Perfekt Control (The Ære Saga Book 2) (21 page)

“So?” Brynhild’s words seethed ice.

“So, that particular kiss was not mutual.
Brynn was really upset about losing Freya. She was emotional and
confused and she kissed me, yes. But I did not engage. Without
mutual engagement, she hasn’t broken your code.” Henrik crossed his
arms, mirroring Brynhild’s posture.

Brynhild glared. “Finnea said—”

“Finnea embellished,” Henrik said firmly.
“She has reasons of her own for wanting Brynn reassigned, as, I’m
sure, do you.” He took another step toward Brynhild. “Let it go. I
didn’t want you in Asgard, and I don’t want you here. I don’t do
ice queens.”

“Ooh!” Mia gasped. Brynhild whirled around
and raised her palm, but Mia was nestled firmly beneath Tyr’s arm.
Brynhild caught his menacing stare and pulled back.

“Now that we’ve established nobody on my team
has committed any infractions, I suggest you see yourself out.” Tyr
nodded at the back door. “You can leave Brynn’s horse here. She
won’t be needing her to return to Asgard. Nice of you to bring her,
though.”

“Fang’s here?” Mia asked. My mood
skyrocketed. Having Fang around would be a tremendous asset, not to
mention the fact that I’d missed her. I kept her back in Asgard for
logistical reasons. Boarding a pegasus in Midgard was just not
practical.

Brynhild stood her ground. “You’re on thin
ice, young lady. By all accounts, you should be on probation.
You’re lucky Henrik isn’t into you.”

“I never said I wasn’t into her,” Henrik
corrected.

My heart leapt into my throat and began a
frantic break dance.
What
?

“What did you say?” Brynhild’s cry echoed my
thought.

“I never said I wasn’t into her,” Henrik
repeated. “I never said I
was
into her. I never addressed
that subject, nor would I with anyone other than Brynn. What I did
say was that I didn’t kiss her back. You think I didn’t know what
would happen if I did?”

Brynhild and I probably looked like mirror
images, both of our mouths falling open at breakneck speed.

As much as I’d screwed up our easy
friendship, was there any chance I still had, well… a chance with
Henrik Andersson?

“You’d best be on your way,” Tyr ordered. He
walked to the back door and pointed outside. “Don’t let the Bifrost
hit you on the way up.”

Brynhild snapped her mouth shut and stormed
out the door. She shouted over her shoulder as she marched, “You
got off on a technicality, Aksel. Freya is
not
going to be
impressed when she comes back.”

“Don’t forget your pony!” Mia called
helpfully. “Elsa and I moved her and Fang to the driveway so they
wouldn’t chew up the back lawn.”

Brynhild disappeared from view, then came
back leading a black pegasus with a silver rope. She mounted the
creature and flew away, no doubt wanting to put as much space as
possible between us. She’d probably call for the Bifrost somewhere
over the dunes.

“Well…” Tyr shrugged. “That was
interesting.”

Henrik turned around. When I dragged my gaze
away from my boots, I saw concern in his eyes. “You okay?” he
asked.

“Yep,” I squeaked. Humiliation prickled my
neck, and if the heat coming off my cheeks was any indication, I
was probably ten different shades of red.
No point pretending
anymore
. “I’m just embarrassed,” I admitted. “I didn’t want
anybody to know about that. And, well, now you guys, and apparently
the valkyrie administration, know what a loser I am.”

“Hey,” Mia protested.

Elsa shook her head. “Stop it, Brynn.”

Henrik took my chin between his thumb and his
forefinger. I tried to pull away, but he held tight. “You are
not
a loser. But you and I both know this isn’t the time to
talk about what happened in Alfheim.” He tilted his head toward the
couch, and I nodded. I forced my questions into a tight little file
and stuffed it deep in the “Deal with Later” drawer. Asgard came
first.

It always had.

“Henrik’s right.” I inhaled, willing the heat
to ebb from my cheeks. “We learned something in Nidavellir that
might lead us to Freya.”

As everyone gathered on the couches, Henrik
and I quickly recounted our conversation with Berry. When we’d
finished, I leaned back on the couch and took a read of the room.
Elsa frowned, her knees tucked to her chin, and her head nestled on
Forse’s shoulder. Forse’s brow was furrowed, and he rubbed his
forehead in concentration. Mia looked thoughtful, twirling one lock
of brown hair. Tyr sat hunched on the couch with his elbows on his
knees and a look of fury in his eyes.

