by S. T. Bende
Tyr said nothing; he just marched up the short aisle. He lowered his sister onto the altar, carefully folded her hands over her waist, and smoothed her hair from her face. When he stepped back, tears coated his cheeks.
Mia moved to his side and took his hand in hers. They’d long passed the point where they needed words to communicate.
The next moment, Henrik and Freya stepped forward to flank me. As Henrik’s fingers laced through my own, I leaned over to whisper in Freya’s ear, “Svetana says fighting ceased, but one of us should make sure our services aren’t needed.”
“Already done,” Freya whispered. She discreetly tapped her com and swiped up, eliciting the holo-screen. “Each of our missions was successful.” She swiped left, showing victorious scenes in Nidavellir, Muspelheim, and Svartalfheim. “And those we weren’t privy to have ended successfully, as well. Although this may need addressing.” She swiped again, revealing the carcass of Loki’s serpentine offspring, Jormundagr, and the massive, lifeless form of his canine son, Fenrir…Tyr’s onetime pet.
“Gods,” I whispered. Fenrir’s death had been a necessity; we’d all known he and Jormundagr were out for Asgardian blood, and served as key elements in Loki’s Ragnarok plan. But Tyr had already lost one family member today. Losing Fenrir might push him right over the edge. “Can we wait until tomorrow to tell him?” Or never?
“I’ll tell him soon enough.” Freya closed down the holo, folded her hands in front of her, and raised her voice. “Ragnarok has ended. All Asgardian teams were successful in their missions. I just learned that Loki and his surviving accomplices have been apprehended. They will be transported to the primary prison chamber, where they will await trial and, likely, be sentenced to death.”
“Good,” Henrik growled. My eyes sought out his, and the sadness that sparked in them tugged at my heart. We’d been through so much together—too much for any one lifetime, even an immortal one. I knew his heart broke for Tyr, for all he’d been through…for all he still had to endure.
“We’ll arrange the finest funeral for Runa,” I vowed. “One worthy of a valkyrie. She died an honorable death, and her soul will serve valiantly in Valhalla.”
“Ja.” Tyr’s voice cracked, taking my heart along with it. “I just wish…I wish things had been different. Runa deserved better. I lived in the same darkness that she did; her path easily could have been mine.”
“I know.” Freya stepped forward to wrap Tyr in a gentle hug. His stubbled jaw rested lightly atop her strawberry strands.
“I’m so sorry, Tyr.” Elsa moved closer and wrapped her arms around them both. Forse did the same, pulling Mia in with them. Henrik and I followed, so the seven of us stood holding on to each other. I was humbled by the sacrifice of the least likely of allies.
After a short eternity, Mia pulled slightly back. “Should somebody check on my brother?”
Oh, my gods. I’d completely forgotten about Jason. The poor thing was probably still in the contemplative wing.
“I’ll get him,” Freya spoke up. “We have some things to cover. Tyr, will you be okay?”
“Yes,” he said gruffly. Then, possibly because we were all still wrapped in a great big ball of love, he added, “Thank you all. For everything.”
“You’d do the same for us,” I said honestly. He had—dozens of times. As he’d continue to do in the future. We were a family—not one related by blood, but one bound by love and choice. And in our world, that meant absolutely everything.
We dispersed shortly after that; Freya to the contemplative wing to retrieve Jason, Forse and Elsa to the gardens to decompress, and Henrik and I to the stables, to check on the fire giants and the feyndrals. Mia stayed in the chapel with Tyr. No doubt they had much to discuss. A Ragnarok-free reality changed the landscape of our worlds. With the threat of annihilation no longer looming, Mia and Tyr could finally figure out what shape their relationship would take—both now, and in the possibly eternal future.
Gods, I hoped Mia wanted to stick it out with us. And I hoped Tyr could find a way to make good on his long-ago promise that, should she want to, she could stay with us as long as she wanted.
Possibly forever.
