Page 39

But she was also scared.

Yes, the Norse goddess of Helheim and the Dead was absolutely terrified that once the whole world knew about the Dragoness Queen with whom she shared her soul neither one of them would ever be truly safe again.There would be no rest, no place they could hide, and every day would be a new adventure in survival.People would see them, most significantly Carys but also Hel because they were irrevocably joined, as an endless well of Magic, Power, and Strength for the taking.

It wasn’t a secret that the Welsh Kings of Aberffraw had been repeatedly attacked by marauders from all over the world trying to steal the Magic of Carys’s brother, Y Ddraig Goch, or as she called him, Dewi.If it hadn’t been for the Original Mage, known as Merlin because of all the stupid fairy tales, Dewi would’ve surely been captured, kept alive under incredible duress and constantly tapped for his Magic long before Carys was even born and until the end of time.

The Dragoness would’ve grown up without anyone and never truly understanding her place in the universe.Carys was tough, but she was made stronger–damn near invincible–because she’d had the love and support of her brother and the stern, but devoted teaching and rearing of the Original Mage.For that and so many reasons, Hel would forever be in debt to both incredible Beings.

With that in mind, Hel knew she would never forget the day she and Carys were joined.She’d been so happy, utterly thrilled, and the few involved let her enjoy every second of getting used to sharing her soul with a true Dragoness Queen.They had flown high above the clouds of Asgard for hours hidden from prying eyes by Frigga’s Enchantment.

So tired, but not wanting to stop, the young goddess and the Dragoness had finally landed, and Carys had retreated to the back of Hel’s psyche.It was then that Frigga, Odin, Dewi, and the Original Mage explained the importance of building strong Magical wards and being prepared for Others–especially Loki and Angrboda–to try to get them to use their combined Magic, Power, and Strength for less than honorable pursuits.

Of course, both Hel and Carys agreed to wearing the circular Triskele–Frigga’s sigil–made of Black Iron and imbued with a Spell created by the Norse goddess of Love and Magic at all times, no matter what form they were in.As the memories of the strawberry-blond goddess placing the thin, golden chain around her neck and the click of the clasp closing floated through her mind, Hel unconsciously reached up and touched the amulet.

Always warm to the touch, it had been alive with the Magic of Frigga and the love she had so freely given to Hel from the get-go.Strength, resilience, and the ability to overcome challenges filled the goddess as the tip of the middle finger of her dead side traced the swirling design forged into the same Black Iron that was used to make Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, and the irony wasn’t lost on Hel.

Oh, yeah, she knew that the Norse god of Thunder and Lightning’s weapon had been forged out of a special ore–the one and only element that would defeat Giants, and for that she was grateful.So much so, that she’d never mentioned it to anyone but Carys.Together, they decided to let Odin and Frigga think they were none the wiser.After all, she couldn’t fault them.Her mother was a pain in the ass and then some.Having a weapon that worked on a Giant wasn’t such a bad thing.Hel also often wondered if there was anyone else it warded off, say, her siblings if her mother got into their heads and brought them to the Giantess’s side.

But…

Would the Enchantment continue to work if they told their secret?Or would Frigga’s Spell be broken?Would they have to spend every minute of every day looking over their collective shoulders, ready to fight to survive?

And what about Hope?What would he think of her decisions?Would he see the secrets she held as lies of omission?Would he think she didn’t trust him?Would he think that Carys had kept her from going to him, and not see that she was truly scared of being vulnerable and sharing all that she was–both the alive and the dead sides–with the one and only Omnipotent Being known as Hope?Was he as understanding as Faye, Desi, and Liv, or would he be as she feared–repulsed by all that she was?

It didn’t matter.She couldn’t worry about her Fated Mate at the moment.Goddess knew he wasn’t worried about her.As far as Hel knew, after she’d run away from him without explanation, he probably never thought of her, wanted nothing to do with her, and was begging his Aunt, the one and only Universe–like the Being who helped create the world, the galaxy, the whole kit and kaboodle–to find him someone better, someone whole, someone who was alive on both sides of her body.

Shaking her head, Hel silently chastised herself.“Stop thinking about that blasted man.You have more important things to deal with, like the Dragoness who is staring a hole through your brain at this very moment.Snap out of it, Helly!Get your shit together!You have been a sniveling, whiney baby for way too long!”

