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Smiling as Hel asked Garmr,“How?How did you know?How did you get here?How…?”Hopper’s initial impression of Garmr was confirmed by the Wolfman’s response.

“As I have said many times, little sister, I will always be there when you need me as you have always been there for me.Family is not bound by blood or DNA; it is held together by love and understanding.”

“Oh, Garmr.Thank you,”Hel’s appreciation was so heartfelt had Hopper not needed to be paying attention to Scrub and her six-legged army, he would not have been able to stop himself from taking her in his arms and showing her how very much he already loved her.But that murderous bug and her vile soldiers were closing ranks in preparation for an attack.Further proof that timing had never been their thing.

Feeling an even more powerful Magic at his back, Hopper spun to the right, smiling despite what they faced as Hel spun in the opposite direction in perfect synchronicity with him.Instantly stopping, their eyes met then returned to the front as a massive swirling vortex of an all-too-familiar Enchantment opened before a kaleidoscope of glorious greens, popping reds, and brilliant yellows announced the arrival of Empress Scathach, the Empress of Shadows, and the Clan Clonburren Warrioresses.

Unable to draw a single breath or ask where they’d been and how they’d gotten there, another portal to the West called for his attention.Just like before, the Magic was well-known and most assuredly friendly.Opening wide, magnificent colors of their homeland filled the air with the intriguing scent of ozone and summer rain as Queen Doireen, the Lightning Queen of the Amazon, and her Clan of Vibria Shifters ran into battle, their bows at the ready.

Not to be outdone, another twirling Enchanted doorway through Time and Space opened with a blast of cold air followed by a warmth that could only come from the Rain Forest.Marching onto the mountaintop that Scrub had turned into a battlefield, Princess Isolde, the Ice Wielder, and youngest of the Leaders he’d had the privilege of being sure thrived, along with her Clan took their place.It was all perfectly coordinated and if he didn’t know better, Hopper would’ve sworn the Amazonian Leaders had collaborated with Garmr.

Opening the mental link he shared with the Empress, the Queen, and the Princess to include Hel, he didn’t have the chance to speak before Empress Scathach took the helm.“We were trapped behind a wall of horrific Black Magic.It came out of nowhere right after I spoke to you.Those blasted letters twisted and warped, slithering across the sky, creating barriers between each of our Clans.That abominable bug had the utter nerve and overinflated ego to think she could best us.We are the Amazonian Dragons.We have survived worse than vermin.Have we not, Senor Hope?”

“Indeed, you have,”Hopper responded.Seeing Hel’s brows furrow, he pushed the memories of saving the Clans and what he and Pat did to assure they had a safe home for all eternity.

Smiling, Hel whispered,“You truly are the best, Hopper,”at the precise moment that the Empress added,“Thank the Ancients, we have many tricks.”Then to his Mate she said, “And it is an honor to meet you goddess Hel.May we get to know one another better when we arise victorious.

“I couldn’t have said it better.We will…”Hel’s heartfelt appreciation was cut off as Scrub roared, “Kill them all!”and her Army of insects dropped to their bellies, their six legs moving so quickly they were only a blur of black and gray.

Unable to shake the image of roaches scattering in every direction when the lights had been turned on wherever they were trying to infest, Hopper headed straight for the one who had just a few moments ago been Hel’s sister.He’d seen firsthand that sibling rivalry could be a bitch, but Einn had taken things to a whole new level–and the best he could tell, none of her beef was actually with Hel.It was time to knock her back down to her normal size and put her in a very long time out.

“Damn, Dide,”Pat’s chuckle floated through his mind.“If I’d known gettin’ you with your Mate would turn you into a bad boy, I’d have been helping Desi and Faye all along.”

“That’s enough outta you, Pat,”Hel answered her first.“Leave my man alone.Don’t make me sic the Fires of Helheim or the Icy winds of Niflheim on you.”

“I bow,”Pat chuckled.“I bow.”

