Because one thing about my frustrating mate isn’t going to change. He’ll never stop trying to get me back to Helheim. Even if I wanted him—and I refuse to want him—it wouldn’t matter. I’ll never be able to trust Wregen, so I need to use him while I can and then get the fuck away.
Which starts with getting those cuffs off of him so we can leave here.
“Are you listening?” Rata squeals, his large brown eyes squinting in what I assume is anger, one of his feet tapping the ground impatiently.
“Sorry,” I mutter as I drag my thoughts away from the asshole. “What were you saying?”
“He said,” Svend interjects in a low voice as he glances around the clearing, “that we need to leave. Our master doesn’t trust Balin and neither do we.”
“Our master?” I scoff as one of my eyebrows pops up. “Who the fuck is our master?” I know who he’s talking about, but I’ll be damned if I let him say it without setting him straight.
“My master,” he amends, before adding with a little huff, “and your mate.”
“We may be connected by a fucked-up chance of fate, but he’ll never be my master. And he shouldn’t be yours,” I add in a softer voice.
“But he is. Plus, he’s been kind to me since I helped him in Vanatia.”
“Helped him kidnap me? That’s the help that brought you his favor?”
“We need to return,” Svend declares, his voice rising. “You may not like it, but it’s true.”
“Let’s leave him here,” Rata suggests, his gaze popping up to scan the room. “He’s mean. We don’t need him.”
“We do, though,” I respond. “I think he’s telling the truth that my dragon is trapped, and he has the key.”
“He won’t free your dragon,” Rata declares, his eyebrows jutting together like he’s sharing the best-kept secret in the kingdom. “You can’t trust him.”
“We don’t have a choice,” I tell the squirrel with a little glare. “Now, be quiet. We can’t risk somebody overhearing us.”
“How do I find my way back to Yggdrasill if I can’t speak? Who will I question?”
“Maybe you’re not supposed to return to the tree yet,” I suggest. “You can join us. The fates might want it.”
“You would want me to travel with you?” His face twists, as if the thought pains him. But then his eyes water, and I realize it’s not sadness but gratitude I see.
“Has nobody wanted your company before?” I ask, reaching out to stroke his little head.
“My companions for millennia have been an eagle who would have eaten me if he didn’t find me so repulsive, and a serpent who never learned my name. Nobody has ever desired my presence.”
“But you’re so nice,” Svend chimes in, “and soft and cute.” He reaches out a finger to join me in stroking Rata’s fur.
“Maybe I’ll stay with you for a time,” Rata concedes as a single little tear rolls down his cheek. “First, though, we must free the mean one.”
Ruxi drops next to us before anyone can respond, licking their lips as they walk closer.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” I ask, my voice as innocent as I can muster.
The purple dragon nods, the smallest hint of a smile playing on their lips. They were out scouting. The elves gave them permission to go feed, but they had a bigger job: find the cavern that would return us to the underground. And it looks like they did.
“This is where you come in,” I say as I turn to Rata. “We need the key to his cuffs. If I figure out where they are, can you find a way into the room and get them for me?”
He stands taller, puffing up his puny chest as he throws his shoulders back. “No wonder you want to keep me,” he declares grandly. “Who else can accomplish such tasks for you? What reward will you offer if I succeed in bringing you the keys?”
“Reward?” Svend splutters, spitting out the chunk of bread he’d been chewing on. “This is how we serve our master. You need no greater reward.”
Now Rata shrugs, his gaze bouncing between Svend and me. “I’m with her,” he responds with a jut of his teeny thumb toward me. “He’s not my master. I expect a reward.”
I look at Ruxi, wondering if they can sense my intent. They give their chin another quick dip, which I take asyes.
