Ragnarök Rising: The Omega Prophecy I Page 13

  All I needed now was for Magni to bluster about how she would learn to obey him a few more times, and the girl would choose me without a second thought when the time came.

  “The well isn’t far,” Magni said from up ahead. He was once again leading us, allowing me to bring up the rear. I normally wouldn’t have allowed a hostile alpha to take the lead, but the more she experienced the controlling asshole he truly was, the better.

  Besides, I had a fabulous view of Annabel’s leather-clad backside from here. Magni was only cheating himself.

  “This doesn’t seem familiar,” my mate mumbled, taking in the dense forest lining the western path around the outskirts of Yggdrasil’s roots.

  “I would be surprised if it did,” I said, amused that she thought it would. “Guessing you haven’t swung by Mimir’s well before, hmm?”

  “No,” she said, but the hesitance in her voice suggested she was confused nonetheless.

  Poor girl hadn’t had an easy twenty-four hours.

  We walked for maybe half a mile more before the path twisted sharply to the right, through a thorny thicket. The glade beyond wasn’t more than maybe thirty feet across, covered in blackened, dead vegetation, and in the center stood the familiar stone well, pointing toward the gray skies above.

  “It’s here,” Magni said, coming up beside Annabel to place a hand on the small of her back.

  I moved in on her other side, instincts to protect swelling for some unknown reason. Probably because I hadn’t fucked her since her heat. Fucking alpha hormones. If Magni hadn’t been around I’d have flipped her over and taken her until she liked it before we got going for the day—but I wasn’t about to give him any advantages in her eyes.

  “This is not like I remember,” I said, frowning at the clearing. When my father’d taken me here decades ago, the grass surrounding the well had been lush and emerald green. Of course, that was long before the Fimbulwinter set in. Jotunheim might not be hit like the human world was, but it was foolish to believe any of the nine realms would be untouched by Ragnarök’s arrival.

  Annabel jolted between us, her gaze flickering up to mine and then back to the well. “I… I don’t think we should go any further,” she said. “I’ve got… a bad feeling about this.”

  “The Norn told us to find Mimir,” Magni said, letting his hand stroke up her back in a soothing motion that should have pissed me off but somehow didn’t. “You’ve just been through a lot, pet. Your nerves are overworked.”

  She shot him a glare he didn’t notice as he stepped forward, making his way to the well.

  I put a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. “This is what you wanted, right? A chance to prove your role in this.”

  She frowned up at me, uncertainty flickering in her chocolate eyes. “I guess. It’s just… Something’s off. I had this… well, I thought it was a vision, but….” She looked around the clearing, shoulders slumping in defeat. “But it didn’t look like this.”

  Vision? Had Verdandi told her she could see the future? Something stirred at the back of my skull—the first sliver of doubt that just maybe the Norn hadn’t lied to the willful omega to get her to accept her fate. If she had magic… it would make sense that she was the human fated to save Loki’s lineage.

  “What do you mean it didn’t look like this?” I asked.

  “There was a thick fog everywhere… but you and Magni… you were the same.”

  I sighed, oddly disappointed as I grabbed her hand. It was better this way—a mate with magic was more trouble than a weak human. “Visions are very clear—they don’t deviate from the details. Come, sweetling. There is nothing to be afraid of—at most, Mimir might tell us a long and boring story before he gets to the point. He doesn’t get out much—but he isn’t dangerous.”

  She didn’t respond, but she let me drag her toward the well where Magni was already waiting, bent over the side of it. His long, red hair danced in the wind as he stared into the depths below.

  “He home?” I joked as I stepped up on the bottom rim of the stone construction and peered down.

  Fog swirled below, thick and languid, its tendrils slowly creeping up the inner sides of the well. Instantly, my breathing slowed down as my brain hazed over.

  Fight it.

  The thought came from faraway, as if moving through molten molasses, and I blinked stupidly at the swirling mist below.

  Fight… what?

