The lines on his forehead deepened as he looked at me for confirmation. I realized I’d never stood in the Fosters’ mudroom for this long before. It was almost as if he stood between his wife and further mayhem, guarding her from anything that might drive her more deeply into madness.
“Maybe,” he began, “it’s the world, you know? It’s gone to hell. The news has been crazy. They’re saying gods are real? And…well…since you were there, Mar… Since you were at that concert… I thought maybe that’s what she needed to talk about, right? With everything on TV, and all the claims being made. And then, Mar, that footage is everywhere.”
I shrank, understanding his defensive posture. He was protecting her from me after the display at the concert. He’d seen me rush the stage that had sent the world into a tailspin. Perhaps he thought seeing me vanish into thin air on national television had been what destroyed Nia.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions about what you saw,” I said.
“Would the answers bring me any peace?” he asked.
And I could do little more than shrug, because I didn’t have the answer he needed. “I can promise you that she’s safe. That I love her. That I would kill for heranddie for her. She’shad my back more times than I can count. And if she is on edge because she needs to talk through what went down at the Vexa concert, then who better to do it with than me?”
He nodded unconvincingly but didn’t quite clear the path. “It’s just…”
“I’ve got this,” I promised. “And if I let either of you down in any way, you can kill me yourself.”
That earned the barest of chuckles. His eyes went back to Fauna, then to me. “And after everything…after those men onstage…and the couple on the news in Greece. And thisfriendof yours. Not to be rude, Fauna, but…”
“It’s not rude at all,” she said, and I’d never seen her look so gentle. “You aren’t crazy. There’s a chance I’ll be spending a little bit of time with you both today, so how about the three of us have a chat over dinner? I’ll answer everything, and I’ll answer it honestly. You’re allowed to bring as much weed and booze as you need. A bottle of vodka helps the medicine go down. But first, where’s that wife of yours?”
I saw the questions tick behind his eyes, calculating as he undoubtedly weighed years of friendship and love and loyalty against the weeks of insanity. I saw the moment he reached a decision. His shoulders relaxed, if only slightly. He pivoted and allowed us to pass. “All right. She’s in the den. I’ll…leave you to it, I guess. Let me know if you need anything?”
“Is…” I nearly bit down on my tongue to keep myself from asking, but I’d already gotten his attention. “Is the coffee pot on? We could use a few cups. With extra sugar.”
“You don’t take yours with sugar,” he said. The normalcy gave him somewhere to direct his energy, which was almost definitely as much of a relief for him as it was for me. His back was already to us as he made his way to the kitchen. I avoided Fauna’s eyes, unwilling to see whatever reaction she’d had. A moment later, he filled two coffee cups three-quarters full and slid the sugar bowl, flavored creamer, and honey toward the mugs.
“Thank you,” I said, and I meant it. “She’s my sister, D. I promise to take care of her.”
“You’d better,” he said, “because I don’t care who you are. She comes first.”
He handed me two spoons, and with a nod, he was off.
Fauna poured half of her coffee into the sink the moment he disappeared, then mixed in the sugar first, stirring until it melted. She topped it off with the flavored creamer, sipped it, and made a face. It took two more sweetening scoops before she was satisfied.
She gave me a half-hopeful look over the beige sludge in her mug, one corner of her mouth twitching as a brow lifted in a question. Whatever she was asking, I didn’t have an answer. One coffee didn’t make things right.
I took the honey with me as we crossed the living room toward Nia’s home office. It wasn’t uncommon for her to split her days between the downtown cubicle and her den in the suburbs, but I wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to stay put before someone intervened. I tucked the tube of honey under my arm and knocked lightly before letting myself in.
I saw the blond, muscular figure, still in fighting leathers, the moment the door cracked. Strapped weapons, beaded braids, a well-worn wrist brace on her remaining, battle-ready arm—she couldn’t have looked more out of place in a suburban American home if she’d tried. Estrid looked up from where she’d been seated on the floor, back to the wall.
She huffed in audible relief the moment her eyes landed on Fauna.
Nia got up from her computer chair and ran for me. She crashed into me with such force, I nearly lost my footing.
“Thank god you’re here,” she said into my hair.
Fauna closed the door behind us. “It’s good to see you, Nia,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind a changing of the guard.”
Nia pulled out of the hug to glance between the Nordes, from the stressed-out warrior to the familiar hippie. Perhapsshe hadn’t meant to look so obvious, but her relief was as plain as day. “You’ll be staying with me now?”
Fauna smiled, then gave Nia’s shoulder a quick squeeze. She left her hand on Nia’s arm as she turned to Estrid. “Word on the street is that you have somewhere to be.”
Estrid was on her feet in an instant. Before she had the chance to open her mouth, I reached for her arm. “I’m going with you.”
“No.”
“I’m going with you to see this Egyptian god,” I said. “I have the only title that might matter to him.”
The valkyrie’s eyes became slits at the pronoun.Him.
