Page 72 of Valhalla is Full of Hunks
“Precisely,” he repeated, returning Hel’s gaze with enough heat in his expression to force a possessive growl out of me.
Oh, my gawd, whyyyyy?
Hel spun to face those of us bringing up the rear, eager for the tea. “It does not seem like your mates are keen on supporting your plan, fire giant…”
The only reaction Surt gave was to stiffen his spine. “She’s not my mate,” he scoffed—either missing howmateswas plural or willfully ignoring it. “The seer is merely a marginally useful tool to be used along our journey.”
Gee, thanks.
“Surtr!” Fen scolded, causing my new mate bite to throb. Grabbing the other man’s shoulder, he forced Surt to stop walking and turn around to face him. “You will not speak about Iola that way. Not when she’s done nothing but help us—”
“If by help, you mean spreading her legs, then yes,” Surt hissed, causing Jör to growl this time. “And I suggest you both enjoy her while you can, because once we enter Valhalla, she will be nothing but dust in a world rightfully burned in our wake—”
“I’M NOT GOING!”Jör shouted, stamping his foot and causing the stone walls to shake. “So if you want to burn the world, then you’ll be burning me along with it.”
Surt stumbled backward, his shock morphing into dismay and anger as he absorbed what the serpent was saying. “Y-You… you’dchoosethe witch over me? She’s poisoned your resolve, Jörmungandr.”
Excuse me?!
“No, she hasn’t,” Jör softly replied, his narrow shoulders slumping as the fight went out of him. “Iola said she would never ask me to choose. And I don’twantto choose, Surt. I-I want all of us to be together—allfourof us—even though I know how impossible that is to hope for…”
With a heartbreaking sob, he turned and ran back the way we came. I made a move to follow him—not only to comfort my pet but to get the hell away from this incredibly awkward situation—when I felt a hand on my forearm.
A skeletal hand.
Shiver…
“Let him go, littleVölvadís,”Hel rasped in what was probably meant to be a soothing tone. “I would like a word with you—woman to woman. Walk with me.”
I don’t like the sound of that.
Unfortunately, Fen didn’t come to my rescue this time. His furious gaze was fixed on Surt as he gritted out, “That works, as I would like a word alone with Surtr—man to man.”
Okay, but I’d much rather go watchthatbrawl instead…
I desperately tried to catch Fen’s eye as Hel forcibly dragged me away, but she quickly pulled me down another side hallway and out of sight.
Hopefully, not to my doom.
“Ugh, how do you stand them?” she dramatically groaned once we were out of earshot, loosening her literal death grip on my arm. “So much male posturing. I was tempted to put them all in the dungeon to cool down for the night.”
I blinked stupidly, not at all expecting this about-face—even withthatface. “Um… Well, they’re fun in bed. I mean, your… brothers… are, at least.”
What is the matter with me?
Blessedly, Hel was unbothered by the idea of me boning her bros. She was way more interested in why I hadn’t bagged the grumpy one yet. “The fire giant is giving you trouble, hmm? You want me to sneak a little Rhodiola into his mead later?”
Only if it’s poisonous…
I wasnotthe type to assume other women were my competition—sisters before misters any day—but thelookHel and Surt had shared a few minutes ago was still bothering me, big time. “I dunno, Hel,” I sniffed, feeling saucy about all the things. “Are you sureyoudon’t want to keep the fire giant for yourself? You both seem to be on the same page with the whole revenge as foreplay thing.”
The goddess of the dead stared at me for a long moment—long enough for me to wonder if perhaps my sass had sassed its final sass—before she threw her head back and cackled ominously.
I’m about to die.
“Oh, I assure you, I have no interest in Surtr.” She wiped an imaginary tear away from her one good eye. “Men are much too aggravating for me to bother with.”
As a bisexual, I truly wish I could say the same.
