When Loki's consort and soulmate marries his rival to save their son from a curse, a prophecy leads to consequences even the God of Chaos couldn't predict.
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The Unseelie Goddess of War's revenge against Asgard's Dark Prince puts him in a no-win s...
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I didn't expect to wake, although given I was in Helheim when I died, perhaps I should have. Everything glowed blue around me, and when I rose—heart pounding, a scream on my lips, and patting my body in a frantic panic—I found myself intact, all limbs present and accounted for. Equally weird, I was still in my fighting leathers, armour, and with all my weapons.
Nice to not have my guts spilling out, but where the fuck was I?
The bed chamber I was in had ice-blue walls, wood furniture, and white and grey furs on the bed. A tray of food sat on the top of the dresser, along with a steaming cup of liquid. Tea, if my nose wasn't lying to me.
Nothing hurt as I walked to the dresser. Would food taste different now that I was dead? I popped a red grape into my mouth and the burst of sweetness exploded on my tongue. It still tasted as I remembered.
Taking the tray and mug with me, I settled down on the bed. Crackers, cheeses, sliced fruit similar to an apple, and grapes. I ate every bite and sighed as I sipped the tea.
The door opened and a silver-haired woman entered, with eyes the same blue as the light that emanated from the walls, ceiling, and even floor. Her blue dress matched her eyes and swirled around her legs as she strode towards me.
"I'm glad to see that you've woken and eaten, Shannon. You are going to need your strength. Your powers won't work until I restore your life."
My heart thumped, then skipped a beat as a roaring sounded in my ears.
"Did you... did you say restore my life?" I asked, my voice cracking as I clenched the mug in my fingers.
She smiled, her eyes glinting as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Indeed I did, my fellow goddess. You were not meant to die today, and you still have a son to save, as well as soulmates to whip into shape. Plus, I owe a debt to someone who saved my life when I needed it. Now, I get to pay it back."
"Who are you?"
"Hecate."
"But wasn't it your hellhounds and vrykolakas that killed me?"
She patted me on the leg. "Yes. I do apologize for that, but I wasn't expecting any living beings to attempt to cross my territory. You had the scent of Youdu clinging to your bodies and my beasts mistook you for Hades' foul creatures. We don't get along, he and I. He tries to steal my territory, sending in his black hounds and disgusting carrion birds."
"We wouldn't have entered your territory, but we couldn't get past Hraesvelg. He blocked the way to the ladders down to the Ghost Gate."
Hecate wrinkled her nose. "That disgusting giant eagle of Hades. He thinks if he parks his ass on the edge of my territory, it will help him invade." She tilted her head. "Or did he want to force you into my territory, knowing what would happen? You didn't have a token of safe passage from Hades? We didn't find one on you or your soulmates."
