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Galley with good oars

Sail to distant shores

Stand up on the prow

Noble barque I steer

Steady course to the haven

Hew many foe-men.”

The eerie, haunting tune brought to mind her kinsmen, the mighty Vikings and all they stood for–the legacy.It was more than a song, it was the story–the history–of the Northmen who sailed the cold Norse waters to feed their families, support their villages, and protect the life their forefathers had fought and died to forge.These were the men who first paid homage to the Norse Pantheon.They believed in the Power and Goodwill of the gods and goddesses.They prayed every day–sometimes every hour–to each and every Deity.They even sacrificed a percentage of what little they had to ensure good weather, good sailing, and most of all, good health for their families.

Within the rising harmony, her memories eddied and churned bringing the best and happiest to the surface.Shock, awe, and happiness flashed in the depths of her soul when a single special memory emerged from the fog of her mind.It was the only time she hadn’t run from Hope.He been far enough away as not to incite her ‘flight’ response, but close enough for her to see every detail.

And she hadn’t realized it was him even as her heart and soul filled to overflowing with recognition, completion…love.

There he was, her Mate, the one made for her by the Universe, none other than the Omnipotent Being known as Hope.How had she not known it was him from first glance?A question she’d asked herself millions of times over the years, with the only answer being…At least I figured it out quickly….

Smiling, with a twinkle in his cyan eyes, the hue a perfect match for the water filling the jetties on Dreki Island–the last place she visited with her father before accepting her godhead and taking her place in Helheim, it took the goddess a minute to realize that he was looking right at her.For just a split-second, a flash in time, she’d thought about going to him.She’d entertained the thought of introducing her Mate to her father and vice versa.She’d wanted to tell Hopper that she was ready to be the Mate he deserved.

But that didn’t happen.Instead, she took that time to take in the splendor that was the man made for her by the Universe.

If she was honest with herself, which she always was, Hel could admit that she’d ogled Hopper like a high school nerd staring at the quarterback of the football team.It could’ve been a scene from one of those young adult rom coms Charity was always watching.

But Hel would do it again… and again and…

Tall, but not too tall, probably six-foot-two.Yes, it had to be about that since the one time she’d stood beside him for longer than a second, she’d look him in the eye while wearing heels.

The memory of that spectacular day all those centuries ago was magnificent in its detail.More beautiful than ever, she was lost to the swirling Magic of Hope’s electrically gorgeous eyes.Falling into his gaze, she saw the darker blue, glittering gray, and smoky white flecks dancing in their depths.

The tick of the huge grandfather clock in the study kept her grounded in the present, as she traveled through the past remembering the darker lowlights running through his golden blond curls and wondered if they felt as soft as they looked.The backs of her fingers tingled with the need to touch his sun-kissed cheeks and caress the stubble on his chiseled jaw.

And those lips.Those beautiful lips.They were quite literally works of art crafted with the loving touch of the Universe, God with capital G, and Mother Nature just for her.It was so hard to believe and nearly incomprehensible that he was truly hers.

“And he always has been,”Carys whispered.“All you have to do is…”

Not wanting to argue, her only desire to remain living in that moment for as long as she could, Hel didn’t acknowledge or respond to the Dragoness.She simply stayed in the memory, waiting for what was to come.

And boy was it worth it.

Eyes sliding from his jaw to the muscled, column of his neck, her mouth watered with the need to press her lips to the steady pulse that beat with unending strength just under the surface.She wanted nothing more than to mark him as her own.Nip the tender flesh in the sensual dip between his neck and shoulders, placing the glyph the Universe had fashioned just for them.

Her mind was instantly awash with the sights, sounds, and sensations of Hope responding in kind.Goosebumps danced up and down her arms as it played like a movie in her mind’s eye.The slide of his lips across her jaw.The gentle tickle of his tongue tasting and teasing.The blunt edges of his teeth nipping, preparing her for the bite that would blessedly tie them together for all time.

His smile widened.She was sure of it.

How had she missed that detail all the hundreds, the millions of times she’d relived that brief moment in time?Had she missed her moment?Was it too late?

Had he felt the same way?Why hadn’t she taken the time to find out?Why did she run away like a scared child when she thought he might come her way?

“Because I am the biggest scaredy cat in the entire universe.Because I fear rejection more than failure.Because I have loved that man for as long as I can remember, and my heart willliterallycrumble if he looked at me with disgust–if he rejected me.”

“But that won’t…”

“Leave it, Carys.”

Shaking her head, pushing everything but the image of her Mate from her mind, the goddess reached for and held onto that beautiful picture with both hands and the single-minded focus for which she was renowned.She remembered the way the soft plaid cotton of his shirt lay perfectly on his broad shoulders, outlining their lean, sculpted definition, and prominent, rounded musculature that formed a peak at the top of each arm, then tapered smoothly down the sides.