Page 66 of Heart of Fire
“What would you not do to bring your lover back to you, Freyja, if the shoe were on the other foot? What would you do if it wereyour faultshe’d been taken?” His eyes begged her forunderstanding.
“I would do anything that would not harm another person,” sheadmitted.
“Pray you don’t have to find out just where that line stands....” And she saw that guilt and loss had flayed the humanity from him, pushed him into making decisions he might never come backfrom.
Just as she might never come back from the harsh words she’d offered to thedrekiwho challenged her. Her shawl flapped in the wind and Freyja caught it, but she shot Haakon a fierce look.What would she not do if there was a threat against the man—ordreki—sheloved?
Another shock of thunder rumbled across the horizon, and it felt almost as if it shook the earth itself. The clouds boiled now, seething masses of stormy white that threatened a dangerousstorm.
“Another of those unnatural bloody storms,” Haakon swore under his breath, circling hishorse.
She’d thought it an extension of her own fury, but as she looked up she realized she felt vaguely hollow and disconnected from the storm. This was not of hermaking.
The blood ran from herface.
“It’s adrekistorm,” she breathed, feeling the wash of power through her veins, but knowing she was not the cause of it. No. She was merely a bystander, swept along in the current of itspower.
But what was causing it? A glance back at the valley showed the lights gleaming in her father’s homestead. As she watched, a dark shape came to the door and stared into the skies. Even from this distance she saw his golden hair, and felt that same twist around herheart.
She needed to tell him the truth about how she felt—and to apologize. Fear had driven her. Fear of the future, fear of handing him her heart on a platter and having him shred it—even fear of finally, irrevocably being cast from her community. Every time she’d been frightened of his intentions, he’d let her make her own choices. How could she refuse to allow him the samecourtesy?
Fear had been her cage, and it was time to set it aside. Time to shed her skin and bloom into the creature she’d always been meant to be. One that accepted her dangerous powers. One that knew she was different from the mortal world, and could never fit in. One that was not frightened of love, orrejection.
Daughter of the Storm, her mother had called her once, and it was time for her to accept her true self, and cast aside everything that held herback.
But even as she took a step toward Rurik, he spread his arms and began to shift. Wings formed, long and elegant. Golden scales erupted with slow grace, and then he took a belabored lunge into the sky that was less graceful than any she’d ever seen fromhim.
Something was wrong withhim.
“Rurik,” she whispered, her heart thudding dully in herchest.
He wrenched himself into the sky, and she had this horrible, impending sense of doom as she took a step towardhim.
Toolate.
The heat drained from her face. “Rurik!” she yelled, running toward him and waving her arms. “Rurik!”
“Freyja!” Haakon cut in front of her, his stallion’s hooves churning up the sod. He thrust a hand in herdirection.
“Get out my way.” She couldn’t see Rurik anymore, but she knew she had to get tohim.
Something bad is coming, whispered the earth beneath her feet, and the sky aroundher.
And all she could hear were her parting words as she denied Rurik.You don’t understand what you costme.
Fate, Rurik had once told her. But she had spat in fate’s face, and now... now that miserable wretch seemed to be warning her once again, something wasafoot.
“Freyja, here.” Haakon offered her his arm as icy raindrops stung her face, and she realized he meant to sit her behindhim.
Freyja drew her handback.
Haakon’s face twisted. “I know what I have done, Freyja. I know the damage I have caused, but you didn’t let me finish. I came here to warn you. Magnus and Andri are not what theyseem.”
“What do youmean?”
“They’re bothdreki,” he told her. “Rurik warned me about them an hour ago. I confronted Magnus and we fought. He couldn’t entirely control himself.” Haakon shook his head, horror lighting his expression. “I saw it in his face. For a second his eyes were gold and reptilian, and his skin seemed almost covered in scales. That was when I knew.” His shoulders slumped. “They were using me to get to Krafla’sdreki. Andri wouldn’t let Magnus kill me, said it went against their oath—whatever that means—but I overheard them after they threw me in the cellar of the house I was leasing. They’re here for Krafla’sdreki, and they mean to kill him. They were using me to distract him and draw himout.”
She gasped, but he wasn’tfinished.
