by Sumida, Amy
There, at the end of the hall, was the river's source. A mesmerizing frozen waterfall sprouted from the top of the far wall and flowed to the floor in sparkling glory. It formed the dais and curved into steps before flattening out to become the river.
On the dais were two thrones, a large obsidian masterpiece with intricate spirals cut into it, and a smaller chair of the same stone, more discrete but still grand. Hel sat on the larger of the two, straight backed and frighteningly beautiful. The left half of her body was pure white and practically glowed. The right half was blacker than her throne, a perfect jet which shone with a more subdued softness than it's counterpart. The colors continued into her straight, waist-length hair, which seemed to know exactly which side it belonged to and allowed no fraternizing with the other. Her eyes were ice blue, very similar to Azrael's but much, much colder, without any spark to light their chill. They looked at me with wary curiosity, then darted over to her right.
To where Trevor was sitting, on the other throne.
His eyes were fastened on me like I was an oasis mirage, longed for but about to disappear at any second. I held his gaze gently, trying to reassure him but all it accomplished was filling those honey eyes with tears.
He looked like the Prince he was, dressed in a bright blue tunic and black leather pants. He had a sword belted at his waist and a narrow crown over his military-short hair. I'd never seen him look so regal, like a warrior king ready for battle.
We stopped before the bottom step and Azrael inclined his head to Hel as he spread his wings with a great rustling and enfolded one around me like a companionable arm. I looked at him askance but this was his area of expertise and I'd trust him to make the proper moves.
“Lady Hel,” he greeted. “It's been too long since I've been blessed by your beauty.”
“Lord Azrael, welcome to Eljudni,” her red lips seemed to caress the words as she spoke them. “I'd forgotten the charms of the Angelic Host. It's a shame you're such a lone wolf.” She purred out the last word and glanced at Trevor with a low chuckle. “But it seems the wolf has found a reason to run with the pack again and it's the same reason that sent my wolf running to me.” She reached out a thin hand and ran a fingertip over Trevor's arm.
I clenched my teeth and fought back my urge to kill Trevor's Aunt.
“May I present Vervain Lavine?” Azrael drew me forward with his wing while retaining it as a shield over me. “Goddess of Love and Lions.”
“And VéulfR's estranged mate,” Hel added snidely. Go figure, she'd use his given name. Uptight bitch.
I looked to Trevor but he said nothing, just kept staring at me with desperate eyes.
“Alas, that is why we've come,” Azrael spread his hands.
“My nephew entered Niflheim willingly,” Hel peered at me curiously. “He was eager for the respite I could offer him, a sanctuary from love's harsh embrace. I don't hold him here prisoner. He is free to leave with you if he wishes,” she looked over at him smugly, “but I doubt highly that he'll choose your bitter affection over my lasting relief.”
Trevor's jaw clenched but still he remained silent.
“Then I have your word that he can leave with us if he chooses?” I stepped out of Azrael's protective embrace.
“As I said,” she frowned at me and the angles sent her bi-colored face into a fun house rictus. “VéulfR is free to leave if he wishes but he expressed certain conditions upon entering my hall and those conditions must be met.”
“What do you mean?” I started to move closer but Az grabbed my hand and held me back.
“VéulfR was very upset when he came to me,” Hel sighed. “You have sorely abused the good nature of my brother's eldest son.”
I looked over at Trevor and watched his jaw clench, his hands grip the arms of his throne. He looked down into his lap and refused to meet my gaze.
“I've made a few mistakes,” I agreed.
“Mistakes?” She smiled but it was harsh, just a twist of lips. “Yes, he mentioned your shortcomings. Upon arrival, VéulfR announced that he would remain here until there was a specific occurrence involving you. That is all the help I will give you involving his removal and I gift it you only because you're in the company of my Brother Death.”
“So you're saying you really are holding him hostage until certain demands are met?” My fingers itched, my lion claws longing to make an entrance.
