by S. T. Bende
Defender
Night War Saga: Book Two
by
S.T. Bende and Leia Stone
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MANGE TAKK!!
ALSO BY ST BENDE
ALSO BY LEIA STONE
Night War Saga
Defender
Copyright © 2017, Leia Stone and S.T. Bende
Cover Art by: Alerim
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage system without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
First publication: 2017, Leia Stone and S.T. Bende
Stone, Leia
Bende, S.T.
Defender
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book go to www.stbende.com or www.leiastone.com .
BACK COVER COPY
Allie Rydell left her life behind to protect the world from the Goddess of Night. But after weeks of training, hunting, and learning to use the life-giving power that inexplicably chose her, saving Midgard seems more impossible than ever. Nott’s followers have eyes across the realms, and they’re determined to collect the bounty on Allie’s soul. And the closer Allie and her protectors get to the pieces of the immortal weapon that could save them all, the more destruction Nott manages to unleash—not only on the world Allie loves, but on the friends she’d give her life to save.
Darkness is coming. And this time, it won’t leave any survivors.
Also by S.T. Bende
Meet the God of War and his Norse crew in THE ÆRE SAGA.
PERFEKT ORDER
PERFEKT CONTROL
PERFEKT BALANCE
Meet the God of Winter and his Norse crew in THE ELSKER SAGA.
TUR (a novella)
ELSKER
ENDRE
TRO
THE ELSKER SAGA: COMPLETE BOXED SET
See the crews together in the bonus Ære/Elsker crossover novella . . .
THE ASGARDIANS
Get a free copy of TUR and stay up to date with the latest news from S.T. Bende by signing up for her NEWSLETTER!
Also by Leia Stone
MATEFINDER TRILOGY (Optioned for film)
Matefinder: Book 1
Devi: Book 2
Balance: Book 3
HIVE TRILOGY
Ash: Book 1
Anarchy: Book 2
Annihilate: Book 3
NYC MECCA SERIES
Queen Heir: Book 1
Queen Alpha: Book 2
Queen Fae: Book 3
MATEFINDER NEXT GENERATION
Keeper: Book 1
Water Blessed
Stay in touch with Leia: www.amazon.com/author/leiastone
Facebook: www.facebook.com/leia.stone/
DEDICATION
For all of Midgard’s defenders—never stop fighting on.
CHAPTER ONE
“PEPPER, YOU’RE KILLING ME here.” Tore stood in front of the open oven. He fanned black smoke toward the open window while Mack disabled the smoke alarm.
Frustration simmered behind my furrowed brow. “Sorry. I wanted to surprise you guys. I read the instructions. I don’t understand what went wrong.”
When the bulk of the black cloud had exited the kitchen, Tore shook his head. He pulled my charred lasagna out of the oven and placed it on the counter. Stepping closer to me, he turned to tuck a stray piece of blonde hair behind my ear. “Look, you’ve got brains, beauty, and this week, I taught you how to kill a man with your bare hands. You don’t have to add master chef to that list, okay?” He kissed my forehead, and my frustration gave way to warm waves of gratitude.
Dear Universe, Thanks for sending me a boyfriend who likes me just the way I am— nonexistent cooking skills and all. Xoxo, Allie.
“Master chef?” Johann snorted. “I think she was aiming for mediocre pre-made-dinner maker.”
My neck grew warm, and to mask my embarrassment, I spun around and socked Johann in the arm. He shot me a cheeky wink, clearly enjoying another opportunity to give me a hard time.
Oh, you’ll get yours, Johann. Just you wait.
“How do you burn a frozen lasagna?” Bodie studied the instructions on the empty carton.
Mack sighed. “If Allie placed the dish into the oven before the temperature reached four hundred degrees, the rise in—”
“All right. I get it.” The heat crept from my neck up to my cheeks. I threw my hands in the air, hoping to put a stop to the analysis of my culinary shortcomings. “The kitchen is off limits. I’ll leave the cooking to the experts. Now, someone order pizza because I’m starving.”
“You and me both,” Johann agreed. Mack dialed the pizza place while Bodie helped me discard the remains of my epic lasagna fail. It would be takeout for dinner then. But at least it wouldn’t be baked chicken breasts again. Thank God.
Three weeks had passed since I’d nearly died on the side of a mountain in Jotunheim, where my protectors and I had traveled to retrieve a piece of my immortal weapon, Gud Morder. After a harrowing encounter with a frost giant and an influx of dark energy that left me all but wishing for my death, I’d woken up in the Asgardian healing unit. There, I found the protector who’d owned my heart since the first time I’d pepper sprayed him, sitting vigil at my bedside. Tore had ensured I received the best care Asgard’s healing team could provide. But once I'd been cleared for release, Tore and the boys had lit into me with a training regimen designed to ensure I’d never be caught unprepared on a dark realm again. After all, the remaining six pieces of Gud Morder had to be found before we could kill the evil night goddess, Nott, and wake my mother from her cursed Night Sleep.