Pushing all thoughts of anything but what would happen when Carys was out and proud, she started a mental To-Do list.First of all, she had to get her thoughts in order and rebuttals prepared for anything and everything that would most definitely be thrown her way.Then she would have to spend countless hours doling out those explanations to all her friends–her true Family.

Number one, two, three, and four on the list would be:Why,Hel, why did you keep Carys a secret?Didn’t you think you could trust me?Why did the Dragoness Queen go along with your hairbrained plan?Does she know something we don’t?

Inundated and overwhelmed by their disappointment and sadness, Hel would have to spend so much time reassuring each person individually that shedidtrust them, shedidlove them, and sheonlykept the information to herself to keepthem, the people she loved with all her heart, safe.It was so important that they all knew she wanted to tell them but never ever wanted to be the reason any of them were in danger.

Then there would be those, the unscrupulous assholes, who would ask how she’d held a true Dragoness Queen captive for centuries.Oh, they would wait a ‘reasonable’ time, and they wouldn’t ask directly.They would try to be crafty, sneaky, and duplicitous in every way possible, thinking they were smarter than she was and could make her tell them what she hadn’t already said-that Hel was way more powerful than anyone could have ever imagined.

Which was not the case.Not even a little bit.

Of course, they would never believe that she’d done nothing more than ask Carys to stay hidden and keep their secret.They wouldn’t use the few brain cells they still possessed to realize that Carys was a Dragoness Queen, like Queen with a capital Q, which meant that the same Magic, Power and Strength they wanted to steal would be the same Gifts that made it damned near impossible for Hel to make her do anything she didn’t want to do.

The idiots, the ones she’d worried about for the last fifteen hundred years, would poke and prod and drive her absolutely mad trying to get answers that simply did not exist.They would be sure she was hiding something, and that was when the real trouble would begin.It would be the people who’d been the closest in proximity, not heart and friendship, she would have to keep an eye on every minute of every day.After all, they didn’t call her Realm Helheim for shits and giggles.There were just as many unscrupulous souls as decent.

Would Hraesvelg, the giant Eagle sitting at the edge of the world with one of their taloned paws on the edge of Helheim be on Hel’s side?Being neither male nor female but an entity unto themselves, they not only provided Wind for the entire universe with a flap of their wings, but they had always been a friend.Always been supportive.Never passed judgement and even offered valuable advice when asked.

If she needed them.Would they come to her aid?Would they tell the naysayers that every word out of Hel’s mouth was the absolute truth?

“One thing that plays well for me…” Hel thought aloud.“…is that although powerful, Hraesvelg has a singular purpose: to generate the Wind.They do not leave their lofty perch to engage in the affairs of gods and men.”Stopping as something she’d never thought about crossed her mind, the goddess suddenly felt sorry for her friend and made a mental note to go see the Eagle as she murmured, “Wow, that truly makes them both powerful and powerless.They are really limited by their very role in the grand scheme of everyone and everything’s existence.”Another slow nod her head and she added, “So, I’m gonna count on them to stay impartial, put that tick in the win column, and retract my thought about them rushing to my aid.I know they would if they could.”

Raising the hand on her live side, Hel made a fist and sarcastically cheered, “Yay me!”

Almost instantly she wondered, “Will everyone know that Frigga helped me?Will they be as pissed at her as they are with me?”

Her mind racing.Thoughts flew one way and then the other almost faster than she could keep up.Would they sense that the amulet held the Magic of the Norse goddess and try to rip it from her neck?Would it work for them?Would she have to turn into the Hag they all thought she was?Would she have to let the Darkness she contained within the very fiber of her being loose into the world allowing all Beings–mortal and immortal–to be filled with immense dread and fear?

She would do it if she had to–not for herself, never for herself.That wasn’t Hel’s way, but to keep Carys safe from all harm, she would do what she had to do.Nothing mattered more than making sure the Dragoness Queen was kept safe.

As if all of that wasn’t bad enough, her mother would come running with a glint in her eye and a smile on her over-puffed, blood-red lips.Hel had thought of it so many times that she had a clear, horrific movie that played on a loop whenever she chose to call it up and take a look.

But it was not the time.She couldn’t go down that endless, dark tunnel of despair and rejection.She’d already opened the door on her insecurities concerning her Mate and was having a hard time keeping them at bay.