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Diego chuckled.
“She was mortal. Back then, I’d be lucky if I had her until she reached forty winters or so before something took her. Since she was eighteen winters when I first met her, that meant I had very little time with her. I didn’t want anyone to share any of that time. But then she became immortal…”
“And that urge went away.”
I looked at him, and he had a knowing look about him. “Yeah. I knew Baldur had interest in her when he first met her. But he respected me not to act on it because he understood my reasoning. When Astrid became immortal, I didn’t have to hold onto her so desperately. And I knew he’d treat her right, so I watched to see how the swords would fall.”
Diego grunted and sipped his cooling coffee. “And now?”
I leaned on the counter. “It’s strange. I felt that same need to have her to myself when I first found her. I hated I was going to have to compete against you for her attention, especially after how long I’d waited to find her alive. But then… within a day of her becoming a Valkyrie, that feeling disappeared, as if it’d never been there to begin with. I want her to choose me…”—I turned my full attention to Diego—“but I could be willing to make this work if she’s also choosing someone like you.”
An amused smile slid up his face. “Like me?”
“You may not be able to physically protect her like I can, but you sure as hell make up for it. You treat her right—more than right. I’d lay the bodies of her enemies at her feet, while you’d pamper her like a goddess on a level I don’t quite comprehend, but wish I did.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment to both our strengths that we embrace.”
I ran my fingers through my hair again. “So, we’re really going to do this?”
“I’ve done it once before,” Diego admitted. “I think this time it’ll feel a bit more natural.”
“Because Astrid’s involved?”
Diego chuckled. “I spent far too many years trying to pretend we were just friends, and not realizing the reason my relationships weren’t living up to my expectations was because no one compared to her.”
“If I had a drink, I’d raise my glass to that.”
Diego tipped his coffee mug. Before he could drink from it, however, he paused. His brow furrowed and his attention jerked to the nearby windows.
“What?” I asked, the muscles in my neck tightening.
“I don’t know…” He set his mug down. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“What do you mean?”
He was quiet for a moment. “I have this strong need to go find Astrid.”
Buggy and Tuggy jumped up on the breakfast nook table. Their tails lashed and an unusual growling sound came from one of them. Without warning, Diego’s attention snapped to Angel, who now stood in the foyer, alert and stiffly staring out the front door Ùna had left open. The hair on her back raised, and a low growl rumbled through the dog.
My senses ticked up, awareness spreading out.What am I missing?
Then, Ùna’s small figure hobbled inside, her old injuries making it difficult for her to run. “Tyr!”
Diego and I jumped to our feet. The small fae ran past Angel, unfazed by the dog’s behavior. Angel didn’t react to Ùna either, meaning she recognized the fae wasn’t the threat I was now becoming more and more aware of… somewhere.
“Tyr, something is wrong,” Ùna cried.
I met her halfway and crouched down, holding her steady. “Easy, Ùna, take it easy. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” she said through gasping breaths. “I followed Astrid, and she just kept walking, and walking. She didn’t stop to take in the forest, or jump on any logs or rocks, like she usually does when she’s in the forest, even when consumed by her thoughts. Then… then she walked past the magic barrier without stopping!”
The muscles in my back grew tighter.
“She didn’t hear me when I called to her.” The small fae was practically whimpering, which wasn’t like her. She usually had more fire, even when worried. “I tried to get her attention, but she didn’t listen. And then… the forest was upset.”
Diego crouched alongside me. “What do you mean by upset?”
Ùna shook her head. “It’s… hard to explain to non-fae. But something has it bothered. Something… someone, is making it upset by being out there.”
