Perfekt Order (The Ære Saga Book 1) (29 page)

“Not exactly.”

He grabbed a fish with two fingers. It
flopped wildly. Tyr held out his open hand, and a thin mist floated
from his palm. It engulfed the animal, cocooning it in a light
green casing. Tyr touched the top of the casing with one finger and
pulled back. The fish fell to the ground dead; the casing cracked
open.

“Did that work?” My voice was half an octave
too high to sound natural.

“No.”

Tyr picked up a second fish. He held out his
hand, and this time a stream of water shot at the creature. The
water froze on impact, surrounding the fish in a block of ice. Tyr
studied the block, turning it in his palm. He muttered something in
a language I didn’t understand. The ice floated above his hand, the
fish suspended in mid-air. Tyr pointed a finger at the animal,
sending a red beam of light at its mouth. The fish’s eyes bulged,
but otherwise it remained immobilized in ice. Tyr drew the red beam
back with his finger. Just before it reached his hand, it emitted a
burst of flame. Tyr jumped back, smoke coming from his finger. The
fish fell to the floor.

“It’s dead,” I whispered unnecessarily.

“I’m aware,” Tyr muttered, and my heart
opened a little bit more. Tyr might have been a god, but there were
still things that didn’t come easily to him. Watching his struggle
made the distance between our worlds felt slightly less
infinite.

The third fish exploded. The fourth fish
disappeared. By the time Tyr picked up the fifth fish, a thin sheen
had formed on his forehead. He stuck his tongue out of the corner
of his mouth and bit down as he waved his hand over the creature.
It stilled in his palm. He used two fingers to brush a lavender
mist over the animal, and when it was sealed in the casing he
tapped it nine times. On the last tap he drew his finger back, and
a pale blue vapor rose from the fish. Tyr’s eyebrows raised.

“You did it?” I guessed.

“You sound surprised.” His voice was dry.

I watched as he produced a small vial. He
directed the vapor into the capsule, and sealed it tightly before
putting it into his pocket.
Did he just command a magical mist
into a bottle?
This was by far the most fascinating date I’d
ever been on.

“One ingredient down, one more to go.” The
corner of Tyr’s mouth turned up in a half smile. “So we’ve got a
few fish left. Debone now or back at the house?”

“Excuse me?”

“The fish. Do you want me to debone them here
or back home? We’ll fry them up for dinner and—” He broke off.
“
Skit
.”

I followed his sight line to the edge of the
forest, where a large wolf was partially hidden behind a redwood.
The wolf’s eyes locked on mine and he pawed at the ground, like he
wanted to charge. I could have sworn his eyes flashed red and his
nostrils flared.

It couldn’t be. We’re in the middle of
nowhere.

I whirled to face Tyr, hoping for
reassurance. He threw our fishing gear onto the deck in a frenzied
movement, ripped open one of the benches, and pulled out a massive
crossbow.

“Mia, get in the cabin. Now.”

I was frozen to the deck. My legs wouldn’t
move.

“Go now!” Tyr barked. My stomach fell. It was
a tone I’d only heard once before; the night Fenrir changed
everything.

My eyes drifted to the forest, where a
snarling beast left me shaking.

“Should I take the fish or—”

“Get inside!” Tyr exploded. He raised his
hand and a beam of light shot across the boat, striking me in the
chest and pushing me into the cabin. I landed unceremoniously on
the bed and jumped to my feet as Tyr forced the cabin door closed
with a second beam. My heart hammered as I raced to the door, ready
to fight at my boyfriend’s side. I jiggled the knob but it wouldn’t
budge.

“Tyr Fredriksen! Open this door right now!
Let me do
something
to help you for once, or I’ll…” What?
What would I do? I was on the middle of the lake, stalked by a
killer dog, and magicked in a room by a Norse deity who seemed to
think the best way to defend me was to lock me in places. I pressed
my face against the glass, and wished he’d trust me to defend
myself. I might not have had magic lightning hands, but if they had
a spare stun gun lying around, I could have debilitated the animal
faster than I could have reeled in another fish.

Tyr didn’t seem to need my help. On the other
side of the glass, he loaded the crossbow and fired off a shot. He
quickly fired off two more without blinking. His face was
fierce—jaw locked, brow furrowed, and eyes practically shooting
sparks. He exuded an air of authority that reminded me of exactly
who he was.

