Perfekt Order (The Ære Saga Book 1) (44 page)

“You okay, baby?”

“That depends.” I raked his bare back with my
fingernails. “I can handle the feral wolves, and homicidal dragons,
and whatever else you play with for fun. But I’m going to need a
whole lot of kisses to make up for all the crazy. Whenever you’re
around, I need to know there will be heaps of this.”

I wrapped my fingers in his hair and brought
his head down to mine. I poured everything I had into that kiss,
letting go of the pain, the fear, and the absolute agony I’d felt
when I thought I’d lost him. We melted together for a delicious
moment, and when Tyr pulled back, all that was left was the feeling
that I was exactly where I was meant to be.

“What do you think?” I murmured.

Tyr rubbed his nose along my jaw. He flexed
his hips gently as he moved, sending the slow throb in my belly
into overdrive. I wrapped my leg around him and pulled him closer.
When our eyes met, his were crinkled at the edges in his signature
half-smile.

“What do I think?” Tyr repeated. His wink
sent all-too-familiar heat dancing along my spine. It raced from my
neck to my tailbone, radiating across my torso until my entire
midsection was warm. Tyr growled as I squirmed beneath him. His
eyes darkened and he looked down at me, leaving no doubt as to how
very much in control of his world he was.

Double yum.

My lashes fluttered against his nose as I
blinked up at him. However crazy a life with the God of War might
get, there was no place else I’d want to be.

Tyr raised an eyebrow. “I think… that you
have no idea what you’re in for.”

“Is that so?”

“No. Idea.” Tyr stroked my cheek with one
finger.

Then he hooked the hem of my sweater with his
thumbs. With one swift movement, he tugged it over my head and
threw it onto the floor, leaving me in my camisole. He rested his
weight on one forearm, running his thumb lightly across my lips
before tracing a path from my neck, over my chest, and down to my
stomach. His hand pushed up the fabric of my shirt so it bunched
just below my bra. He spread his fingers outward across my lower
abdomen, leaving a thousand burning embers dancing along my skin. I
wanted to be his so desperately, my soul ached. He couldn’t promise
me forever; we didn’t even know where tomorrow would take him. But
we had this moment. And hopefully, if we were lucky, we had more
moments just like this—whenever and however we could piece them
together. It would be enough.

It had to be.

I pulled him closer, and Tyr lifted his hand
with agonizing slowness, setting his arm alongside my body. Now he
had me locked between positively massive forearms. Tyr brought his
mouth to where his hand had been, peppering a trail of kisses up my
still-burning stomach. I gripped the sheets tightly in a pointless
effort to stay still. These kisses were overwhelming—the sensations
too intense. He shifted his attention to the neckline of my
camisole, and ran his nose along the black lace.

“Mmm.” He exhaled as he spoke, his breath
leaving a warm trail along my already overheated skin. He nipped
lightly at the swollen flesh just above the fabric, then soothed
the bite with his tongue. It felt warm, and wet, and when he pulled
his mouth away, the cool air sent a shiver down my spine.

Tyr glanced up as I stilled. “You okay?” he
asked.

I nodded.

Tyr dropped his head again, and I laced my
fingers through his hair as I gave myself over to him. There was
nobody else I’d ever trusted with this part of me, and I wanted Tyr
to understand—to feel—just how wholly I loved every part of him.
The good. The bad. The downright ugly. All the things Tyr loathed
about himself were the very things that made him imperfectly
perfect in my eyes, and I wanted him to know how completely he
owned my heart.

Tyr’s mouth made a slow trajectory upward,
licking a languid trail along my neck. He took his time,
alternating sweet kisses with naughty bites. I squirmed underneath
him and pulled at his hair so he had to look up. I met his eyes,
and ran my tongue along my bottom lip. His gaze glazed over, and he
stirred on top of me.

“Well then, Mr. War God, I’d better not keep
you waiting any longer.” I gently pushed him off me and rolled so I
could remove my cami. I felt incredibly vulnerable, but also
incredibly safe. I knew that however overwhelming this moment
seemed, Tyr the Protector would take care of me.

Tyr used one hand to wrap long fingers around
my wrists and locked my arms in place, stopping me from undressing.
“Hold on,
prinsessa
. Remember what I told you—we’ve got a
lot of ground to cover between here”—he kissed my lips softly—“and
there.” He ran a finger along the still-buttoned waistband of my
jeans. “And I want you to enjoy every single second of the
journey.”

