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Exchange of Hearts

Ella

“ H

oly shit, that’s a big army,” Amelia said next to me, after grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze in comfort.

As for my other hand, this hadn’t left Jared’s since we started making our way back toward Garmr. We were still out of sight from where we were to make the exchange, but high enough we could see the army that looked like some dark entity that was taking over and consuming the land.

I was surprised that I had actually managed to get Jared to this point.

Although, he was still yet to actually let me go.

But after the meeting in the war room days earlier, then what choice did he have?

Not only was his brother’s life on the line, but so was the fate of the world, and all the realms combined.

Which was like I had said to him, when yet again, this morning, he was trying to talk me out of it…

“And where would we live in our happy ever after?” Because everything would be gone or under Garmr’s and his master’s rule.

A question that finally tipped the scales in my favor.

As for the meeting, the room had been full, and that was only with the key players there.

A lot of them I recognized, and quite a few I still didn’t.

My father and I had spoken that morning when Jared was still asleep, no doubt exhausted after worrying about me and his brother for so long.

But I knew, after everything Jared had told me the previous night, that I needed to speak with him, especially hearing how my mother had cancer.

That knowledge had broken my heart, but to also know she hadn’t wanted to tell me for fear of me worrying about her, that had been my limit and made me cry even harder.

Like I said, it had been a lot, but in the end, the thing that made it all better was not only the knowledge that my dad could save my mom’s life.

No, it was also the knowledge that I wouldn’t have to watch as they grew old or got sick.

Because this was, undoubtably, the hardest part of learning I was now immortal.

All the loved ones I would be forced to say goodbye to.

Of course, my dad was sorry for all he kept from me, but after talking to me about the reasons why, I definitely understood it better.

But more than that, it was knowing the sacrifice he had made for me in coming here.

How they’d had no choice but to turn in him to a Vampire, tying him to Lucius for eternity. And his response had been a simple,

“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my daughter.”

Of course, this became another thing to make me cry, and I threw myself into my father’s arms.

I dreaded to think what could have happened had he not been there to bring me back to myself. Which also had me questioning, what happened to Anástasi?

Where was she now?

Was that part of me once again locked away, along with memories of my past life? Memories I knew Garmr had spent a great deal of time stealing from us. I didn’t have the answer.

But I did have a plan to end this.

Which was why when I walked into the war room a few days ago, I knew I would have to convince everyone that there was the only one way to win this war.

But I would need to convince Jared most of all.

As for my father, I had told him before the meeting what I planned to do, telling him it was my destiny.

That I was the only one who could end this and that he would have to trust me.

They all would.

I knew he hadn’t liked it but what choice was there?

It was this or let the whole world burn…

the world in which my mom lived in. His pained expression when I pointed this out was one I didn’t relish in.

But, in the end, his acceptance came in the form of him hooking me behind the neck, pulling me closer, and kissing me on the forehead. Then with choked words, he told me,

“Proud of you… I am so fucking proud of you, Ella.”

Before he could break down in front of me, he walked away just as I saw the first tear fall. From that, I knew he wouldn’t be in the meeting with us.

He already knew what was coming.

I was quickly introduced to everyone I didn’t know, making me wonder if I would remember all their names. I most certainly would their faces, because they made for the most interesting people and, understandably, unforgettable.

Like the McBain brothers, who literally looked like they had just walked off the cover of some period romance novel, one set in Scotland featuring highland warriors.

Each one was handsome in their different ways.

The biggest one, however, would have been scary as hell due to his size and the sight of that massive hammer resting on the floor beside him.

But I swear the second he smiled, it was like being scared of Santa Claus!

He looked so fucking jolly, anyone would have thought this was a party we were arranging, not war.

Although, considering how he was dressed, I would venture a guess and say war made him happier than cake and presents.

As for Nero, I could tell she and my cousin were good friends, which by extension made me instantly like her.

Plus, she was beautiful in an unconventional way, and I could tell after about all of thirty seconds, that one of the Scottish brothers had it bad for her.

