Chapter 66 Rhyland
Rhyland
Dani's warmth seeps into my frozen flesh as she clings to me, her sobs vibrating through my chest. I crush her against me, breathing in her scent like it's the only fucking air left in the world.
My body's still trying to remember how to function after being chained, drowned, and resurrected a thousand times over, but none of that matters. Not when my girl is in my arms.
Our bond thrums with the aftershocks of everything I went through—the pain, the confusion, the psychological mindfuck Loki put me through. But it's Dani's emotions that hit me like a tidal wave—her worry, her agony, her desperation bleeding into my own until I can't tell where I end and she begins.
"I'm okay, baby." The words scrape out of my ravaged throat, vocal cords shredded from screaming and swallowing half the fucking lake. My teeth chatter, cold still deep in my bones.
Dani's wrist presses against my lips, the steady throb of her pulse beneath my mouth. "Here. Drink."
Her eyes lock with mine, a silent command in their honey depths. I don't hesitate. My fangs slice through her delicate skin like butter, and the first rush of her blood hits my tongue like a shock to my system.
A groan tears from my throat as I pull deeply from the wound, her essence flooding my mouth, my veins, my very soul. It's ecstasy and absolution all at once—the taste of sunlight and wildfire, of everything that makes Dani mine.
Power surges through me with each draw, energy crackling along my nerve endings as her blood works its magic. I lose myself in the sensation, in the intimate connection of feeding from my mate. The cold, the pain, the helplessness—all of it fades beneath the onslaught of pure, unadulterated Dani.
I pull away not wanting to take too much and Dani's hands find my face, fingers tangling in my beard as she drags my mouth to hers.
I devour her like a man starved, pouring every ounce of my rage and desperation into the kiss.
Her lips part for me, and I plunge my tongue inside, needing to taste her, to fill every part of her with my presence.
She breaks away, panting, her breath mingling with mine in the space between our mouths. "I love you," she whispers, a fierce declaration against my lips.
I crush her to me again, the kiss brutal and claiming. I need her warmth, love, and light to chase away the lingering shadows of what I endured.
But Dani pulls back too soon, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "We need to get you some new clothes and get the fuck back to Heimdall." Her voice wavers, but there's an undercurrent of steel. "It's Loki. He's got the stone."
For a second, my brain stalls out trying to process why that horned bastard wants the stone. But then a thought hits me like a sledgehammer, overriding everything else. "Did he hurt you?" I grip her shoulders, sitting up, searching her face. "Did he fucking touch you?"
Shadows flicker across Dani's expression—a darkness she's trying to hide. But I'll be damned if she keeps anything from me. Not now.
"Tell me, Dani."
She swipes at her eyes, taking a shuddering breath. "He—H-he pretended to be you this morning. I woke up to who I thought was you and he—"
Lightning explodes through my veins, white-hot rage vaporizing any lingering cold.
I'm on my feet before I realize I've moved, steam hissing off my skin as I rip the tattered remains of my shirt away.
She doesn't need to say more. I can feel it through our bond—the guilt, the confusion, the violation.
He touched her.
He touched what's mine.
And I'm going to rip his fucking heart out for it.
"Open a portal. Take me to him. Now." The command rips from my throat. I'm done playing games with this horned bastard. He fucked with me, and now he's fucked with my mate. There's no power in any realm that can save him now.
Dani doesn't hesitate. Her hands weave through the air, reality rippling as a portal tears open before us.
Through the shimmering veil, the Nexus materializes, ancient steps leading to where two gods clash above the clouds.
Heimdall and Loki's energies collide like warring storms, shaking the very foundations of Zephyria.
We don't pause. Together, we step through the portal, the world shifting in a dizzying kaleidoscope. One moment we're in the frozen wasteland of my torture; the next, we're standing above the clouds, wind whipping around us with the force of a hurricane.
But I barely feel it. My body's a living conductor, electricity racing through my veins, turning my blood to liquid fire. My hands flex at my sides as the power begs for release. Every instinct screams at me to unleash hell, rain down fury and vengeance until nothing is left but ashes.
Power shakes the very air as Heimdall and Loki clash. Each impact sends shockwaves through the clouds, their weapons striking with the force of colliding stars. Golden light meets ice-blue frost in explosive bursts that would blind mortal eyes.
