Page 13 of Thorulf
A gateway that let her son Darkness into their world.
Thorulf had no idea what to make of that other than he needed to get to the bottom of things. As he’d concluded in Maine, to make things right somehow. First, though, he needed to deal with Jade and Vicar. Or, to be specific,notdeal with them. Rather, despite his undeniable jealousy, he needed to show their people unity. So, taking into account the obvious connection Vicar and Jade were making in such a ridiculously short amount of time, he did what made sense.
He kept his emotions in check, strode into the courtyard, unsheathed Loki’s Dagger, and held its hilt out to Vicar. “I believe this might be meant for you, brother.”
Vicar took his time ending the kiss before he looked at Jade with approval, perked a brow at the blade, then met Thorulf’s hard gaze with a languid grin. “I believe you might be right.”
Meanwhile, Jade kept a hand resting on Vicar’s chest and eyed Thorulf with detached interest. As though she couldn’t care less that he was handing the blade over. Yet, like before, he sensed a flicker of anger in her dragon. A flash of rage that came and went so quickly nobody could have caught it.
No one but his dragon, that is.
It was a wonder Thorulf’s dragon eyes didn’t flare, his inner beast was so put off by this. Not just by handing over a blade that could make Jade his but that he allowed Vicar to take someone he suspected might mean a great deal. Or once had.
“ASigdir,” Leviathan repeated, warned, eyeing the other males who, not surprisingly, wanted a taste of Jade as well. How could they not when she gave it away so freely? When she clearly enjoyed men no matter where she went?
Before his inner beast surfaced and bit out exactly what he thought about that, Thorulf spun on his heel and strode inside without a backward glance. He needed ale and lots of it. Anything to keep his mind off of Jade and her antics. Off what he wanted to do to his brother for sampling her before him. For claiming what didn’t belong to him.
“Thank you for that,” Maya said softly when she and Dagr joined him in front of one of the massive great hall fires with drinks of their own. She gave him an apologetic look. “I thought she was better.” Then she flinched. “I should have returned to the future sooner.” She shook her head. “I knew something was up with her.”
“More than just something,” Dagr grunted, frowning at the men trailing after Jade and Vicar despite Leviathan’s repeated warnings. “She’s causing a stir that won’t end well.”
“No,” Maya agreed, sighing. She looked at Thorulf. “What have we missed? What happened in Maine?”
He filled them in on everything, including Jade’s contact with both Thor and Loki, then asked his own question only to have it confirmed she didn’t know about his lair yet. She still had no idea her memories were part of his dragon’s most sacred place.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to her at length.” Maya frowned at Jade, who had made herself comfortable on Vicar’s lap in front of another fire. “She’s not responding to my telepathic voice.” She narrowed her eyes a little. “If anything, our connection feels a lot like it did when she was still in the future. There but sporadic.”
“Where our connection is stronger than ever,” Thorulf revealed, certain he was right. Jade was there, in his mind, but keeping quiet. Biding her time.
“Something doesn’t feel right about this,” Destiny murmured when she and Leviathan joined them. Her steady gaze never left the spectacle across the way. “Jade’s determined to make trouble.”
“Because of me,” Thorulf stated bluntly, catching them up as well. “Somehow, I have to make this right, and I have no idea where to begin. How to fix something I don’t remember.”
“Which you suspect has to do with the enemy.” Leviathan pulled Destiny against him, her back to his front, and considered Thorulf. “You think either Carman or Mórrígan may be the purple female dragon?”
“Perhaps,” Thorulf replied. “Though they are not dragons.”
“But they possess enough magic to appear that way,” Destiny said. “Especially Mórrígan.” She considered Thorulf as steadily as Leviathan did. “More than that, she has power over sexuality. Power over men.”
“You mean power over me,” Thorulf translated. In light of the fact no one knew his thoughts right now, so they had no assurance he wasn’t aligned with the enemy, he preferred to be blunt. He downed his ale and looked at the fire, disgruntled but honest. “You think she might be connected to me even now. That giving Loki's Dagger to my brother would be a good way to avoid the Forge and the extra power it might give our people.”
“Nobody said that,” Dagr denied, but Thorulf knew even he wondered.
“They didn’t, but they should.” Thorulf waved over another ale, crossed his arms over his chest, and eyed his comrades and their mates. “I would think the same if
I were in your position and with good reason. Not only are our dragons separated telepathically, but I have Celtic godliness in me.” He shrugged a shoulder, having come to terms with the possibility. “So if any of us were targeted by Mórrígan, it would be me.”
Where Vicar should have Celtic godliness too, they had never seen any sign of it likely because his inner Múspellsheimr was so strong.
“Targeting you would make the most sense, protégé,” Leviathan granted, giving him the same truth in return. “Your magic would be more kindred to the enemy and, if she targeted you when you were but a child, your vulnerability would have made things even easier.”
“Could such a thing have been hidden from all of us, though?” Dagr frowned. “From his father and Ava? From me? Thorulf and I were together all the time. Surely, my dragon would have sensed something.”
“Yet your dragon didn’t sense Jade’s memories,” Maya reminded, cozy on Dagr’s lap, her hand over his on her womb. “From what we saw at Thorulf’s lair, Jade’s been there a long time. In Thorulf’s life a long time.” Her curious gaze went between Thorulf and Jade. “Maybe that’s the key to remembering. To figuring out what happened. How intertwined Mórrígan might really be in your lives.”
Thorulf frowned. “What?”
“You and Jade need to return to your lair.” Maya gave him a pointed look. “Kill two birds with one stone. It might trigger your and Jade’s memories, plus it’ll get her away from Vicar.” Her brows swept up. “Because no matter your motives, and whether we can follow your thoughts or not, we all know you don’t want the two of them together.”
“What if I’m somehow leading her directly to the enemy, though?” Thorulf countered, liking the idea of getting Jade away from Vicar but not at the cost of her safety. He nodded thanks to the woman who refilled his horn with ale. “If Carman was able to create her gateway between the Norse and Celtic worlds from my lair, it stands to reason I’ll be leading Jade straight to the heart of the enemy.”
“He’s right.” Dagr nodded in agreement. “If Carman found a way in via Thorulf’s lair, Mórrígan likely has too.”
“Then we will join you.” Leviathan gestured at Dagr and Maya. “Though I suspect you will have Loki’s and Thor’s aid as well, the four of us carry a great deal of power.” He looked from Dagr to Thorulf. “Perhaps your lair is where the godly war finally comes to Midgard. Where we take a stance alongside our allied gods and see this war ended once and for all.”
“Which would mean Vicar would have to remain here to oversee the Keep.” Destiny nodded. “It’s a good plan.”
Or it would have been had his brother not made things clear in a way nobody could dispute.