She shakes her head, then turns to the rat. “He asked me to get you,” she says. “I don’t know why and I don’t want to. I’m going to leave you both here. If he tries to get into my dirtyclothes again, bite him and tell him to fuck off with whatever he wants you to do.”
“Gladly,” the rat promises, giving me his more-couth-than-you look. I might be offended if I cared. I don’t.
She drops the little creature on the bed and turns around to stalk out. Cute.
“Finaan said you require my services,” he chirps as he trots over and sits next to me.
I scoot up on Finaan’s bed, leaning against the headboard. “You can get into Balin’s office?” I ask as I stretch out my legs.
“I can go anywhere,” he proclaims, adding “for a price” with a twitch of his whiskers and the smallest shake of the tip of his tail.
“Your price is being allowed to travel with us. That’s more generous than you deserve.”
“But I already have that,” the little shit argues, “plus a promise from Ruxi to carry me to Yggdrasill when I’m ready. What more can you offer me?”
I give him the glare that would have wraiths in Helheim shitting and pissing on themselves if their bodies weren’t decayed bags of bones. But the cheeky little monster stares back. He’s spent millennia shuttling between the eagle and the serpent, and even my rancor isn’t enough to move him.
“You may continue to ride that cunt of a dragon who claims to be mine,” I concede. He likes the turnip beast; I may as well use them to get what I need.
But the varmint scoffs—an odd look for a rodent—and shakes his head. “I’ve got that too.” He’s quiet for a moment, whiskers twitching, and then one side of his itty-bitty lips lifts. “You’ll ride Ruxi with me,” he proposes, “at least two hours every day.”
“You too?” I snarl, reaching out to take the fucker by the neck and bring him to my eye level. “Did they put you up to this? I won’t ride that dragon. Ever.”
He shrugs as I squeeze, maybe because he realizes that he has a superpower I won’t be able to defeat.
His neck is too fucking small for my massive hands to hold it tightly. The single finger that fits between the little rat-bastard’s head and shoulders can’t compress his throat enough to stop his breath.
I try different positions, twisting my fingers as I try to find a place to grip, and he smirks at me.
Finally, I throw him back on the bed with a snarl, angry enough to stir Wrath. He rises within me, gazing through my eyes for a moment, and then disappears again, huffing his annoyance at being disturbed.
Gods, do I despise this little rodent.
“I should kill you.”
Another gods-damned shrug, those miniscule shoulders lifting in utter disregard of how dangerous and depraved I am. “If you have someone else to retrieve your prize,” he chirps, “ask them.”
Wrath, the treacherous fuck, rises again just long enough to laugh. At me, I think.
We need to get back to Helheim. These wayward shits are all out of control here.
“Ask for something else,” I demand. “I won’t give you that.”
“Then I won’t help you.” He sits down, his tail twitching behind him, and starts to groom himself.
A minute or more passes as I give him my Helheim scowl and wait for him to break down. But he barely notices. Instead, he rolls onto his back to start licking his balls, a soft purr rumbling from him, like he’s got absolutely nothing better to do.
“We don’t have much time,” I growl, flicking his asshole to pull his attention back to me.
He glares, then drops his head again to run his tongue over that little hole.
Rocks are forming in my gut, one growing in my stomach, the other right where my heart would be if I had one. My teeth are clenched so hard, it’s a wonder they don’t crack. “One hour,” I bite out, because I need him to do this and I’m done watching the little rat pleasure himself. “No more.”
His gaze flickers up, lips lifting at their edges. “Done. How can I help you?”
Finaan comes to my room after midnight, keys in her hand and a smile on her face.
“What took you so long?” I bark, the shackles on my wrists feeding a rage that’s been boiling inside me since the sun fell. I’ve tried everything to drag my mind away, but I can’t.
