Jason. I love you. And I hope one day you’ll understand.”
Jason’s eyes bled hurt. “It’s my job to look out for you, Mees. You’re my baby sister.”
“She’s a lot tougher than you know,” I said gently. “And your sister’s got the job of her life ahead of her. She’s going to fight with Elsa to bring the dark forces of the cosmos to our side. And she’ll have a much better chance of succeeding if she has a clear head.” I shot Jason a pointed look.
“Fine. I love you, Mia,” Jason grunted.
“I love you too.” Mia’s lower lip trembled. She jumped up from the swing and crossed the porch in quick strides. Jason didn’t say a word when she launched herself at him—he just wrapped his arms around his sister, and held her tight.
After a long moment, Mia pulled back to stare Jason in the eye. “We’re good?”
“We’re good,” he confirmed. “But we’re not done talking.”
“I know.” Mia held Jason at arm’s length. “I really am sorry.”
“Go.” Jason jutted his head at the door. “Save the world. Wait. Did Freya say you’re fighting the dark forces of the cosmos?”
“Remotely,” I said smoothly. “She’ll be realms away from the front lines. Mia, get to work. Jason and I need to talk.”
Mia squeezed my hand as she scurried into the house. “Good luck,” she mouthed.
“Thanks,” I mouthed back. Gods knew I’d need it.
I waited until Mia was upstairs before I closed the front door and walked to the porch railing. I rested my forearms on the wooden beam, and crossed one foot behind the other. “So, I’m not an exchange student from Sweden.”
“I heard,” Jason said drily. He gripped the railing at the far end of the porch. “Neither is Tyr. And Lornara doesn’t work at a renaissance fair. And you guys dragged my sister into your end-of-days battle.”
“I understand you’re angry, but—”
“No, Freya. I’m not angry. I’m hurt. I get that Mia made a promise to keep your secret—which was an incredibly unfair thing to ask of her, considering the danger you’ve pulled her into.”
“I know,” I whispered. “But—”
“I’m not finished.” Jason held up one hand. He stalked closer. My heart stilled at the coldness in his voice. “What I don’t get is why you’d let her carry on that lie for you. You and I just met, but I’ve known Tyr and Henrik and Brynn for the better part of a year and a half, now. In all that time, they didn’t think I was a decent enough guy to let in on the secret? So my sister didn’t have to deal with all of this all by herself?”
“I know it seems like a lot—it is a lot.” I fingered the ends of my hair. “But Mia’s handled everything brilliantly. Believe it or not, Elsa talked with her last year about bringing you in on all of this. When Mia started training in her role as Unifier, Elsa worried the strain might be getting to her. Do you know what Mia said?”
“What?” Jason’s hands balled so tightly, his knuckles cracked.
“She said she loved you too much to ask you to keep this secret for her. She chose us—chose this life. But she wouldn’t force it on her brother.”
“I’m her family. I should have been there for her.”
“We’re her family too,” I said gently. “We love Mia. We’ve never met a human quite like her…well, not until you.”
Jason’s eyes darted to mine. “What’s that mean?”
“You’re different—both of you. You somehow fit with us. Be honest: you knew we weren’t exchange students before Mia told you, didn’t you?”
Jason shrugged. “I knew you guys were more than you let on. But I wouldn’t have guessed you were…gods.” He spoke the last word with almost a reverence. “Jeez, all these years going to church and…well, it’s not what I expected.”
We’d been through this with Mia. Tyr and Brynn had borne the brunt of helping her orderly mind try to place us in an unimaginable box. “What you learned in church wasn’t wrong—not exactly. The human viewpoint is limited, which makes it hard to comprehend that a singular divine entity has the power to reveal Himself to different civilizations in the ways they can best comprehend Him. For you and Mia, that was God. For other mortals, it’s Allah. Or Buddah. Or—”
“Or the Norse Goddess of Love?” Jason raised one brow.
“I’m not the Supreme.” I shook my head. “I’m just one of Odin’s titleds, with a singular function to serve. Well, two, once I get my act back together.”
“What do you mean?”
