They take off, and I catch Baler’s confused expression. “What?” I ask, unsure about the look he’s giving me.
“Can you understand them?” he asks as he stands.
“Not in the literal sense, but I get impressions from them. Besides the only time they ever show up is when Odin wants to see me.”
Standing from the bed, I reach for Baler’s hand. Threading his fingers through mine, I pull him to his feet. “Come on, let’s get dressed, find out what Odin wants, and get back here and finish what you started.”
Baler bends down and gives me a searing kiss. Sucking all of the oxygen from my lungs, causing my head to spin. “I like the sound of that,” he whispers into my lips.
Odin is seated in the great hall again when Baler and I find him. Perched on his throne while holding court. Upon seeing us enter, he dismisses everyone and beckons us forward.
“Baler. Grace. Thank you for coming.” Odin turns to speak to me. “I am sure by now, Baler has told you what has happened.”
Looking up at Baler standing on my left, catching his gaze as I reply to Odin’s statement without looking away. “Actually, no. No, he hasn’t.” With a smile, I look back to Odin. “He told me that you blessed him with a gift so that he can be with me. However, he didn’t explain what this gift was.”
Odin gives Baler a look, one that was akin to fatherly and says, “Really, now?”
“To be fair, we were a little busy with other things. Which your ravens very rudely interrupted.” Baler quickly jumps in to defend himself.
“I apologize for my ravens, but I felt it was important that we keep things progressing. You each will need more training with your new elements. Grace, you with your wolf and how your emotions will affect not only her but your other abilities. Baler, the Odinpower has many….”
“I’m sorry, but did you just say Odinpower, as in your powers?” I interrupt. My jaw on the floor. I had to have heard him wrong, there’s no way I heard that right. Odinpower is Odin’s power. His power is unmatched. He has the literal power to channel cosmic energy into pretty much anything he wants.
“Yes, Grace. I have blessed Baler with my powers, the Odinpower. Baler has been with me for over a thousand years. I have watched him grow from a boy into a warrior.”
“But… But… That would make him… Shit.” I couldn’t get the words to flow from my head to my mouth, feeling completely overwhelmed by the realization that my mate was a fucking God with the same power of the King of Asgard. “Holy shit,” I breathlessly whisper as I stumble back and sit on a step leading up to the platform of Odin’s throne.
Baler comes over to sit beside me, rubbing one hand up and down my spine, while his other grabs mine that was absently rubbing my thigh. “Breathe, Grace. I’m still me, just a bit more powerful and a bit more durable.”
That last word causes me to crack, and I start laughing uncontrollably. One of my biggest fears, one I also happened to express to Odin, was about pulling Baler into my fight and him getting hurt. I guess now I won’t have to worry about that anymore. The thought tickles me inside.
I look over to Baler and up to Odin, laughing harder at the puzzled and concerned looks on their faces. “I do believe we may have broken her, Baler.”
“You may be right, my King.” Baler cups my face, drawing it towards him. I’m still laughing when tears begin running down my cheeks. “Grace, look at me.” As I open my eyes to meet his warm, steely green ones, my laugh morphs into a sob. His face melts as he pulls me to him, stroking my back in a soothing caress. “Oh, my little valkyrie. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You do not need to worry about me, Love. I am much stronger than you think. Let me help you carry that weight.”
“I was so scared to drag you into my fight. I didn’t want you to get hurt and lose you already,” I sob into his chest, gripping the side of his tunic like a lifeline I’m afraid will slip between my fingers.
“I tried to tell you, Grace. Baler has been preparing for this for an exceptionally long time. I have now ensured you will not need to fret over him.” Odin’s smile beams down on us both. His gaze warm and filled with love for those he sees as his children.
Disengaging from Baler, I walk over to Odin and wrap my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest in a hug and whisper, “Thank you. I don’t think I can express how much it means to me that you would do this for us.”
His arms come around me as he replies, “Grace, I mean what I say, and I say what I mean. When I told you that I would take care of this, I meant it. Your mate is now the second most powerful God of Asgard. No one will want to cross you now.”