  An urgency that didn’t belong to me shot through my nervous system, and in a daze I realized I felt him. Magni. The bond that connected me with Annabel tugged urgently on me from within, but the desperation was muted and didn’t come from her. It was him.

  That’s when I saw it. The creature hiding behind the fog, its features hidden by the swirling mist. It wasn’t Mimir. It was something else... Lurking. Waiting.

  I tried to jerk back, but my body didn’t react. I stayed locked in place, unable to move. Unable to shout a warning when Annabel came up between us and leaned over the side of the well, peering down.

  “Hello. Mr. Mimir?” she said, squinting into the well. “I’m Annabel Turner. We’ve come to seek your advice.”

  “I’ve been waiting for you,” a voice that definitely didn’t belong to Mimir said.

  Down in the yawning void, something dazzled with a strange sort of half-light, once more hiding the creature from view.

  “Guys?” Annabel whispered between us, looking to first me and then Magni. “I kind of don’t think I should be leading the conversation here.”

  The blackness congealed around that single point of brilliance. “They are frozen, shiny one. You cannot rouse them.”

  “What?” Annabel jerked back, her hands reaching for each of us. When shaking us did nothing, she stared back into the well. I felt the swell of her fear in my chest.

  Run, Annabel, run, I prayed silently. Whatever was hiding below the fog, it was powerful enough to have blocked not only my access to my physical body, but my magic too. And Magni’s along with it.

  But she didn’t run. My stupid, brave little omega clenched her hands around the edge of the well, staring into the mist. “Why? What do you want from me?”

  “Your coming was foretold. I want to help you, and they would never let me,” the voice said.

  Annabel arched an eyebrow. “Well, yeah. You foretold it, as far as I understand. That doesn’t explain why you’ve frozen Saga and Magni.”

  The voice grew nearer, as did the solidifying void. “They seek to shackle you, shiny one. They will use your magic for their own needs. But what about your plans? What about everything you desire? Let me help you, and you will be a slave no longer.”

  My heart thudded unevenly in my chest. Whatever this thing was, it knew her deepest wish.

  I wanted to scream when I saw Annabel lean further over the edge, parting her lips in an expression of desperation. “You can do that? You can… remove the marks? But what about Ragnarök? Verdandi showed my… our fates. They’re intertwined. And your prophecy—”

  “They brought you here. That was their only job. They’re selfish creatures, unconcerned with your wants. They took what they needed from you, and if you let them, they will keep taking until there’s nothing left. Nothing but an empty shell. You don’t need them, shiny one. Let me help you break free from your chains.”

  “I….” She hesitated, one delicate hand reaching for the marks emblazoned on the back of her neck. My heart shuddered when she brushed her fingers over mine, the sensation sending a vibration through our bond. Then, her face hardened and she gripped the edge of the well again. “What do you want in return?”

  No. No, no, no!

  The fog swirled, tendrils shooting higher up the side of the well. “Just a sip of your essence. It has been so long… since I tasted magic.”

  Annabel bit her lip. “Will… will it hurt?”

  “Yes.” It was a breathless whisper, and it chilled me to the bone.

  The dark-haired omega swallowed notic
eably, but seemed to steel herself. “And if I do this, you promise you will break my mate bonds and help me stop Ragnarök?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, then. How…?”

  “Lean closer,” the creature pressed. “Let me reach you.”

  I strained with everything I was, fighting against the invisible bonds. By my side and through the bond I shared with Annabel, I felt Magni’s desperation flare as urgently and knew he was clawing at his own restraints in our shared need to get to our mate before whatever was in that cursed well either kept its word and broke out connection—or worse.

  Oblivious to our desperate fight, Annabel leaned further over the edge, trying to look through the fog. “I can’t see anything.”

  “I see you,” the voice said. “Just a little closer.”

  Light reflected off the white blanket, sparking in multi-hued splendor. It reminded me of an aurora draping the stars in radium ribbons. Annabel reached out, stretching a hand toward it, mesmerized by the deceitful beauty.