She was clearly playing hard to get, something he didn’t seem to mind at all.

Now as for the scariest new edition, his name was Carn’reau, and he looked like someone who could slit your throat in your sleep without you hearing a single footstep.

He looked like some dark, dangerous elf that would have made Legolas from Lord of the Rings piss his pants.

Lucius introduced him as commander of his armies, one that had arrived and was at the ready to fight.

Garmr wasn’t the only one whose army had grown, because our camp was now ten times as big as it was when I had seen it last. Demons, creatures, and supernatural beings from the far reaches of Hell were here, ready to save the realms from destruction and chaos.

An army that would have had a chance at winning now that I was no longer being used as a tool…

as a way to bring back his souls once they had died on the battlefield.

However, I had to break the dire news about Garmr’s secret weapon.

“Before my rescue, Garmr was able to control me long enough to have me bring something back to life, something far bigger than I have ever seen before,” I told them, and they didn’t seem surprised by this. But I soon understood why, when Jared told me,

“Our spies saw an army traveling toward the castle, they were heaving something on a platform.”

I looked around the room, one that held nothing but people, and a large table in the center with what looked like a map of the Underworld upon it.

Names written there that I now recognized myself after being to some of those places.

But my eyes lingered on the castle I had just been recused from, and my mind went back to the danger that lay hidden in the mountain on the map.

“Its name was Fenrir,” I told them, and at the mention of this, there were a series of gasps, curses, and shocked faces all around, telling me that most knew of this beast.

“That would be the chaos we spoke of, as it looks like they have found a way to bring Helheim to the Underworld,” my uncle stated in furious tone.

“Fuck, that will mean the end of us,” Koro hissed.

“And the start of Ragnarok,” a muscular blonde man said, one who wore a hooded jacket and had strange tattoos on his hands. A man introduced as Sigurd.

“Er, for those of us that skipped Norse Mythology, who exactly is Fenrir?” my aunt Keira said. My uncle’s lips twitched, and Amelia smirked. But then to make her feel better, I also commented,

“Yeah, I skipped that class too.” Something that prompted my aunt to wink at me. But before anyone could speak up again, Jared said,

“Perhaps it is best we focus on the battle plan and then we can…”

Tyr frowned and decided to interrupt, starting with,

“She needs to know the truth, HellBeast.”

Of course, the second Jared growled and took a step closer to where Tyr on the opposite side of the table, I placed a hand at his stomach. The feel of his abs clenching told me how much he disliked the God. But despite how little he liked him for his interference, Tyr was right, I needed to know.

“Fenrir is also known as Vanargand, meaning…”

“Monster of the River Van,” the big guy, Sigurd, finished for him, seeing as they were obviously of the same Norse descent. Tyr nodded to him.

“Sounds cheery,” Pip commented, before slapping a hand to her mouth when her husband shook his head down at her.

“Oops, sorry, forgot this was a non-speaking role.”

Aunt Keira chuckled before Tyr continued,

“As you no doubt already know, Fenrir is a giant, monstrous wolf, he is also the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboea.”

“Er, and just to clarify here, Loki isn’t like the loveable rouge character from the Avengers movies… right?” my aunt asked again.

“Oh yes, I also want to know this,” Pip said, making Sophia groan next to her husband, as the two of them had only arrived that day, after gathering Zagan’s own legions.

“He is no loveable rouge. But that of an angry God,” Tyr told them and once again, before Pip could comment, Adam shook his head at her.

“Right Loki, bad guy, gotcha… I’m sorry, please continue,” my aunt said, making Tyr nod in thanks. As for Sigurd, he just looked amused.

“Perhaps we should go with the quick and easy version,” Amelia suggested, and before Tyr could speak again, Marcus interjected,

“Big bad wolf was tied up by the gods but is destined to break free, eat Odin, and start Ragnarok… that about right?” he asked, making Sigurd shrug and agree.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Whereas Tyr released a frustrated sigh.