The Fire Within The Night (Night Aberrations - Book Two) Page 21

  When I felt calm, I opened my eyes to find his face expressionless, and that pissed me off all over again. “Even with all of that, you would still begrudge him the happiness we’ve found in each other? It’s cruel! You’re cruel. I’m fucking out of here.”

  He sat quiet for a moment, and then sneered. “Do you think that the faeries can protect you out there?”

  “No, nor would I ask them to. I do, however, think that I am capable of taking care of myself.”

  “Odin will find you.”

  His sullen, petulant tone struck a nerve. “He’s already found me! Viveka planted the fake stone for that reason alone!”

  “Perhaps, that is true,” he seethed. “We have no way of knowing, even less of a chance if you leave us. We need to take down the temple before anyone else gets killed, Erin. Cedric’s death will not be in vain!” His heavy breathing was still loud in my ears, even after he turned away. “Erin, I may be new in your life, but I already know you are not selfish enough to sacrifice others for your love.”

  “No, I am not. I would regret it for the rest of my life if I did, but Soren …” I looked him square in the eyes. “I refuse to stay away from Jakob any longer. We’re mated. End of story.”

  His crimson eyes shot to someone behind me. Following his stare, I found my determined mate in the doorway. Soren stormed up to him. Electricity crackled as it arced from its conduit to the metal fixtures in the room. “Why are you lurking in the hallway? Do you not trust me to have a conversation with my own blood?”

  “No, Soren. I came here because I am concerned about your safety. I do not trust her anger. She is in a volatile mood.”

  “She is not alone in that,” he said with contempt. “I cannot believe that you would let her leave the safety of the rebellion.”

  “If she chooses to leave, I will honor her wishes. I would follow her anywhere,” Jakob answered, placid as usual.

  My eyebrows rose at his response, and I tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to keep the smugness from my expression. That wasn’t what I’d expected him to say.

  “I see,” Soren said to him, and he left without another word … and then came right back with Emelie hot on his heels.

  Emelie joined me near the fireplace, laced her fingers with mine, and smiled. “I was going for slow and steady, Erin, but this works, too.” She turned to her mate with a hard glare. “Soren, swallow your pride for once in your damn life, and tell them what you told me.”

  “Little one,” he soothed. “This is unnecessary.”

  “Is it? Because it looks to me like they’re headed for the nearest exit.”

  I slipped my engagement ring out of my pocket and put it on in defiance. Brother or not, he wouldn’t keep me from Jakob.

  Soren’s eyes bulged with rage, prompting Emelie to step between us and put a light hand on his chest. “My love, I get it. You want to protect your sister, but can you not see how this is doing the opposite? You’re pushing her into the clutches of danger. No offense, Jakob.”

  Jakob inclined his head with a slight smile. “None taken, Emelie. As always, I bow to your wisdom.”

  Soren didn’t miss the hidden insult in his words. “Do not dare to insinuate that I do not heed my mate’s advisements, Jakob. I am faithful to her … in every sense. Can you say the same?”

  “Careful, Soren!” Jakob seethed, looking murderous.

  With a weary sigh, Soren looked at his fellow warrior. “I did not mean it. Forgive me.”

  Jakob nodded his acquiescence. “Of course.”

  Soren sat as if his legs would no longer hold him upright. “When Myrgjöl prophesied Odin’s death, she saw you both as his replacement.” His eyes were wild with worry as he glanced up at me. “I fear for her, Jakob. If we kill my father at the temple, is she prepared? What if an unknown enemy tries to usurp the throne? How can she protect herself against warriors trained for eons?”

  Jakob put a reassuring hand on Soren’s shoulder. “She will not be alone in this. You would not abandon her in a time of great need. I know this as a truth. I do not need a reminder of how much you care for your sister.”

  Watching Soren’s forlorn expression as he nodded in agreement made me realize something I’d missed before. When Emelie warned me about an obstacle in my relationship with Jakob, I’d thought that it was Jakob’s mating. Now I wondered if it wasn’t Soren’s fear that was the impediment.