**
Much to my surprise, the feyndrals were perfectly content in the pasture. Our pegasuses had adjusted to the dragons’ presence, and now grazed happily beside them. The rebel fire giants were lounging comfortably in the barn, regaling our stable valkyries with tales from the fiery realm. The entire situation was one big happy, so Henrik and I were able to take a long overdue walk around the outskirts of the V.C. He laced his fingers through mine and rubbed his thumb lightly at the back of my hand. We strolled in silence, words unnecessary as our hearts decompressed in tandem.
“What a week,” Henrik finally said.
“What a life,” I muttered. A familiar voice from the nearby forest pulled me to a stop. I tugged Henrik behind a tree with a fierce, “Shh!”
“Shh, what?” Henrik asked thickly.
“I heard someone,” I mouthed.
“A hostile?” Henrik’s hand reached for his sheathed broadsword, but I batted it away.
“No,” I whispered. “Freya.”
Henrik’s eyebrows shot up. We crept closer to the voice, now joined by a second, deeper one. I peeked around the thick, white trunk of a silver-leaved tree, to find Freya and Jason, heads bent together in quiet conversation. I wasn’t eavesdropping, Odin’s honor. But now that I was this close, I couldn’t not keep listening.
Right?
“Jason.” Freya sounded exhausted, as if she’d been over this countless times. “I just don’t see any way this is going to work. My contract binds me to the Norns. They decide when my life is my own, and until they do…my heart’s not mine to give. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care,” Jason said fiercely. “They have to release you some day, and I’ll wait as long as I have to.”
“That’s sweet.” Freya cupped Jason’s cheek in her hand. “But I’m immortal—I’m going to be around for a really long time. The Norns might not release me for decades…or centuries. And you deserve a partner who can give you everything—while you’re still alive to enjoy it! A family and a life and…”
Jason pulled Freya to him in a rough kiss. Her lips were swollen when he pulled away. Way to go, Jason!
“I’m not going anywhere,” he vowed. “I’ll take you however I can get you. Even if it’s only a part of you. And even if it remains that way for the duration of my lifetime. Love, you’re a girl worth fighting for.”
By the time I tugged a gawking Henrik away, silent tears were streaming down Freya’s face.
The. Poor. Thing.
“So obviously, you know what we have to do,” I whispered as we neared the back corner of the V.C.
Henrik tsked. “You’re not thinking of interfering, are you?”
“Duh.” I threw a hand to my waist and jutted out my hip. “And you’re going to help me. Ragnarok’s over. We saved the worlds. You know we suck at idle time—what else are we going to do?”
“Idle time? I have a skit-ton of post-battle reports to draft. We both do. Plus, we’ll need to debrief our subordinates and get Tyr and Freya whatever statistics they need to deliver to Odin so he and Forse can sentence the perps.” Henrik wrapped one hand around my lower back and pulled my hips to his. He bent low to whisper in my ear, “And after that, I thought maybe we could celebrate. Just the two of us.”
My lips parted in a sigh as Henrik’s tongue traced a line from my ear to the hollow of my neck. I threw my head back as he moved lower, tugging the fabric of my battle suit down, and making my knees weak.
No, Aksel. Focus now. Play later.
With a groan, I pushed Henrik back. “First of all, thanks for the reminder about the busy work. And second, I am all for that celebration. In a few days.”
“A few days?” Henrik’s frustration came out on a whine.
I bit back my giggle. “Maybe sooner. Depends on how long it takes u
s to convince the Norns to release Freya.”
Henrik’s lips pursed in a low whistle. “That’s a tall order, sötnos.”
“I know.” My brows knitted together. “They’re so stubborn. If only we knew someone who had an in with them.
One corner of Henrik’s mouth tugged up. “Well, call me your hero, Brynnie. My brother lives near one on Midgard. From what I understand, she was pretty closely involved in the Ragnarok efforts. Maybe she’d help us out.”
“Gunnar’s living with a Norn?” I gawked.
“She’s got a place near his village—and from what I hear, she’s a bit of a rebel.”
“Ooh! Maybe Gunnar and Inga can come with us to try to talk the Norns into letting Freya out of her contract!” I bounced on my toes. “Gods, they’re amazing at convincing creatures they actually want to do what we want them to do.”
