17. CALL ME DADDY

17

CALL ME DADDY

T he man who could only be Havoc and Han's father tipped his head toward me. "I am not here to kill you, young pup."

Pup. I hadn't been called that in…what felt like forever. "Then you're here to help us?"

He tipped his head to the side. "Yes."

"Then why knock them out?"

"My sons do not always behave when I am around, and I wanted to speak to you without interruption." His dark eyes never left my face. He made me think of the lone wolves who'd pass through our forests from time to time. Always on the outskirts, and always with a touch of madness in them, because wolves are meant to find their pack, to be with others like them. It's what keeps us whole.

"Fenrir," I said, more statement than question .

"Just Fen will do." He rolled his shoulders and motioned for me to sit. "You have a journey ahead of you, and not much time to do it in."

"So, you want me to sit down and waste time?"

"I have suspended time. When you step from this meeting it will be as if no more than a blink of an eye will have passed." He motioned again for me to sit.

I lowered myself to sit, only I didn't reach the ground. A big chair made of logs that could have come straight out of the ocean waited for me. A driftwood chair.

"How are you going to help?" I repeated my earlier question with a slight variation.

"I am the son of Loki, brother to J?rmungandr and Hel herself…help perhaps is too strong of a word." He dropped back into a chair that matched my own as a table materialized in front of us.

A tall stone pitcher and two thick pewter mugs sat in the middle of it. "Drink. We will discuss what we can discuss and see if it…helps."

The wolf in me was curious about this one, about why he smelled like wolf but also like a monster. Why would he help us? The golden in me was unsure, but not afraid and that was enough for me to trust him—for now.

I poured myself a drink and then poured him one too. "Cheers."

Fen tipped his mug in my direction .

We drank and the crisp, clear drink soothed my throat, but made me feel a little lightheaded. "What is this?"

"A drink of the gods. If you weren't truly Tyr's daughter, you'd have burned to a crisp from the inside out."

I stared at him over the rim. "Fuck you."

His smile was sudden and sharp, all hardness and wolfy angles. "Ah, if only my son wasn't your mate."

I wrinkled up my nose. "I'd still pass. I don't do father-son duos."

He laughed and poured himself more of the drink.

"We will talk, and we will see where the conversation goes. That's best."

"Let me take a guess. You came to watch the train wreck, spectate and then leave before we actually need your help?" I said.

Fen winked, as if he was letting me in on a secret. Gods save me. "Do you know that I am the father of all shifters? The first, I created because I was alone. She was…unbelievably strong. An alpha female to match my energy."

I choked on my drink. "Please tell me it wasn't my mother."

He shook his head. "No, it was not your mother." He frowned and squinted. "I suppose it would make you the great, great, great, great granddaughter of my first alpha female. That line remained stronger than any other females that came along. They were stronger, had more grit and fire, and generally changed the world around them whether they liked it or not. Being created by a god will often have that effect. That is your line, that is Juniper's line. Though at times, the power can make one a bit mad."

I clutched the mug in my hands. "Yeah, Juniper was that. You didn't think to put a check on all this power you stuffed into their stupid bodies?"

"No, I am a son of chaos himself, pup, I put things into motion and then I enjoy the ride."

"I don't like this ride," I said.

"I don't doubt that."

I wanted to reach across the table and strangle him, to tell him to just spit out what it was that he came here to tell me. Not even tell his sons, just me. But I held my tongue and waited, because if we had all the time in the world then I could wait. I could see this through to get the information I needed.

Which meant I listened to him talk about the drama amongst the other deities. Odin's hatred of his ravens. How stupid Thor was, despite his fighting prowess. How pissed Freya was that her cult had disbanded. About how Loki had switched from encouraging Ragnar?k to happen, to trying to stop it, and why that might be.

"He fell in love," I said. "Maybe for the first time, in truth. But I think that's why. Or at least that's the rumor I heard."

Fen's eyes widened. "No! You think so? Oh, that's interesting…I will have to find out who it is. Hmm. I wonder if it's a human?"

I'd put the other pieces together, and suddenly this little meeting made more sense. He was just like his brother. Lonely and wanting to talk—wanting a friend. "You get along with your brother, Jor?"

A sigh slid from him. "It's complicated."

"Most family relationships are. I don't get on with all my siblings. I mean, it's better now with two of my brothers. The other one, well, I keep waiting for Kieran to show up and try to kill me." I could not believe this was the discussion, but it made more sense now that I put them in the same category as his brother. They both wanted to talk to someone. They wanted entertainment and gossip.

"Kieran is hunting you still. He is working with Sven. As a backup." Fen took a sip of his drink. "Be warned that even if you survive what is coming, he will still try to kill you. The darkness Juniper set in him has taken on a life of its own."

"Awesome." I took a drink and let it soothe a few more ragged edges. If nothing else, I could tell my leg was healing as we spoke, despite Fen having halted time. Slowed it, whatever .