My lightning surges in response to their battle, recognizing power rivaling the gods. Beside me, Erik and Bryn take defensive positions, weapons drawn but useless against this level of combat.
Heimdall moves like thunder, his blade carving paths through Loki's ice magic. The trickster god dances away from each strike, frost armor splintering and reforming in heartbeats. But Heimdall's faster—fucking impossibly faster—and his next strike catches Loki's shoulder, golden sword biting deep.
The snake stumbles, blood crystallizing on his armor. Heimdall doesn't hesitate. His free hand locks around Loki's throat, slamming him against the wall hard enough to crack stone.
"Now you lose, Trickster." Heimdall's voice booms like an avalanche.
Loki's laugh turns to a choke as Heimdall's grip tightens. The guardian's hand plunges into Loki's pocket, emerging with the Zephyrite stone. Without looking, he hurls it behind him.
"Lightborn!" The stone arcs through the air like a shooting star.
Dani launches herself forward, fingers stretching for the gem. The instant she touches it, pure power explodes from the point of contact. The stone vanishes, materializing in her crown with a flash that sears my retinas.
Holy fuck.
Dani rises slowly, and my breath catches in my throat.
Power radiates from her in visible waves, her honey eyes blazing with internal storms. Wind whips around her like a living thing, responding to her will.
The crown pulses with newfound strength, the Zephyrite stone settling into its destined place like it was always meant to be there—recognizing its owner.
She looks like a goddess incarnate, raw power made flesh, and for a moment I forget about Loki, about revenge, about everything except the magnificent creature before me. My mate. My warrior queen. My perfect match in every way.
Then she turns those storm-filled eyes toward Loki, and the air seems to hold its breath.
Heimdall drags Loki outside into the open, his golden armor gleaming against the dark skies. Above us, Dani's power transforms the heavens—storm clouds boil into existence. The wind rises to a deafening howl, whipping around us with conscious fury.
Heimdall hurls Loki to the ground, the impact cratering the earth. His ancient eyes find mine, burning with knowledge. "Godborn," his voice cuts through the chaos, "let your mate forge the storm, and you become its wrath."
The words hit me, and suddenly I understand.
I've been able to call lightning, to force it to my will through sheer fucking dominance.
But this—watching Dani summon these storm clouds, feeling her power charge the very air around us—this is different.
She's not just commanding the storm; she's creating the perfect fucking playground for my abilities.
Every cloud she summons, every violent wind she unleashes, charges the atmosphere with raw potential. The air crackles with electricity, begging for my command. What usually takes intense focus and brute force now feels as natural as breathing.
My lightning responds instantly, no longer fighting to break free but singing through my veins in perfect harmony. I reach out with my telekinesis, feeling the electric potential in every air molecule. It's like the universe is waiting for me to direct its fury.
Dani's power pulses through our bond, her storm merging with my lightning until I can't tell where her influence ends and mine begins. We're not just soulmates—we're two halves of nature's fury itself. She creates the storm, I become its judgment.
My hand rises, and the very sky answers my call.
Lightning arcs toward Loki, but the snake's already moving. His body blurs with impossible speed, and then—
Erik's body pitches backward over the cliff's edge, disappearing into storm-black sky.
No.
Oh my god.
"ERIK!" Bryn's scream cuts through the chaos.
She hurls herself off the cliff after him, silver hair whipping in the wind.
My heart stops. That stupid, brave Valkyrie just—fuck. She doesn't have her fucking wings.
They both vanish into the darkness below.
I lash out with my telekinesis, trying to grab them, but Loki's fist cracks against my jaw like a fucking sledgehammer. Pain explodes through my skull as he snarls in my face.
"Still alive, Commander of Dark Skies?" He mocks. "Maybe I should've tried a different method."
The world spins, ground and sky trading places until I taste blood and snow. My head rings like a fucking bell as Loki's hits keep coming, each one backed by godly rage.
Ice erupts from Loki's fingertips, a jagged wave of frost that crashes into Heimdall before the guardian can dodge.
The impact sends him flying backward, his golden armor scraping against stone as he slams into the Nexus' wall.
The ice doesn't stop—it spreads rapidly, crystallizing around Heimdall's limbs and torso, pinning him against the ancient structure like a frozen butterfly to a collector's board.