MY BROTHER AND HIS biological father couldn’t have been more different, in virtue or in fighting style. While Hymir raged like a caged bull, uprooting trees, boulders, and everything else that came across his tyrannical path, Tyr fought almost reservedly. He’d done this long enough to understand the importance of assessing an assailant, and with each unearthed sapling mutilated by Hymir, my brother gained another grain of knowledge. While Tyr sidestepped the effects of Hymir’s tirade, I knew he’d be forming a mental checklist. Right arm severed below the shoulder, so he’d be less quick to defend against a jab to the right ribcage. Trees uprooted at chest level, so Hymir wasn’t inclined to bend over; possible back or knee weakness. Five out of six boulders kicked with the right foot; it would be easier to throw him off-balance with a blow to the left. Head tilted slightly to the right; an attack from the left would be less noticeable. And the aim…Hymir must have been nearsighted. He only grabbed the foliage directly in front of him, and each time Tyr stepped beyond a certain point, Hymir narrowed his eyes in concentration.
When my brother did the same, I knew he was preparing to strike. And when he lowered his head and charged at Hymir’s left knee, I knew I’d read his checklist spot on. He drove his sword through the flesh just below Hymir’s kneecap, then wrenched his hands to the left, slicing through flesh and tendon and eliciting a surge of blood. The thick liquid quickly covered Hymir’s lower leg, and his knee gave way under his weight. He shifted to his right, but not before Tyr delivered a second blow to his thigh. Hymir howled. His left leg was all but useless, and he was down an arm. How much more would he really be able to endure?
Tyr pulled back, watching as Hymir steadied himself on one leg. He was careful to stay just out of range, so when Hymir whipped his head around with narrowed eyes, searching for the god he sought to destroy, Tyr was nothing more than a blond blur.
“Are you too scared to face me?” Hymir taunted. Yellowed teeth peeked from between lips so dry they looked like they’d been dusted with baby powder. It was an unnaturally terrifying smile, and I shivered. Poor Tyr. Thank gods our parents had adopted him. I couldn’t imagine growing up with a father like that.
Tyr kept himself just out of Hymir’s line of vision, but I could see the calculations in his eyes. He was determining the optimal strike time. And because my brother hadn’t lost a battle since taking his title, I knew he’d win this one, too.
I flexed my toes experimentally, and the tiny movement confirmed that my body was forcing the poison out again. But it still had a firm grip on my mobility, and even the slight motion sent a searing wave of pain through my leg. I wouldn’t be going anywhere any time soon. A quick glance at Forse confirmed that he still had the upper hand, so I shifted my attention to Brynn.
Oh gods.
Brynn was in trouble. Runa had her pinned to the ground, and although Brynn struggled beneath Runa’s muscular form, the giant-daughter stabbed her with a feather from one of the drones. The venom quickly penetrated Brynn’s bloodstream, immobilizing her and giving Runa the upper hand. While Brynn lay helpless, Runa ripped Brynn’s dagger out of its holster. As she raised it over Brynn’s heart, my spirit let out a wail.
Stop! I shouted at Runa’s spirit. You can’t do this!
A dim light flickered inside Runa, but she continued to position the dagger for optimal damage.
I said stop. The command rang from my mind. The light flickered again, and Runa seemed to hesitate. That had to be a good sign. I pressed on. Don’t do this. You still have a choice—you always have a choice. You may have seen nothing but darkness in your existence, but my friend, Mia, recently reminded my brother about the power of faith. Her pastor preached that through agency and grace, we aren’t destined to be what we observe. We can become what we believe. And I’m inclined to trust those words.
Runa grimaced as the flickering light grew stronger. She pushed the dagger at Brynn’s heart, but it stopped an inch above the valkyrie’s chest. “What the Hel is happening?” Runa shrieked.
I know you can overpower your host. You just have to believe it with me. I pleaded with Runa’s spirit. It stayed silent, but I saw the light brighten. And though Runa fought frantically to drive the dagger into Brynn’s chest, her hand pulled back, as if an invisible force guided her body.
Runa’s spirit was taking over.
Thank you, Elsa. The spirit spoke at last. Runa shrieked as her body was wrenched backward off Brynn and into the trunk of a nearby tree. At the same time, Brynn leapt to her feet, the poison eradicated from her bloodstream.
