A Vigil in the Mourning (Soulbound #4) - Hailey Turner Page 0,75

before leaving, grumbling under his breath. Patrick sighed and pressed his forehead against Jono’s chest again. “I have a meeting I need to get to.”

“Okay.”

“I’m still mad.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

Patrick shifted in his arms and kissed him on the mouth before getting up and heading for the bathroom. “Make it up to me in bed like that and maybe I’ll forgive you, or you can sleep on the couch when we get home.”

Jono would make it up to him every night if that’s what it took.

14

“I thought the Chicago PCB had the case?” Patrick asked, staring through the doorway at the woman seated in the interview room on the fifth floor of the SOA field office.

“They did, but since the Sigfodrs are people of interest to our investigation into Westberg, the SOA took it over,” Benjamin said.

Patrick took a sip of his coffee, the Starbucks deep roast a far cry better than the office brew Benjamin had. “I bet that’s going to cause some friction.”

“It always does.”

“Who’s interviewing her?”

Benjamin slapped Patrick on the shoulder, giving him a mean smile. “You are. We were waiting for you to get back from your nice little break.”

Patrick gave him a sidelong look. “I was up for over twenty-four hours and got into a fight with Dominion Sect mercenaries.”

“And that’s why you got a break, but now it’s time to work.”

Patrick shook his head and took another sip of coffee. He mentally steeled himself before entering the interview room. He closed the door behind him but didn’t lock it. The room had no windows and no cameras, giving them a false sense of privacy. Patrick didn’t make the mistake of calling the goddess by the name people knew her by in myths.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Sigfodr,” Patrick said.

Frigg watched him take a seat with those unearthly eyes of hers. They were red-rimmed from crying, but her makeup looked perfect. Patrick wasn’t sure if it was a show for the authorities or if she really had been crying over Odin. Immortal relationships were complicated, and Patrick didn’t understand them at all.

“There is nothing good about today,” Frigg said.

Patrick sat down at the small table across from her. He placed his coffee in front of him before discreetly writing out a silence ward under the table, letting static wash through the walls. “How are you holding up?”

“How do you think?” Frigg asked tightly. “The Dominion Sect has my husband.”

“Yeah, I know. I tried to warn him.”

“It is not your fault.”

“It’s not yours either.”

“I was speaking to the kitchen staff when he was taken. If I was there—”

“If you were there, you’d have been taken as well.” Patrick shook his head. “You think Ethan wouldn’t love to have you both? The more gods he can tie to a sacrificial spell, the better. Ethan’s people did a snatch and grab and got the fuck out of Dodge because that was the only way to get to Odin.”

“They should not have been able to contain him.”

“You guys might be taking tithes from politicians, and Thor might be accepting prayers as payment for his mead, but it’s nothing how it was in the past for you. That doesn’t give you power. It barely makes you something to remember. Ethan has Macaria and he’s got the entire Dominion Sect praying for him.”

Frigg folded her hands together on the table. “He is no god.”

“He’s trying to become one. He’s gotten close twice. Now he has Odin and is after the Morrígan’s staff, which might very well be in Chicago. I can’t see why they’d be here if it wasn’t.”

“It is not here.”

Patrick wasn’t sure if Frigg was speaking the truth, but he hoped she was. Dealing with a missing god needed to take priority right now. “What does it do?”

“Perhaps you should ask the goddess it belongs to.”

“Or you could just tell me now. Odin’s ravens were the ones who told me the staff was missing last year. You have to know something, even if it’s not part of your pantheon. Ethan is only after two things these days. Godheads I understand, but this one particular artifact is different. Why?”

“Do you know what war is like?” Frigg asked.

“I’ve fought a war. I know exactly what it’s like.”

“I live with war, and I love him despite the suffering he brings.” Frigg blinked, eyes flashing with power that made Patrick flinch. “You are asking the wrong question.”

“Then what is the right one?” Patrick wanted to know, trying to keep