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"Make your move, goddess of Helheim, Queen of the Dead, daddy’s spoiled little brat," Scrub jeered.Slapping what Hopper could only assume was its thigh, the giant bug shrieked with maniacal laughter, "You should really be in here with us.I mean, this shit is better than any comedian.Your sister will not shut the hell up.She is screaming for me to stop hurting you and being mean to you.”The giant bug cackled like a deranged lunatic fresh from the looney bin.“Our dear Einn has changed her mind.Seems that she’s decided you’re not as bad as she thought.Something about you being kind to her when you were children.She wants me to spare your life.”Leaning forward, letting her slithering antennae come as close to the edge of Hel’s blade as she dared, the evil insect chittered, “She’s afraid you’ll never forgive her if anything happens to one of your friends and that your daddy will be mad at her if you get hurt.”

“Ha!”Hel scoffed, her voice coming from the Warrior Dragoness’s mouth along with thick plumes of smoke.“Is that the daddy that she said tossed her and her twin into a rip in Time and Space to hide them from the All Father?Or the father who babied me?Or maybe it’s the one whose ass I supposedly kissed?Huh?”Not waiting for an answer as she once again zig-zagged her way closer to Scrub, she added with a sneer, “No, it has to be the daddy who loves me more than her and her twin, does anything I want, and doesn’t want anything to do with the likes of Einn and Tveir.That’s him, isn’t...?”

“Why you worthless piece of…!”

“Yeah!I know the truth!I picked that shit right outta that feeble little mind of yours!”Taking a threatening step forward, the Warrior Dragoness threw back her shoulders and snarled, “Hey, Einn!If you can hear me, the next time you wanna take me on, pick a smarter asshole to inhabit!This one is as dumb as a box of rocks!”

“Rarrrrrrrrr…DIE BITCH!”Scrub roared, her voice a combination of high-pitched shrieking, clicking and chittering that it sounded like a million cicadas during mating season.

Launching itself into the air, resembling an overinflated and terribly lopsided float from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a huge shadow covered the ground as she flew without wings.Halfway through her journey, her screech reaching crystal-goblet-breaking octaves, the wily bug pulled a massive metallic gun from somewhere within her scaled torso.

“Holy shit!”Hopper spat.“That looks like…”

“A kicked-up version of Dirty Harry’s .44 magnum!”Pat finished his sentence with a bellowing roar.

“Watch out!”Liv yelled as Scrub pointed the end of the barrel at the Warrior Dragoness’s heart

“Die!Die!Die!”The insolent insect’s shrieking mantra filled the mountaintop as the Warrior Dragoness stood absolutely still, her impenetrable gaze locked on her murderous foe.

Hopper could feel the controlled tension rising within his Mate and the Dragon Queen with whom she shared her soul.It was the icy calm he’d heard about from so many of the heroic soldiers who’d fought in battles throughout the centuries.

The sun glistening off her brilliant red scales covering her torso created a halo resembling Dragon Fire that told of the strength of both goddess and Dragon Queen.The elliptical pupils of her eyes were narrow and laser focused, the silver of their irises swirling with unspent Magic and a promise of retribution for daring to threaten those she held dear.

Atop her head, the Warrior Dragoness’s scales graduated from red to stark white on the right and black as night on the left and had the horns of the Stag on either side in honor of the crown Hel had worn in the early days as the Ruler of Helheim.To say she was impressive was not enough, but Hopper lacked the vocabulary in that moment, and he wondered what had taken his mind so long to acknowledge those incredible features.

As luck would have it, Pat was once again listening to his thoughts and chuckled,“May you spend every day in awe of the woman who holds your heart and soul within her own.”

“Amen,”Liv grunted in agreement, swinging her sword and slicing off the heads of five mini Scrubs that had sprung up from the smoldering debris.

“How are they still…?”Was as far Hopper got before he saw the slightest movement of the index finger of the Warrior Dragoness’s right hand.

In the blink of an eye, they took a single step forward and thrust their Nightsword straight into the air.Stretching their massively muscled and scaled arm as high as they could, Hel and Carys buried the blade as far as it would go into Scrub’s chest and held on tight as it ripped down the length of its torso, releasing the insect’s gory gullet.

“Give it to me, Carys!”

No sooner had Hel spoken the words than did the Pure White Dragon Magic of the Ancient Welsh Winged Warriors fill the air.Raising the skewered Scrub even higher, she stood perfectly still as Scrub’s greenish-black blood covered the Warrior Dragoness’s hands, oozing down their arm.

With Carys’s thick Welsh accent thick and proud, and her voice as clear as the sky of a beautiful summer day, the Dragon Queen announced, “By the authority granted me by the Universe, the Great Goddess, Mother Nature, Chaos, God Himself, my dear brother, Y Ddraig Goch, and the All Father I, Carys, Queen of the Red Welsh Dragons, pronounce you, Scrub, nasty bug of unknown descent, guilty of treason against Hel Odinson Lokidottir, Norse Goddess of Helheim and Queen of the Dead, and those of her Clan.May you spend eternity burning in the Dragon Fires of Lucifer’s deepest Pit.”

“And by the Law of the Norsemen,” Hel’s smoky contralto rang true.“And with the authority of the Norse Pantheon, I, Hel Odinson Lokidottir, concur, and ask that the invader Scrub feel the full extent of Norse Law for the sin of treason.”

Without another word and over the chittering wails and squeaking, shrill roars of Scrub, the Warrior Dragoness opened her massive jaws wide.Letting the methane gases from within the glands of her throat mix with the Magic of the Ancients, she blew flame after flame of Dragon Fire onto the Scrub until all that remained was a battered and bruised, unconscious Einn.

Looking at his Mate, still covered in the glorious scales of the Dragoness Queen, Hopper was speechless by not only her strength but her capacity for compassion as he watched her slowly lower her sister to the ground.So taken with Hel’s kindness and good nature, he missed the opening of yet another portal.Only when an all-too familiar voice called out, “I am so proud of you, my daughter.What an amazing woman and benevolent goddess you have become,” did he turn to see Loki, the Norse Trickster god striding across the mountaintop littered with the remains of Scrub’s army.

Scales fading away, her long dual-toned hair falling over her shoulders, Hel’s eyes still held the elliptical pupils of her Dragoness as she glared at her father then shook her head and sighed in disgust, “I wish I could say the same to you.”Motioning with a wide sweep of her left arm, she ground out through gritted teeth, “All this could have been avoided if you’d have only told me the truth.”

Stopping midstride, the pained look on Loki’s face told the whole story.He was wounded by Hel’s words.He truly cared what his daughter thought of him, and that was something Hopper never expected from his soon-to-be father-in-law.

Inhaling deeply, the Trickster god slowly nodded.“I can only say that I’m truly sorry, and hope that one day, when you are ready, you will let me explain.”

Without another word, Loki lifted his arms at precisely the same moment that Einn disappeared from her place with Hel then reappeared in his embrace.Turning, he lifted his eyes to Hopper and smiled weakly, “You are lucky to have my girl.Be good to her, or you’ll have me to answer to.

“Yes, sir.”The Omnipotent Being known as Hope straightening his shoulders and stood tall.“I was breathed into existence to make Hel happy, and that is precisely what I intend to do.”

ChapterTwenty

Going to Hopper as he opened his arms and smiled felt like second nature.It was where she was meant to be, had always been meant to be.Her feet were literally moving before her brain had registered what was happening and the best part was… there was no trepidation, no nerves, nothing but the longing to be where her heart and soul told her she belonged.