“Oh, I don’t think so.” Brynn scowled. Then she dove for Runa, who was still being restrained by her spirit. Brynn ripped a set of handcuffs from her belt and Runa’s wrists shot out, presenting themselves for imprisonment.
“What the Hel?” Runa shrieked again. If the situation weren’t so serious, I would have laughed at the sight of the giantess, manipulated against her will by her own inner goodness. Unifying was seriously fantastic stuff.
Brynn slapped the cuffs on Runa’s wrists and dragged her to her feet. “We’ve got a special pit in Asgard for monsters like you,” she growled.
“Don’t be too hard on her, Brynn,” I urged. “There’s hope for her yet.”
Brynn snorted. “We’ll see about that.”
As Brynn pulled a second set of cuffs from her backpack, Runa’s spirit pressed a thought into my consciousness. You saved me.
You saved yourself, I corrected. The spirit smiled.
And as Forse overpowered Tosk, and Tyr battled his father for the freedom to live in peace, Runa’s spirit retreated to her body. Runa wailed at the ever-brightening light emanating from within, as her spirit sent me one final message. Thank you.
With that the spirit went quiet, and I settled my attention on the aftermath.
* * * *
“He’s dead.” Forse’s voice was hard. He spoke with one foot planted on Tosk’s limp torso, giving the hilt of his sword a violent twist.
“Good riddance.” Brynn didn’t take her hands off Runa. In the endless minute it had taken Forse to finish off Tosk, Brynn had my captor doubly bound and gagged.
“Isn’t the gag a bit excessive?” Tyr asked, as he crossed to my side. Since I was still curled in a ball, he bent low to remove my handcuffs with a flick of his sword. “Hei, Sis.” He touched my shoulder lightly.
Ouch.
“Last time Runa was bound, she swallowed a magic rock and got superpowers. I’m not taking any chances.” Brynn glared at our captive.
“Fair enough.”
“What happened to Hymir?” Forse didn’t take his hands off the sword, but his vigilance wasn’t necessary. As he spoke, Tosk’s spirit withdrew from his body. It was black and mangled; he’d been one of the rare truly dark souls. Without looking back, the spirit shot into the sky, no doubt journeying to Helheim, where it could live among kindred spirits.
Good riddance, indeed.
“Hymir got away,” Tyr said.
“What? How? He was missing an arm; don’t tell me he overpowered you.” Disbelief colored Brynn’s voice.
“He didn’t overpower me. He opened a portal and jumped through. With everything going on here, I wasn’t about to leave you vulnerable by following him. I have my agenda when it comes to Hymir, but you lot come first.” Tyr nodded at me.
I nodded back, understanding. “We’ll get him next time.”
“Odin only knows how long he’ll stay in hiding, but there’s no doubt he’ll be back,” Tyr rumbled. “He’ll need to rebuild, since we took down his officers. And he’ll have to regroup—he lost a limb, and he doesn’t have the brain trust we do to build him a Fred.” Tyr flexed his prosthetic arm. He didn’t sound sorry. He didn’t sound anything. Everything about him, from his stance to his voice, screamed impassive. He’d shut down his emotional centers, something I knew he did when he fought, and it would be a while before he opened back up again. Seeing the lengths his father had gone to destroy the goodness in his spirit—again—had to hurt. But he’d get through this. He always did. The war god was one of the two strongest gods I knew.
The justice god was the other.
As Forse pulled the sword from Tosk’s corpse and tossed it on the ground, the poison finally released its hold on my body. I jumped up and took off across the clearing. My feet sunk into the soot as I launched myself at the god I’d loved for centuries, no longer caring if I scared him off. Life, even an immortal life, was too short to tiptoe around the truth. And the truth was, I was head over heels, heartbreakingly devoted to, and overwhelmingly in love with Forse Styrke. And he could just deal with it.
“Oh my gods, he didn’t kill you!” My sentence came on one hurried breath as I flew through the air, wrapping first my arms and then my legs around the god who’d owned my heart since Freya’s spin-the-bottle party centuries ago. Forse caught me easily, tucking one arm around my waist and the other underneath my bottom. The movement brought me closer to him, and as I pressed my hips against his stomach, relief gave way to an entirely different sensation. One that was sure to send Forse running for the hills.
I didn’t care.
I placed my hands on either side of his head and waited for his reaction. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. But his heart thudded against my chest, confirming that no matter what his overthinking justice-god brain was telling him, he wanted this every bit as much as I did.
Finally.
