“I will do that,” I replied.
“And Aric?”
“Yes, Ghost?”
“It is highly likely that this will end in battle and in worst case scenario, an all-out war. Prepare both yourself and your queen for that possibility. I would like to count on what is now your city to fight with us. The Brotherhood would find the warriors of Valgertha quite useful on the battlefield, both on land and on water,” he said carefully. His eyes were pensive. His gaze bored into mine, both in warning and expectation. He didn’t have to say it out loud, but it was my mission to ensure that Valgertha stayed in the Brotherhood’s control and it would be a grave mark against me if it fell out of our hands.
He’d granted Freya to me. He’d given me Valgertha as a result. He wanted to know that I would still continue my duties to the Brotherhood, even though I was bonded to another in the most basic and primal sense.
“I will do my part, Ghost. Without question,” I replied confidently. I would do whatever it took to show my loyalty. I owed the Brotherhood my life.
“Good,” he replied carefully, still searching my face for something I wasn’t quite sure of.
“I will start having supplies smuggled into warehouses close by. You will be fully stocked with food, water, and weapons in the case of battle or a siege. This city and your queen will have the silent backing of the Brotherhood. I will make sure that you are prepared to go against Thranar if that is what the gods intend,” he added.
“I will guide Queen Freya to begin her own preparations. Together, we will take down the cult. I would ask for one thing though,” I replied carefully.
“What is it, Aric?”
“I want to be the one to rip Thranar apart,” I snarled. I would look forward to being the one to tear him limb from limb for what he did to my Freya.
He stared at me for a long moment before nodding in understanding. His eyes wrinkled and turned up, revealing his amusement.
“The honor will be all yours,” he said firmly.
Chapter Seven
Freya
I didn’t know what I’d done to piss off the gods. Maybe Zymos was displeased with me and I hadn’t been prepared enough for battle, but holy spirits, was I not prepared to wake up to this kind of pain.
Fuck. Everything hurt. From the tips of my fingers to the ends of my toes, my entire body ached. My shoulder throbbed hard enough to make me cry out quietly, but that all paled to the pulsing headache that pierced at my skull, again and again like I was being stabbed with a knife. My tongue tasted of cotton and I groaned, feeling utterly miserable to be alive. Even after battle, I’d never woken up in pain like this. This was something else altogether.
“Shhhh. Don’t rush to move, my sweet omega,” a voice murmured in the distance and I furrowed my brow, trying to figure out where and who it was. The sound was hazy, and my head felt so foggy. For a long moment, I struggled to open my eyes and when I finally did, the world looked so blurry that I just closed them again, not wanting any of this to be real.
“It hurts,” I moaned.
“I know, Freya. But you’re alive. Praise be the fates,” that same male voice replied. It seemed familiar and for some reason, the sound of it comforted me. A strong hand curled around the back of my neck and lifted my head. A rim was placed against my mouth and the feeling of cold liquid edged against my lips.
“Drink. You need water,” he guided.
I obeyed, drinking down everything in that glass. When all the water was gone, I sighed in relief and my head pulsed just a little less.
“Good girl,” he murmured.
A warm thrill tingled down into my heart and I pressed the side of my head against the strength of that palm. Finally, when I was ready, I opened my eyes and looked up to see the man that I was to spend the rest of my life with.
“Aric,” I breathed softly.
“You remember me,” he replied in relief. “Thranar hit your head so hard that I was worried you may have lost your memory.”
I lifted my arm and groaned at the stiffness in my shoulder.
“He dislocated your sword arm too. I put it back into place,” Aric explained gently.
“Bastard. I would have kicked his ass if he didn’t,” I scoffed.
“I’m sure that you would have,” he replied with an amused chuckle.