Chapter 14
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Rolf couldn’t believe he’d walked in daylight in front of Sylvara. Not a great way to keep his secrets. He just hoped she’d bought his excuse of magical intervention.
She gave him another long look then ignored him in favor of studying their surroundings.
He concurred with her assessment that they’d walked into fae lands, though. He scented several dark fae around them. A few pixies, a gnome or two, and in the treetop farther away, a dryad.
His sense of time felt off. They should have slept the day away in Danica’s tree, which would put them at Friday evening. Yet he stared at a sunny day. Their stay in Norse lands must have been longer than it seemed.
He glanced at Sylvara. “Are you sure you don’t know what your family’s up to? Keeping us in that room?”
She shrugged. “They don’t tell me everything, you know.”
“Well, Syl, I’m curious.” He remained under the tree, his excuse that he’d used magic to shield himself a white lie. Rolf had sensitivity to sunlight, but it would never kill him. He burned too brightly within for that.
“Don’t call me Syl.”
“But I need a pet name for you.”
She glared at him. “Why?”
Damn, but her eyes glowed when she was angry. He felt his body stirring once more. Then he recalled he’d been dreaming earlier.
Fucking Morpheus. He shook his head.
Syl planted her hands on her hips. “What’s that look?”
“You sure you don’t remember what you were dreaming about in your forest friend’s tree?”
“No.” Syl frowned. “And that bothers me.”
“Me too. Vampires don’t dream. Yet I know something happened in my subconscious.”
“What do you mean you don’t dream? When you close your eyes to sleep, what happens?”
He snorted. “Nothing. My body and brain recharge. Then I wake and cause great heaps of destruction. I kill. Sleep. Then kill again. Seems simple to me.”
“I guess.”
“But if I’m dreaming, that means Morpheus is involved.” Which also meant Mormo or Hecate had to be involved. Rolf had plans for the god of dreams. Mormo and Hecate too. He kind of liked the goddess, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill her.
There was one creature in all of existence completely safe from his wrath.
Just the cutest, most adorable furry little guy in existence.
He felt a playful nudge from the pocket dimension where he kept him and promised he’d come out soon.
Just not yet, not until he could make sure Syl wouldn’t kill him to hurt Rolf.
He respected that she’d use any weakness on his part to screw with him. Yet one more reason he had to have the sexy, mean-ass valkyrie. Had he ever met a tougher woman not afraid to go toe-to-toe with him?
“Okay, Syl, let’s—”
“Sylvara.”
“—go find this Wydner’s Tavern. We need to get to The Games.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
They crossed the field and found a well-traveled dirt path. As they walked, sunlight dappled their trail. She kept sneaking peeks at him.
“Can’t take your eyes from me. I knew it.”
“How are you able to use magic to evade sunlight? Of all the dangers to your kind, sunlight is your one true failing. If magic could keep you safe from sunlight, tons of vampires would be killing during the daytime.”
“But I’m not like everyone. I’m special.”
“So very, very special.” She snorted.
He smiled at her. “It’s nice you finally realize that.”
“Whatever, Rolf.”
“Oh, she remembers my name!”
That wiped the grin from her face, her eyes sizzling with lightning. “Look, dickbag, we need to get that Bloode Stone, which means we need to find Jormy and fast. What do you know about The Games?”
“Right. Strategy first. Flirting later.” He cleared his throat, doing his best not to laugh as her hand clenched into a fist. She was so much fun to rile.
“Hades is constantly acting like he’s not busier than shit in the underworld, not a fan of politics.
So he throws private parties of gladiator death matches to distract himself.
And by ‘death,’ I mean adding to his stash of folks down under.
And by Down Under, I don’t mean Australia. ”
“What?”
Huh. He’d thought that particularly witty.
“Look, Hades is the god of the big underworld. People from all faiths and denominations head there. He has to watch over all the dead. And he’s constantly getting calls from everyone asking for favors, to let just one mortal back to the living world, etcetera. ”
She frowned. “How do you know all this?”
“I hear things. I talk to people.”
“Right.”
“In any case, The Games are for a select few outside of the dead to witness. They’re mostly secret and his way of making death fun for himself and his friends. Also a great way to make money if you’re into that sort of thing.”
“I’m thinking you are.”
Rolf grinned. “I am. I’m currently bucks up too.”
“So we get in, find Jormy, and get out.”
“Maybe.” He thought about it. “The problem is, this feels almost too easy to find Jormungandr. If everyone knew he was there, they’d be taking steps to end him. He’s supposed to bring about the end of the world.”
“Yeah, but most people believe he’s already dead.”
“Good point.”
She shrugged. “There’s always some prophecy about dooming everyone. Why should he be special?”
“Right? That’s what I’m saying.” He smiled, pleased when she smiled back.
Their eyes met, and heat flared between them.
Then she glared for good measure and stomped ahead of him.
He quickly caught up. “I have a feeling we’ll find Jormy hiding in the underworld. And if not there, then we’ll learn from someone there where to find him. I just don’t trust that it will be easy.”
“There’s no fun in easy.”
“Great minds think alike.” He linked his arm through hers, pleased when her tension faded while they continued to walk.
“Oh, and speaking of easy, what do you want to do about the horde of dark elves following us?” She kept her voice moderate, but dark elves had exceptional hearing, and Syl had made no effort to keep her question to herself.
“Have I told you yet I’m falling in love with you?” He squeezed her arm against his.
She laughed. “Shut up, draugr. Now tell me. Do you want me to handle these guys, or do you want to? I mean, if the sunlight through the canopy overhear won’t kill you?”
He laughed with her and stopped them in their tracks. “No, Syl. I’ll leave this one to you. Go kick some fae ass. Consider it an early wedding gift.”
“Keep it up and when I’m done with them, I’ll round on you.”
“Promises, promises.”