“Forse Styrke, don’t you ever scare me like that again.” I stroked the skin along his jaw. The days-old stubble felt rough against the pad of my thumb, while the adoration in his eyes was the very definition of gentle. As he’d always be, Forse was a study in contrasts.
“And if I do?” The corners of Forse’s eyes crinkled. “Then what?’
“I’m…well, I’m…”
My words faded into silence. I was lost in a grass green vortex as Forse pressed his forehead to mine and let out a low chuckle. “Enough talking. There’s something I need to do.”
And before I could tell him to stop laughing at me, Forse hiked me higher on his waist and brought one hand to the back of my head. He laced his fingers through my hair and pulled my face to his. With a groan, he crushed his mouth against mine in a kiss that obliterated the artfully constructed image he was careful to maintain. To everyone else, he was cautious, rational, calm…the poster god for justice, and all that it represented. But as he moved his lips against mine in a maddening dance, he confirmed what I’d suspected all along: underneath Forse’s calm façade was a passion that burned brighter than all the realms’ suns combined.
And it was about to consume me.
A soft moan escaped my mouth, and Forse didn’t miss the opportunity. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip and nipped softly at the sensitive skin. A warm sensation shot straight through me and I wrapped my legs tighter around him, moving slowly with each gentle sweep of his tongue. He tasted like spearmint and fresh air, and as his fingers tugged at my hair I let my head fall back. Forse’s lips followed the trail along my jaw and down my neck. I arched my back as he neared the deep V of my neckline, but before my fantasy of being ravaged by the god of my dreams could come true, my darling brother intervened.
“Ahem.” Tyr cleared his throat loudly. “We should probably take our prisoner and clear out before anyone else shows up. Also, that’s my little sister. Knock it off.”
Forse had the decency to remove his mouth from my neck. But when he placed his hands on my hips to help me down, I locked my legs in place.
“No way.” I shook my head at Forse. “I’ve waited forever for this moment. Tyr can just deal.”
Forse chuckled. “He’s right. I need to take Runa into custody, and we need to get you back to the compound. After I sort through Runa’s intake, I’ll Bifrost straight to your place in Arcata. No pit stops.”
My eyes narrowed. “Promise?”
Forse dropped his mouth to mine, and delivered a sweet kiss more in line with what I’d expected of the buttoned-up justice god. Then he raked his teeth along my bottom lip and sucked with a force that let me know that, when it suited him, he could be anything but sweet. Oh my gods.
“Promise?” I panted. Again.
Forse pulled back and brought his lips to my ear. “Have I ever broken my word?”
“No,” I whispered, drawing my shoulders back as the shiver traversed my spine.
“Forse!” Tyr complained.
“Right.” Forse gave me a wink and I reluctantly unwrapped my legs from his waist. He set me on the ground, careful to hold my hips as my knees wobbled unsteadily. Whatever intake involved, it better be quick. I wanted to be on the couch at my cottage with the god I adored, not watching a movie.
I wanted that right now.
“Come on.” Brynn yanked Runa by her elbow and dragged her to Tyr’s side. “Let’s get you off to Odin. Oh, the things he will do to you.”
“Brynn, wait.” I laced my fingers through Forse’s and walked to Brynn’s side. Runa glared at me, but behind the anger was sadness. Her father had used her as a pawn before abandoning her—again. And the brother she’d fought to save was about to lock her up forever. As much as I wanted to see her imprisoned so she could never hurt anyone the way she and Fenrir had hurt all of us, a part of me felt for her. She’d been born a good spirit—she’d just been overtaken by a series of unfortunate corporeal circumstances.
Brynn held up a hand. “Don’t get too close, Elsa. Last time—”
“I know,” I said softly. “Just give me a minute.”
Then I closed my eyes and spoke to Runa’s spirit.
You won today. I smiled.
Runa’s spirit nodded in recognition. Today, yes. What if the darkness wins next time?
Keep shining your light in there, I pressed. Runa doesn’t want to hear it, but there’s goodness in her. You’re in her. You’ll bring her around.
Runa let out a high-pitched shriek, muffled by the gag tied tightly across her mouth. A series of wails followed, and garbled though they were, I clearly understood the words. “Get out of my head!”
Keep doing good, Elsa. Your mom would be so proud of you. Runa’s spirit sent a wave of warmth at me. I imagined it was her way of giving me a hug.
I smiled, even as Runa’s shrieking grew louder.