I sighed. "Look, I think that we've spent enough time gossiping. Why are you really here?"

He set his mug down. "Sven knows where you three are. He will re-bind the spell to Havoc in this realm. And he's about to do the same to Han, as I think you witnessed in the meeting I sent you to. They will both hunt you now."

The mug clattered from my hands. "What? Loki sent them in the wrong direction. Sven can't know?—"

"That's what the meeting was about, the one you saw. Sven asked permission to expand the spell, seeing as you slipped through to the pathways between the realms. It doesn't matter where you are." He leaned forward and took my hands in his, and only then did I feel how cold my fingers had gotten against the warmth of his palms. "You will be hunted, pup. And all of us need you to survive; my father has made that clear. We need you to make it to the Norns. They will guide you."

"And when I get there?"

He smiled. "Be yourself. Tell them the truth. Don't hold back."

I was shaking, I couldn't help it. "As soon as we snap out of this?"

"You will have five minutes before the spell kicks in again. Maybe less, maybe more."

"And why does it feel like our time in this stasis is now limited? "

Fen didn't let go of me. "A minute."

A minute was all I had before both Havoc and Han would be hunting me. I spoke quickly as I pulled my hands from Fen's and began to strip, tucking my clothes into the backpack and sliding the straps over my shoulders.

"The Norns are where the answer lies?"

"Yes."

Solid. "And I can save Suvenia, and the realms?"

"You can. I don't know how, but it's on you, pup. You can do this. You are strong enough, and more than that…you have the heart to do what must be done. The answer lies in the meeting you saw. Think on it."

The answer? "You can't just tell me?"

"Where's the fun in that?" He grinned.

"You have your brother's shit eating grin," I snapped and he laughed.

My heart and mind were scrambled, and any other questions I had. How many times had I been thrown into a river? So many times. It had to mean something, all of it had been pushing me to this one more time. "The river, that's my path?"

"It will get you close to the Norns but leave it when you come to the raven wing rock. From there you will be on foot to the home of the Norns."

I blew out a quick breath. "Tell Jor that I will try for a coffee date in a week. If I make it. "

Fen's eyebrows shot up. "You…are going for coffee with my brother?"

"He saved my life." I shrugged. "More than once, so I owe him a few coffee dates."

Fen's jaw dropped. "Fuck off with you. I should have asked for coffee dates too."

A laugh burst out of me, but it got tangled up with a choking sob because I knew how deadly the two men were that would be hunting me in a matter of minutes. "Is there any way you can slow them down? Without hurting them." Damn it, I was going soft.

But I didn't want Havoc hurt. Han…well he was Han. He could live with a few bruises.

"I will try. They are better fighters than me, and…Sven stripped them of their immortality—they can die, and I don't want them to die. I'll put a time stall on their acceptance of the spell if I can," He tipped his head toward me and the world started to wobble, speed picking up when I hadn't even felt like it slowed. I focused on where Bebe was still sound asleep, curled up in a tight little cinnamon roll. She was going to be fucking pissed…at least initially. But we had one hope.

I blinked and Fen was gone.

I stumbled over to her, and scooped Bebe up. She grumbled as I held her tight to my chest. Havoc rolled to his feet, from his crouch he stared up at me. "How are you naked? You just had?—"

"Sven has spelled you and Han to both hunt me…it wi ll cross all realms now." I couldn't help it, I stood there and stared at him, willing Fen to be wrong.

Havoc snarled and stood. "Fuck. Go. Just go. I'll…I'll try to stop him."

"What's going on?" Bebe grumbled, "I was dreaming I was human again."

I stepped toward Havoc, maybe it was stupid, but I wanted to believe in something that was impossible. "I trust…"

He grabbed me by the face, and pressed his forehead to mine, fingers gentle across my cheeks. "Kill me, if you can, Goldie. I…will never be good for you and Sven, he will always use me to hunt you. And I…I can't…live with this world if you aren't in it."

I gasped and stared up into his dark eyes. His lips hovered against mine, breathing, drinking each other in and maybe I thought that time had slowed. I wanted to drag him to me, to kiss him as if I could take a piece of him with me. I'd chosen him for me. It was not fate.

It was the destiny I'd created for myself.

My cheeks were wet with tears as I clung to him, trying to hold him to me as if it would be enough to counter the spell. "Havoc. I'm not losing you. Not now."

"I know, Goldie. I know."

Our faces still pressed close, the moment stretching.

Han's howl cut through us, and Havoc shoved me away. "Go. Don't look back. "

I didn't know how Havoc was holding the spell at bay, but I took him at his word and stumbled back from him.

"That was hot, what's going on?" Bebe finally looked up at me. "Why are you crying?"

"Hang on, we're going swimming."

