She could hear Wade’s relief—the joy in his voice, though it sounded too good to be true. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Why the sudden change of heart? Why now?” She should be happy with the decision. It meant they could be together, but she had to know.
“Freyja,” he replied.
“What do you mean?”
“She intervened. If it wouldn’t have been for her, Odin would have never allowed our mating.”
“Wow.” What else was there to say?
“Yeah. It was pretty tense there for a few minutes. In the end, we received both of their blessings.” A smile spread across his rugged face.
“Wait, if you are immortal and I am not. What will that mean for us?” The weight that had momentarily lifted from her chest returned.
“It means that your life-force has been tied to mine. You will live by my side for as long as the gods see fit.”
“I don’t want to live without you.” She snuggled into his arms.
“You won’t have to,” he promised.
She wouldn’t have to say goodbye anytime soon from the sounds of it. It was a lot to take in. Her mind swirled with the possibilities of a future she’d never imagined, but there were still a few questions she needed answers to.
“Why did Odin create you? What is your task?” she asked.
Wade slowed his steps before turning to face her, looking more than a little bit uncomfortable with the question. “I’ve never been allowed to discuss this with anyone. If I even tried…” Wade shuddered. “The pain was unbearable.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to…”
“Odin granted me permission to speak freely with you, and only you, about this. It is important that what I’m about to tell you stay between us.”
“I understand.”
“I was created to escort souls to Heaven and Hell. When a person dies, their soul roams the Earth until they are taken to their final destination. It’s my job to judge, based on the life they’ve lived, whether they go to Heaven or Hell.” Wade continued his pacing.
“And your sword?” The one he’d used to kill her mother and save her life. The image of his sword would be engrained in her mind for as long as she lived—which could be quite a long time.
“Tyrfing.” The sword materialized in his hand.
“That’s the one.” Adalyn scooched back on the bed a bit, getting as far away from his blade as possible.
“It was a gift from Odin. Forged long ago and more powerful than any on the planet. A blade that has turned ordinary men into powerful kings,” he explained.
“How so?” Adalyn could feel the majik vibrating from the blade.
“Tyrfing will never miss its mark. Once I’ve decided a person cannot be redeemed, the blade will destroy the person’s soul. Nothing can stop it. Not a shield, not armor, not even majik can stop it.”
“And my mother couldn’t be saved?” Adalyn asked, tears streaming from her eyes.
The sword disappeared. Wade kneeled in front of her. “I swear that she could not. I’d never used the blade on a living person before today. I’d never thought to because my job was to judge souls, not people, but as the battle was nearing an end, a voice told me to use all I had been given. Tyrfing appeared in my hand at that very moment. I questioned the use of the blade on your mother, but the voice returned, assuring me there was no other option if you were to live.”
“Whose voice was it?” Adalyn asked. She wondered who would have that kind of power to know for certain whether her mother was capable of changing or not.
“Freyja.”
“As in…the goddess. Odin’s wife?”
“The one and only.”
Adalyn let their conversation stew in her mind. There was no doubt her mother was fucked up and some would argue she had been evil to the core, but as her daughter, Adalyn couldn’t help to mourn the loss of the woman who had given birth to her. To mourn the relationship that could have been… should have been.