Henrik chuckled. “Gunnar sent me a message that he’ll be around later, so I’ll ask.”
“Excellent.” I rubbed my hands together with glee. “Let’s do what we do best.”
“Would that be designing realm-saving technology? Finding a place where we can be alone and—”
I cut him off with a kiss. “It’s helping our friends.” I laughed before adding, “And then the other stuff. Come on, Andersson. We’ve got work to do.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BRYNN
“YOU ARE NEVER GONNA believe this.” Henrik returned from Odin’s address the next day positively jubilant.
Freya and I had skipped out—we’d split duties on the mountain of post-war administrative tasks, and had only just finished the most pressing phase of our work. Mia and Elsa had been taking turns working with the contemplatives to spread peace through the realms, with Elsa ducking out as needed to oversee higher level healings. Now that Freya was done with our demanding high commander tasks she could join them, channeling love so that the new incarnation of the cosmos would be primed for as positive a rebirth as possible. We’d all worked around the clock to get to this point, and each of us was beyond exhausted. But with the valkyrie compound mostly back to business as usual, and with Freya taking a brief rest, I could kick back in the war room, and enjoy Henrik’s recap.
“Do tell, boyfriend. What’s the latest from our fearless leader?”
Henrik’s lips brushed my ear as he bent low to whisper the impossible.
“Shut up.” I balked. “Odin did not do that.”
“He did.”
“Oh, my gods! That’s incredible! Do you realize what this means?”
“Shh,” Henrik admonished. “There were extenuating circumstances, and I don’t want to get Mia’s hopes up.”
“Does Tyr know?”
“Yes. But what he relays to Mia is their business. Not yours.” Henrik softened his words by pressing his lips to the delicate spot where my ear met my neck.
Gods, he was good at that.
No. Wait. Don’t let him distract you.
“Uh, hei.” I pushed him away. “Mia’s my best friend. It’s totally my business.”
Henrik’s teeth grazed my lobe. “One meddle at a time, sötnos. Now that our work’s done, I thought you wanted to help Freya.”
“I do.” I sighed as Henrik’s mouth returned to my neck. “What did your brother say? Is he in?”
“Mmm-hmm.” The vibrations sent a tremor through me. Oh, gods. Maybe helping Freya could wait an hour. Or six.
“And is…is Inga going to…uh…” The tremor hit between my thighs, and I groaned in frustration. “Seriously, you have to stop doing that. I can’t think.”
“Good. Stop thinking. Gunnar and Inga can’t leave until morning, anyway.”
The tremor shifted into a pulse. My resolve weakened. “Are you telling the truth?”
“Assassin’s honor.” Henrik held up two fingers in a salute. “You still have your private quarters here?”
“Yes.” The word came on a breath. “Gunnar and Inga really can’t leave until tomorrow?”
“They’re meeting us in main hall of the V.C. at sunrise.” Henrik raised an eyebrow. “Now do I get you to myself for the rest of the evening?”
I pretended to consider his offer. “After we pack, and go over the travel plans, and talk to Elsa about the best way to get the Norns on our side, and eat again, because all this world saving makes me hungry, then I’m all yours.”
“Mmm…nope.” Henrik tapped the back of my knees with one arm, catching me with the other as I went down. “We do my thing first, then all of yours.”
“Henrik!” I swatted him through my laughter.
“They haven’t moved your room, have they?” He took long strides across the war room.
“No, but—”
“Awesome.” Henrik pushed through the doors and blurred up two flights of stairs before I could utter another protest. In seconds, he had us inside the room I’d rarely set foot in since joining Tyr’s team. Thankfully, the domestic valkyries maintained even unused sleeping quarters, so it was impeccably cared for right down to the downy comforter and plethora of pillows atop.
Not that we actually cared.
“Henrik, we have work to do.” I offered one last, half-hearted protest as Henrik flung the pillows to the ground with one arm and deposited me on the bed with the other.