I frowned into the twilight forest. “I don’t know what Mia told you about my job, but in addition to serving as Goddess of Love, I’m supposed to be high commander of the valkyries—Asgard’s elite all-female fighting squad. But last year I was captured by Hel. She kept me in a cage in Helheim, and whatever she did to me left me unfit to perform either of my jobs. Brynn’s in Asgard right now overseeing my warriors. And the goddess who tried to take over as Goddess of Love…it didn’t end well for her. So, I have to figure out what I need to do to get well, so I can get back to work like, yesterday.”
Jason studied me from beneath long lashes. “You were captured by Hel? Like, the ruler of the underworld, Hel?”
“To us, she’s just Hel.”
“Jeez, no wonder you’re sick. And you guys don’t have any idea what she did to you? Or how to get better?”
“Well…” I bit down on my bottom lip. “Elsa has an idea. But it’s not worth the price.”
“Not worth the…” Jason’s eyes widened. “From what Mia just told me, the world—uh, worlds, are on the brink of war. Whatever the price is, you need to pay it.”
My heart tugged. “It’s not me who’d be paying,” I said softly.
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “What aren’t you saying?”
No. Absolutely not. I was not doing this to him.
“Freya,” Jason growled. “Worlds are ending. Spit it out.”
“Fine. Elsa thinks if I let myself…fall for you, then I’ll get my love mojo back and everything will be back on track. There. Happy?”
One corner of Jason’s mouth tugged up. “Is this for real?”
“In Elsa’s head, yes.” I rolled my eyes. “Stop smiling.”
“It’s not every day a guy hears he’s the key to the Goddess of Love’s happiness.” Jason’s gaze traveled the length of my body, lingering longer than necessary at my chest. Men. “If you need to use me to get your juices flowing, then by all means. Do what must be done.”
With a laugh, I reached out to swat him. Before I could touch him, Jason wrapped his fingers around my wrist and pulled me to his side.
“I mean it. In times of war, every man must do his part to serve his country…uh, world. Worlds? Whatever. I’m here to serve you…Goddess of Love.”
“Jason!” My laughter died in my throat. I tried not to notice the way my pulse quickened at his touch, or the way my thighs tingled pressed this close to his. But even as my blood heated up, my heart sent a chill through my veins. Remember the last time…
“Mmm?” Jason didn’t release me. Instead he moved even closer, wrapping one arm around my lower back and pulling my hips to his.
Oh, gods. “You don’t know what you’d be signing up for,” I whispered.
“I don’t care,” he whispered back. He ran his nose along my jaw, sending a wave of heat to places that had been long dormant. My pulse quickened, and I placed my palms to Jason’s chest before things got out of hand.
“You should care.” With a groan, I extricated my thighs from his and took a step back. “My title doesn’t come without conditions. One of the terms of my…employment is that I’m not allowed to give my heart away.”
“Never?”
“Not until the Norns—our prophets—decide to allow it. I’ve been around a long time, and so far…”
<
br /> “They haven’t allowed it.” Jason cocked head. “Have you ever asked them?”
“Once,” I whispered. The memory flashed in my head. I pushed it back down. Not today.
“And how did that go?” Jason pressed.
Not. Today.
“Not well.”
Seconds ticked by, and finally Jason said, “I see.”
“I can’t give you what you deserve, Jason. I don’t know what you’re looking for from me, but if it’s a partner, I can’t be that for you. At least, not now. And possibly not ever.”
Jason stepped closer, cradling my head in one hand. “What do you want us to be to each other, Freya?”
I leaned into his touch. “What I want doesn’t matter. My duty must always be to my realm, and until the Norns release me from their terms, I have to be extremely careful about how much I allow myself to care for you. We can date, but things between us can never get too deep. All I can offer you is a casual, no-strings relationship. Not that you’ve said you want anything else. Gods, I’m probably way ahead of myself, and—”
“There’s nothing casual about my feelings.” Jason rested his forehead against mine. “I like you—I mean, I really like you. Girls never get under my skin, but you’re something else. You’re stubborn, and independent, and fierce as hell. Which I get now, since you have your own army and all.”
