Page 89 of Valhalla is Full of Hunks
Her comment did the trick. I barked a laugh, even as more tears sprang to my eyes from sheer helplessness. “How did you even know where to find me?”
She cleared her throat again—awkwardly. “Well, I’ve been practicing honing my visions lately. Alcmene… has been helping.” When my jaw dropped atthisunexpected intel, she shrugged. “Yeah. I know. Hell froze over. Anyway, I wanted to see if I could connect withyourdreams, for once. It was kind of all over the place last night, but then snapped into focus on the World Tree, followed by the sight of two world-ending monsters approaching it.”
I stumbled backward as a rush of clarity hit me. All at once, IknewI’d seen this happen before—in the visionIhad when Vídópnir the rooster lost its shit.
Looks like Norwegian Heihei is not just a dumb cock, after all.
Blowing out a steadying breath, I peeked at her. “Do you think your guys can stop them?”
Leia grimaced. “I honestly have no fucking idea. I would have brought the entire 12-pack of psychos if I’d known shit was gonna go down like this.”
I moved closer and grabbed her hand, giving it the same comforting squeeze we’d done since we were kids. “So we’re fucked, is what you’re saying.”
“Giving up already? Typical human.”
We both turned to face the water, and I gasped to find Hazun washed ashore—casually eavesdropping while stretched out like a Playgirl centerfold.
Dude should really invest in a Speedo.
Not that I’m complaining.
“Another one of yours?” Leia asked, raising a judgy eyebrow as if shedidn’thave a stable packed with 12 men, 16 dicks, and one cockpocket at home.
Hazun answered for me. “Pshhh… No thank you. I don’t do humans.”
“He’s not human,” I stage-whispered as Leia’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“But Idooccasionally help them,” he drawled, absently examining his fingernails as if the end of the world wasn’t upon us.
“Is this the part where I promise my firstborn, in exchange for your help?” My tone was laced with sarcasm, even though I honestly would have given anything at this point to have my men back with me.
Anything to not lose them.
The smile that stretched across Hazun’s face was chilling, but he shook his head. “No need. This one’s on the house.”
“What’s in it for you?” I asked, knowing full well how these supernatural types operated. “Why bother saving the world when you care so little for humans? It’s not like our extinction affected you the first time.”
Hazun glanced over his shoulder to better observe the now full-sized Jörstillsnaking his way over the horizon. “It’s true.” He turned to face us again and rose to stand. “Should the world end again, I’ll be safe in the deep with my kind. However, I rather like how things turned out on the surface this time around, so I’ll lend a hand.”
How charitable.
“Okay,” I sighed, willing to take whatever help he was offering, firstborn children be damned. “What do you plan to do?”
Hazun gave me a pitying look before holding out his hand. “Oh, no, little seer.You’rethe only one who can stop this.”
Me?!
“Me?!” I echoed my own frantic thoughts. “How? This is all happeningbecauseof me.Igave them the world-ending intel they needed through my visions, even if I didn’t know I was doing it at the time. Then I stuck around… to keep an eye on things, but also because I started to care about them… and that gave them the power to access the true forms they needed to fulfill their plan. And now, evenJörmungandris going through it, because my sweet danger noodle—all my mates—believe I played them!”
And why is that, Iola?
Not even successfully saying Jör’s full name could turn my frown upside down as I realized a harsh truth. If I’d just been honest with the guys about my feelings before this point, things might have turned out differently. Jör professed his undying love to me almost since day one, and Fen gave me his mate bite, but I still insisted on playing my cards close. I’d been the most honest withSurt,and that was only because I thought we were in a dreamworld where neither of us would remember what happened.
I’m such an idiot.
My two-week, dicked-down vacation had exceeded my wildest dreams, yet I never allowed myself to fully appreciate my monsters. The barbed wire fence I’d constructed around my heart may have kept me safe before, but it had stopped me from experiencing the very thing I longed for. Despite both Jör telling me—and Fen showing me—otherwise, I’d assumed there was no way they could care about me. And by operating as if they’d inevitably leave me in the end, it had become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Maybe it’s time to assume thebest?