  I extricated my fingers from Emelie’s grasp and walked to my brother. Everything was so obvious now. I couldn’t believe I didn’t figure it out sooner. “This is why you’ve tried to keep us apart, isn’t it?”

  Soren’s bowed head was confirmation enough.

  “Oh, Soren.”

  “I am so sorry, Erin. You may hate me for what I have put you through, but just know that I could not bear the thought of another person I love dying. You are so new to your magic, so innocent. It was Cedric all over again.”

  My heart ached upon hearing his earnest words. “That won’t happen, Soren. Right, Em?

  She grinned. “Nope.”

  He stared at his mate for a long moment and smiled. “Jakob, when the kingdom speaks to the elves about the upcoming war, tell them the truth about your mating. It is time we announce our plans.”

  I threw myself at Soren and squeezed his middle tight. “Thank you!”

  He enveloped me into his embrace and bent to kiss my forehead. “Do not make me regret doing this. You are my most beloved sister. I could not bear to lose you.”

  “I won’t,” I promised, then watched him take his leave with Emelie, but not before he cast one last stricken look in my direction.

  Stunned, I sat long after they left the room. I couldn’t believe that Soren had done everything he had done out of the fear of losing me. He seemed so … invincible. Hell, even Chase had said he was revered as Odin’s most powerful son. If he was this afraid for my safety, I knew that I was in for a bumpy ride.

  Jakob crouched down and laid a warm hand on my knee. “Are you well, älskling?”

  I had to think about the question a bit before answering. I wasn’t sure. On one hand, I was glad that Soren’s opposition to my mating was over, but on the other, I longed for the naiveté I enjoyed up until a few minutes ago. I was now more terrified than I’d ever been in my life. Whatever creature came up with the term, ignorance is bliss, was obviously a kindred spirit, or an offspring of insane parents, like Viveka and Odin, such as myself. Either way, they knew what they were talking about.

  With a deep sigh, I threw up my hands. “I don’t know how to feel,” I admitted. “Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse.”

  He took my hands in his and kissed them both. “That only means that things will get better from hereafter.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The evening of the full moon, we left the farmhouse as a group, armed to the teeth with both magic and weapons of the mundane sort. The most noticeable of all of them being the flaming broadsword on Surtr’s back. Last night, he’d spent an hour entertaining us all with stories of the fire-walkers in our family, all while sharpening and re-sharpening that gigantic blade of his, until it was deemed ready for battle.

  Soren had listened, from his spot in the shadows of the bonfire, with apparent interest, but then later warned me not to put much stock in my flames. He didn’t think that I could defeat Freyr with them. Truth be told, I knew he was wrong. I could melt them where they stood with the intensity of my heat. I doubt even Odin could come back from that.

  As excited, amped up, and boisterous as the males were for the upcoming battle, Emelie and I couldn’t join in. Terrified, we held each other’s hand in a death-grip, glancing at each other with crazed looks every few minutes. Unlike the males, this was our first battle, and we were afraid for what we stood to lose, regardless of the foretold victory. The not knowing was killing me. And judging by the twitch in her left eye, Emelie wasn’t feeling much different.

  She gripped my hand even tighter when Soren called u
s to attention. “Is everyone clear on their part in the invasion?” A chorus of yeses answered him. “Good,” he sighed. “It is time. Remember, we meet at the giant ash on Midgard in one hour. I do not give a shit if your leg is stuck in a bear trap. You bring it with you if you have to. Just get there.”

  Nils huffed indignantly as every eye turned his way. “What? When have I ever been caught in a snare?”

  Viggo was quick to answer. “Twice, if memory serves. Once, you weren’t wearing pants. Does that ring a bell?”

  He grinned. “Nope.”

  Soren ignored their conversation, continuing on. “On the count of three, we shift. One. Two. Three.”

  All I could see was darkness. “Jakob,” I whispered, a little panicked.

  “Right here, love.” He laced his fingers with mine and pulled me snugly into his side.

  Viggo laughed behind me. “You are the most pathetic dark elf, Erin.”

  “Shut up,” I growled. “Or the next time I can see, you’ll be pulling my foot out of your ass.”

  “Someone is touchy,” he grouched.