"What?" Her screech hit a new peak as I turned and sprinted for the river, my leg aching but holding, then dove into the water, holding her tight to my chest. I didn't shift into my golden form right away. The water was cool, but not cold and I held us down as long as I could, hoping to be far enough down the river that Havoc and Han wouldn't be able to see me.

Bebe clung to me, her claws digging in, then getting frantic the longer we held on below the water's surface. The current and my legs propelling us along as fast as I could.

No matter there came a point where I had no choice. I had to surface. We both had to get a breath. I pushed off the bottom of the river, my body doing a circle as we both sucked air. Behind us there was nothing, I couldn't see our makeshift camp.

I couldn't see Havoc or Han, couldn't hear a wolf's howl. Maybe Havoc had been able to slow things down. Maybe Fen was holding them at bay like he'd said.

"You going to explain to me just what the hell we are doing in a river…again?" Bebe clung to me, which wa s fine. I let my body shift to four legs and as a golden retriever started swimming. Between the current and my dog paddling efforts, we'd make good time.

"Watch for a raven wing rock, we need to get out there. That's the path to the Norns."

"Okay. What the fuck happened?" she might have shouted that last bit, and I didn't blame her.

"Keep it tender, Bebe," I said, "and quiet as we can. Short version is Havoc and Han are both hunting us now. Sven expanded the spell to be in this realm too."

"Oh shit." She groaned. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Seriously." I kept up my swimming pace, the sides of the river flashing by. I didn't tell her that Havoc and I had had a moment. I didn't tell her about Fenrir. None of that mattered, not to saving the world.

And that was what I was going to do. I'd find a way. Stop Ragnar?k and find my way back to Havoc.

Bebe balanced on my back. "It looked like Havoc kind of wanted to kiss you back there."

I swallowed hard, thinking the same thing. In all our encounters, we'd never kissed. I mean, we both thought it had just been fucking. Passion. Chemistry. Saving the world and then ensuring we'd saved the world.

Now I knew that we'd both been scared of being hurt and both of us had reasons for that. That there had been something between us right from the start, we were both just too fucking stubborn to let it happen. Until now.

"What's the plan?" Bebe asked as I swam.

"Find the Norns. Get the answers we need on how to save the tree of life. Avoid dying. Try to find a path where we all live happily ever after."

"I like that one the best," Bebe said. "And can I just say, I'm fucking sick and tired of all the water? Like, could we not end up in a river?"

I huffed. "Only since I've become a golden have I spent this much time swimming."

"It's your fault then?"

"Apparently." To be fair, the golden part of me was fucking ecstatic every time we leapt into the water. Swimming along, my damn tail was wagging with nothing short of pure joy. If I let myself, I probably could have lain in a puddle and experienced the same joy.

The one good thing, the happy emotions flowing from my golden to me allowed me to push back some of the fear and shit that was my current situation.

I would look on the bright side, damn it.

We made our way down the river in relative silence after that. To the left of me was the rock wall, to the right was the forest that extended from our old campsite. Raven wing rock. I kept my eyes peeled for a rock shaped like a raven's wing. Time slid by. An hour, maybe a little more .

"It's so quiet," Bebe whispered. "Is it because there's a predator around?"

"Fuck me, Bebe, you keep saying shit like that! Why would you say that out loud?" I whispered back, my skin prickling with awareness like she'd woken something up.

Twenty feet down the river and I thought maybe it was just a funny reaction to Bebe's words.

Nope, wrong again.

We'd had nothing but the sound of the river for so long the tinkling of rocks to our left sounded like a fucking gunshot as they tumbled down the rock wall. I slowed my swimming and floated, so we faced the left side of the cavern.

A dark hole yawned out at us, easily fifteen feet around. Rocks and pebbles slipped out of the abyss and down to the river, plunking into the water.

"That's probably not good," Bebe whispered.

"Yeah, probably not," I whispered back.

"What do we do?"

I couldn't swim upstream, Havoc and Han waited there. I couldn't keep shifting back and forth from four to two legs and back again. Not without using up too many calories. Which left me floating like a giant fluff ball in the middle of the river as the creature stepped out of its cave.

Black wings spread wide, the lower limbs thick with a deep rusty red fur, ending in oversized lion's paws. The upper portion of the body was not bird, but lizard, or dragon maybe with sparkling black rainbow scales that overlapped all the way up to its snout. The eyes were brilliantly green as they flashed and locked on us.

When you come to the raven wing rock, that is your path, you must go on foot.

That fucker, Fen, could have just said that it was a Rok, no ‘c' involved, and I might have been a little bit better prepared instead of thinking I was looking for a rock formation.

"Cin? Am I seeing things?"

Bebe's voice hitched.

The monstrous bird hybrid launched toward us, and I did the only thing I could.

I dove for the bottom of the river and prayed the stupid thing missed on the first pass.

Those huge paws though, they didn't miss as they grabbed us both and yanked us out of the river.