“Sounds like it’s time for us to go
investigate the situation in Helheim,” Tyr surmised.

“Us? I thought Odin ordered you to stay out
of the field?” I blinked.

“Yeah, well, I’m voiding that order. Sending
you two to Muspelheim on your own was bad enough. There’s no way
I’m letting you head into Helheim without me there to fight along
side you.” Tyr’s eyes were steady.

Henrik nodded. “What’s our departure
time?”

“How’s Barney coming along?” I asked Mia.

“He’s nearly done.” She smiled. “I was
waiting for you and Henrik to make the final solder. We built it
together; it didn’t seem right to do it without you.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” I stood
quickly, ready to take action. And also, ready to leave the scene
of today’s humiliation. “Is everything set up in the office?”

Mia nodded.

“Excellent. And when we get back, you and I
have something to discuss.” Henrik looked at me levelly. I
gulped.

A good something or a bad something?
After the way he’d shut down Brynhild, maybe he didn’t think I was
a total troll.

I clung to that hope like a dwarf to a gem.
I’d keep right on clinging for long as inhumanly possible.

“I know,” I whispered.

Tyr cleared his throat, and I jumped. “Forse,
stay back and protect the girls. Don’t let anyone inside the
sphere, not even Odin, without my signing off on it first. We’re
going to make a lot of enemies where we’re going, and I’m not
taking any chances with Elsa and Mia’s safety.”

“Consider it done.” Forse nodded.

“Henrik, Brynn, go upstairs and finish the
time freezer with Mia. Then grab every weapon you can fit on your
person and meet me on the sand. I’ll call for Heimdall when we’re
together.” Tyr crossed to the painting by the staircase, removed
it, and pressed his palm to the wall. When the fingerprint scan was
complete, the door to the arsenal swung open. Tyr looked over his
shoulder. “What are you waiting for? Get moving.”

“Yes, sir.” I saluted and followed Mia and
Henrik to the office. Barney sat on the desk, a soldering iron
nearby.

“Do you want to do the honors?” Mia asked,
pointing to the iron.

I shot her a grin. “Nope. This one was your
concept. We worked out the
älva
element and reconfigured the
specs together, but the bulk of the design work was yours. You get
to drive the golden stake.”

Mia’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “Well
then, here goes.” She picked up the safety goggles as Henrik and I
stepped back. He leaned over to whisper in my ear, and I quelled
the ensuing shivers.
Control, control, control.

“Good call,” he murmured. “Tyr may not let
her walk into combat, but she’s doing everything he
will
let
her do to fight for Asgard. This device means a lot to her.”

I didn’t think Mia couldn’t hear us over the
crackling of the iron, but I looked at her just in case. She bit
her bottom lip, her focus concentrated on the task in front of her.
Whew
.

When Mia finished, she held up the device
triumphantly. “It’s finished!”

“Extraordinary work, Mia. You must have one
Hel of a math tutor.” Henrik winked at Mia, and she stuck out her
tongue.

“Something like that,” she laughed.

“Let’s test it out. Mia, may I do the
honors?” Henrik reached for Barney.

Mia passed the time freezer. “Now remember,
time will freeze for everyone except the person holding the device,
and anyone
they’re
touching at the moment of activation. We
programmed it to work like a circuit, with the user being the stop
gate. Anything you’re not directly holding on to the instant you
activate Barney is fair game for the energy to freeze. Are you
comfortable doing it alone?”

“Absolutely.” Henrik winked, and my heart
thudded. Gods, my boundaries had
no
respect for me today.
“Are you ladies ready?”

“You know we—” The words stopped in my throat
as a weird sensation rippled through my torso. It felt like a wave
nudging at my skin, and making its way toward my heart before
retreating. “Are,” I finished. “Are you going to do it?
Henrik?”

I looked around, but Henrik was gone. He’d
been standing to my right just a second ago, but I hadn’t seen him
move to my left. He must have blurred.

Henrik chuckled, and Mia and I stared at him
in confusion. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Barney works.” Henrik laughed. “And you
should see your faces right now.”

I touched my cheek, a warm sensation filling
my fingertips. I felt inexplicably happy. “Wait. You just froze
time?”

“I did,” Henrik confirmed. “This baby is pure
gold.” He held up his hand and Mia slapped it in a high five.
“Fang’s out front,
ja,
Mia?”