  Axel’s deep voice rumbled to life. “Can you blame her, my prince? She may see her mother hurt tonight. Indeed, both of her parents hurt. Regardless of the circumstances, a creature would have to be heartless not to care about the only parents she will ever have. Have a little empathy.”

  “Uh, yeah, Axel. That speech might be a little more touching if her parents weren’t lunatics, with a side of narcissistic psychopath.”

  “Quiet!” Soren ordered. “Emelie, does any of this look familiar to you from the dream Freyr visited you in?”

  “I can’t tell. I can’t see well either. Care to comment on that, Viggo?”

  “Uh, nope, can’t say that I do.”

  Nils snickered. “Smart male.

  Surtr spoke up. “Allow me, my lady.”

  An instant later, two torches, on either side of the vine covered steps, blazed to life. Her breath caught. “Those are the steps from the dream.”

  Soren turned to Loki. “You know what to do.”

  “One hour,” Loki said out loud, more to himself than us, then disappeared.

  “To your positions!” Soren ordered, eyeing Nils until he came to stand next to Emelie and me. “Do not leave them under any circumstances, Fenrir.”

  He wrapped an arm around each of our waists. “Do not worry. This will be an easy victory. Em, you want to do the honors? I have my hands full here.”

  “I’m on it,” she said, waving goodbye to a fading stoic-faced Soren.

  We materialized to the top of the steep, stone staircase. At Nils’ urging, Emelie and I tip-toed down winding stone stairs with him, careful not to make a sound. It wasn’t easy. Nils could barely move with me and Em bravely clutching each of his arms in fear. Warriors, we were not.

  At the bottom, there was more darkness. “Do you think Chase is down here,” I asked, my voice quavering. Damn this lack of night vision!

  “I am positive,” Nils whispered. “Viveka, too. I can smell her.”

  “Very good, Fenrir,” a female’s unfamiliar voice said.

  I was temporarily blinded when the lamps on either side of the room blazed to life. When I could see, I found my mother standing in front of us, a smug smile spread across her face. I should have expected this.

  “Hello, Viveka,” Nils offered, all the while sending us a silent message to give him the use of his arms. “I believe it is time that you return to your cell.”

  Viveka scoffed at his words. “How dare you speak to me as if we are on the same level, mongrel?”

  Her cold superiority made me snap. “Hey!” I exclaimed, pissed on his behalf. “Why don’t you shut your fucking mouth? Nils may be a wolf and an immature prick, but he’s our immature prick. You, on the other hand, I abhor.” Lowering my voice, I took a step closer. “And, if I had my way, I’d let my fire steal the oxygen from your lungs and watch you die.” I paused to let her see the fire swirling in my eyes. “Just give me a reason to.”

  Nils merely chuckled at the death threat to my mother, but Emelie gasped in surprise. I knew she’d be shocked. Hell, I was shocked. There was no way I could have anticipated how I would feel when I met Viveka. Meeting her today had brought all of those old feelings of anger and abandonment to the surface. How much I hated her! Everything about her—the lip curled in repugnance, as if she couldn’t stand to be near so many below her class, the beautiful long, black curls so like my own, and most of all, the ring on her finger that my mate had put there. How could Jakob have ever loved this female? She oozed animosity and contempt.

  “Oh, Erin,” she simpered. “That vulgar speech is beneath you. As is the company you keep. Do you think Soren’s group of misfits can defeat Freyr and his allies?”

  Her ignorance made me smile. She had no idea who she was dealing with. “No, mother. I think I can defeat Freyr and his merry little band of sycophants.”

  “I think so, too,” Emelie informed her, smiling nastily with her silver eyes narrowed. “You, yourself, will have the pleasure of spending the rest of eternity in Svartálfaheim’s prison. But don’t worry, you’ll have the thought of how you abandoned your only child to keep you company.”

  A flicker of fear crossed Viveka’s face, before her usual disdain won over. “Jealous, Norn? Are you regretting your decision to enlighten the king to our plan? It is not too late to join us.” She glanced at me. “Either of you.”

  Nils took a step toward her, ready to pounce. “I think my feelings might be a little hurt by the exclusion, Viveka.”