For the hundredth time since he’d arrive on the island, Hopper had one thought–damn, Hel is absolutely perfect– and he was having it again.Making beeline for Scrub, he knew his Mate was at his side.The feeling that he was in step with the woman made for him by his Auntie Universe almost gave him wings.It was simply more wonderful than he’d ever imagined, and it didn’t even matter that they were in battle for their lives and the lives of their friends.

It also didn’t stop him from listening as Hel instructed,“You go low.I’ll go high with the Raven Guardsmen,”when they were less than a hundred yards from Scrub.

Keeping his chuckle to himself because he’d picked up on Hel’s surprise when the Ravens that had been flitting around her garden for centuries Shifted into the Legendary Raven Guardsmen who’d been absent from Odin’s side for untold centuries.He thought about teasing her by saying,“Looks like everybody who’s anybody in Helheim has a secret,”but decided there’d be time for that after they’d dispatched Scrub and had gotten to know each other a little more intimately.

Returning his focus to the task at hand, Hopper trusted his Mate’s prowess in battle over his inexperience and cut to the right, knowing that Scrub was more focused on Hel than he.Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the four Raven Guardsmen making their move and had to work hard not to stop and gawk.Opening their arms wide, wings appeared an instant before they took flight.

Using a bit of his preternatural ability to divide his focus, Hope watched as they flew higher and higher.Turning around just under the lowest layer of fluffy white clouds, he heard the Leader, Rekkr say,“We await your command, Goddess,”before his Mate lifted her blade and ran straight for Scrub.

Struggling to stay parallel with Hel, trying to remember the last time he’d actually so much as jogged; Hopper was amazed at the orchestrated chaos in every direction.No matter how hard Scrub’s troops tried to gain the upper hand with their utter craziness and clacking claws, the Amazonian Clans along with Garmr and Hel’s Army were quicker and more fierce, anticipating the insects’ moves before they could execute them.

Bits and pieces of creepy-crawly went one way and the other, the glittering silvery scales catching the setting sun before hitting the ground and exploding into a foul-smelling gas.Then he realized something the others had apparently already figured out.From every piece of insect and every puff of noxious gas, another Scrub soldier was born.Full sized and ready to fight.That damn Scrub had created a regenerating force of fighters.

“Now, that shit is just not fair.”

“Oh, just wait, Elskan mín.Never underestimate the power of an Undead Army.”

Not only was Hopper floating on air that Hel had once again spoken directly into his mind, but the fact that she had called him ‘my love’ in the language of the Northmen had his heart doing a silly little pitter pat that he was sure was supposed to be reserved for human teenagers experiencing their first flash of infatuation.But he didn’t care.He was in love and soon enough the whole world would know.

Getting as far as,“And you are…”Hopper swallowed the words he was about to think as he witnessed firsthand what Hel meant by the ‘power of an Undead Army’.

With every slash of the jagged edge of a Scrub soldier’s claw or clamp of its pincher, the members of Hel’s Army grew broader, stronger, and infinitely more muscular.His Mate had imbued those loyal to her with the ability to regenerate, to throw off the vestiges and frailty of death and once again be vital and formidable.He really had thought of it all.She’d anticipated what an enemy could not overcome and equipped the souls who inhabited Helheim with better, sounder abilities.

He needed to tell her how proud he was of her.Hel needed to know how special she was, how much she meant to him.She had to understand that not just this moment in time, but during every moment of his life since she’d been born, he’d thought of only her.

But all that would have to wait.Checking on those he would always feel responsible for, Hopper first saw Empress Scathach.Never one to be underestimated, born and bred to be the Leader of Leaders, the Empress of Shadows was showcasing her unique Gifts in all the right ways.

With every thrust, parry, and strike of her spear, dark, thick shadows fell over the enemy.Instantly dazed and confused, they were so lost and perplexed, unable to see the claws in front of their small, black, compound eyes that they ended up fighting one another–and in doing so negated the regenerative abilities Scrub had spliced into them.

It was a brilliant move.The Empress was a true Warrior in every sense of the word, and the same was true of the other Amazonian Leaders.