"Great," Dani mutters against my back. "So we're basically walking into a trap set by a corrupted, shadow-powered Valkyrie who's been stewing in darkness for centuries. This should be fun."
"Don't worry, little savior," Baldr winks—actually fucking winks—at my mate. "I'll make sure no harm comes to you."
My snarl reverberates through the frozen forest as I yank Gullfax's reins, bringing us to a hard stop. The stallion snorts, his breath crystallizing in the frigid air. "You want to explain what the fuck you're playing at? Or should I remind you exactly who she belongs to?"
"Rhyland." Dani's warning carries on a puff of frozen breath, but my eyes stay locked on the smirking bastard before us.
"Peace, Godborn," Baldr's smooth voice carries across the frozen air. "I merely appreciate beauty in all its forms. Surely you can't fault me for that?"
"Appreciate it from a fucking distance," I bark, urging Gullfax forward. "Or I'll show you exactly howunappreciativeI can be."
Dani's forehead thumps against my back with a groan, her embarrassment radiating through our bond.
"Watch yourself, Baldr," Bryn's voice cuts through the tension like an icy blade. "My sister's taken, and her mate's not known for his patience. Neither am I."
The frozen forest swallows Baldr's chuckle as we press on, but I catch the way his eyes finally drop to the path ahead. Smart fucking move.
The dense forest suddenly opens into a vast clearing, and holy fuck—my grip on Gullfax's reins tightens at the sight before us. An immense ice labyrinth rises from the snow-covered ground, its crystal walls stretching toward the pearl-white sky. Jagged spires of frost twist upward like frozen daggers, while narrow passages snake between walls that shimmer with an otherworldly blue glow.
"The Frost Maze," Baldr announces, his earlier smugness replaced by something darker. "Skadi's playground."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Dani mutters against my back. "We have to go through that?"
I catch glimpses of shifting shadows through gaps in the translucent walls—things that shouldn't exist in a place this bright. The wind howls through the maze's corridors, carrying whispers that sound too much like laughter for comfort.
"The Einherjar awaits at the center," Bryn's voice is tense. "But the paths... they shift—change. Like the shadows that corrupted her."
Fuck. A shape-shifting ice maze guarded by a shadow-touched Valkyrie.
I slide off Gullfax, boots crunching in fresh snow as I reach for Dani. Movement catches my eye—Erik materializing beside Bryn like a silver shadow. Before she can dismount, his hands are already at her waist.
"Always the hero, silfrhár." Bryn's words crack like ice, but that spark in her eyes betrays her. The same fire Dani had when she fought our bond.
"Only for you, little bird." Erik's voice carries that dangerous edge I haven't heard in centuries, his fingers lingering on her hips.
Bryn jerks away, but not before I catch the flush creeping up her neck. About fucking time my brother showed some backbone.
Baldr loops Sleipnir's reins around a frost-covered branch. Dani's hand catches my wrist as I reach to do the same with Gullfax.
"He says to leave him free." That familiar sass curves her lips. "In case your Viking ass needs saving."
The golden steed tosses his head, huffing in what sounds suspiciously like agreement—cocky bastard. I drop the reins and pat his flank, earning a gentle headbutt that nearly knocks me into the snow.
"Alright, you oversized show-off," I mutter, following the others toward the towering ice walls. "Just don't wander too far."
Baldr's pack hits the snow with a dull thud. "Erik, Bryn—firewood. We'll make camp while our saviors handle the essence." His tone heavy with that entitled Ásgardian bullshit.
"Oh, look at that," Bryn scoffs. "Odin's precious son can't soil his hands with manual labor." She kicks a frozen branch his way. "Afraid you might chip a nail,your highness?"
Erik's silver eyes dance between them, and I catch the smirk tugging at his lips. Seems my brother enjoys watching his mate put arrogant fuckers in their place.
"Such fire from a Valkyrie—or should I sayex-Valkyrie." Baldr sprawls against a fallen log, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve. "Perhaps that's why you failed your original destiny."
This motherfucker.
The temperature drops ten degrees. Bryn's fingers curl around her blade hilt, knuckles white with rage. But before she can respond, Erik's hulking form fills the space between them, all barely controlled rage and violence.
"Watch your tongue,prince," Erik's voice carries that deadly calm that usually precedes bloodshed. "Or I'll help you find it in the snow."
