Weaving Fate - Nora Ash Page 0,81
Hel with the stupid bond aching in my chest at the thought of another harsh rejection from my bitter mate.
Just as I increased my stride to catch up with her, Bjarni paused and turned, frowning when his gaze landed on Annabel.
“I’m sorry, sweetie—I should have realized you’d be struggling. Come, let me carry you.”
“I can walk just fine,” she replied, though there was a distinct lack of fire in her rebuttal.
Bjarni gave her a patient look. “Yes. You’re a very capable woman. Now stop making a fuss, hmm? What kind of a mate would I be if I knowingly let you struggle?”
Yes, what kind of mate indeed?
I glared at him as he walked back to Annabel, pulling Loki along with him, and picked her up despite her token protests. He settled her against his chest, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck, before he turned back around to resume the trek.
Acid seethed in my veins as I followed, but I pushed it down with an iron hand. It was bad enough he had shown me up without even trying—bad enough I was jealous at how warm and comfortable her weight would feel against him. I was not about to let either of them feel my petty envy in our blasted bond.
It was deep in the night when we finally made it to King Street Station. The large settlement of Seattle was as dead as it had been on our arrival, the only humans we spotted on our way through the white-blanketed streets through windows in the odd, tall houses lining them.
It was not a surprise then that the station also lay silent amidst the howling winds, but when I jogged up the stairs to open the door, they were locked.
Too eager to get out of the weather to be denied entry, I sent a bolt of lightning through the lock, melting it off so I could push through.
Darkness and the echo of the door slamming open was all that met us.
“Well, this isn’t looking promising,” Bjarni rumbled as he put Annabel down, looking around the large, silent room. “Did you spot anything outside? Anything about the service being disrupted?”
“All I saw was snow,” I said.
“And that big sign saying all transport has been canceled on the orders of the governor,” Loki said mildly. “Looks like we’re staying in the great city of Seattle for the duration of this little blizzard.”
“What sign?” Annabel snapped, her attention turning to the trickster god.
“He’s lying,” Bjarni growled, though I saw the flicker of unease in his eyes.
“By all means, go check if you don’t believe me,” Loki said, rubbing his hands together. “I’ll just stay he—uff!”
His voice died on a huff when Bjarni yanked him along by the rope, heading back toward the doors.
“Watch her,” he said to me. As if he needed to.
Annabel looked at me as silence spread once more, and I forced myself not to rub at my chest where our bond hummed out of tune. It was the first time we had been alone since I woke up with her in my arms in the tent, the tension between us thicker from a full day’s separation.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, because leave it to my primitive alpha instincts to breach the gap. Right then, feeding her seemed like the best way to break the tension. Or maybe a nice fuck. Despite my own exhaustion from the long trek, my dick gave a spasm at that particular thought. Gods dammit.
“Too anxious. If Loki isn’t lying, then… then we have no way of getting back to Norway and Bifrost. If the trains aren’t running, then the planes definitely aren’t either.” She wrapped her arms around her body, looking so vulnerable I almost crossed the distance between us to wrap her up in my arms. “Modi, what are we gonna do? If we can’t get back to Asgard. Odin’s gonna…”
She did not finish that sentence, but she did not need to.
“We will find a way,” I said. “If all else fails, I can call on Thor. Even the Fimbulwinter will not stop Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. He will come for us.”
The frown on her forehead eased to a small crease, and she nodded. “Good. That’s good.” Then, giving me a hesitant smile, she asked, “Is that offer of food still open?”
Some of the tension in my gut eased. I swung the backpack over my shoulder and rummaged through it for some of our packed provisions. It was not a