Weaving Fate - Nora Ash Page 0,84
finally Annabel prodded a black vortex several inches from my digit. “There. Where does that one lead?”
I squinted at the mark, then lit up in a grin as hope seeped through my veins. “Asgard! Stars be blessed, it’s a portal to Asgard!
“How long will it take us to get there?” she asked. I saw the same kind of wild longing on her pretty face as pounded in my heart. We were so close.
“About… three days?” Modi said, measuring the distance between Annabel’s and my fingers with his hand before he looked to me for confirmation.
“All depending,” I murmured, frowning at the flat map. “I’ve never been, though I hear the terrain is supposedly as rough as its inhabitants. But yes, I think three days is a reasonable estimate. That gets us back to Valhalla with only a single day to spare for any unforeseen circumstances along the way.”
“Then it looks like it is our best bet,” Modi said. “Let us rest and eat so we can head out in the morning with as much energy as possible. We are going to need it.”
Thirty
Annabel
The trek to Oregon was tougher than our hike from Seattle to find Loki and back. Much, much tougher. The wind howled constantly, throwing icy snow in my face despite Modi and Bjarni doing their best to shield me from the elements by sandwiching me between the bulk of their bodies.
We walked for sixteen hours that first day, forcing our way through hip-deep snow—though again, the alphas took turns taking the lead, so they could flatten the path for my human self. They did everything to make the journey as easy as possible for me, and it made me feel absolutely useless when we still had to stop for the night because I physically couldn’t move anymore.
“You should have said something,” Bjarni rumbled as he slipped underneath the blankets and wrapped me up in his blessed warmth shortly after we made camp. “All this is gonna be for nothing if you keel over dead from exhaustion.”
“We’re never going to make it if I can’t even handle walking in my own damn world,” I growled. “We’re so close, Bjarni. But if we have to keep stopping because I’m not strong enough—”
He stopped me with a kiss. “Shush. You’re human, Annabel. You’ve shown resilience above and beyond anything I could have dreamed, but you are human. It’s not a weakness. Look at all that magic thrumming right underneath your skin. Your willpower. You brought the God of Mischief to heel. You’re strong enough, sweetie. Stars, you’re strong enough to stop even Ragnarök. Tomorrow, when you start to tire, Modi or I will carry you. And we will make it in time.”
“I’ll slow you down,” I said, guilt clutching at my throat. “Without me—”
“Without you, we wouldn’t have had a chance at capturing Loki. Stop this nonsense, Annabel. Do you expect to do everything on your own? Why do you think Fate planned five mates for you? If your fate is truly to stop Ragnarök, then ours is to lend you our strength when you need it.”
“You make it sound so simple,” I whispered.
“It is simple,” he sighed, placing a peck on my forehead. “I don’t understand why you’re all angsting about it all the damn time. We’re meant for each other. I feel it right through my bones every time I look at you. And I feel it when Modi, curse his stupid ass, touches you. I saw it when the three of us took down one of the most powerful gods in the world. So tomorrow, you will let your mates carry you when your body grows tired, and together we will make it back to Asgard in time to save my brothers.”
It was a strange sensation, floating on the edge of consciousness and listening to his completely calm, rational explanation for something I’d struggled with ever since I fled from their farm so many weeks ago now. As if this whole, insane Norn-created mess was the most natural thing in the world. But my exhausted mind could only grasp onto the here and now, the physical problem.
“You need your strength. It’s so much harder for you two—”
“Annabel. We’re gods.” Bjarni’s otherwise so patient voice took on a stern note. “We’ve both faced far, far harder challenges in our immortal existence than dragging your sweet ass through some snow. Now, I will hear no more protest out of you. It’s time to sleep, and so help me if you