And of how much was at stake.

I kept my face against the window. My throat
clenched as Tyr fired another round of arrows into the woods. The
wolf evaded each shot, crouching as if he wanted to pounce, but the
boat was a good hundred yards from the shore; there was no way he’d
make it that far.

“
Skit
.” Tyr swore loud enough for me
to hear through the glass. He threw the crossbow down and held his
hands straight out. He pointed at one of the hundred-foot redwoods,
then made a swiping motion with his arm. The tree broke in half and
crashed to the ground. Fenrir looked up with a start and ran to the
water just as the tree fell. It landed exactly where the wolf had
been standing.

Fenrir crouched again, keeping the boat in
its sights. This didn’t look right. There was no way any wolf
could…

It hit me like a freight train with busted
brakes. Fenrir could do anything. He’d killed Tyr’s immortal
parents. He’d hurt Elsa. He’d broken through the allegedly
impenetrable defenses surrounding Tyr’s house. And now he’d tracked
us from Arcata to the backwoods of Humboldt County. What were we
going to do?

My eyes sought out Tyr’s for reassurance, but
he offered none. His expression was dangerous, his features
contorted in fury. Underneath the rage, his eye twitched. He
chanced a glance at the cabin, and when his eyes locked on mine his
expression broke my heart.

Tyr was afraid. For me.

He waved his hand at the shore, and a
ten-foot wave rose from the lake. It would have taken the wolf
under if Fenrir hadn’t leapt in the air. The animal flew toward the
boat in a narrow arc, closing the distance between us with alarming
speed.

“Look out!” I shrieked, hoping Tyr could hear
me inside the locked cabin.

Tyr picked up the crossbow and lined up his
shot. My pulse quickened—there was no time for Fenrir to alter his
trajectory. The arrow struck the wolf mid-chest and sent him
falling into the water. He floundered, his jaws snapping open and
shut as he struggled to make his way back to shore. The boat rocked
as Fenrir’s movement stirred the waves, and I struggled to stay
upright with the sway.

“Imprison him, Henrik,” Tyr commanded.

Henrik?

Without warning, a figure fell from the sky,
landing in a low crouch near the water. Henrik stood on the sand,
his broad shoulders stiff, and his hands balled in tight fists.
Before I could wrap my mind around what I’d seen, Henrik let out a
cry and leaped from the shore. He flew over the water, heading for
the floundering wolf. Fenrir raised his head when Henrik was still
ten feet away. The wolf gave a feral growl that echoed around the
lake. Just before Henrik could wrap his arms around the beast, it
disappeared. Henrik flew headfirst into the spray, coming up
empty-handed.

What the hell?

“Let me out of here!” I pounded on the door,
but Tyr didn’t look at me. “Tyr Fredriksen, you turn around and
open this door right now, or so help me I will… I will… I will mix
your coffee mugs with your water glasses in those pristine kitchen
cabinets of yours!”

Tyr turned with an expression that danced
between amused and horrified. He twirled a finger at the door and
it flew open. Without wasting another breath, I ran out of the
cabin and glared at Tyr. “Stop locking me in places. I’m not as
helpless as you seem to think I am.”

Tyr didn’t answer me. Instead, he barked an
order. “Henrik, secure the boat. We’re getting out of here. He was
too close to Mia.”

“We are so talking about this later,” I
muttered.

“I’d expect nothing less,” Tyr murmured. He
pulled me to his side. My thick life jacket acted like a buffer
between us as he wrapped a protective arm around me and waved at
Henrik. The other god flew toward the boat, landing lithely on the
deck. Tyr held his crossbow in one hand, and me in the other, while
Henrik cast what looked to be enchantments from both ends of the
boat.

“Good.” I shivered.

Tyr’s mouth was set in a firm line. “I picked
this lake because it was so remote. How did he find us way out
here?”

“He must have tracked Brynn when she brought
the boat this afternoon.” Henrik finished his spell and came to the
center of the deck. “You okay, Mia?”

“I didn’t just dive headfirst into a freezing
lake. Are
you
okay?” I countered.

