Page 52 of Thorulf
Chapter Twenty
“SHOW ME HOW to bringit back,” Jade stated again when Thor flinched. She looked from Dagr, Maya, and Thorulf to the god. “Because I know you can. I know you can resurrect the magic that hid Thorulf and me from the truth. You can bring my Celtic magic back to the surface.”
Thor frowned. “What makes you think that?”
“The fact that you were there when she was born,” Thorulf replied for her. “Itwas born.” He sensed it every bit as much as Jade. Knew it was within the god’s power. “You helped hide Jade, didn’t you? That was why we forgot each other. Why we were perfect strangers when we met?”
“In part,ja,” Thor replied vaguely, eyeing the sky as Vicar handed out cooked meat. “But by then, it was too late. The damage had already been done without me being the wiser.”
“Thorulf and I were already divided,” Jade murmured, feeling the pain of it every bit as much as Thorulf. The sheer force of heartbreak they still had no concrete memory of.
“Yes, you were already divided.” Thor sighed and looked at Jade. “You never told me how it got so bad, only that it had. You were,” he clenched his fist as though with one mighty swipe of his godly hand he should have been able to wipe away her hurt, “despondent and heartbroken. Unfixable.”
“So when her Celtic magic ignited to protect her,” Maya said softly. “You assisted.”
“Ja.” He looked at Jade tenderly. “Thankfully, once Loki’s Forge began, I knew you’d make your way back to Thorulf...and to me.”
“Yet also back to the enemy.” Loki might be talking to Thor, but his lustful fiery gaze rarely left Revna. “For at the heart of so much loss came the evil before it. Evil that toyed with their minds in ways we’ve yet to understand. Played with their desires. Even went so far as to influence those they called friend. Those they called kin.”
It had too. Not just with Revna’s mind but with Dagr’s and Thorulf’s parents.
The worst was what it had taken from Thorulf and Jade, though. Love that should have been untouchable. A foundation that should have given way to the life they had envisioned for themselves. Because they had. Slowly but surely, bits were coming back. This would have remained their lair. They would have become mates and had offspring here even if their families could have never been part of it.
They still could, he realized. All wasn’t lost. Not yet. They could find their way back to each other. He knew it like he knew he loved Jade. Always had. It was little to go on at the moment, but he sensed it would mean everything in the end. Something confirmed after they ate and set out for the Fortress.
“So you truly believe that’s what it’ll take for me and Thorulf to fight our monsters...monster?” Jade tossed Thor a disbelieving look. “Love?”
“I can think of nothing better than love when it comes to fighting Evil.” Thor glanced from the threatening sky to Loki as they headed down a winding path away from Thorulf's,their, lair. “And the sooner, the better.”
Jade frowned. “Why?”
“Because the way grows more perilous, and your combined strength will be needed sooner rather than later.” Loki gave the ominous clouds a pointed look, his revelation daunting. “Especially if you’ll be fighting amongst the gods for even a moment.” A twinkle lit his eyes when he looked Revna’s way. “Would you like to do such, seer? Do you think you would enjoy my realm as much as I do yours?”
Revna offered no answer but looked at Thor sharply, concerned for Jade. “Yes, I’ll fight and enjoy it but are Jade and her mate ready?” She glanced from the thick angry plums of clouds being summoned by the God of Thunder back to Thor. “Can we not wait until they have harnessed the power of the Forge?”
Thorulf figured Jade would make an off-hand comment about Revna’s Forge assumption, but she didn’t. Instead, her thoughts remained conflicted over everything they’d just learned. Being thrust into a reality about herself that didn’t fit with who she thought she was. And he couldn’t blame her. It was jarring all the way around. But in some small way, it felt welcome. Cherished. Like a part of him that had been lacking was coming full circle. He was becoming whole again.