“Oh, we’ll get to it.” He positioned himself beside me. “I just need a few minutes alone with my girl. Look, I know you can take care of yourself. But it still scares the skit out of me every time I see you in battle. I love you way too much to lose you, sötnos.”
My heart swelled and I rolled on top of Henrik, framing his massive shoulders with my forearms. “You’ll never lose me,” I vowed. “You’re stuck with me forever.”
“I’d better be. Freya made me work really hard to get you. Really hard.”
Laughter bubbled from my throat. “Good thing I was worth it.”
Henrik snagged my hair between his fingers and pulled my face down to his. Laughter gave way to a contented growl as he brushed his lips across mine. “Good thing. But we’re taking a road trip with my brother in the morning, and we both know he’ll talk our ears off. So, I’m thinking…how about we spend the next hour or so in silence?”
“Silence?” I ran a hand down the rigid muscles of Henrik’s chest. He stilled.
“Or not,” he agreed.
And with a fierce twist, he pinned me on my back and made me forget all about Ragnarok, my to-do list, and the enormity of the task that lay ahead of us.
I didn’t mind one bit.
**
“Well, well, well. Look who finally made Captain. About bloody time. My brother would not shut up about how miserable that no-dating-the-junior-valkyrie rule made him.” Gunnar Andersson crossed the empty expanse of the V.C. entry with open arms. I ran into them with a squeal, flinging my arms around my former classmate.
With their dark hair, twinkling eyes, and tanned, muscular bodies, the Andersson brothers had broken plenty of hearts in school. But it was their sense of humor and innate kindness that had drawn me to the boys next door.
Well, that and their mom’s Swedish pancakes. Good thing Mrs. Andersson taught Henrik how to make them.
“Gunnar!” I squeezed my friend before pulling back to study his cheerful face. It bore more stress lines than usual. “You look…amazing,” I hastened. “But tired. Super tired.”
“I told him to go to bed early last night, but apparently, some Midgardian sports match was being played. And somebody”—Inga raised an eyebrow to Henrik—“delivered an inter-realm streaming device he’d developed as a birthday gift.”
Henrik shrugged. “Sorry your present was late, bro. It’s been one Helheim of a year.”
Gunnar grimaced. “I’ll say.”
“Get in here, Inga.” Henrik opened his arms and enveloped Inga within them. Her white-blond hair disappeared into the thick folds of his biceps. “How are you?”
“Thankful to be alive,” she mumbled into his chest. “If we never have ano
ther situation like that, it’ll be too soon.”
I shot Inga a grin as the Anderssons released us. We’d always had an easy friendship, except for that time in high school when she’d called Gunnar a dumb jock and broke his heart. Naturally, I’d iced her out for hurting my friend…and then had to apologize when she finally came to her senses and gave Gunnar the happily-ever-after he so very much deserved. Now they were the picture of butt-kicking, sword-wielding marital bliss.
They were pretty much my life goal.
“I hear Ull’s been keeping you guys busy.” I tilted my head up to smile at Inga. “Winter fell for a mortal, huh? Who’d have thought?”
“And War, too.” Inga laughed. “Those Norns have a wicked sense of humor.”
Right. The Norns. I quickly sobered at the thought of the three immortal sisters who lived at the base of the world tree, Yggdrasil, wove the threads of fate, and never received uninvited visitors. We needed a miracle to get an audience with them…or a miracle worker. And somehow, Henrik’s mischievous, sweet-talking brother, had managed to procure us an invite.
“Okay, Gunnar. Spill. How are we getting our audience?”
Gunnar shrugged. “Our norn friend called in a favor—Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld owed her one. She got us the appointment, and now we’ve got to make the most of it. According to her, Verdandi’s the softest of the Norns—she has a fondness for the mortal realm her sisters don’t share. We isolate her, convince her the mortals will suffer if Freya can’t reach her full potential, and boom. Contract released. Love gets her man.”
Inga glanced at me. “Gunnar told me that Freya fell for a mortal, too. What is it, contagious?”
“She likes Tyr’s girlfriend’s brother,” I explained. “Jason and Mia are pretty much two peas in a pod—kind of like Tyr and Freya.”
