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I shouldn’t have cared what Skarde had to say. Jovi’s opinion was the only one that mattered. She was my angel, my last hope that I wasn’t lost to the chaos of the gods and their games.
I finished cleaning up every inch of skin Jovi was willing to bare. Then we settled into the hollow tree trunk. She laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I kept my eyes open. Someone had to stand guard.
Trying to keep my brain occupied, I took stock of my surroundings. The cold had snuffed the life out of the forest. There were no leaves on the trees. Even the evergreens had lost their needles. Looking at the forest I once loved, I was angry at the sight of the numerous bare, brittle branches. Midgard wouldn’t last long if the cold continued to spread at such a rapid pace.
I blew into my hands to keep my fingers from going numb. There were no tracks in the area to indicate draugrs, but that didn’t mean much. They’d be canny enough to cover their tracks.
Jovi was well and truly asleep when Fyrcat decided to make an appearance. I bristled at the sight of her.
“What did you do to my brother, witch?”
“Nothing of consequence. He has his mind, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Bullshit.”
Her brow creased in consternation. “You’re more like him than you want to admit. Both stubborn and rude.”
“He should hate you and yet, he doesn’t.”
She shrugged. “I saved his life. He saved mine. Battle has a way of bringing people together.” Then she breathed in deeply. “I came to tell you that I hear Freya’s voice.”
“So, has Freya decided to fight the Aesir?”
Fyrcat nodded. “She sees no other way. She needs our help, though. And I meant what I said. She tells me she is bound. If we can’t stop the Aesir, terrible things will happen.”
“They’re already happening.”
“I’m not talking about the Winters. Terrible things will happen to us, her descendants. If she falls, we fall too.”
My arms curled possessively around Jovi. “You mean…”
“She could die, yes. As would I. We need to go.”
“Just a little longer. We all need rest.”
She waved airily. “Fine, but don’t blame me if she dies in her sleep. She’s new and it will affect her faster. Only Freya can save us, but we must save her first.”
“Freya doesn’t want to save anyone. She’s a selfish bitch.”
“True, but her selfish agenda aligns with ours at the moment. Carry her if you must. I’m going to find Skarde while the tiresome dwarf snores.”
She sauntered away, a sway in her hips that had nothing to do with entrancing me. So, the attraction wasn’t one-sided. Fyrcat liked my brother about as much as he liked her. Hatred with a side of sexual tension. Strange.
But I didn’t want to think about my brother and the witch any longer. Instead, I wanted to focus on the woman in my arms. Jovi’s face was peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb her sleep, but Fyrcat was right. We had to move. So, I gently awoke Jovi, then climbed to my feet and trudged back to where Ogun had settled. He was snoring like a chainsaw. Even at rest he was annoying.
I stood waiting for the witch to return with my brother, the beserker. The thought was enough to make me laugh. The world had flipped on its head and nothing made sense anymore.
Here was to hoping we could set it right again.
Chapter Fifteen
Fyrcat
“You called?” Skarde leaned against the bare trunk of an evergreen.
His pelt flapped in the wind as the temperature continued to drop. Only the faint light that spilled from between the clouds illuminated his tall silhouette. The rest of the forest was covered in shadow. “What was so urgent that you had to summon me by thought?”
“It’s time to go.”