  I was so distracted by Nils’ mocking conversation, so caught up in the heat of the moment, that I didn’t notice Freyr sneaking up behind us, until Nils fell forward at Viveka’s feet, unconscious. Throwing myself away from Freyr, I huddled against the wall, screaming silently for Soren and Jakob, while Emelie’s very audible scream filled my ears. She was frozen with fear. A fact that she was making known by berating me in my head. “Don’t just stand there! Help me, idiot!”

  Straightening, I steeled myself and said, “What the hell was that, Mom? Do you always have someone else fight your fights for you?” She ignored the jab. Instead, she watched Freyr as he undressed Emelie with his hungry, leering eyes. “Uh, hello?” They both ignored me. “All powerful ass-kicking chick right behind you,” I told them. Still no response.

  When he ran his knuckles down the side of her face and her neck, I barked out, “Get your hands off of her!” and grabbed him by the arm. Did he think I'd just stand here nonchalantly as he tried to round second base with my brother’s wife? Uh, no … not going to happen.

  Freyr shook off my hold, hurling me to the floor. He sneered down at me. “Bind and gag your offspring, Viveka.”

  I growled at her as she approached. “Touch me and I will break and burn every appendage on your body, female.”

  She retreated, unwilling to take me on. What a surprise, just one more thing she depended on someone else to do for her. How in the worlds could this weak, entitled female be my mother?

  “Are your words true, daughter of Odin? Are you a fire-walker?” Freyr dragged Emelie to his side as he stalked closer. It was clear that he would use her as leverage if I didn’t cooperate.

  Smirking, I said, “First, I have a question for you, Freyr.”

  He arched a perfect, golden eyebrow. “And what might that be?”

  “THIS!” Surtr yelled as he thrust his sword through Freyr’s back until I could see its flaming tip come out of his chest.

  Laughing, Freyr looked down at the smoldering wreckage of his chest. “Do you honestly think this will kill me?”

  “No,” I answered, giving Surtr a significant look. At his nod, I grabbed the end of the sword, pushing my fire into it. Freyr’s shrieks of pain rang across the room as his clothing caught fire, blackening his skin. He was dead within seconds.

  Viveka’s wide eyes looked from my triumphant face to what was left of her meal ticket. “Nooooo!” she roared as sh
e rushed toward us, now angry and desperate enough to attack.

  “STOP!” My voice boomed in the small space, startling everyone. “Or you’re next.” I let go of the sword, watching with perverse satisfaction as Surtr yanked it out of a charcoaled Freyr without mercy and cut off his head before he collapsed the floor. Turning to a stunned Viveka, he seized her arm and pulled her up the stairs, dragging her when she refused to walk.

  Emelie sagged against the wall in relief. “Oh my God, Erin. You were amazing … and fucking scary. You charred Freyr to a crisp!”

  I skirted around what was left of Freyr and knelt down to check Nils’ pulse. I didn’t even want to think about what I’d just done. I had a feeling I’d be speaking to a therapist about it for the next hundred years or so. “Yeah, well. I’m sorry for not reacting faster, Em. I just froze.”

  “Me too,” she admitted, breathing out a heavy sigh. “I was so stupid coming here, thinking that I could defeat Freyr just because I’d done it before. What if he had hurt the baby?”

  My jaw dropped. “The baby? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  “If you think that I’m saying that you’re going to be an aunt, then yes, I am.”

  “Holy shit!” I squealed. “Does Soren know? How far along are you? Do you know what the gender is? Come on, give me some details!”

  “I’m—”

  Viveka’s angered screeching interrupted her reply. I rolled my eyes. “How is it possible that she gave me life?”

  “One of the universe’s great mysteries,” she replied. “Let’s find Chase and get the hell out of here. Freyr’s corpse is freaking me out.”

  Me and her both. “Lead the way.”

  We walked shoulder to shoulder down the freezing cold corridor until I heard a weak cry—Chase’s cry. With a glance at each other, we sprinted to the source of the sound. Through a barred cell door, we found Chase huddled in a corner of a walk-in closet sized room.

  Emelie tugged on the cell door. “We need a key, Erin.”