Page 84 of Thorulf

She’d never felt anything so profound. It was a thousand times stronger than the intense love she’d felt moments before.

“What happened to Evil?”She didn’t dare move. Didn’t want to anyway. Forging felt too damn good. Not quite as good as sex with him, but close.“Did we defeat it?”

“I think so,”he replied, amused at her sexual thoughts at a time like this. He shifted when she did, cupped her cheeks, and kissed her, warning her now wasn’t the time for too much intimacy.

“Yet here you are kissing me,”she chastised, amused.“Do you imagine that helps?”

“No.”Nevertheless, he kept kissing her, to hell with a possible enemy on the other side of this fire. If she wanted a quickie, she’d get one.“Maybe the Forge lasts longer for some than others?”

Regrettably, moments later, they learned Forging was pretty quick. Fortunately, there was an upside. A really big one, actually.

“It’s gone,” Maya gushed, smiling widely the moment their fire dissipated. Sunny as could be, she embraced Jade tightly. “Welcome to Fated Mate-hood!” She hugged Thorulf as well, wiping away tears. “I’m so happy for you both.” She fanned herself, trying to get her preggie-hormones under control. “And dear God, you did it so beautifully.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“True love most certainly saved the day,” Thor agreed. He beamed at them, and a rainbow cut through the storm clouds above. “Because what better way is there to defeat Evil than with love?”

“Not just that,” Dagr clasped Thorulf’s shoulder in congratulations, “but the beginning of a bright new future for you, brother.”

When Thorulf looked at him in question, Dagr explained, and it was more than they could have hoped for. A new beginning indeed.