the home you betrayed.”
“Your invitation was hard to refuse,” Loki replied. Sarcasm dripped from every word as he held out his bound wrists.
The god-king only looked at him, his face impassive. “You have been found guilty of treason, God of Mischief. You have been found guilty of orchestrating Ragnarök. Tomorrow you will face the consequences of your betrayal.
“At moonrise, you will look upon your brothers and sisters of Asgard one final time. It is my hope you will do so with remorse for the fate you have brought down upon us all. But regret or no, once the moon rises, you will be executed.”
“Am I not even allowed to plead my defense?” Loki asked. “What is this mockery of justice, god-king? You would condemn an innocent man to death without granting him so much as a trial?”
Odin leaned forward on his throne. Even from way back where we stood, I saw the fury in his one eye as he stared at the dark god. “You had a trial, serpent-tongue. If you had been less of a coward, if you had remained in our realm, you could have pleaded your case then. But you fled—and so we had your trial in your absence. You are guilty, Loki. And tomorrow, you die.”
He stood in a swirl of gray robes, his gaze landing on the head Valkyrie. “Take him to the cells below.”
The great hall was silent as the grave until Odin disappeared through the doorway behind the throne. Then, as one, the thousands of warriors started shouting, some whooping, others chanting songs of victory. Above the long tables, enormous, gilded horns appeared, pouring mead into every cup.
“Let’s go,” Magni said, hoisting me into his arms. “We have much to discuss.”
Thirty-Seven
Annabel
Saga, Grim, and Magni led us back to the tower room they’d been locked in the first time we arrived at Valhalla, but it seemed they’d been granted more freedoms since. No guards were stationed in the hallway outside the door, and no one seemed to care how and where they moved.
Magni placed me on one of the wooden beds in the room. It smelled like him, and I hummed and leaned into him, my mind finally starting to relax. I’d been wiped out since our fight against Nidhug, but we hadn’t had time to rest—or otherwise replenish my reserves. Being here, surrounded by all four of my mates, bathing in their scents and their nearness, was blissful relaxation.
The bed dipped as Saga sat on my other side and possessively wrapped his arms around my midriff as he pressed in close. But where before I would have expected jealousy to burn in our bond, now it was peaceful. He didn’t mind that Magni had taken me to his bed. In fact, he didn’t mind Magni’s presence at all.
“You’re friends?” I murmured, nuzzling against the blond alpha’s scruffy stubble.
Magni hummed a noise of agreement.
“No wonder Father is not here to greet us,” Modi mumbled. He knelt down on the floor in front of us, reaching out to touch my leg as if on instinct rather than conscious thought. “I am sure he is unimpressed.”
Magni snorted. “That’s one way of putting it. Though I don’t think he knows nor cares. The whole mate-sharing thing was enough to earn his unwavering disapproval. He hasn’t been back to Valhalla since you left. Trud said he's sulking back home.”
Bjarni caught my eyes, one blond eyebrow edging up a half inch. I knew what he was thinking, but we both understood that now wasn’t the time to revisit the whole "Thor might be the traitor" concept. There’d be plenty of time to worry about that later—after some sleep.
“Rest, sweetie,” Bjarni said. He sat down by Modi’s side, sliding a hand up my other leg in a calming gesture. “We’ll catch up while you relax for a bit, hmm?”
I smiled sleepily at him. Out of all four men, he was the one I could always count on to pamper me—which he confirmed when he absentmindedly slipped my boot off and began pressing his fingers into the sole of my foot.
I slumped back against Magni and Saga with a happy sigh. The last thing I saw before my eyelids slid closed was Grim leaning against the wall across from the bed, arms folded over his chest and lips pressed into a thin line.
One day he was supposed to mate me too. I wondered if he was watching his brothers quietly bonding with men who had once been their enemies and if