“I’m great. Just pissed.” My normally jovial
friend emitted tremors of anger. “I’m sorry,
kille
. I’ve
been scanning the area all afternoon. He only just showed up when
you saw him on the shore. He must have transported.”

“Transported?” I asked.

“Used a portal to jump realms. Wherever he’s
coming from, he’s found a way to enter Midgard undetected.” Henrik
slung his bow over his shoulder.

“What does that mean?”

Tyr’s eyes softened as he turned into me. He
pushed a strand of hair off my face and cupped my cheek in one
massive hand. “It means Fenrir has forged a direct line to this
realm. He can show up without warning.”

Henrik let out a sharp breath. “You want me
to swap positions with Brynn?”

“Yes. Effective tonight, Mia’s your primary.”
Tyr narrowed his eyes at the spot where the wolf had been. “Move
her into the cabin. I don’t want her out of your sight.”

My head whipped back and forth between Tyr
and Henrik. “What are you talking about?”

But they continued talking as if I hadn’t
said a word.

“I’ll send Brynn to pick up her things. We
can’t let her out until we trap him.” Henrik stared through me as
he spoke.

“Can’t let me out of where? Y’all better not
lock me in anywhere again. It’s seriously not okay that you keep
doing that.” My words fell on deaf ears.

“Make sure Brynn puts some kind of
enchantment on her house—it’s the first place Fenrir will go, and
we don’t want him picking off her roommates. Odin has enough messes
to deal with right now without two dead human girls.” Tyr spoke
over my head.

“What is going on?” I stamped my foot.

“He got my family; he’s not getting my
girl.”

“Will somebody tell me what’s happening?” I
pleaded.

Tyr looked down like he’d just remembered I
was there. He reached up to stroke my face and shook his head.
“Sorry,
prinsessa
. There’s been a change of plans. You’re
moving in with me.”

“
I’M DOING WHAT? ARE
you insane?” My
tone was unladylike, but the situation called for it. A guy
couldn’t just order a girl to move in with him. Maybe they did that
kind of thing in Asgard, but not in twenty-first century America.
And certainly not with me.

Tyr ignored my glare. He drove to shore in
total silence, despite my increasingly loud protests. It only took
a minute to reach the water’s edge, but I used every one of those
sixty seconds to voice my objection to his Plan Mia’s Life For Her
stratagem. Who exactly did he think I was? I was a Super G
champion, not some simpering damsel in distress.

I drew my shoulders back and lifted my chin.
“In case you didn’t notice, buddy, I am a woman. Not a chattel. You
can’t just order me around like some
thing.
If you want me
to live with you, you have to date me for a really long time,
profess your love, talk to my father, because he’s uber traditional
and really quite sensitive when it comes to these things, and
ask me
if I
want
to live with you. Not order me. Ask
me. There are social rules for this type of behavior, and you,
buddy, are
breaking all of them
. Are you even listening to
me?”

But he wasn’t. He pulled up to the shore and
jumped to action. “Henrik,” Tyr barked. “Enchant the dock.
Protective spell. Then bring the car as close as you can. The vial
with the fish breath is in my pocket, so at least something good
came out of this. I’ll cover Mia, and we’ll head back together.”
Tyr tied the boat to the pier and picked up the bucket with the
remaining fish inside it. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and
began to guide me onto the dock.

“I can walk on my own,
thank you very
much
.” I wrenched my shoulder out of Tyr’s grasp, unsnapped my
life jacket and shoved it into his hands. With a sharp turn I
stormed down the dock, marching a foot ahead of him. It was easier
to be upset with Tyr than it was to think about the terror I’d felt
when the wolf had attacked again. My insides churned at the memory.
There just wasn’t anything about this moment that was okay.

“It’s clear,” Henrik shouted. He’d pulled the
Hummer right up to the dock, and moved from the driver’s spot to
the backseat. “Hurry.”

Tyr and I hustled the short distance to the
truck. He leaned into the truck to hand Henrik the fish before
turning to help me in the passenger’s seat, but I’d already climbed
in on my own. Tyr crossed to the driver’s side, closed the door and
fastened his seatbelt. He hit the accelerator and the truck peeled
backward, making a big “U” on the dirt. He raced through the
redwoods, heading for the highway. Trees flew past at a frightening
speed, but Tyr’s steady hand kept the vehicle on course. He was
determined.