Page 115 of Fallen Gods

Iamfucking pissed. I heard all about the fight, after I already felt bad for pulling away from Aric this morning.

Knowing I hurt him on purpose before he hurt me first was just as awful as seeing the hurt on his face.

But there is no exit clause for us.

No out.

Only through.

I realized too late that I was calm when I was with him, and that me touching him calmed him right back. It was more than just my Aethercall, too. I could feel it in the air when I woke up in his bed. I was drawn to him, and he was drawn to me. It wasn’t by accident, which meant it would get harder to keep lying to him the closer we got to unlocking the last two runes.

Selfishly, I want him. Stupidly, I lie to myself and say I can handle all of this—we can handle it. But one thing both Gods and humans have in common is there’s no way to prepare for heartbreak. No amount of power can protect us from it.

Eira remains mostly unaware of the tension between Rowen and me. I watch her now as she fixes her lip gloss in the reflection of her phone camera. To be that unbothered about life in general? I can’t decide if I’m impressed or annoyed I can’t joinher.

My phone chooses that moment to go off. With dread, I look at my messages.Father. Again. He’s texted me more in this last week than he has in the last few years.

Odinfather:Rowen is concerned, and he’s never concerned. He says you have intel you haven’t shared?

I grip the phone as rage pulses through me. I should never have alluded to Rowen that I knew how to wake Aric up.

Me:You’ll have answers either tonight or tomorrow. Either way, Mjölnir is as good as mine

I wait for his response, stomach clenched.

Odinfather:Good. That’s good. I knew I could count on you. Once he’s awake, he’ll know where Mjölnir is, and retrieving it will be all he’s able to focus on. Follow his ice and leave everything else to me.

I think he’s done typing when a picture suddenly appears on the screen. It’s Laufey, and she’s tied to a chair in the living room.

I stifle my gasp in the silent car. But then a video pops up.

I turn the volume off and press play.

My father moves in front of her with his ever-present raven cane. He very slowly pulls it up over his head, then slams it down on her hands over and over and over again until all I see is blood dripping from her knuckles. She passes out. The camera points to my father. His smile is sinister.

He enjoyed it.

I might be sick.

What the hell’s going to happen when he has Mjölnir at his disposal?

But this video made one thing extremely clear: I have no choice if I want any hope of saving Laufey’s life. Plus, Rowen’s here with me. If I screw up, he will be blamed. And Father will make him pay.

I shove my phone in my pocket and try to center myself. My father’s video is a harsh reminder that I’m running out of time.

Like I didn’t already know.

Rowen parks the car in front of a sprawling three-story lake house, easily 15,000 square feet. The house looms like a bad omen, its sleek tan-and-white exterior standing out against the towering evergreens that surround it.

When we get out, Eira walks ahead while Rowen grabs my hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about fighting with Aric.”

I suddenly want to jerk away from him. “Don’t keep secrets—not from me. And stop picking fights. I can handle myself.”

“You don’t understand,” he starts to argue. “Your father—”

“Look, I get it. We’re in this together, but where’s all the hostility coming from? We’re on the same side!” But I think I know. Suddenly, his angry outburst in my room makes sense. It’s about my father choosing me, isn’t it? And me not following through, despite being given the opportunity I think Rowen would kill for.

He bites down on his lip and then runs a hand through his hair. “You’re different with him. But you know what he is to us, what we are to him. I just— Do us all a favor and get this shit nailed down, Rey. Before I kill him.”