  And that’s when I finally saw what was lurking underneath.

  It rose through the fog, dark tendrils snaking up with a speed too fast to counter. It wrapped around Annabel’s wrist, pulling taut as the mist finally dispersed.

  Teeth. So many teeth flashed, too many eyes focusing on the woman in its grip.

  “Shit!” she screamed, pulling hard on the tendril around her wrist. “Let go of me!”

  The creature yanked harder on her, nearly pulling her shoulder from its socket as it breached the edge of the well. Another tendril snaked up, wrapping around her throat and yanking her head up and back.

  “You agreed. A deal is a deal,” it hissed. “Give me your essence.”

  The fear and pain shooting through my mate bond was blinding, and in my head I screamed her name as the creature’s black mouth covered hers.

  Annabel jolted hard, and with her free hand punched the inky monster square in about five of the eyes covering its head.

  It pulled back with a hiss, quickly grabbing the offending limb to restrain her fully.

  “No! Help! Saga—Magni! Help me!” It was a desperate shriek and died on a groan when the creature attached itself to her face once more.

  The world around us convulsed hard, and I felt all my divine power swell up without my conscious thought, hammering at the invisible bindings keeping me locked in place. By my side, I felt Magni’s essence tearing at his own, saw the air quake as we both fought with everything we were—but it wasn’t enough.

  Panic clenched my chest as something drained from the other end of my bond. Something that sapped the light out of the world and opened a chasm where my heart should have been.

  Her life essence.

  My mate was going to die.

  And I didn’t have the strength to save her in time.

  Magni’s pain echoed through the bond, mirroring my own as he came to the same conclusion.

  In the end, neither of us were strong enough to protect the mate we’d claimed. Neither of us were worthy—

  The realization struck like lightning from a clear sky.

  Neither of us were enough to save her—alone.

  Without waiting to think it through, I drew my power to me—and then forced it at the bonds keeping Magni frozen.

  A crack like a falling tree snapped through the glade, followed by the familiar stench of ozone.

  Magni roared his fury out, his battle cry echoing like waves of thunder. His hands lit up like a pair of Roman candles, and then he lunged at the creature and grabbed onto its face.

  The air ignited in static arcs around the redheaded alpha, followed by another blast of thunder as lightning shot through the slimy flesh.

  The creature brayed, its howl splitting into a chorus of discordant tones. Annabel dropped to the floor as the monster thrashed, releasing her to fight off the furious god.

  But it was too late—Magni wasn’t letting go. He funneled his power through it, lighting it up from the inside. But in its fury it snaked its tendrils around his torso and tore its teeth into his arm.

  “Magni!” Annabel stumbled to her feet and threw herself at the beast, fists aiming for its many eyes. She was a small whirlwind of fury, kicking and punching at the terrifyingly powerful creature as if her puny human strength could do any damage to a being such as this.

  But somewhere along the way she must have gotten enough of a lucky shot in to startle it, because it drew back from Magni with a howl.

  The other alpha snarled, blood dripping from his arm as he lit into the creature with another crack of thunder.

  Bright light flashed, blinding me with its sharpness and making Annabel stumble back, one arm raised to shield her eyes from the light.

  When it dimmed, there was nothing but a pile of ash where the monster had been.

  The bindings that had kept me in place snapped just as Magni sank to his knees with a groan.

  I pushed off the well and spun around to Annabel.

  “Are you all right? Did it hurt you?” I grabbed her face between both hands, turned it to both sides and peered into her eyes to ensure the spark was still there.

  “I’m… I think I’m okay,” she whispered. “It didn’t take much. That wasn’t Mimir, was it?”

  I laughed, mostly because the relief of her survival had my head spinning, and crushed her to my chest to soothe our still-quivering bond. “No, it wasn’t. I don’t know what that thing was, but it’s gone now.” She smelled like ozone too, now, like Magni. But as I buried my nose in her hair and breathed in deeply, I found that I didn’t mind, because she was safe and that was all that mattered. “Don’t ever do something that dumb again.”

