I'm about to say something when—HOLY SHIT—Sable's body launches upward like someone hit her with cosmic jumper cables. Her gasp sounds like she's been holding her breath since the Bronze Age.
Emily's chanting cuts off with a shriek. She scrambles backward so fast she upends her altar, sending crystals scattering like marbles.
Sable's head snaps toward Emily, nostrils flaring at the scent of blood. Brand new fangs gleam in the crystal light.
Then it bitch-slaps me harder than Thanos with all six Infinity Stones—my blood.
Holy shit. I turned her.
What. The. Actual. FUCK.
Rhyland
55
Ice-crusted branches stretch endlessly beneath a pearl-white sky, their crystalline fingers reaching toward the heavens. This frozen wonderland sparkles like diamonds scattered across virgin snow beyond Ásgard's jagged mountain peaks. Each breath materializes in the frigid air, dancing upward before dissipating into nothingness.
Gullfax's hooves crunch through the frost-covered ground, his golden mane catching the weak winter sunlight. He had practically begged to carry us, those pleading eyes wearing down Dani's resolve until she finally gave in with her adorable eye roll. Now she's pressed between Bryn and me, her tits against my back, Bryn behind her, as I guide this oversized beast through the frozen forest.
Ahead of us, Erik rides with Baldr, his silver hair nearly lost against the frozen landscape. Last night after the feast, found his drunk ass sprawled in our chambers, reeking of Bryn and drowning in enough mead to impress Thor himself. The bond had been right there, within his grasp, before she slipped through his fingers.
Dani took one look at her sister's haunted expression and made her choice. A quick kiss on my cheek and she was gone, leaving me to deal with my brother's pathetic attempt to drink himself into oblivion. Not exactly how I planned to spend my night with my mate, but fuck if I was going to let Erik destroy himself over this.
Watching him wallow in misery over Bryn's rejection had me grinding my teeth. Brought back memories of Dani fighting our connection—all those times I had to hunt her down, prove my claim, earn every damn inch of ground. But Erik? My strategic, calculating brother is lost in this game. Can't control a mate's heart the way he commands his battles.
Had to practically beat it into his thick skull that Bryn's fear isn't a dead end. That a mate worth having never comes easy. If I'd backed down every time my little firecracker tried to push me away, I wouldn't have the fierce woman who now wears my mark.
These celestial sisters and their stubborn fucking streaks. But at least that killer instinct is back in Erik's eyes—finally got through to him that claiming a mate takes more than just strength and control. Sometimes you have to fight dirty.
The frost-laden branches crack overhead like brittle bones, matching my irritation with this whole mess. Two hours of flying through bitter winds has my ass numb, but we're finally in the Frosted Forest—where our next challenge awaits.
"Tell me about this champion," Dani calls out as Baldr guides his mount alongside ours, his eyes lingering too long on my mate for my liking.
"Skadi," he says, flashing Dani a smile that's too fucking friendly. "Once, she was among the most fierce of Odin's Valkyries."
"Fierce doesn't begin to describe her," Bryn cuts in, her voice sharp as the icy wind. "Skadi was legendary for her brutality in battle. They called her the Winter's Blade."
I catch Erik's gaze fixed on Bryn, his jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth. Fucking hell, these two need to sort their shit out.
"Winter's Blade?" Dani shifts against my back, her warmth seeping through my clothes. "That's quite a nickname."
"Indeed," Baldr leans closer, his voice dropping to an intimate tone that pisses me off. "And you, little savior, might appreciate this—she was known for her cunning as much as her strength."
A growl builds in my chest before I can stop it. Baldr's eyes flick to mine, a knowing smirk playing at his lips.
"So what happened?" Dani asks, oblivious to the tension. "How does someone that powerful fall to darkness?"
"During the Great War," Baldr continues, "when Moretemis first tried to breach our defenses, Skadi led a legion of Valkyries against his forces. But the shadows..." He pauses, ice crystals forming in his hair. "The shadows found their way into her mind."
"The darkness didn't just corrupt her," Bryn adds, and I notice Erik flinch at the edge in her voice. "It transformed her into something else entirely—half shadow, half Valkyrie. A creature of ice and darkness."
"Wait," Dani's grip tightens on my waist. "If she was corrupted, why didn't they just... you know..."
"Because Odin saw an opportunity," Baldr explains. "He bound her to the Zephyrite stone, making her its eternal guardian. Her corruption became her strength—the perfect blend of light and shadow to test those who would claim the stone."
"Test them how exactly?" she asks, and Baldr's answering smile—all wolfish intent—has my beast clawing to tear his throat out.
"What better guardian," Bryn's voice is bitter, "than one who understands both the light of Ásgard and the darkness that seeks to destroy it? She tests not just their strength, but their ability to resist the shadows themselves."