“All-female army,” I couldn’t help correcting him. I was proud of my girls.
“Right. Point is, those prophets have to release you eventually, right?” Jason shrugged. “When they do, I’ll be waiting.”
“They might not,” I pointed out. “It’s been centuries.”
“You’re that old?”
I punched Jason in the chest. Hard.
“Ouch! Okay, I deserved that.” He chuckled. “Look, we’ll figure it out.”
“I can’t let myself fall for you, Jason,” I warned. “Not the way I want to. Not until they release me. And you shouldn’t fall for me. Not completely.”
Jason cocked his head. “You’re serious about this casual thing?”
“Dead serious,” I confirmed.
“Huh. I’ll be honest, this is not the way this conversation usually goes. Normally I’m the one asking to keep it casual, and the girl, well…” Jason shrugged.
A bubble of laughter ripped from my throat. “You’re impossible.”
“I’ve heard worse.” Jason pulled me close again, and lowered his head to mine. My heart thundered in my chest as I closed my eyes, tilted my head back, and—
“Freya!” Elsa’s voice carried from the house. “We need an assist!”
A frustrated huff escaped my lips. I opened my eyes to Jason’s bemused grin. “Duty calls?”
“It usually does. And at the least opportune time. Welcome to Asgard.”
Jason’s dimple popped. “Then by all means, I’d better let you go. I’ll just hang out here for a few. Cool down.”
My cheeks heated as Jason stepped back, and his words took on a new meaning.
“Good idea.” I forced myself to look away from what promised to be a really good time. “But come inside soon. Our compound’s secure enough, but things have breached the perimeter before. Better safe than sorry.”
“Sounds good.” Jason nodded. “If you need anything…anything at all…for the good of the worlds, I mean.”
“I know where to find you.” I winked before heading back into the house. I stopped in the kitchen for a glass of ice water before heading up the stairs. Jason wasn’t the only one who needed cooling off.
Elsa had been right—after months on months of darkness, opening up to the possibility of Jason, even knowing I couldn’t completely give myself over to any feelings we developed for each other, had filled me with hope…with the dream of a future. For myself; for my friends; for my realm. Whatever became of things with Jason, at that moment I felt every bit the love goddess the Norns had decreed I would be.
And it was time for me to get to work.
**
“Fenrir’s a dead end. He’s not receptive to the energy I’m sending him at all. Who’s next?” Mia leaned back on the thick meditation pillow beside the leather loungers in the man cave. Brynn and Henrik’s lab equipment had been pushed to the left side of the room, leaving much of the floor space open. The girls had scattered three large, white pillows, along with a sea of crystals, through the space. The room thrummed with a serene vibe, and if the end of the worlds wasn’t upon us, I would have appreciated the peaceful flow they’d created.
As it was, I crept silently into the room to take my place on the lone unoccupied pillow. I blinked at the basketball-sized pink rocks set in a horseshoe directly behind me. They were some of Mia’s favorites—rose something-or-other. I knew they were meant to resonate love.
My friends were amazing. I wouldn’t let them down.
Love. Love. I am Love. I activated the center in the back of my head, connecting it to my heart and intending both spaces be filled with love and light. I am Love. I am Love. I repeated the mantra until it overtook me and vibrated through every cell of my being in an absolute truth.
I am Love.
For the first time in a long time, I knew it to be true.
I was Love.
“Elsa?” Mia pressed. “Did you hear me? Fenrir’s a dead end. Who do we work on next?”
“Sorry.” Elsa’s twinkling voice pulled me from my trance. “Something’s just shifted. It was beautiful.”
“Elsa?” I was ready to work. “What’s the assist you need me to focus on?”
“I…oh, Freya. Your heart’s shining. Finally.” Moisture brightened her blue eyes. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed me too,” I said honestly.
“Did you work things out with Jason?” Elsa asked.
“As much as I can.”
“So that’s the shift.” Elsa beamed.
“Ja, ja.” I waved my hand at my friend. “Save your told you so for after we save the worlds.”
“Very well.” Elsa closed her eyes. “We failed to connect with Fenrir, so Runa’s next. Focus your energy on her.”
