the vitriol in Mimir’s voice, he had been pleased to find his tongue unrestrained.
Odin clucked his tongue. “Come now, old friend. I do not expect you to be charitable in your account of events, but at least be fair. All of this is hardly for my benefit. It is for theirs.”
“I’m sorry—theirs? As in the humans?” Annabel cut in. Sick terror clenched at my gut, and I threw myself up the stairs to put my body between her and the most powerful god that had ever existed. All four of her other mates beat me to it—the moment the brash words were out of her mouth, they encircled her in a tight wall of muscle and blades.
Annabel ignored them. “You are saying that their complete annihilation is in their best interest?”
Odin raised his eyebrows as he looked at Modi. “I see you have yet to find a way to muzzle the girl.”
“My mate does not require a muzzle,” Modi spat, anger rising in the wake of his devastation. “And certainly not when speaking to you.”
“Ah, yes. Your mate.” Odin shook his head. “I was saddened to find that you abandoned your principles in favor of this nonsense prophecy, grandson. Thor was ever so… angry. The humiliation of both his sons sharing a human woman with Loki’s spawn… tsk. I’m sure some of those poor Jotunns out there are taking the brunt of his fury, but perhaps you should be thankful he won’t make it through Ragnarök.”
Odin turned his one-eyed gaze to me. “And I see my grandsons are not the only ones to disappoint. Do they know what you have done? Did you whisper all your dark secrets to that human girl while you rutted her like a primitive beast?”
“I told her everything,” I said softly, “and she still loves me. You won’t win, god-king. She is too strong, even for you.”
Odin rolled his eye. “I had such high hopes for you. Such power, such talent… Such darkness. And yet I find you here with the rest of Mimir’s sheep, desperately pleading for mercy.”
“No one’s pleading for anything, old man,” Magni growled. “We are here to stop you.”
“Oh, it is much too late for that.” Odin waved a hand in the direction of the battle. “Surtr’s army will win and lay waste to Asgard. Midgard will be swallowed by acid and darkness, and there will be nothing left but a clump of clay for me to mold into something new. Something better. Nothing you can do will prevent my plans for coming to fruition. Ragnarök was foretold long before any of you were born.”
“I can’t help but notice that Fenris is nowhere to be seen,” Saga said. “I do believe that big old wolf had some role to play, according to the prophecies… What was it again? Something, something… killing you? Funny how he seems to be missing from the battlefield. You wouldn’t happen to know what happened to him, would you, seeing as you are just going along with Ragnarök as it was foretold?”
Odin gave him a thin smile. “Your furry brother sadly got detained. But worry not—Jörmungandr and Hel can destroy Midgard without him.”
“Perhaps you have noticed that Fenris isn’t the only one who is missing,” I said. “Or have you been too busy hiding to see that no undead armies have arrived here or in Midgard?”
For the first time, Odin frowned. “You have delayed Hel?”
“We have stopped Hel,” Annabel said. “As we will stop you. I will not allow you to destroy my world for this… this temper tantrum. I can’t believe that all this time, it was you, the supposed god-king breaking apart the existence of all there ever was because… because people don’t believe in you anymore. How utterly pathetic.”
The disgust in Annabel’s voice was unmistakable, and that innate terror in my gut tightened into an icy clump. I reached for her with my magic as Odin’s nostrils drew up, encapsulating her with my essence just in time.
Power struck against my grip on her, cracking it like an egg and fracturing her own shield. She stumbled backward and into Bjarni’s grip with a gasp.
“Enough, you insolent whelp,” Odin snarled, and around him the shadows lengthened. “You cannot comprehend the powers at play, prophecy be damned! You are nothing but a writhing worm in the dirt, an annoyance under my shoe. You speak of divine needs? To me? You dare stand before me with your stolen power, brandishing condemnation because a talking head and an insane