Page 25 of Thorulf
It was essential, really. Always had been. Part of that Yin Yang thing, she supposed. A little pop of bright in all the dark.
“I like your splash of color,” Loki praised, his eyes nowhere near her boots but locked on her backside with approval.
“As do I,” Vicar agreed, his gaze locked on the same area.
“And I applaud your desire to learn how to battle.” This time Loki’s gaze was on her ample enough breasts.
“As do I,” Vicar concurred, his appreciative eyes back on her legs.
“Thanks, boys.” She issued them a properly thankful but appropriately flirtatious smile and ignored Thorulf’s random grumbles and growls of discontent. “I’ve learned a lot, but maybe you can teach me more.”
While she referred to the random weapons she’d manifested strapped to her body, it sounded like she implied other things.
Loki was about to respond with something she suspected would be wonderfully dirty but stopped when a crack of thunder drew their attention to the horizon. To the sinister black sky and the godly storm moving quickly in their direction.
“We should keep moving,” Loki suggested. “Thor’s battle grows closer.”
“That’s specifically Thor?” Jade was caught unaware by a spike of worry. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Clearly aware of her reaction, Loki looked at her curiously before he urged them on.
“We’ve got your back if anything happens,” Maya assured, giving Jade a curious look as well. “Remember, Dagr and I can be out in these storms now.”
“I know.” Jade frowned. “But like you said before, why would you want to be?” She headed after Loki. “Let’s go, sis. I’d rather you stick with me.”
“Me too,” Maya agreed.
They didn’t travel that much further before the first drop fell, and they entered a sizable cave. One that was part of a tunnel system that would eventually bring them much closer to Thorulf’s lair.
“We’ll make it to the end of these tunnels a few hours after nightfall,” Loki said, “then you’ll rest before we go any further.”
“Why not keep going after that?” Jade frowned. “Why not just spend the night at Thorulf’s lair?”
“Because I suspect the purple dragon expects it.” His gaze flickered over Thorulf and Jade. “Best to allow the night to pass then approach the area well-rested.”
The way Loki looked at them made her wonder what he wasn’t saying. Because there was more to his request than he let on. She was sure of it.
“We’ll need to shift,” Maya said tentatively, giving Jade a look she knew all too well.
“God, sis, give me a little credit.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be able to handle myself just fine.”
In truth, she couldn’t blame Maya for the look. Her friskiness tended to dial up a few thousand notches when around males in dragon form. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe their unique brand of energy? The profound masculinity they put off? Either way, she found them remarkably thrilling. Especially when she was in her dragon form as well. And who knows? She cast Vicar a sidelong glance before frowning at Thorulf. This might be yet another opportunity to irritate him if her dragon took to his brother.
Sure, her plan could backfire, but it was a risk worth taking, so she shifted without another thought, preening a little at the way Vicar admired her. Then scowling when she caught Thorulf’s admiration as well. She supposed it couldn’t be helped. Having practiced fighting in this form as well, her glorious dragon was in as good a shape as her human half. Dagr and Maya shifted next, a striking black and gold pair, aglow with Helheim power.
Unfortunately, when Vicar and Thorulf shifted, it didn’t go quite as she’d hoped. As impressive as Vicar was with his dark crimson scales and golden eyes, it was Thorulf’s big black dragon with emerald green eyes to match hers that made her traitorous dragon quiver. He, in turn, seemed both aroused and stunned, if she wasn’t mistaken.
“What?”she asked, speaking telepathically in this form. She frowned and took a step back when her beast clearly wanted to shift closer. When it wanted to do a whole lot more than that. “I know my dragon’s gorgeous, but why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I know you,”he murmured, baffled. He tilted his head and kept gazing at her in a way that was getting her beast aroused way too fast.“Really, truly know you.”
“Yeah, thought we’d established that.”She took a few more steps back when he took a step forward.“Remember, that’s why we’re heading to your lair.”
“What’s changed, Thorulf?”Maya asked.“Do you recall something else?”
“I think so.”He was about to say more when the cave shifted ever-so-slightly. Instead of the purple twilight of a sunken sun illuminating the wide cave entrance, the sun was still setting, its golden light extra-brilliant.
“We’re in Helheim again,”Maya said. “Witnessing another memory.”