Pulling back, Odin looks down to me and over to Baler. “Now, as I was trying to say, you both have a lot of practicing to do. Baler, you will need to control your new strength, which can be harder than learning to channel cosmic energy. Grace, you need to learn to control your emotions with your wolf, and soon enough your new valkyrie abilities will set in. I do not want you to go around accidentally creating doubt and confusion that incites skirmishes, so let’s figure out how to control those early.”
“Well, that sounds ominous. When do we start?” I ask.
“Now.”
Baler and I both share a look and groan. Well, okay then.
For the next six hours, I sit on the floor with my legs folded and my hands rested on my knees, trying to find the tangle of emotions resting in my core that Odin states looks like a ball of multiple colors of yarn all thrown in a basket and mixed together. While Baler is on the other side of the room trying to lift Odin’s throne, that he informed us weighs nearly a ton, being made of sheer silver.
Frustration and anxiety begin to burn low in my belly. My legs bounce with the unyielding desire to move. “I give up. I can’t find it, and I’m going insane just sitting here,” I huff out.
“We will call it a day for now. I expect to see you both back here bright and early tomorrow,” Odin commands, leaving no room for argument.
“Yes, sir,” I say, giving him a one-handed salute and a smile. He walks away shaking his head, muttering something I’m sure was along the lines of, “Smart-ass.”
Baler approaches me looking worse for wear, barely standing on his own two feet. I reach up and give him a kiss on the cheek. “Why don’t you go shower and fall into bed. I’ll be up in a little. I need to burn off some of this pent-up energy or my wolf is going to crawl out of my skin. I’m going to let her run for a while.”
“That sounds good. Do you mind if I watch you shift first? I would love to meet your wolf in person.”
My wolf pants at his words, pawing to get free right here. She wants nothing more than to meet her mate. To feel his hands on her without me as a barrier between them. “She would love that,” I say with a genuine smile. “I must warn you, though. This may be hard to watch. With it being only my second shift, it may be hard still which means it will be painful. Just know that I will be all right once it’s all over. Since she is so close to the surface, I imagine this one will move much faster than the first. She is rather eager to meet you.”
His grin grows with that. “I am eager to meet her as well. So, I will try not to freak out, as you say.”
Looking around, I confirm that we are truly alone and quickly strip down. Preparing myself, I squat down and breathe through my nose. Okay girl. Let’s do this. Time to meet our mate. I tell her and instantly feel my bones begin to crack and pull themselves into position. A whimper escapes me at the first break of my bones.
11
Baler
Standing on the sidelines while Grace writhes on the floor is harder than I thought it would be. My fingers itch to go to her. To smooth back her hair and assure her that it was almost over, even though I had no fucking clue how long a shift takes. I am not a shifter, so who was I to try and reassure her.
Her whimpers quickly shift into cries of pain as more bones break, stretch and bend as she’s held captive in the moment unable to stop it, forced to en
dure it. As another bone cracks, I wince at the sound, tears brim in my eyes at the pain I can feel radiating off of her. Gods, make it stop. At my plea, Fenrir appears at the entrance leading outside.
In the space of two heartbeats, he is at Grace’s side, a hand resting on her back. A soft glow emanates from the touch and his face scrunches in pain as Grace’s body relaxes. She peers up at him from her spot on the floor and the sound she makes is not one of gratitude but rather irritation.
Before either of them can say a word in response, her body twists and in a blink, where Grace’s body once laid, a white fluffy ball resides.
“The change comes much faster when you are not fighting against the pain, Grace. I know you do not like me taking that from you, but the less you feel the smoother your transition will go. Until it is second nature, please let me help you.” Fenrir sounds almost pleading as he cups the face of a wolf lying at his feet.
In response, Grace stands and licks the side of Fenrir’s face. His smile broadens at her reaction. “Thank you, my dear.” His gaze lifts to take me in. “I think someone is waiting to meet you. Go on.”
