A Vigil in the Mourning (Soulbound #4) - Hailey Turner Page 0,103
spear wasn’t enough to keep a god down. Thor got to his feet, stripped out of his suit jacket, and ripped the remains of his dress shirt off. Blood-streaked skin came into sight, the wound from the spear a slash of pink on his chest and back.
Thor punched the air in front of him, and ball lightning erupted around his hand. Thunder ripped through Au Hall, the crackling burn of electricity so close it would’ve singed Patrick’s hair if he hadn’t scrambled to put some distance between them. Thor pulled Mjölnir from the ball lightning, gripping the hammer with bloodied fingers.
Thor’s blue eyes were washed out to white, electricity crackling around him as he stared at the beacon that was the world tree. “They have taken the tithes.”
“You gods need to get your shit together.” Patrick stood and shoved his dagger into its sheath before lowering his shield. He flinched away from the icy, howling wind that slammed into them now that he’d drawn down his defensive magic. “Chicago wouldn’t be under attack if Odin hadn’t been so fucking greedy.”
“We have a right to live.”
“Not at the expense of our world.”
“This is how any story is made. By the destruction of another.”
“Yeah? You and the rest of the goddamn Æsir can go fuck yourselves.”
Thor didn’t respond to that. He merely turned his back on Patrick and ran for the edge of the building, throwing himself off it. Mjölnir was an arc of brightness that followed him down to the street. Fenrir snapped his teeth before racing after the god of thunder, the fall to earth easy to overcome for the wolf god. Patrick had to bite his tongue to keep from calling Jono back—because that wasn’t Jono in control.
“What are we going to do?” Wade asked.
Patrick grabbed him by the arm and hauled him toward the stairs. “I’m going to fight. You in or not?”
“What kind of dumbass question is that?”
“It’s a question, because I’m not going to force you to fight.”
Wade gave him a stubborn look before beating Patrick down the stairs. “I’m not letting you fight alone. Pack doesn’t do that.”
Wade used his strength to shove people aside without apology, making them a path to the exit. Patrick saw jewelry, money clips, and a couple of wallets find their way into Wade’s jacket pockets. He didn’t have the time to argue with Wade about stealing when they were heading into a fight. It wasn’t like he could pickpocket everyone at the fundraiser.
The door they’d come in was a bottleneck. Patrick grabbed Wade by the collar of his jacket and hauled him toward the broken windows. The shades had been shredded, and people were lying on the floor or slumped over tables with shards of glass protruding from their bodies.
They couldn’t stop to help and kept running. Patrick and Wade vaulted the bottom of the window frame, and Patrick nearly lost his footing when he landed on the other side. His boots skidded over icy, snow-covered cement, but he managed to stay upright.
The deep revving of a motorcycle cut through the howling wind as a lone headlight shone through the dark. The motorcycle drove down the sidewalk on its own, back wheel skidding to the side so it faced Millennium Park rather than Au Hall.
“That’s Töfrandi,” Wade said.
Before Patrick could open his mouth and forbid Wade from going on a joyride, Eir landed beside them on the sidewalk, having thrown herself out the second-story window. Snow blew away from her landing, and she straightened up, spear still in hand. Patrick half ducked when Muninn and Huginn flew out of Au Hall over their heads and disappeared into the swirling snow.
Patrick hadn’t seen any of the police who’d been monitoring the street barrier. He knew other SOA agents would be arriving soon because the Westberg mess wasn’t one he could hide. Dabrowski had been there in the morgue, and the last call Patrick had taken before he’d opted to ignore his phone was from the SAIC announcing he was sending out a Rapid Response Team to deal with whatever had taken Westberg’s place. Patrick hadn’t been able to pull rank, and Setsuna couldn’t tell a SAIC to stand down, not when this shit had happened.
“We must get to the others,” Eir said.
Patrick eyed the motorcycle, decided it wasn’t big enough for three people, and said, “Wade? Head for the park and shift.”
“I’m gonna freeze my nuts off,” Wade protested.
“You’re a fire dragon. You’ll be fine. Now get out there and