“Absolutely not,” Hel raised her chin till I could see straight up her nose. “My territory is magic, some of the oldest magic there is, and anything said within it is made more real just for simply being spoken here. When my sweet VéulfR uttered those words, he created a spell. The magic of Hel has cemented his oath and it must be appeased before he can leave. I have no control over it.”
“But you're not going to tell me what I need to do either,” I narrowed my eyes on her, then swung my hard gaze to my wolf.
“He won't help you,” she said gleefully. “The oath won't allow it. You must meet his requirement by simply knowing what he needs. You are supposed to be his mate after all. So prove it, prove it to me and prove it to VéulfR. Show him that you can give him what he needs. Be his mate in truth.”
Crap. I almost turned around and walked out. Trevor should have known better than to get himself into this mess. Now I was standing in Helheim with no idea of what to do to free him. I'd literally gone through Hell to save him and he couldn't even look at me. Wait. Something twinged inside my belly, a twisting, turning, roll of soft fur, a whimper of sound.
I was his mate.
I carried a part of Trevor inside me. I would know what he needed because he was always with me. He didn't need to speak to me. I just needed to reach inside to hear him. My face must have shown some of my revelation because Hel sat straighter in her seat and narrowed her eyes on me. I closed mine and blocked her out.
The sound of rustling feathers filled my ears as I felt Azrael's wings enfold me. I smiled a little, it was always a turn on when a man had my back. Knowing I was safe, I went further into myself, searching for Trevor, and finally I touched my wolf. Normally I could feel him close to my lioness, almost intertwined with her wild magic, but now my wolf was hiding. She'd slunk off into a corner and curled up to hibernate while Trevor hibernated in Hel's winter.
I touched her gently and she stirred, looked up, and stared right into my soul. I was overwhelmed by a tide of memories. Coming home to find Trevor asleep on the couch and making love to him for the first time. Trevor being pulled away from me, weak but still fighting, when Anubis was trying to force me to marry him. Trevor accepting Kirill into our life, as a brother and my new lover. Trevor watching me pack to visit Odin, sad but resigned. My wolf had been a true mate to me and I had failed him.
I gently pushed out of Azrael's embrace and began to climb the dais. I stared straight at Trevor. I couldn't care less what Hel did now. She could go to... well, I guess she was already there. I stopped in front of him, one step down from his throne, and waited for him to look up at me. When he did, I was shocked to find hope filling his eyes.
“I was wrong,” I said simply and the hope spread over his entire face, changing into joy as it went.
“No,” Hel's whisper floated over to us but we both ignored it.
“How did you know?” He finally spoke and his voice was filled with amazement.
“I'm your mate,” I smiled but my tears were flowing over my lips, making my happiness salty. “I know your heart because its mine.”
He jumped down the last step separating us and lifted me into his embrace, burying his face in my neck and breathing deeply. My inner wolf jumped as well, circling and leaping in joy. Then his lips were on mine and I was home. Deep in Hel's realm, I was home because my wolf held me and I knew everything was going to be alright.
“I thought it was hopeless,” Trevor finally pulled back to look at me. “I thought you might apologize, maybe even give some long, pretty speech, but I never thought in a million years you'd ever say thos
e three words.”
“Am I that stubborn?” I laughed at his expression. “I can admit when I'm wrong. It's just hard for me to keep up. It happens so often, especially with you.”
“Minn Elska,” he whispered as he pulled me closer. “You are seldom wrong but,” he smiled wider, “when you are, you're so very, completely wrong.”
“Anubis is in the past,” I held his face between my hands. “You are my future. I promise from now on, to leave the past in the past and focus on my future. Besides, it's hard to look back when the view in front of me is so damn good.”
“If he ever touches you again,” Trevor's eyes began to glow, “I will tear his limbs off slowly and throw them to his jackals.”
“Fair enough,” I smiled gently and he began to laugh.
I basked in that laugh. It had been so long since I'd heard it. Trevor's laugh was like his eyes, warm and golden, honey sweet, and seductive. It relaxed my tense muscles, sending little spasms of delight running along my spine and making me wish we were somewhere a little more private, so I could run my tongue along his spine.