“Okay. I’m done. But there’s one more thing we need to do before you go. Tyr?” I motioned for my brother. He approached cautiously, one hand on the hilt of his sword.
“What are you doing, Elsa?” he asked.
I drew a steady breath. “Tyr, I want to introduce you to your sister.”
“Whatever she used to be, she is not my sister,” he hissed. “She’s as responsible for our parents’ deaths as Fenrir. And she tortured you.”
I held up my hand. “Runa’s made some awful choices. Some horrific choices,” I emphasized. “But once upon a time, she loved you every bit as much as I do. Didn’t you, Runa?”
Runa’s eyes shot veritable fireballs at me.
“Okay, fine. I’ll tell him.” I turned back to Tyr. “Hymir’s been a monster—”
“No kidding,” Tyr muttered.
“Let me finish. Hymir’s been a monster all your life. When you were little, he did terrible things to your birth mother. Truly heinous things you probably would have remembered and been deeply scarred by if Odin hadn’t wiped your memory, and if your sister hadn’t protected you.”
“What do you mean?” Tyr didn’t blink.
“When Hymir went on his rages, Runa kept you hidden away. She made sure Hymir never hurt you, and she tried to keep you from seeing all of the awful things he did to the people around you. But most importantly, she’s the one who brought you to our parents. She risked her own life, and gave up her family, to make sure you had a chance at happiness.”
Forse tightened his hand around mine and Brynn sucked in a breath.
“I know it seems impossible, but Runa gave up everything to save you, Tyr.” I watched as my brother’s gaze shifted to Runa.
“Is this true?” His voice was steady, but I noticed the slight shift of his jaw as he bit the inside of his cheek. I hadn’t seen the nervous tic in years, and Tyr’s sudden vulnerability tugged at my heart.
Runa raised her chin in defiance. The fury radiating from her features made it clear that even if she wasn’t gagged, she wouldn’t be talking any time soon.
Tyr turned his eyes back to me. “This doesn’t make any sense. If Runa brought me to our parents, why didn’t they adopt her, too? And when she showed up in Asgard all those years later, why didn’t she come to live with us? Mom had a heart the size of Vanaheim; there’s no way she’d turn away someone who needed help.”
Runa let out a low growl, and Forse shifted so he stood between her and me.
“Wrap it up, hjärtat,” he murmured softly. I nodded. I was pressing my luck by keeping her here—there was a reason protocol dictated immediate custodial intake. There was no telling what she’d do if she overpowered us this time.
“From what I understand, Mom offered to adopt Runa at the same time she adopted you. Runa turned her down—she was afraid of what Hymir would do to her mom if she left her alone. And by the time she got herself to our realm, well…that’s a longer story. We can talk more about it back in Arcata. Or maybe you and Runa can talk about it while you’re checking her in up in Asgard.”
Runa emitted a series of shrieks that suggested no such conversation would be happening any time soon.
I frowned. Runa’s spirit had its work cut out for it. But I had hope that one day, her seemingly lost goodness would overpower her penchant for cruelty. Without the girl she’d once been, I wouldn’t have my brother. Asgard wouldn’t have its war god. And the tapestry of our unconventional little family would be devastatingly different. No matter what she’d become, I was grateful for Runa. I only hoped one day she would be open to seeing that.
I took a step back and nodded at my brother’s sister. “Brynn, she’s all yours. Just know I’m here for you if you ever want to make a change, Runa.” I watched her carefully. Runa simply glared, but behind the cold look I sensed a flicker of recognition. And that split second of honesty filled me with joy.
Maybe someday her spirit would have a shot at her own happy ending. There was good in Runa yet.
“Come on, hjärtat. Let’s get you home.” Forse picked up his sword. He tugged my hand and I followed him to an open spot in the clearing. Tyr, Brynn, and our reluctant prisoner followed suit, and we huddled close together as we prepared to leave the dark realm. Although I felt a palpable relief to be going home, I took one final look at the realm where I’d learned I could live up to the gift my mother had given me, where I’d discovered a strength I hadn’t known I possessed…and where I’d truly connected with the god I knew I’d love for all eternity. When my brother summoned the Bifrost, I squeezed Forse’s hand. I left Svartalfheim with a joyful heart, looking forward to a future positively teeming with faith, with hope, and with all the love I’d waited a lifetime to give.
But more importantly, I left with the god who would finally cherish my heart every bit as much as I cherished his.