Tro (Elsker Saga Book 3) (2 page)

“Wake up
now
, Kristia.” The warmth moved away from my cheek, and when I dragged my eyes open I found myself cradled in strong arms. The magnificent blond deity looking down at me had a furrowed brow, set jaw, and the perma-stubble that was so characteristically Ull. Even on his wedding day, he couldn’t bring himself to shave.

“Hi,” I murmured as I rubbed the sleep from my lids. All thoughts of my nightmare were instantly forgotten as I lost myself in my brand-spankin’-new husband’s endless blue eyes.

“Hi yourself.” Ull brushed a lock of hair off my face and lifted me so I was positioned tightly against him. “Must have been some dream.”

“Hmm?” I dragged myself away from the whirlpool that was Ull’s gaze, and absorbed my surroundings. Opulent couches equipped with seatbelts, a small table holding half-empty champagne flutes, and an entertainment unit that would rival my fantasy of a Hollywood screening room. Asgard’s private jet was equal parts elegance and comfort, and right now it was barreling toward the mysterious destination where Ull and I would spend the first night of our married life.

Oh, God. Our wedding night
. I swallowed hard as I tried not to over-think that one.

“Are you cold?” Ull reached behind him to pull a blanket over my bare legs. The skirt of my going-away dress had inched up another few centimeters, so it barely covered the tops of my thighs. Now the expanse of exposed flesh was being massaged by Ull’s rather sizeable palm.

I flushed. “Not anymore.”

“Good.” Ull leaned down to press his cheek to my forehead. “Now, are you going to tell me why you were yelling in your sleep? Did you have another vision?”

I struggled to remember the images that must have troubled my dreams. But for the first time, something had slipped through the normally firm grip of my subconscious. Flashes of colors came to mind—dark purples, menacing crimson; and feelings—desolation, fear, and…joy? That made no sense. Those feelings went together as well as peanut butter and pickles.

“I don’t know what I was dreaming about.” I shook my head. “I can’t remember it.”

Ull’s brow furrowed against mine. “Is this common? Have you forgotten your dreams before?”

“Not that I can think of. Usually they’re right there when I wake up.” I shrugged. “Must not have been important, I guess.”

“You were screaming.” Ull spoke softly. “You sounded afraid.”

“Really?” I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to force the dream back into my consciousness. But it was gone, filtered from my memories like water through a fishing-net. “Sorry. I have nothing.”

I opened my eyes and blinked at Ull. He was frowning at me.

“I do not have to stress to you the importance of your visions. If they—”

“I know.” My fingers grazed his arm.

“You are the Seer—and now that you are immortal, this makes you Asgard’s strongest defense. If whatever you envisioned is something that might come to fruition, it is imperative that you share it with me.”

“Sorry, Ull. I’ve really got nothing.” I shook my head. “You know I’d tell you if I could.”

“If you think of anything,
anything
—”

“I know.” I raised a finger to stroke the stubble along his jaw. “I’ll tell you right away. You know you don’t have to worry about me all the time.”

“Kristia, you are my world. Of course I worry.”

I sighed. Ull was innately protective—his position as an Asgardian warrior gave him every right to expect the worst could happen to the people he loved. But ever since our favorite Norn, Elsker, had declared I was this long-prophesied visionary the gods dubbed the Seer, he’d taken protective to a whole new level. Because I was privy to visions of the past, present, and future, I was the shiniest new weapon in Asgard’s arsenal. I was also one of our enemies’ most highly sought-after targets. And with everything we’d just been through, my six-foot, five-inch, immortal assassin was terrified that somebody would take me away from him.

It was kind of adorable.

“Is there any chance we could just enjoy our honeymoon?” I moved my finger along Ull’s jaw, over his Adam’s apple, and down the hollow of his neck. My palm rested against his chest; the thud of his heart beat a steady rhythm against my skin. “Please?”

“That look is not going to work on me every time, you know.” Ull sounded frustrated.

“Then why is the corner of your mouth twitching?”

“Because. That look
is
going to work on me ninety nine percent of the time, and you know it.” Ull chuckled. “All right. I will drop it. But only because we are here.”

“We are?” I leaned across Ull’s lap and tried to raise the window shade.

