“Is a perfectly lovely Blood with many gifts I’m sure will prove useful,” I broke in gently. “Butyou’remy alpha. I want you, Dörr of the Black Mountain. Always. I want you to be the first thing I see when I open my eyes. I want to breathe your scent when I’m sleeping in your arms. I want to taste you first when I hunger. I want you. First. Last. Again and again.”
“I fell, my queen.” His voice lowered, cracking like granite crumbled to dust. “You saw what Svar did to me. Every time you look at him or me, you’ll remember.”
“I will, yes.” I nodded, holding my hand out to him, waiting for him to close his thick, strong fingers around mine. He dropped to his knees before me, this massive, huge beast. Evenin his humanoid form, he made the others look small. It broke my heart he thought I would toss him aside for another. He thought I would see him as lesser now.
Head bowed, he curled forward to rest his head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, lightly smoothing his back. “I will always remember the way you sacrificed yourself to save another. Heedless of the danger, or the cut to your pride. You didn’t fall, Dörr. You leaped into the pit to save your friend. Just as you leaped into action when I called for help from inside Jörmungandr. I would argue that’s the true sign of an alpha, and it’s certainly the kind of alpha I choose to keep close to my side at all times.”
“No alpha would allow another to subdue him, except his queen.”
I cupped his cheeks in both of my hands and tipped his face up so I could press a kiss to his forehead. “If it brought me pleasure to watch another subdue you, would you refuse?”
“Of course not. Whatever you desire, you shall receive.”
“Exactly. So how could it bring me any less pleasure to know you risked yourself so I could have Svar at my side now?”
He rumbled like distant thunder but had no argument.
Smiling, I pressed a light kiss to his lips. “That’s what I thought. May I ask you a question?”
“Always.”
“How did you know to bring Myrk and Svar to your side? What brought you three together?”
He considered a moment, his eyes unfocused as if he looked back through thousands of years to the earlier moments of his life. “There was very little sensation in Hel to break the monotony of our existence. There’s no light, no taste, no sense of cold or warmth. That’s why Svar was pulled to the rings. He needed the distraction. A break to the nothingness of our existence. But the first time I saw him, I felt… a spark. Deepinside my core. A tiny flicker, a resonance. We don’t have hearts or souls, not like humans or Aima. So I found the faint sensation remarkable.”
“Svar’s memory mentioned a seed?”
Dörr nodded. “According to legend, the Norse gods eat Iðunn’s golden apples to gain immortality. When they created the dark alfar armies, they used the discarded seeds to make us nearly impossible to kill. I always wondered if the spark I felt for Myrk and Svar meant we were seeds from a singular apple. Brothers, as much as brothers could be in Hel.”
“I like that idea very much.” I caressed his face, stroking my fingers over his jaws and chin, the bridge of his nose and brow. “You saved your brother when nothing else could. So he could be here with us now.” I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. “I didn’t think I could love you more than I already do, my alpha, but I was wrong.”
13
HELAYNA
Wrapped in a black robe, I sat in a swiveling cushioned chair while an army descended with brushes and scissors and tools I didn’t even recognize, while others rolled in racks of clothing.
All the colors of the rainbow. Short and long, dresses, pants, thick furs, sweaters, and light gauzy creations. More than a little overwhelmed, I didn’t even know where to start.
Clara patted my shoulder. “These are just to see what you might like so we can start building you a complete wardrobe. Your Majesty, this is master tailor Kathleen Grimley.”
A dark-haired human woman curtseyed and then stepped closer, offering her hand. Dressed in a simple but elegant black suit, she moved like royalty. I wasn’t very good at estimating ages, but she seemed relatively young compared to Clara. I started to shake the woman’s hand, but Kathleen startled me by dipping her head and lightly kissing my knuckles.
“Your Majesty, thank you so much for considering my team.” She straightened and turned to three other even younger people behind her. “This is Hawkins, Thorpe, and Stokes.” Each of them bowed their heads as she called their names. Two men and awoman. “The rest of my team is still taking measurements, but I’ll introduce you forthwith.”
“Thank you so much for coming on such short notice. I hope it wasn’t too inconvenient?”
“Are you kidding?” The other young woman exclaimed, though the man beside her elbowed her hard. “What? I’ve never been on a private jet before. It was incredible.” Then her eyes widened, her mouth hanging open for a moment. She paled so quickly she swayed. “Your Majesty.”
I laughed, shaking my head gently. “Please, don’t be concerned. I’m not used to formalities myself. I’ve never been on a private jet either. At least not that I remember.”
“Then we should correct that lack at once, Your Majesty,” Clara said tartly. “Perhaps next time we’ll fly to London and visit Grimley’s on Savile Row rather than bring them here.”
Smiling, Kathleen inclined her head. “You would be most welcome, of course, but my team is also honored to travel to you, Your Majesty. You’ve given us a wonderful opportunity to devise something entirely new and unique.”
“I have?”
“We’ve created bespoke menswear for years but never had such a delightful challenge as the one presented by the men in your service.”
