"She sure is. I missed her so much," Cosimo admitted, watching his sister heckling Vidar.
He was black and gray in his dragon form. Maria had her hands on her hips, shouting something at him. The big dragon huffed in irritation before picking her up in his claws and lifting her toward his mouth.
"Don't you dare eat her!" Cosimo shouted.
Maria only cackled wildly and kicked him in the lip. With an annoyed snort, Vidar bypassed his mouth and put her on his back instead.
"Good luck getting her off there now," Cosimo sighed, but the males around him only laughed louder.
The sun was settingas brownies flitted about, setting up long trestle tables and stringing glittering magical lights in the trees and along the house. Oberon and Chrissy had busied themselves with magic, tidying the grounds and coaxing the gardens intobloom. The rest of them had caught up on their adventures with thestreghe, finding Maria, and discovering the Sforza grimoires.
Cosimo hadn't gone inside the villa yet, but he knew how quickly the brownies would transform the place. They would remove any lingering reminders of Carlo's and Renata's presence. Marcella had disappeared through the back of the house with Bas and Hedera, and soon delicious scents started drifting from the open windows.
Cosimo helped set the tables with flatware and candles, and the brownies came out of the house with platters of food, more wine, and bread.
Arms came around his waist, and he turned to find Marcella smiling up at him.
"Hello. I was wondering where you had gone," he said, pulling her close.
"I had to make sure that my kitchen wasn't a total disaster," Marcella replied and gestured at the tables, the people laughing, the dragons still fooling about in the fields. "Ten of Cups."
"What?" Cosimo asked.
"When I pulled tarot cards the day we met, I gotthe Magician,the High Priestess,the Devil,the Lovers, andthe Ten of Cups. I got everything that the spread told me," Marcella replied, her eyes softening as she looked about her. "I never thought I would have a family again. Thank you for giving me this."
Cosimo kissed her temple and pulled her to his side. "Don't thank me yet. Plenty of the family haven't arrived yet. Imogen and Arawan are away in Faerie, dealing with something, but there should be a few more from Norway any minute now."
With a big smile, Cosimo pointed to a silvery gray portal that was opening, and Tor, Ciara, Arne, and Layla came through, still holding a glowing, enchanted crystal. Cosimo lifted a hand to wave at them, but Layla's terrified face stopped him.
"What's happened?" Lachlan demanded, getting to his sister and cousin first. "You okay, Ciara? Layla?"
"We are fine, but Linnea isn't," Ciara replied.
As one, the whole family went dead silent.
"What are you talking about? I spoke with Linna today, and she said she was coming," Freya said.
Layla waved a piece of paper. "She's gone! No one saw her leave Ulfheim. She just disappeared, and all she left was this."
Cosimo caught the piece of paper and read aloud, "I have gone to hunt the wolf. It has started."
"Fuck," Bayn growled and looked at Tor. "You don't think she would go back to that place, do you?"
"She would. She's been singing to the creature at night," Tor replied, his voice all snarl. "She's gone to find him, which means he could already be loose."
"Dark gods, just what we need," Killian said.
"What's wrong? What's happening?" Marcella asked Cosimo.
"Fenris has finally awoken, which means Ragnarök is about to begin," Taranis answered for him. Taranis turned to look at Vidar, who was standing beside Maria. "No more hiding. It's time to go home to your father."
"The fuck does that mean?" Apollo demanded, staring at the knight.
Vidar's face went through a range of emotions before it went blank. "Don't ask this of me, my king."
"You had a deal with him for your centuries of freedom. He needs you now, and I release you from my service," Taranis said and moved to hug Vidar. "I'm sorry, old friend."
"Don't be. Havi is a dick at the best of times, and we will need you as an ally," Vidar replied. Cosimo and the others stared in wonder as Vidar's sharply pointed fae ears rounded, and he grew another half a foot. He spared a glance in Maria's direction. "Keep that one out of trouble."
