I had Harlow to think about, and I realized in this moment that I’d risk it all for her.

Then again, I shouldn’t be shocked by the revelation. She’d been mine since we met.

It was hard to think of her then. Harlow was broken when we met, descending into madness thanks to the trauma she’d endured. I’d already despised humans, but seeing her like that made me want to eradicate them all myself.

I likely would have if given a real chance. Hel’s leash had a hold of me then.

Now Harlow was a strong, amazing woman. She’d found herself in Dark Haven. Embracing her diagnosis wasn’t easy but she did it.

Accepting it was half the battle and once she did that, she’d grown in strength and confidence.

Harlow was already a better woman than Hel could ever be.

In fact, Hel wasn’t worthy of the throne she sat on in my opinion. I’d been loyal, given the best of myself to her, and this was how she repaid me.

“You won’t get the chance.” She said it so confidently I knew this was yet another thing onlyshewas privy to. I was getting really fucking tired of her trying to keep us in the dark.

We were merely puppets to her.

“Keeping Vane alive will do us no favors. But he’s no longer our biggest concern,” I said, walking forward and tossing a stack of newspapers down on the raised platform for her to see.

Sköll growled and I stepped back, watching as the creature scooped it up in his maw and carried it over to its master.

Hel flipped through them, jaw tense.

“Will you destroy the entire human realm just to have your prophecy come to light?” I may not know the details, or the outcome, but she had made it known that whatever vision the seer saw was worth risking everything for.

“Do you think I truly care about what happens to humans?” she countered.

Her voice wasn’t as sharp now but I didn’t relax. It could change at a moment’s notice.

I’d never seen her this desperate in all of our centuries together. There was a feral glint in her eye that was new.

Whatever her goal was, she was making it very clear that she’d do anything to reach it. She was far more dangerous now than ever before.

“No, I don’t,” I said drily. “But Odin does.”

Hel was out of her seat and in front of me at the mention of the god’s name. With a twist of her hand I was raised in the air but I didn’t flinch. She would never lose control to the point of ruining her own future and I’d endured her wrath on more than one occasion.

“Do not mistake your place here, Ivar,” she seethed. “You do as I say, not the other way around. Threats will not be taken lightly.”

“Oh, do put him down.” The amused voice had the storm dying in an instant, and I dropped, catching myself before falling to the ice-clad ground. “I expected more composure out of you, Daughter.”

Loki. The trickster god.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse.

I’d encountered a few gods over the years and they always swept in imperiously. It was a flurry of demands, arrogance, and disaster. The aftermath they left behind along with Hel’s anger was never easy to calm.

“Father,” she said, voice wavering slightly. She stepped back as if his presence alone made her want to put distance between them.

Even if I was angry with her, I was still her commander. I’d never seen a being Hel feared until this moment, and I placed myself in front of her.

The god stalked forward with amusement on his handsome, pale face. The alpha was cocky and chaotic. I’d enjoy it if I wasn’t so on edge.

“You clearly have my blood flowing through your veins, Hel.” He chuckled darkly as he came into view.

The god was lithe, with long, wild, red hair that flowed around him with every movement. He wore dark jeans and a tight-fitting emerald green shirt that showed a hint of muscle pushing against the thin fabric.