:Helayna. Or should I call you God of Bifröst rather than your given name?:
:You can call me anything you wish, Helayna, and I will hear and hasten to your side. In case you’re unaware of my abilities, I can see and hear nearly everything in the Nine Worlds, which was exactly why I stood guard at the final bridge to Ásgarðr. If you whisper my name inside your own head, I will always hear.:
She laughed again. More of a giggle really.:Your blood has gone straight to my head. Gunnarr, is this what it means for a human to be drunk?:
:I have heard of queens getting blood drunk or moon drunk before, but you don’t seem drunk like a human would be on alcohol. They stagger around and generally act like fools.:
:I don’t think I could walk right now.:
The rainbow arched over the last bridge to Miðgarðr. Millions of water droplets filled the air as we exited.:Then it’s a very good thing you have Blood to carry you anywhere you wish to go.:
As we exited, the rainbow shimmered away into dancing waterfall spray. The stone gargoyle immediately melted back to life.:Fuck me, I never thought I’d be so glad to be human again.:
Shaking water from my eyes, I strode straight to the biggest dark alfar. I chose my words very carefully so there would be no misunderstandings between us. I had no desire to usurp his authority.:Alpha, I return our queen safely to your protection.:
Dörr of the Black Mountain kept a wary eye on me, but his granite face softened with relief. He touched her back but didn’t take her away from me. Not while she was still feeding.:Letus get to the privacy of the vehicles before we do formal introductions.:
:I don’t know why I can’t stop.:She laughed again despite the vague concern in her words.:I’ve drained the rest of my Blood to unconsciousness before.:
I clenched my jaws, fighting back a fervent plea for her to attempt the same to me.:I doubt it would be possible for you to drain me. My blood carries too much magic.:
She tightened her lips on my throat and sucked on the punctures.:Challenge accepted.:
HELAYNA
Vaguely,I was aware of humans screaming, “Bear! Polar bear!” in the background as we headed back to our vehicles.
Playing along, Gunnarr roared and lunged a few times, making sure we had the riverbank to ourselves. Hopefully they were too rattled to notice we returned to the beach with an extra member of our party, though Clara certainly noticed. I couldn’t bring myself to care if she saw me feeding. I’d been careful to keep my hunger controlled around her, though she certainly knew exactly what kind of queen I was. I just liked keeping it private. Personal. Intimate.
Though the more of Heimdallr’s blood I drank…
The more I regretted not having privacy for at least a couple more hours during the drive to Reykjavík.
By the time we got back to the vehicles, most of the visiting humans had left. But we still had our two human drivers. Dragging my mouth away from Heimdallr’s blood took all mywill. I averted my face, hoping if I didn’t see the blood dripping down his throat, I could regain a little control.
Lokken rummaged through the bags in the back of the SUV, looking for Gunnarr’s spare clothes. The polar bear scooped up the items in his mouth and hopped up into the back to shift and change.
“Who else wants a change?” Lokken asked. “At least let me find a dry sweater for you, my queen.”
“There’s no need to change because of water,” Heimdallr said. “Nor blood. Both will respond to your will, Your Majesty.”
I’d seen Karmen pull her blazing blood out of Myrk before, so I knew it was possible. I just hadn’t needed to do it myself. Water seemed a stretch…
Until I remembered I’d filled the lake outside of the cabin. Easily.
He looked down at me, his eyes flashing in the growing darkness.:You are the wellspring from which all rivers flow.:The same words he’d said to me in the vision of Yggdrasil.
Still in his arms, I closed my eyes, trying to focus myself. But the smell of his blood intensified. Coppery amber laced with honey and spice and everything nice. Tantalizing rainbows sparkled behind my eyelids. In my veins. Making my mouth water for more. Even if it made me giggle. How much more could I even hold?
He laughed, low and wicked.:Let’s find out. I’m not even close to weak kneed yet, Your Majesty, let alone drained to unconsciousness.:
Giving in to my hunger, I licked the trails of blood up his throat.:At least make sure the humans aren’t watching.:
“Who knows how to drive?” Heimdallr asked. “Would it be possible for one of us to drive and give our queen some privacy?”
“I’m familiar with many modern conveniences but not driving, I’m afraid,” Lokken replied.
Gunnarr hopped down out of the SUV in fresh clothes. “Humans do it. How hard can it be?”