Slowly, Grace turns to me and her beautiful amethyst eyes glow with an inner power that flows through her veins. “Wow,” I say breathless and in awe of the majestic creature before me.
Lowering to my knees, putting us on the same height, I stare into her eyes. Not sure what it is I’m looking for exactly. Maybe a sign that this is my Grace and not just a wolf, a melding of the two maybe. Her eyes lose some of the glow and I see it then, my Grace peering back at me. “There you are. I see you in there.” When her eyes begin to glow again, I know her wolf is in the forefront.
I place my hand out, palm up and Grace lowers her head so her snout rests in my palm. Slowly, I move my hand over the side of her face and up over her ears. Her eyes close as she purrs, yes, fucking purrs at my touch. I cannot stop the smile that breaks loose at the sounds she lets out. “You are beautiful, my love. Amazing. I am in awe of you.”
Her eyes open, and I swear she grins wolfishly at me before she pounces, knocking me on my back. Standing over me, she begins to lick my face from chin to ear and I laugh. Wrapping my arms around her, I flip her over, pinning her on her back, her front paws over my shoulders. Staring into the eyes of her wolf, I watch with fascination as the glow flickers, the melding of Grace and her wolf taking place before me. When it finally settles, there’s a faint glow as though they truly became one in that moment, and she leans up to lick my cheek again.
“My love, you are full of surprises, and I fall further in love with you with every passing moment.” I kiss her nose and stand. “I am going to go take a cold shower while you run. I’ll see you when you get back.” With that, Grace bounds out of the great hall and into the moonlight, which shines off of her pure white fur, making her whole being glow in the night. I watch until she enters the forest and is out of my sight.
Fenrir comes to stand beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You are good for her, Baler. I am pleased that she has you for a mate.”
“So am I, sir. So am I. I have loved her since she arrived here, it is nice being able to express those feelings finally without fear of rejection or the impending doom of losing her.”
“Yes, Odin informed me that he has made you Grace’s guardian. Have you explained that to her yet?”
“Not yet. She more or less freaked out when she found out what Odin did to ensure that she would not have to leave me behind. The power alone set her off. So, I have not yet explained what it means.”
Fenrir studies me from the side a moment, consideringly. “I think she will surprise you. Just remember that she is strong. While you may be her guardian, tasked with protecting her, she is tasked with leading and protecting others.”
I meet him gaze for gaze, head on so he can see the sincerity in my eyes when I respond, “I will. I know how strong she is, and I do not mean just physical strength. She has been through more than I could even imagine, yet she is one of the gentlest souls I have ever met. She is fiercely loyal and protective of those she deems worthy.” Glancing back to the woods where Grace entered, I continue softly, “I am in awe of her, Fenrir. She makes me feel things I thought I would never get to experience in any lifetime. I do not know how to explain it.”
“I think you just did,” he states, giving my shoulder a squeeze before walking away.
I stare off in the direction Grace went for a few minutes longer before heading up to her room where I shower and fall into bed, inhaling her scent before drifting off into a deep sleep.
Grace
Tiptoeing into my room, I find Baler fast asleep, looking like a viking prince; all peaceful and worry free. I take him in for a moment before slipping into the bathroom to shower, only to find the tub filled with milky bubbles and steaming water. Bless you, whoever you are. Stepping into the tub, I sink down until the water laps at my chin, and I moan at the feel of the heat penetrating each muscle.
Resting my head along the edge, I close my eyes and just relax.
That feeling of displacement washes over me again and when I open my eyes, I’m back in the dingy apartment. I immediately look for Riley, taking in the new shattered window across the room. Shit. I can’t just leave her here.
I find Riley on the mattress again, her body convulsing and her teeth chattering audibly from across the room. Gods, Riley.
Moving across the room, I slide onto the mattress behind her and place my hand on her shoulder. She flinches at my touch but relaxes when she whispers, “Grace?”
“Yea, Riley, it’s me.”