  “Dumb?” She protested, pushing against my chest. I held on. “You brought me here! You told me it was fine, after I said I had a bad feeling about this!”

  She had a point. “That fucking Norn. We should get going. We don’t know if there are any more of its kind around.”

  “Where do we go?” Magni said, his voice strained. “Mimir’s gone. How the fuck do we find him now?”

  I turned around to where he was sat slumped against the well, and the shock of it made me finally loosen my grip on Annabel.

  His face was ashen, trickles of blood still leaking from where the monster had bitten him. He looked… weak. Sick.

  “Magni,” Annabel whispered. She pushed out of my grip and knelt by his side. Hesitantly, she brought her hand to his cheek, careful not to touch his arm. “Are you… okay?”

  He grimaced, mouth pulled into a grim line. “I’ll be fine.”

  But he wasn’t fine. He looked halfway to the grave, and with a wave of gratitude I realized what he’d given to save Annabel.

  That creature had wanted her essence—her life force. Evidently, it’d taken Magni’s instead.

  “Saga’s right,” he said, each word pronounced carefully, as if it caused him great difficulty. “We need to get out of here.”

  Annabel reached for his hand to try and pull him up, but she was no match for his weight.

  I pushed her aside before she could hurt herself and clasped my hand in Magni’s. His fingers were cold against mine, but he managed to get to his feet. He didn’t protest when I took the lead.

  Nor did he seem to notice the ravens circling up above us.

  15

  Magni

  I made it maybe two miles from Mimir’s well before my body’s scream for reprieve became too much to bear. Judging from the low set of the sun, it’d taken more than five hours to cover the short distance.

  “We need to rest,” Annabel said. She’d been walking behind me for the past mile or so, taking up a position of protection I should have offered her. Not the other way around.

  Saga looked over his shoulder at me, and I gritted my teeth in expectation of his challenge.

  “I’m fine,” I sneered. “We push on.” I’d rather die than he know how weak I was right then. If he did, there’d be nothing stopping him from taking Annabel.
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  My lungs constricted at the thought, and I pushed down a wave of nausea.

  If he took her from me, the gods would perish.

  “No,” Saga said, surprising me. “It’s late. We need to make camp.” He motioned toward a glade half-covered in sprawling brambles.

  I stared at him for a moment longer, trying to figure out what his game was. If I were him, if he’d been the one so weakened, I’d have pushed my advantage. If he wasn’t, he was up to something—he was Loki’s son after all.

  The muscles in my arm spasmed, and I nearly faltered. With a grunt, I nodded. “Fine. We rest.”

  Annabel put her arm on my back to support me, as if her small body could do anything to keep me up. But her touch through the nubile leather of my clothes felt good, and somehow I found the strength to walk the few steps to the glade. I sank down against a tree, eyes fluttering closed before I could stop them.

  This was better. Not good. But better.

  “I’m going to hunt,” Saga said.

  I cracked my eyelids open to look up at him. He stared down at me, an expression across his face I couldn’t quite decipher. It looked almost like… pity. But no. I was the son of Thor—no one pitied me. And he was the son of Loki—he was incapable of such emotion.

  “With what?” I asked. “Your magic isn’t offensive and it’s not like we have weapons handy.”

  Saga’s lips hiked up at the corner, a haughty smirk playing across his face. “Well, at least the meat won’t be singed this time, eh?”

  I didn’t have the energy to argue—and Annabel needed to eat. As much as it killed me not being able to provide for her myself, a small part of me was grateful her other alpha would.

  I should have been infuriated at the thought, humiliated I needed another man to care for my omega—but I didn’t have the strength. Instead of answering him, I leaned my head back against the trunk and closed my eyes.

  “Stay hidden,” Saga murmured, the softness in his voice indicating the command was directed at Annabel. “I’ll be back soon.”