The guys had been relentlessly drilling me in hand-to-hand combat, teaching me to use the arsenal of weapons contained in the complex, and stuffing me with more protein-packed meals than I could have imagined possible. My protectors were still determined to up my muscle mass, despite my finally being able to pin Johann in a fight. I’d gotten a verbal agreement from Mack that when I could pin him, he’d cook me homemade pizza whenever I wanted. And so, my insane training regimen continued.
Apparently, the slogan around here was No Rest for the Demigod. Ever.
“Any news on your mom today, Allie?” Bodie asked. “Those dark energy cords in her centers were some scary skit.”
“No kidding.” I shuddered, remembering the black swirls that had threatened to suck the life from my mother’s body. Greta and I were lucky we’d gotten to her in time to remove them—and we were even luckier that they hadn’t found a way to come back.
“She still doing okay?” Bod
ie asked.
“She is.” Relief pinged through me as I relayed news of my mom’s continued improvement. “Greta says there still haven’t been any residual effects from the energy drains, and her vitals are actually up from what they were a few days ago. She’s sleeping more peacefully now.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Bodie wiped his hands on a dishtowel.
So was I. My mom’s stability gave me the hope I needed to push forward, despite the fact that a dark goddess and her legion of night elf minions were gunning for my soul and trying to end the world as we knew it. Add in the fact that Tore was now referring to me as his girlfriend, and demigod life was slowly looking up.
Even if I was an abysmal failure in the kitchen.
“Pizza will be here in half an hour.” Mack tucked his phone in his pocket before wiping a few charred bits from the counter to the sink. “And Greta will be here sooner than that, so it’s time to tidy up.” He turned on one combat-booted heel and marched toward the living room.
“Wait. What? Did you know Greta was coming over?” Bodie hissed at Johann.
“Nope.” Johann shrugged. “But Mack could have mentioned it. I don’t pay attention to most of what he says.”
“I heard that,” Mack called from the other room. “And unless these socks are going to fold themselves, I suggest you take your laundry into your room.”
“I was going to,” Johann huffed.
“Don’t make me tell your fathers they raised a slob.” I could practically hear Mack’s head shake.
I snorted.
“You too, missy.” Mack reappeared in the kitchen doorway. “There’s a pile of books in front of the fireplace, and I’m pretty sure the four of us haven’t read Dark Elf Combat For Dummies since primary school.”
“On it.” I dusted the last of the blackened lasagna guts from my hands. As I turned away from the sink, Tore’s warm hand wrapped possessively around my wrist. Oh, yum. He spun me into his chest, snaked his arms low around my back, and gave my butt a firm squeeze. Lowering his lips to mine, he claimed my mouth in a deliciously languid kiss. Blood left my brain on a southbound expressway, igniting a searing heat somewhere just south of my navel. My fingertips wove through Tore’s long, blond hair, and I pulled his face closer to mine, all the while pressing my torso against his.
Bodie’s irritated groan interrupted us. “Come on. Again?”
“Go away, Bodie,” Tore growled. His chest rumbled against mine as he spoke.
“Bodie, perhaps you might want to focus your attention on cleaning the downstairs bathroom,” Mack suggested. “Unless you want Greta to think she’s visiting a pack of wild animals. Honestly, would it kill you to trim your facial hair in your own bathroom?”
“The lighting’s better downstairs.” Bodie rubbed the stubble that lined his jaw. His cocoa-colored skin was dotted pink at the cheeks and ears.
As Bodie grabbed his phone off the counter and backed out of the kitchen, I lowered my voice so that only Tore could hear. “What’s with Bodie and Greta? Any history there?”
Tore’s mouth quirked into a lopsided grin. “Bodie’s been in love with Greta since we were kids. He tried to kiss her at a party, and it didn’t go well.”
“Ha. Didn’t go well?” Bodie’s voice came from the hallway. I cringed as I spun around to see him re-entering the kitchen. So much for whispering. “I leaned in and tripped. My teeth crashed into Greta’s mouth so hard that she bled for half an hour.”
I winced. That sounded pretty awful. But instead of offering sympathy, Tore tried to hide a grin.
“Why are you smiling, Vidarsson? I built that woman up in my head for years. Finally got my chance and I blew it. I mean, she needed stiches. It was terrible.”
Tore laughed. “It was awful at the time, but it’s funny now. You should still go for it.”
Mack strode through the kitchen doorway with a bottle of cleaning wipes in one hand. “Love is a fickle thing, my friend. But true rewards come to those who persevere in the face of adversity.” He tilted his head at the wipes.
Bodie snatched them up with a groan. “Thanks, fortune cookie. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a bathroom to clean.”
Mack turned his gaze on me. “Allie, your books.”
“Right. Sorry.” With tremendous effort, I tried to extract myself from Tore’s embrace. He just held on tighter, pulling me in for another kiss. My heart thudded as he ran his tongue along my bottom lip. I finally broke away with a breathless, “Hold that thought,” before ducking out of the kitchen.
