Tore didn’t say much after he dropped the, I’m the heir to Revenge bomb. My totally relevant, and slightly panicked, follow-up questions were met with a series of I-don’t-want-to-talk-about-its. If I’d been able to read his energy, I’d have scanned him to see which of his centers lit up, to determine where Papa Revenge had inflicted his damage. The fourth center, the one near his heart, would have suggested emotional trauma, while the third, the one above his belly button, might have indicated a feeling of powerlessness. Sadly for my self-preservation, Tore remained an energetic blind spot—maybe that was because he was a demigod, or maybe it was because he was just weird. Physically, however, he was an open book. His entire body radiated frustration when he ripped off his beanie, pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead, and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Listen, Allie,” he rumbled from his tense position in front of my mother’s sofa, “we’re not talking about this. We have bigger problems to solve—like how we’re going to track down your weapon, get it fixed, and wake up your mom.”
“And how you’re going to teach me to kill a god,” I added. Since we weren’t getting anywhere on the topic I really wanted to discuss, I’d let him slide on the family talk . . . for now.
“Exactly. We know Nott broke Gud Morder into eight pieces and sent them across the realms. Since she probably has her night elves guarding the pieces, we need to get you trained up, like yesterday.” Tore ran his hand through his hair. It was tangled from the Bifrost travel, and I very much wanted to touch it. Focus, Allie! His sudden niceness was getting to me.
“Then let’s get started.” I clapped my hands together. The cuff on my wrist glinted, and another surge of energy pulsed between the armor and my necklace. “Can we train in Asgard, because . . .” I bit down on my bottom lip. Because I only just saw my mom, and I don’t want to leave her again.
“We can’t stay here.” Tore popped my balloon of hope. “There was an energetic shift across the cosmos the minute you put on that armor. You felt it, ja?”
Of course I did. I nodded.
“Well, Nott will have felt it, too.” Tore tapped the edge of my cuff. “That armor is a part of Gud Morder. The dwarves fashioned it to fit your adult frame, so that when you were of age, you’d be able to activate your weapon. It’s the only piece Nott wasn’t able to steal, since the Alf?dr kept it in Asgard’s vault.”
“So Nott knows I have the armor now? Doesn’t that mean we should stay here in Asgard? It’s probably a lot safer than Earth, what with all the, uh, gods and stuff living here. Right?” Anything to not leave my mom. Also, gods seemed like better defenders than mortals.
“Actually, it’s the opposite. Since that armor is dwarven made, its signature is amplified by Asgard’s pure energy. So long as you’re here, it’s like a beacon, screaming ‘Nott, come get me.’ Besides, Midgard needs you. The longer you’re away, the sicker it gets. You’re its protector, and you need to be there as much as possible until your mother is well and can send her healing energy through the realms.”
What? I was the protector of Earth? Talk about pressure. Fury surged through me as I glimpsed my sleeping mom through the open door. I was more than ready to kick some night goddess butt if it meant I could help her. “Fine,” I growled. “But I’m taking down Nott the minute we build my weapon.”
Tore put his hands on my shoulders. “Easy, Pepper. Nott’s a formidable enemy, and she’s working with some of the blackest spirits around. The night elves are soul suckers. They’ll steal your energy and turn it into something so dark you’ll wish you’d never been born.”
“Fantastic.” A stream of air left my lips. “So I have to learn to fight the night elves and Nott?”
“Ja,” Tore confirmed. “Which means you have to go back to Midgard, and you have to stay with us. We can protect you from the night elves until you learn to take care of yourself.”
“Fine.” I huffed.
“And.” Tore took my chin between his thumb and forefinger again. A pulse shot from my face down to my belly. Sweet mother. My eyes slowly moved up to meet his twinkling blue ones. “No more shooting me with pepper spray. That skit isn’t going to work on Nott or the night elves, so let’s get you some real tools, ja?”
“Okay, get over it already.” I was too distracted by the energy resonating between his fingertips and my heart to come up with a better comeback. Pull it together, Allie. He’s just a guy. A guy with major issues. Son of Revenge, jeez . . .
“Good.” Tore released my chin. “Say goodbye to your mom, and let’s get out of here. We have a lot of work to do.”
He certainly wasn’t like my other protectors; he didn’t have Mack’s sensitivity or Johann’s sense of humor or Bodie’s playfulness. Tore was all business. He went in that special category that I tried to pretend I didn’t secretly love. He probably drove a motorcycle when he was off duty, wore leather jackets, and had a phone full of girls he called late at night when he was ‘lonely.’
But it wasn’t the time to think about what Tore did when he was ‘lonely.’ Instead, I had to say goodbye to the mom I’d only just seen for the first time in almost two decades. This sucks. With quick strides, I crossed to my mom’s room and marched through the doorway. I stood over her bed and gently took her hand in mine.
“Goodbye, Mo—” I froze. I’d never called anyone Mom before. This was huge for me. I bent down so I could press my forehead against hers, and for the first time in my life, I said, “Bye, Mom.” My lips brushed her cheek in a kiss, and I could swear the corners of her mouth turned up in another little smile. “I’m going to fix this, and you’re going to be okay,” I vowed. Then I turned on one heel and walked to the door before the big, hot, stupid tears could unleash themselves. “Let’s go,” I called over my shoulder as I blasted past Tore and wrenched the door open. “You coming, Vidarsson?”
The click of the lock sliding into place and hurried footsteps in the snow preceded Tore’s low voice at my side. “So, you’re finally on board?”
I shot him a look. “You were right. I did need to come home to see what I had to fight for.” My eyes narrowed into slits. “And I want to come home again real soon, so teach me how to kill Nott so I can have my family back.”
The sexy grin lit up Tore’s face again, sending a hot pulse along my energy centers. “That’s my girl,” he murmured. “Let’s get back to the cabin. We’ve got work to do.”
I raised one eyebrow. “You’re not really a professor, are you?”
He just winked, sending a fresh surge of heat through me. Oh, man. This guy was going to be the death of me.
CHAPTER FIVE
TORE WAS NOT LYING when he said we had work to do. The minute I got back from Asgard, he removed my shiny new armor and locked it in a safe somewhere upstairs. Then he called me into the guest room and ordered the boys to join us. When I walked into the little space, I noticed a few changes. A stack of books rested on the nightstand, with spines that boasted titles like “Strategic Combat” and “Killing Games.” On top of the dresser lay fresh sets of workout clothes and two new pairs of running shoes which were, no doubt, all my size.
“Okay, give it up. You guys don’t actually have overnight guests that leave this stuff behind, do you?” I pinned Johann with my gaze.