Page 15 of Thorulf
“I think you play a dangerous game,” he ground out. His dragon eyes erupted. “One you will lose.”
The hovering Múspellsheimr females drifted closer at his intensifying emotions. His volatile instability. Renewed womanly interest lit their eyes, and Jade got it. She really did. But that didn’t mean she was cool with Vicar getting rough with her without permission. So, not thinking twice, she had his dagger unsheathed, and to his neck so quickly a hush fell over the room.
She felt Thorulf’s inner dragon flare with distress, responding to what it considered an imminent threat. Not to Vicar’s life, she realized with a startle, but tohers. He was fearful for her. Maybe even a little terrified. Which, naturally, gave her a surge of satisfaction. It seemed she had just found another, perhaps more effective way, to create havoc for him.
Make his dragon think her life was in danger.
She would have to mull over how to do that moving forward. At the moment, he clearly felt challenging Vicar was dangerous, so she’d stick with it.
“You okay, Vicar?” She narrowed her eyes, not afraid to use the blade if she had to. “Because I got the sense there for a second you’d come a little unhinged.”
“Unhinged?” he drawled, clearly biding his time. Either because he enjoyed the position or because he was poised to attack. She knew she played with fire. That he was, however entertaining, truly unstable. But he deserved a tongue-lashing. To be put in his place. So she told him exactly what she thought of his behavior.
Or at least she tried to before something orsomeonetook over.
She suddenly felt adrift, outside herself, when she spoke words that weren’t hers.
“You’re losing control again, Vicar.” She removed the blade and cupped his cheek. “You need to find yourself.Rememberyourself.”
“It’s happening again,” she heard Maya say from somewhere far off. “Trinity’s trying to fix him.”
Trinity? What was she talking about? Moments later, the feeling of being adrift passed, and Vicar snapped into focus. A much-changed Vicar at that. Gone were the flirtatious, cunning grins. Now his smile was warmer. Genuine.
If she didn’t know better, she’d say his Múspellsheimr side had vanished, and his inner Sigdir surfaced.
“Apologies, Jade.” Disgruntled, he took Loki’s Dagger and sheathed it. “It seems I let my anger get the better of me.”
She stared at him a moment, trying to adjust to his new personality.
Vicar looked at her with concern. “Are you all right?”
Was she? Maybe. Was he? Impossible to know. Either way, she suddenly felt like she sat on a perfect stranger’s lap, so she found her tongue and moved.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She got up and looked Maya’s way when she and the others joined them. “What just happened?” Still unsettled by losing a sense of herself like that, she rubbed her temples. “What did you mean Trinity was trying to fix him?” She frowned. “And since when can she take us over like that? I almost felt...possessed.”
“She did the same thing on my adventure,” Maya explained. “And I have no idea how she’s doing it.” She eyed Vicar with wariness. “I think she’s drawn to Vicar because...well,” she gave him an apologetic look this time, “let’s just say you present the sort of challenge she’s drawn to.”
“My various outlooks, then?” he surmised, putting a rather mild spin on such volatile personality shifts.
While Jade could tell this version of Vicar didn’t much like what he became, his other half was still in there ruling the roost. Or, in this case, ruling the dragon. She sensed him clawing his way back to the surface.
“Vicar’s Múspellsheimr dragon was very powerful in his former life,”Thorulf said into her mind, throwing her off with how easily he did it. How perfectly clear he came through. As if he’d been there a thousand times before.“It has a lot of sway over him. More since the gods started battling and lately in abundance.”
She didn’t have to ask Maya why Trinity might be drawn to a guy like Vicar. Her younger sister had been trying to fix men her whole life, and Jade could admit, she forever gave it a good shot. While she always walked away thinking she’d fixed them, Jade knew better. Why? Because she was the sister that went in behind Trinity, befriended said guy, and helped them through their heartache over losing Trinity. That was sort of Jade’s thing. While she’d always filtered negativity in a literal sense for her sisters, she did it figuratively for men because she truly liked the opposite sex. Yes, for obvious reasons, but just in general too.
Though her sisters likely thought otherwise, she didn’t sleep with half the men she befriended. Especially not those left in Trinity’s well-meaning wake. She just got to know them, became the buddy they needed, then left them in a better place. Or so she liked to think.
“All the more reason I won’t be left behind this time,” Vicar said, having clearly followed Thorulf’s thoughts about his Múspellsheimr personality taking over more often than not. He stood and swung a black fur around his shoulders. “Best to remain close to Jade.” His friendly enough gaze slid her way. “That way, things remain level.”
What he didn’t say, but she was sure everyone sensed, was his draw to Trinity. The only problem? His reasons were less transparent. If it was his Sigdir side at the helm, then it was for all the right reasons. His Múspellsheimr side, however, could have different intentions altogether. He may want to get closer to, or harm, the female who had the power to suppress his dark side so easily. The side restless to wage war.
Nonetheless, Jade was fine with Vicar tagging along if for no other reason than he proved a good barrier between her and Thorulf. If he sought out Trinity in any negative way in the meantime, Jade would just kick his ass. Until then, definitely best to keep him along. A nice, solid wall between her and his brother. Because what just happened when Trinity possessed her showed her how incredibly intense their dragons’ bond might be. She’d never felt anything like it. Not in the cave she’d dreamt about and not at the ash when they time traveled.
It was more instinctual. Alarmingly enough, almost unbreakable.
When Leviathan shook his head at Vicar’s suggestion, Vicar rested his hand on Loki’s Dagger sheathed at his waist and repeated himself. “This blade has made its way to me, and Jade and I already share a connection, so Imuststay with her.” He arched a brow at Jade, giving her a very Sigdir-like option. “Unless, of course, you see no hope for us.”
In truth, she didn’t, but that made no difference. He served a purpose. And honestly, she had a feeling he could use a little of what she was so good at. Not necessarily intimacy this time, but genuine friendship. Something she suspected he lacked with most because he was so unpredictable.