“Runa?” Mia balked, as if Elsa’s suggestion bordered the insane.
In a way, it did. As a child, Runa had performed tremendous acts of bravery to protect Tyr from their tyrannical father. But as she grew older, she took on more of her father’s traits. Elsa’s pure heart always trusted that Runa could be brought into the light—even after Runa had escaped Asgardian prison and, apparently, run straight to Daddy Dearest. To end us all.
Skit.
“Yes. Runa.” Elsa re-crossed her legs and rested her hands palms-up on her lap. “Send unifying energy to her soul while I try to connect with it. Freya, if you’re ready, send love to Runa’s heart center.”
“On it.” I crisscrossed my legs, mirroring Elsa’s pose atop my pillow. “Where are we directing this?”
“I think she’s on…Jotunheim?” Mia hedged.
“I get ice, too,” Elsa confirmed. “Do you sense her, Freya?”
“Got her.” I nodded. “Okay, here goes.”
With a breath, I soaked in more energy from the pink stones, filtered it through my heart, and beamed it out into the cosmos. It shot through the darkness, pierced the icy atmosphere of Jotunheim, and funneled into a soul I recognized from my brief visit to Asgard’s prison chamber. Runa’s body was thinner than I remembered it, her once vibrant skin now a sallow white. She was filled with darkness, an angry fog clouding what I understood had once been a beatific heart. Her circumstances had been far from ideal, but I’d hoped—as we all had—that we’d be able to bring her around. She’d been Tyr’s first protektor; the first being who fought for him. She deserved so much more than the fates had given her.
“She’s not open to receiving,” Mia murmured.
“I’m getting the same,” Elsa confirmed.
“Let me try a different angle and—ouch!” I cried out as my warm, pink energy shot back at me. Runa had reb
uffed the love I’d sent her. She’d returned it with a white-hot edge.
“Are you okay?” Mia asked.
“Ja, let me just…wait. Do you feel that?” My muscles locked up as the thick cloud of dark energy encroached on my space. My eyes flew open, and I scanned the room for the threat. Nothing.
“Feel what?” Elsa opened her own eyes.
“That darkness. I don’t think it’s Runa. I think it’s coming from outside the cabin…” My eyes met Elsa’s and Mia’s in a moment of pure terror.
“Jason,” Elsa whispered.
Mia jumped to her feet a split second after me. “Go,” she urged.
But I’d already blurred halfway down the stairs.
“Stay where you are!” I screamed over my shoulder. “Elsa, initiate the lockdown procedure immediately.”
I didn’t bother to wait for Elsa’s confirmation. The whirring of the bulletproof—and dark magic-proof—encasing let me know the man cave was transforming into the safe room. My feet thundered toward the entry, leaping across the floorboards as I flung the front door open and charged from the porch to the clearing.
“Freya! Go back in the house!” Jason’s cry stopped me in my tracks.
“Where are you?” I whirled around, scanning the darkened forest. “I can’t see…you.” The last word came on a whisper.
Because while I could barely make out Jason’s nearly limp form, painfully crumbled on the ground, I could easily see the whirling black portal that emitted silver and purple sparks directly behind him.
And beside the hovering portal stood the half-blue figure of the monster who’d held me captive in her Helheim prison. Her palms pressed joyfully together as she threw her head back in jubilant laughter.
“Freya.” Hel cackled, one stiletto-booted foot atop the mortal who held my heart in his hands. “I believe I have something that belongs to you.”
CHAPTER NINE
BRYNN
THE VALKYRIE COMPOUND WAS a lot bigger than I remembered.
Granted, I’d spent the last few years stationed on Midgard—and things on Midgard were significantly smaller than their Asgardian counterparts. But I’d forgotten the grandiosity, the elegance, the ethereal design on an absolutely massive scale that was the architecture of the V.C. From the marble pegasuses guarding either side of the carved front door, to the gold etching in the winged eaves of the roof—which was enchanted to appear invisible, maximizing natural light and providing an overall airiness to the complex—the compound was the epitome of refinement.