“I’m fairly confident I’ll enjoy the trip.” I
tried to reach for my shirt again, but Tyr’s grip was too tight. I
looked at him in confusion. “Don’t you want to do this?”

“Oh, I want to.” Tyr leaned down and took my
earlobe between his teeth, the raking sensation making me shiver.
“And we will. In good time. But a certain human recently accused me
of breaking protocol. And that’s a mistake I don’t intend to
repeat.”

“I did what now?”

“I believe your exact words were, ‘You might
do things that way in whatever boondocks part of Asgard you’re
from, but around here there are traditions you have to observe.
Steps you have to take.’ Or something like that. Sound
familiar?”

I squirmed. My brain was
not
firing on
all cylinders. “I said that?”

“You were rather upset when I suggested you
move in with me. Accused me of moving too fast. Remember?” Tyr
positioned me beside him, holding my arms over my head and running
his nose along my arm.
Yum, yum, yum…

“Yeah, well. Um. I retract that
statement.”

“Mmm.” Tyr licked a lazy circle along the
inside of my elbow, and I turned my head to kiss his
stubble-peppered jaw. “I’m afraid there are no retractions. The
Norns showed me something today while I was, er…”

“Dead?” I whispered.

“I prefer
regrouping
.” Tyr licked my
arm again, and my eyes rolled back. “Regardless. The future they
showed me… it made me realize that this thing between us, it’s
going to last for a very long time. At least, it will if I do
things with you the right way. I promised I’d never hurt you, and I
intend to keep my word.”

“But—”

“But nothing. This is a big deal, and there’s
no need to rush into it. I’m not going anywhere. We have
forever.”

“No,
you
have forever. I’m mortal,
remember?”
I’m also a ticking bomb of hormones. Just an
FYI
.

“Mmm.” Tyr flicked my earlobe with his
tongue.
Oh. My. Norse god.
Was he trying to kill me? “Well,
maybe we’ll have to do something about that.”

“Something about what?” The ear kissing was
not helping me focus on Tyr’s words, and something in his tone made
them seem like very important words.

“Don’t worry about it, my beautiful
prinsessa
. Just know that I will always take care of you.”
Tyr
finally
released the manacles on my wrists and pulled my
shirt over my head, leaving me in my lacy bra. He pulled me against
him so he could cradle me in his arms. Our bodies fit together, his
warm skin against mine, which was absolutely, wholly, without a
doubt, where I was destined to be.

“I love you, Mia,” Tyr growled against my
forehead. “I think I always have. And laws be damned, I always
will.”

“Show me,” I whispered. He pulled back to
meet my eyes with his signature smile.

“Gladly.” He pressed his lips against mine,
closing what little distance was left between us. My heart swelled
as I realized that finally, I could be Tyr’s.

In every way that mattered.

“
TAKE YOUR TIME. JASON’S
not going to
be here for another two hours.” I tucked my phone under my chin so
I could transfer Meemaw’s red velvet cookies to a cooling rack.
“And dinner’s not going to be ready for another… well, hopefully
about the same.”

“You said you’re making pot roast?” On the
other end of the line, Tyr sounded tired. He’d taken a call from
Asgard
very
early that morning, then darted out of the house
to help the dwarves handle a border skirmish with some dragons. I
hadn’t expected him back before tomorrow morning, but he was
pushing to get home in time to welcome my brother.

“Of course. It’s Jase’s favorite. It’ll be
yours, too, once you taste it.” I set the baking tray in the sink
and turned the oven down to three-hundred.

“Everything you make is delicious, but your
lasagna will always be my favorite. It’s the first thing you ever
cooked for me. I’m nothing if not sentimental.”

“True. Because when I think war god, I think
sentimental lasagna lover. Oh, and remember, if Jason asks, I still
live on Daffodil Drive. My folks would flip out if they knew I
spent my weekends here.” I wasn’t totally lying to them. I still
kept most of my clothes at my “official” collegiate residence. I
just
occasionally
happened to enjoy the amenities at Tyr’s
place, too.

Tyr chuckled. “I’m sure your brother knows
how to keep a secret. Now come here so I can kiss you.”