“The pony? Yes. He’s tied up to the front
fence,” Mia said.

Henrik grinned. “Great. Brynnie, grab Fang.
I’ll get the weapons and meet you out back.”

“I dropped my backpack on the way in,” I
remembered. “The particle accelerator probably needs ammo.”

“On it.” Henrik strode out of the room, and I
moved to follow.

Mia grabbed my arm as I walked past. “Brynn,”
she murmured. “Please be careful. I want you and Henrik to get your
happily-evah-aftah, and you can’t do that if you’re dead.”

“I have no intention of dying today,” I
reassured her. “And I’d like that happily-ever-after as much as the
next girl, but it’s probably not happening with Henrik. The
Brynhilds of the world aren’t exactly doing me any favors.”

“I thought she was supposed to be the
‘fairest of all the valkyries.’” Mia quoted her book. “She’s not
that pretty, if you ask me. Henrik doesn’t think so either. Did you
see how he shot her down?”

“Yeah, well.” I shifted from one foot to the
other. “The line of gorgeous goddesses angling for Henrik’s heart
stretches a mile long. She wasn’t the first, and she won’t be the
last.”

“But the question is, which gorgeous goddess
does
he
want?” Mia stared at me pointedly.

“Not me, if that’s what you’re thinking.” I
walked toward the door with a sigh.

Mia huffed behind me. “I swear, Asgardians
are so dense.”

I kept walking, but I couldn’t help
appreciating Mia’s optimism. She was a good egg—I was glad Tyr had
brought her into the fold.

I hoped we didn’t run her off with all the
weird.

“Take care of Forse and Elsa,” I called over
my shoulder. I ran outside, and untied Fang with a joyful squeal.
“I missed you,” I cried, as I patted her smooth white neck. She
nuzzled my head, then followed as I led her to the backyard. When I
reached the sand, Tyr and Henrik stood in an open area.

“Hold on, Brynn. I want Fang to stay here and
protect the compound,” Tyr spoke authoritatively.

“But I just got her back! And we could use
her where we’re going. Odin only knows what we’re going to find,
but my money’s on a
lot
of dragons. A set of wings could
come in handy,” I countered.

“I can fly us wherever we need to go.
Besides, once we reach Helheim, word of our presence will spread.
And I’m sure there are plenty of enemies who’d love to take a crack
at Mia and Elsa in our absence.” Tyr made a good point.

“But nobody knows where we are. The
compound’s shielded and…” I faded off. “I get it. You can’t be too
safe. Fang, stay here. Protect the girls. If need be, herd them up
and take them straight to Asgard. Heimdall will see you coming and
make sure they’re admitted.”

Fang whinnied anxiously, and I patted her
neck. “I’ll be fine, I promise. We’ll eat marshmallows when I get
home. Now go.”

I released her reins and she flew back to the
house, positioned herself on the grass, and stood.
Good
girl
.

“You ready?” Henrik held out my backpack and
I shouldered it.

“As I’ll ever be.” I nodded, ignoring the way
my skin tingled when he bumped against me.
Keep your energy to
yourself, Aksel.

“Heimdall,” Tyr called. “Open the
Bifrost.”

I held my breath as the brilliant light
beamed down from the sky.

“To Helheim!” Tyr cried. I closed my eyes as
the light sucked us up through the sky, then deposited us in a
realm so cold and dreary, my spirits sank on touchdown.

We weren’t in Midgard anymore. This was
Helheim.

And we had the fight of our lives ahead of
us.

“
FÖRBASKAT, HEIMDALL! I
MEANT
Hel’s gate. Not the outlands!” Tyr’s voice thundered
across the tundra. He sounded ticked, and rightfully so. Being on
the outlands of Helheim was an absolute Asgardian nightmare.

Humans had it all wrong. Helheim wasn’t the
fiery, blazing pit of despair they imagined their Hell to be. It
was actually really beautiful. And really cold. Helheim was a realm
of primordial ice, its snowy landscape broken up by breathtaking
mountains and icicle-laden trees that resembled the sequoias on
Midgard, only with purple needles instead of green ones. It was
located in the center of a realm called Niflheim, gifted by Odin to
Loki and the giantess Angrboða’s daughter, Hel. Hel ran the realm
like the raging head case she was—I’d never met her in person, but
I heard she was a terrifying half-god, half-skeleton hybrid. And
that wasn’t a dig at her weight; I’d read in my textbooks that the
left side of her body was
only her bones.