“Can we go home now?” It felt like I'd waited forever for this moment, to have my lost wolf come home again.
“Yes,” he smiled down at me.
“No,” Hel stood up and stalked over to us. “She just walks up to you and says she's wrong and that's it? You're going back to her?”
“Aunt Hel,” Trevor turned toward her, sliding me behind his back. Why did everyone think I needed protection from this woman? I had goddess status now too. “She said the words I needed to hear. She fulfilled my oath. I've been separated from my mate long enough. I want to go home.”
“Let them go,” I had completely forgotten Balder until he spoke. “You have me, why do you need him?”
“He's alive,” Hel growled at Balder and he paled as much as was possible for a dead man to pale.
“You had your fun,” I frowned at her around Trevor's shoulder. “You made your point and I got it, I understand. Trevor is precious to me and I need to treat him as such. I get the family loyalty thing and I'd be pissed if someone treated my nephew badly too but I think I've proved that I am his mate and I do love him. I came into Helheim to get him after all. Now keep your word and let him go.”
“Fine,” she waved her long black arm at us. “Go, leave here and never return again, Godhunter. You are no longer welcome.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Aunt,” Trevor went to her and kissed her white cheek, then her black. “I love you, despite how rude you're being to my mate.”
“Oh, VeulfR,” she stroked his cheek gently. “You have so much of your father in you. Tell my brother I miss him and I hope he fares well.”
“I will, Lady Hel, and fare you well,” he smiled and returned to me, to take my hand and lead me from Hel's hall with the Angel of Death as our rear guard.
The trees shivered as we passed, the tinkling sounding like warning bells in my ears. I peered from side to side, wondering where the attack would come from, utterly trusting my instincts that there would be one. Yet nothing leaped through the strange forest, nothing stalked us through the icy dark. The attack, when it came, was from the back.
A moaning scream was all the warning we had that Balder was flying at us from behind. It wasn't the most thought out move, nor the best idea on his part, as he had to go through Azrael to get to either me or Trevor. As it happened, Azrael was an excellent rear guard, especially in the case of an attacking dead man.
All I saw was a flash of Balder's enraged face a second before Azrael's impressive wingspan obliterated it from view. I heard a thunderous crack and though Azrael barely moved an inch, when he lowered his wings, Balder was laying sprawled against the dais steps.
“You having a problem controlling your wards, Hel?” Azrael appeared completely unfazed as he looked over his shoulder at Hel. “I hate to infringe on your territory but he did attack me.”
“I will handle this,” she said as she lifted a hand towards Balder. Balder's body lifted limply in the air and started to spin. He twisted and lengthened, his limbs extending and multiplying. His torso became a trunk, his legs roots, and his arms were branches. A shiny, new tree was lining the path.
“Holy fuck,” I whispered. As I watched, frost started to coat its limbs and then ice.
The rustling of Azrael's wings broke the stunned silence and set us on a forward path once more. I was practically running by the time we hit the front door and began our trek through the city. Hel may not be a fiery inferno but it sure was creepy and deadly in a very Tim Burton way. I couldn't wait to leave.
As we walked through the twisting streets, the dead pulled back, gazing at us with wide eyes. Evidently, it was one thing to watch the living enter Hel's Halls but it was quite another to watch them leave. Azrael's wings were unfolded behind him, a banner basically shouting to the denizens that fucking with us would be a very bad idea. After all, we hadn't just made it through Hel's presence to be killed by one of the dead.
“Are we walking home?” Trevor was still holding my hand and it was amazing how that simple touch revived us both.
“Do you care?” I smiled up at him and had a blissful moment of pure happiness. Nothing mattered but his hand in mine, his heart finally belonging to me again.
“Not really,” he laughed and it was his free laugh, the laugh that showed his wild werewolf soul. It was so wondrous, it stopped me in my tracks and I felt my eyes water. “Minn Elska,” Trevor took my face in his hands.