“Seriously, Pepper,” Tore called to my retreating back. “Killing me!”
“Blame Mack!” I shouted back.
I entered the living room to find Johann hurriedly shoving clean laundry into a basket. With a smile, I picked up my books and carried them to my room. My nightstand was already filled with protector-required reading, so I set the texts on the ground beside my bed before popping my head back into the hall. “Hey, Mack?” I shouted.
“Yes?” The light elf glided calmly down the hallway.
“Do we need to clean up the den for Greta?” I asked.
“Good point. Johann, you’ll need to fetch the rest of your clean clothes from the den so Greta has a place to sleep.” Mack smiled serenely.
“I’m going there!” Johann huffed again. “I swear, living with you is worse than living with my dads.”
“They did you no favors by doing your laundry until you moved out.” Mack shrugged. “You’ll thank me some day.”
A flash of light from outside drew my attention to my bedroom window. The white sheers that covered the glass filled with a kaleidoscope of color, morphing from red to orange, all the way down the spectrum to indigo. Happiness bubbled in my fourth energy center as my heart filled with warmth. “Greta’s here!”
“Already?” Bodie’s panicked voice rang out. A glance down the hallway toward the bathroom revealed the six-foot-plus Asgardian still frantically scrubbing the sink.
“Need help?” Tore sauntered out of the kitchen.
“Nope. I’m good.” Bodie threw his cleaning wipe in the garbage, tossed the container beneath the sink, and turned on the tap. He scrubbed off the scent of bleach, then turned the water off and stepped into the hallway. “All done.”
“Your hands.” Tore pointed to the dripping digits.
“Oh. Right.” Bodie wiped his hands on his pants and leaned casually against the wall.
“Dude.” Johann laughed. His spiky, black hair was a blur as he charged up the stairs with his overflowing laundry basket. “Try to act cooler once Greta’s inside, okay?”
“Shut up,” Bodie muttered.
“Seriously?” Tore raised one dark blond eyebrow. “No ‘that’s what she said?’ Come on, man, he set you up.”
“I said shut up.” Bodie’s ears re-pinked into an adorable shade of embarrassment.
A light rap on the door set Bodie’s shoulders back. He drew himself up to his full height and stalked toward the door. “I’ll get it.”
Mack and I cleared out of his way, moving to stand at the end of the hallway beside Tore. My favorite protector held out his arms, and I nestled in, fighting back a goofy grin from the warm fuzzies that spread through me when he placed a possessive hand over my abdomen. Mine, it seemed to say. And I was only too happy to be claimed. My near-death experience had knocked a bit of the jerk out of him, and while he still had his issues, and more often than not irritated the hell out of me with his closed-off energy, my gut told me we’d smooth out our rough spots together. We were demigods; we had plenty of time.
“Hey, Greta.” Bodie cracked the door open. His energy radiated a sunshiny yellow, the joy evident in every fiber of his being. So cute.
“Hei hei, Bodie.” Greta’s tinkling voice came from the porch. “Well? Are you going to let me in?”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” Bodie threw the door the rest of the way open, and our petite healer friend stepped into the hall. “Here, let me take your bag. Mack’s set
ting you up in the den. That okay?”
“It’s perfekt. Takk.” Greta handed Bodie her overnight bag but held on to her healing kit. While Bodie carried her gear to her room, Greta tossed her strawberry braid over her shoulder and dusted white powder from its strands.
“Velkommen, Greta. Is it still snowing out there?” Mack asked.
“Ja. Hei, guys.” Greta’s eyes darted to Tore’s arm around me, then back up to my face with a wink. “Can’t wait to get started on our energy training, Allie.”
“You and me both.” I still needed all the help I could get.
“Hei, Greta.” Johann jogged down the stairs and pinned Mack with a glare. “There. House up to your standards?”
“It will do.” Mack nodded.
I tried not to laugh out loud at the brotherly dynamic between my protectors. I didn’t have much by way of family of origin. My dad, an Asgardian warrior, had died before I was born, and my kick-butt warrior granny had been killed a few months ago while protecting me from a dark entity. And my mom, well, until my protectors came into my life and told me otherwise, I’d thought she was dead, too. But the family I now chose to be a part of was every bit as important to me as the family I’d been born into.
Even when said family bickered over laundry like ornery old men.
Mack crossed to the front door and lifted a set of keys from the hook. “Johann, would you care to go with me to pick up the pizza?”
“Only if you promise not to lecture me on the proper way to fold underwear.” Johann pulled two jackets out of the coat closet and tossed one at Mack. Bodie chuckled as he exited the den.
“I thought you ordered delivery?” I questioned.
“You don’t think Mack gave the pizza place our real address, do you?” Johann shook his head. “Rule number one of the safe house, Allie. Don’t tell delivery guys the location of the safe house.”