“You left and never came back.”
“I’m here now, Hun.”
“Grace, it hurts.” She shifts until her head sits nestled in my lap, and I can run my fingers through her hair.
“What hurts, Riley?” Worry races through me, thinking she’s injured, and knowing I can’t do anything to help her from where I am.
“I ran out today, I haven’t had a fix in days. I just need something to numb the pain.”
“Riley, what are you talking about?”
Her eyes snap up to mine and she pushes herself up. Anger twists her features as she glares at me. “Who are you to judge me, huh? You left me and never came back. Again. So, I did the only thing that works to numb the pain and lets me live.”
“I’m not judging you, Riley. I’m just concerned that’s all. How’s your wolf handling all of this?”
“Who cares?” I know my face registers the shock I feel at her words based on the cynical laughter that rings through the air next. “I haven’t shifted in… I don’t know how long. She’s silent for the most part. I’m sure she blames me for all of this anyways.” She looks defeated in this moment, as though she’s completely given up. How can I help you, Riley?
I try to reach for her hand, but she pulls away from me. “Don’t touch me.”
Pulling back, I try another approach. “Riley, you could no more control Matt’s actions than you could control my illness. Neither were your fault. You can’t blame yourself for them. And I’m sorry for how I left last time. I don’t fully understand how this is happening, but I will get control of this.” She just scoffs at my words.
Refusing to meet my eyes she says, “It doesn’t matter, you’re not really here. Just another way my mind has found to torment me.” Riley finally meets my gaze, hers holding so much anguish and rage, equally matched by the venom lacing her next words, “Just go, Grace. I don’t need you here.”
With that, I can feel a raging energy pushing against my conscience, forcing me back and away from Riley’s subconscious. Abruptly sitting up in the tub, water splashes over the edge from the momentum of my movements. Breathing heavily, I try to reorient myself with my surroundings and a lone tear slips from my eye as my mind slips back into the present. “Oh, Riley. What are you doing to yourself?” I whisper into the empty room.
“Grace? Are you all right, Love?” Baler’s sleep-filled voice carries from the bedr
oom.
“I’m all right, I’ll be out in a minute,” I call back, not needing him to come in here and see me like this. He’ll worry and start asking questions I’m not ready, nor am sure how to answer. I need to figure out how to connect with Riley without causing future backlash. I can’t leave her like this. I need to find her mates and help her start to heal.
Taking a breath, feeling more centered now that I have a game plan, I get out of the tub and dress in a black, satiny knee-length nightgown and head back into the bedroom.
“You look exhausted, my love,” Baler states sleepily, yet he can’t hide the heat in voice, and lifts the covers for me to crawl under. Sliding in, I wiggle my way to his side and shift to lay my head on his bicep with my back pressed against his warm chest. He curls his body protectively around mine, closing his arms around me. One across my chest and the other around my waist. “Sleep, Grace. You are safe here in my arms,” he whispers into my ear.
Closing my eyes, I can feel myself drifting off into that blank space between the dreamscape and the waking world. The last thing I remember before I succumb to the blackness is whispering, “I love you, Baler.”
Traveling to the Stormwater Pack’s housing community is a long journey, Jimmy wasn’t joking about that. However, what he forgot to mention was the rough terrain we would be traveling. “Are we almost there?” I ask following behind Riley, who is still in wolf form.
“About halfway. Do you need a break?” he asks, eyeing me warily.
I’m exhausted, it’s true. I feel as though I’m dragging one-ton weights by my ankles to the point my legs are jelly, sluggish, and wobbly. Riley comes back to stop in front of me, lowering herself to the ground and nodding to me to get on. I look up to Jimmy and smile, “Nope, we got this.”
Crossing our bags over my body, I slide onto Riley’s back and wrap my arms around her neck. I bury my face in the soft fur of her neck and inhale the safety that being this close to her brings me. I didn’t realize just how on edge I was until that moment.
Death's Gift: Norse Blessed Book One Page 9