“Not yet. Trust me, you want to see the whole picture. Not just a sliver of it.” He tightened his arms around my shoulders as the plane touched down. In seconds it came to a stop, and the world’s loveliest flight attendant walked out of the cockpit. She pressed a button on the side of the plane and a door opened, inviting beams of sunlight into the dim cabin. It was a shock after spending several hours in semi-darkness, and I blinked against the brightness.

“Sorry sweetheart.” Ull reached into my bag, then placed a pair of sunglasses atop my nose. He cupped my cheek in one hand. “I forget how sensitive your eyes must be.”

It was true. Enhanced vision was just one of the side effects of becoming a goddess. But if the sparks shooting off my cheek were any indication, my sensitivity to Ull’s touch was going to be much more problematic.

“Come.” Ull stood. After the wedding he’d changed into a black suit and a crisp button down, but sometime during the flight he’d ditched his coat. Now he smoothed the front of his pants, stretched his long legs and held out a hand. I wound my fingers through his and followed him to the front of the plane, tugging at the hem of my dress as I moved. “Leave it,” Ull ordered without looking back. “I like it up there.”

The temperature in my cheeks tripled.

“Mr. and Mrs. Myhr.” Our flight attendant tossed her chocolaty-brown hair over one shoulder. “Welcome to Asgard Cay.”

“Thank you, Stacey.” Ull nodded as he stepped out of the plane. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of aviator shades. He put them on, and turned to me, hand outstretched. “Are you ready?”

There was no way I could ever be ready for this—my first day as an immortal, starting my honeymoon with a Norse god. So I did the only thing I could. I closed my eyes, took a breath, and put my hand in his. Then I stepped out of the cabin.

“Let’s do this.”

ULL WASN’T KIDDING
when he said he was taking me somewhere remote. We were right in the middle of Odin-knows-where, surrounded by pristine turquoise water on all sides. The jet was parked on a landing strip that looked out of place on a stretch of pink sand. It was the only thing on the narrow patch of land; a boat docked thirty yards away would be our transportation to the foliage-rich island in the distance.

“Where are we?” I kept my weight on my toes as I followed Ull across the grainy sand. The designer stilettos Victoria had gifted me might have been the “
it
” shoe of the season, but they weren’t exactly the best beachwear. I breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the dock, stepping over the gaps between boards as Ull loaded our suitcases onto the boat.

“Asgard Cay, the Firm’s private island and resident safe house in this quadrant of Midgard.”

Ull hummed as he worked. When the boat was loaded, he turned to me with an impish smile. “Get in here.” His hands easily circled my waist and he lifted me into the boat before jumping in after me.

“You’re in a good mood.”

Ull raised an eyebrow. “Like you said. It is time to enjoy our honeymoon.”

I ducked behind a wall of blonde hair so Ull wouldn’t see my blush. “Drive, Myhr.”

“As you wish.”

Ull steered effortlessly, whistling as the boat cut through the smooth water. His eyes sparkled from beneath his aviators, and even the permanently tense line of his jaw seemed to have relaxed. For the first time since I’d met him, Ull appeared fully at ease.

When we docked on the opposite shore, it was easy to see why. Asgard Cay was a pristine island covered in white sand. Immaculate waters mirrored Ull’s irises and lush jungle foliage teemed with colorful birds, loudly singing their greeting. There were no roads, no signs, not even a footprint to make me think there was another human—or god—on the island. Even the jet had taken off, though I hadn’t heard its quiet departure over the motor of the boat.

Ull tossed our luggage on the dock, bending to lift me onto the planks. He kept me tightly in one hand, our luggage in the other, and walked toward a house set in from the water’s edge.

“Home sweet home.” Ull grinned.

Cue the understatement police.

I took in the Paleolithic jungle plants framing the grand wooden structure, the oversized shutters guarding each wide-paned window, and the bright tropical flowers and tiki torches lining the path from ocean to front step. The far side of the home backed into the foliage, while the front of the veranda led directly onto the pale sand of the beach. It was absolutely breathtaking.

“Do all your residences look like this?”

“No.” Ull stopped walking. “Some are bigger.”

I raised my eyes to the heavens. “Well this one is lovely.”