“What?”

There was a knock at the front door.

“Oh my gosh, are you here already?” I threw
my oven mitt on the counter and raced down the hallway. “I thought
you said you were still in Dwarfheim?”

“Nidavellir, but close enough.” Tyr’s key
sounded in the lock, and I skidded to a stop as he opened the front
door. His cargo pants were torn, there was blood caked on his black
T-shirt, and his hair was matted with a thick black substance that
looked suspiciously like tar. But his eyes bore their telltale
twinkle, and his mouth was curved up in a half smile. “
Hei
hei
, love. Miss me?”

He tucked his phone in his pocket just as I
launched myself at him. My arms clutched his neck as my legs
wrapped around his waist. I buried my face in his chest and inhaled
his sprucey scent, too excited to care that my cheek was probably
touching singed dragon bits… or worse. “You’re home!”

“I’m home.” Tyr wrapped his arms around me
and squeezed, his large hands pressing into the small of my back.
“I promised I would be.”

“I know, but… well…”

“I know.” Tyr kissed the top of my head, and
I looked up at him. “You don’t have to worry about me. I promised
I’d always come back to you.”

“Yeah.” I ducked my head. “But dragons? Come
on, that’s scary.”

“Naw, dragons aren’t scary. Now meeting your
brother? The one who said he’d end me if I ever hurt you? That’s
scary.” Tyr set me gently on my feet and leaned down. When he
stood, he held up a bouquet of pastel pink flowers. “For my girl.
Sorry for tracking dwarf dust in the house.”

I took the flowers from his hands and inhaled
deeply.

Tyr picked up his duffle bag and wiped his
feet on the mat before stepping into the hallway. “These grew in
the meadow where Heimdall dropped the Bifrost. I couldn’t resist
bringing my girl a piece of ‘Dwarfheim.’”

“Ha ha.” I cuffed him on the shoulder and
padded down the hallway to put the flowers in water. “You look
exhausted. You should just go upstairs and sleep; Jason won’t mind
if he doesn’t get to see you until—”

Tyr gripped my forearm and spun me around. He
cupped my cheek in his palm and stopped my words with a kiss. “The
only thing I want to do right now is be with you. I missed
you.”

“Well, you’ve been off all day slaying
dragons. Literally.” I shook my head. “You have a really bizarre
job, you realize this?”

“I do.” Tyr pulled me into his arms and sat
on the kitchen stool. “And you’re about to have one, too.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned
back. “What does that mean? Does Henrik have another robotics
project for me? Oh god, you don’t need another limb, do you?”

“No, nothing like that.” Tyr chuckled. “My
limbs are fine.” He picked me up so I could sit on his lap. “Do you
remember learning about the Keys?”

“Unifiers, Healers, Seers. I know the deal,”
I recalled.

“Right. Because of my title, my mate will be
granted a key role, so long as she’s got the inclination.” Tyr
stroked my hair.

“At marriage. I remember.”

“Well?” Tyr tilted his head.

“Well what?”

“Well, do you want to be my Unifier?” Tyr
held my gaze with a soft smile.

I froze.

“I’m not proposing, Mia. I know you; you’re
not ready.”

“Are
you
ready?” I squeaked.

“Of course. I’ve been waiting my entire
existence for you. But you’re only seventeen. You need to be able
to vote, first.”

“Gee, thanks, Mom.”

Tyr laughed. “No, I’m asking you to start
thinking about whether you
want
to take on the Unifier job.
Since I have no intention of letting you go, and you’ve got a steep
learning curve because you’re a mortal, you have to think about
whether it’d be a good fit for you.”

I took a slow breath. “That’s kind of a big
deal. Can a human even be a Unifier?”

“
My
human sure as Helheim can.” Tyr
winked. “You’re something else, Mia Ahlström. I wouldn’t count you
out for anything.”

I kissed the tip of his nose and slid to my
feet. “You’re learning.” I winked over my shoulder as I crossed to
the stove to check on the pot roast. It looked fine, but I used the
baster to cover it with broth just in case. “I’ll talk to Elsa
about it. I’ve got, like, a thousand questions for her anyway.”

“I would expect nothing less of you.”

I stuck out my tongue. “And speaking of
questions, tell Henrik to hurry up and ask Brynn out already. It’s
driving her nuts.”