“You deserve so much better than me,” I whispered, blinking furiously.
“No,” I watched him swallow convulsively. “What I deserve is you... behaving better.”
“I'll try my best,” I saw Azrael turn away, his wings lifted to give us a modicum of privacy and I had a fleeting moment to appreciate this new man in my life. My own personal angel. Then I was back to my returned wolf and the weight of my life fell on me.
“Don't,” Trevor must have seen my despair. “Don't do that. We will make it work. We have to because I learned something down here.”
“That the only way to escape me is to go to Hel?” I smiled sardonically.
“No,” he kissed the tip of my nose. “I learned that I may be physically able to exist without you but I'm not able to live without you. Without you, life is not life, it's a pale imitation, like drinking a nasty diet drink when all you want is the strong and sweet bite of the real thing.”
“So I'm the real thing?” I smiled more enthusiastically at him
“You're the only thing, Minn Elska,” he pulled me closer, “you're my everything.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“So you wanna tell me who this guy with the bulletproof wings is,” Trevor raised a brow at me, “and why he's helping me break out of Niflheim?”
“Trevor, this is Azrael, the Angel of Death,” I said as I pulled the coat we'd brought for Trevor out of the bag and handed it to him. “Az, this is my alpha, VéulfR, Firstborn son of Fenrir, but you can call him Trevor.”
“Nice to meet you,” he shook Azrael's hand before shrugging on the coat.
“You too, Wolf Prince,” Az looked back over our shoulders and frowned, “but I think we should save pleasantries and explanations for later. Hel may have granted me safe passage here but she said nothing of the return trip.”
“Right,” Trevor glanced over his shoulder before grabbing my hand and breaking into a run.
Gray people shot out of our way, pulling back in surprise and fascination. We clamored down the dark streets, me and Trevor in the lead with Azrael once again watching our backs. We made it through the city gates without incident and soon we were running over snow and ice, having to slow a little to prevent falling.
The city of the dead was far behind us and we were making a nice headway when I started to relax. We actually slowed down to a walk and were able to catch our breaths. Even gods can't run forever.
The mist swirled around our feet, some of it even trail
ing up my body like it was sentient and trying to make contact. My heaving breath formed a mist of its own and the fog of Niflheim snaked around it before consuming it and assimilating my breath into Hell.
The we heard the howl.
“What the hell is that?” My head shot back around.
“Exactly,” Azrael looked grim.
“It's Garm,” Trevor actually looked surprised. “She's sent her hell hound after us. Why would she do that?”
“Maybe because she really doesn't want you to leave?” I looked back and forth between the men. “Do we fight or run?”
“Run,” they said simultaneously.
So we ran, and ran, and ran with that horrible howling chasing us. The running actually helped with the cold a bit. What it didn't help with was breathing. I finally stopped in my tracks, bending over double with my hands on my knees. The men came back to guard me, they were breathing heavily too so I didn't feel so bad.
Another howl echoed off the pale mountains surrounding us, making it impossible to judge which direction it was coming from.
“There,” Azrael point to a large, ice covered hill.
He took one of my arms while Trevor took the other and they ran me over to the cover. There were smaller rocks in front of the hill, big enough for us to duck behind. When we got nestled in though, we discovered a deep hole in the hillside, large enough for the three of us. We scampered in, Azrael coming in last and unfurling his wings to shield the door.
“Won't he smell us?” I whispered.
“Not beyond my wings,” Az winked at me like it was all a great adventure for him.
“Oh, okay then,” I leaned back into Trevor and he wrapped his arms around me, allowing me to get comfortable enough to rest a little.
I ended up staring at Azrael for a couple of reasons. First, it was too difficult to twist my head around to look at Trevor and second, the hole was pitch black except for the glow of Azrael's eyes. They were glittering again, sending dancing lights over the slick walls and our bodies. It made his face seem ethereal and demonic all at once, with the glittering highlights and deep shadows. I found that I liked them both on him, the shadows and the light.