“Not compared to you.” Ull let the words linger between us, and my cheeks blazed anew. Apparently becoming an Asgardian had done diddly-squat for my inability to hide emotions. Ull touched my flaming face with a smile. “I have never seen anything more beautiful than you wearing that dress, walking to join me at the alter.”

“So you liked my dress?”

“Yes. But I liked what it symbolized more.” Ull didn’t have to explain. He’d spent his existence thinking he was destined to live alone. It baffled him that I’d willingly traded my mortality for what he saw as a near certain-death sentence. Ragnarok loomed on the horizon, and it promised to end the Norse pantheon once and for all. But what Ull could never understand was that immortality with him, even if it only lasted a few months, was infinitely more valuable to me than one hundred years of being human. Ull was my world, and nothing was going to keep me from enjoying every single minute I got to spend at his side.

“Come on, handsome. I want to see the house.”

-Ull dropped the luggage and carried me across the threshold before setting me gently on my feet. I walked across the smooth wooden boards, taking in the open floor-plan. The living area stretched in front of me, large windows looking to the beach beyond. The kitchen sat behind the living area, with a large island-top and barstools separating the two. The bedrooms were off to each side, their imposing teak doors left open just enough to allow a glimpse of the key pieces of furniture. Ull kissed my cheek, pointed me to the master, and left to bring our suitcases into the house. When his glorious posterior disappeared from view, I closed my eyes for a beat. Gathering all my courage, I opened them, walked to the nearest door and stepped through. And then I forgot to breathe.

The master suite was as opulent as I would expect for an Asgardian retreat. The dark wooden floors continued through this room, ending at the cream-colored walls that were easily fifteen feet high. A wide fan blew air down from the ceiling, keeping the heat at bay, but my eyes were locked on the room’s most prominent feature: the enormous bed swathed in netting, with plush white linen covering the generous surface. My insides tumbled as I thought about what was going to happen on that bed.

Oh, good gravy.

I forced myself to focus on the mahogany dresser, nightstands, and armoire. I spent a solid half-minute staring at the French doors that opened onto the deck, with three steps leading to the white sand below.

But my eyes kept returning to the bed. It was the sun to my Icarus; as much as it frightened me, I was completely drawn to it.

“Do you like the room?” Ull’s deep baritone came from the doorway and I turned with a gasp. “I am sorry—I thought you heard me come in.”

A nervous giggle passed my lips as my eyes darted between the god and the bed. “I was just…uh…” I flailed. There were no words.

Ull raised one eyebrow. “How about I make dinner while you get changed. Gorgeous as it is, I cannot imagine that dress is well suited for the beach.”

I nodded, one nervous head bob. Ull smiled, then tilted his head toward the bathroom.

“You might recognize the shower. I had it modeled after Ýdalir’s.”

A soak under hot water sounded like a
great
idea. “Sold.”

Ull took a step toward the bathroom. “Would you like any company?”

My eyes doubled in size. “Um. I. I mean…” Oh, Lord. I knew this was coming, but now? My legs hadn’t been shaved in a good twenty hours.

Ull let out a throaty chuckle. “Too soon. Got it. Well then, meet me on the verandah in half an hour. I will be the one grilling chicken.”

“Where did we get chicken?” While I’d been appreciating the house’s solitude, I hadn’t stopped to think about where we could pick up eggs or milk. Or chicken.

“One of the junior Valkyries delivered food this morning. I gave Freya a list of our favorite meals and she made sure the kitchen was stocked. If she followed my instructions, there should be an entire shelf of your Caramel McVitie’s.” Ull shot me a grin. “If you notice anything I missed just let me know and I will have it brought in.”

“First of all, thank you for the McVitie’s. That was seriously great of you. And second, battle goddesses do your grocery shopping?”

Ull shrugged. “A trainee is supposed to be permanently stationed at Ýdalir, but I had Freya reassign her.”

“Do all gods have Valkyries to do that kind of thing for them?”

“All of the royal bloodline does.” Ull touched my arm and my skin warmed instantly. “I just opted out of the service.”

“The royal…oh.” I blinked. “Right. Odin. Then Thor. Then you.”

“Then us,” Ull corrected.

“Us. Of course.” I’d married into Asgardian royalty, and immortal warriors were tasked with picking up my perishables. “Well if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather we do our own grocery shopping back home.”