“Oh, we have overnight guests,” he chuckled. “But yeah, the Alf?dr gave us your specs, and we knew you’d land here eventually, so Mack stocked up for us.”
“If you prefer another brand, I’d be happy to run out in the morning. Some of these items I’ve never had to shop for before.” Mack looked slightly uncomfortable.
“Mack texting us from the stores, asking what cut of sports bra to buy, is totally my favorite part of the mission so far.” Bodie laughed.
“Shut up and focus,” Tore commanded. “Allie’s seen her mother, and now that she understands what’s at stake, she is on board to jumpstart her training. Bodie, Johann, bra-buyer, the three of you will convene in the morning and escort Allie to school. Allie, tomorrow’s your last day of classes before Thanksgiving break, ja?”
“Uh, yeah.” I pretended I hadn’t seen Mack’s ears turn pink when Tore called him bra-buyer.
“Excellent. Then you only have to go one day on no sleep. You can finish at least one of the books on your nightstand by morning, and be ready to discuss it with me in the afternoon. We’ll double down over the week, and pick up the pace from there.” Tore looked pleased with himself.
“Are you crazy?” I blinked at him. Had he just said no sleep? That was absolutely the worst thing anyone could have said to me. That, and no coffee. “It’s the middle of the night, and I still have to finish my Calculus homework for tomorrow, remember? Plus, I never agreed to no sleep, ever. Double plus, a book’s not going to teach me how to fight. I should be doing, not reading.”
I mean, honestly. It wasn’t like they’d hand an artist a theory book and expect her to paint a masterpiece.
“There will be plenty of doing.” Tore’s lips moved slowly over the word, and fire filled my cheeks. With all four of the guys crammed into the little guest room, it was very intimate—and energetically overwhelming.
“That’s not what I meant,” I muttered.
“Sure it wasn’t,” Johann snickered from beside the window as Bodie elbowed him in the ribs.
“What Tore means,” Mack sat on the edge of my bed and glared at his roommates, “is that we’ll get started on the physical component of your training tomorrow after school. You need to have a basic grasp of how our weapons work before you pick one up.”
“I know how weapons work. Gran started me in fencing when I was ten.” I groaned. Hold up. “I always thought it was weird Gran put me in that class instead of art or something normal. All my friends got to take ballet, and I had to stab people. Was that because she wanted to prepare me for . . . well, all of this?” I waved at the boys with both hands.
Bodie ran his fingers over his cropped black hair. “Your grandmother knew what you’d have to do. Part of hiding you here meant you both had to give up your powers, otherwise Nott could have tracked you. So your Gran couldn’t train you on Asgardian weapons. Swords were the closest thing she could find—it’s a pretty translatable skill.”
Wow. That hit me hard. “So Gran was . . .”
Tore cleared his throat. “An Asgardian protector. She gave up all her warrior fame and glory to take care of you.”
“Gran? A warrior?” No freaking way. World’s best blueberry pancake maker, maybe. But warrior? That was a stretch. Sure, she’d schooled me whenever she pulled out her rapier to spar, but I couldn’t see Gran killing anyone.
Mack put a hand on my shoulder. “She was one of Asgard’s finest. My entire family was sorry to hear of her recent passing.”
I gave him a small smile and changed the subject. “So, are the swords you guys have, uh, Asgardian? Do they all glow like the one Tore had when that demon showed up?”
“The night elf,” Johann corrected. His charcoal eyebrows furrowed.
“Enough small talk. Allie, start reading the books,” Tore ordered. “They’ll explain the properties of the weapons we’ll be training you on. Bodie, Johann, Mack, get some rest. I’ll have a training regimen laid out for us tomorrow. I’m going to bed.” With that, Tore turned and stalked from the room. The rest of us just watched him go.
“Hey! What about my Calculus homework?” I called to Tore’s retreating back. “My books are back at my place, and I have class in like six hours. I can’t just drop everything and read because some demigod said so.”
But Tore didn’t bother responding. He jogged up the stairs and out of sight without so much as a helpful suggestion. Argh. That boy was infuriating.
“Your books are right there, Allie.” Mack pointed to two bags by the closet. “Bodie and I went over to your place when we saw the Bifrost take off, and we brought some things back for you. Your textbooks, some clothes, the candle by your bed.”
“Ja, your roommate’s pretty hot,” Bodie added.
What? Mallory had just let strangers into our dorm in the middle of the night and let them take my stuff? What kind of operation was she running over there? I’d have to have a chat with her if I ever got furlough from the Fierce Four.
“Don’t be mad.” Johann correctly read my expression. “I told Mallory I was your cousin, and you were coming to stay with me for a few nights over Thanksgiving. You just have to text her to confirm my story, or, her words, she’s ‘calling the cops, buddy.’”
“Thanks,” I said begrudgingly. “So you guys are going to class with me tomorrow, huh? Being big, bad protectors and all?”
“Interestingly, we’ve suddenly been reassigned to a new course schedule. One that closely mirrors yours.” Bodie winked.
“Awesome.” I let out my most put-upon sigh, but secretly I was relieved. It was nice knowing I had a personal protection team to jump in if one of those night elves showed up on campus.
“Of course, Mack cried a little when we told him he had to drop Women’s Studies.” Johann snickered.
Mack cracked his knuckles, and Johann’s laughter subsided.
“Do you need anything else before we go? Towels? Toothbrush? Questions about the breakfast menu?” Bodie offered.
“I brought her toothbrush.” Mack rolled his eyes. “I’m not an amateur.”
“I do have one question,” I hedged.
“Name it.” Johann leaned against the wall.
“What’s up with Tore being so uptight about his family? He told me he was the God of Revenge’s son, and then he got all weird.” I tucked my feet under my legs as the boys exchanged guarded glances.
“It’s not our place to say.” Bodie shook his head. “But what I will tell you is that Revenge is . . . well, he’s not the warmest guy. He’s driven by duty, you know?”
“Got it.” That helped explain his son. Tore wouldn’t exactly win Mr. Congeniality any time soon.
“Well, thanks. I’d better finish my Calc homework and get some of this reading done. I’ll see you guys in the morning?”
“We’ll be in the kitchen when you get up,” Bodie promised.
“Ja. Mack’s on kitchen duty, and he makes awesome breakfasts. Got any requests?” Johann walked toward the door.