Dead Wrath (A Valkyrie Novel - Book 4)(15)

"Yeah, we're all well aware of Aidan's issues," she sniped, her honey eyes flashing.

"Aimee," I said, the slight rebuke in my voice clear enough, "don't you think anyone would have issues if they knew their bloodline consisted of a strong strain of Loki's genes?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm worried about." Her eyes still flashed, but the fight in her looked like it was slowly dying.

"You don't need to worry. I've partnered him with Enya so he should be too busy looking after her to bother you much. I figured it would allow him to ease into the team and allow you all to accept him in at a slower pace. He's hopefully going to be handy with the technology just in case." I was hopeful he would be, but I hadn't yet discussed that role with him.

Aimee still looked skeptical, but she also appeared to be a little convinced too. "I guess there is that. A geek would be useful."

"Don't worry, Aimee. It will all be fine. He'll fit in well enough in the end." I patted her shoulder.

"Yeah, we'll see," she said softly. "So what's his little sister meant to do? Isn't she a little young for field work?"

I grinned. "If only you'd seen it," I said, recalling Enya's power. "She can create heat as if she's a furnace. Enough to melt stuff. Could come in handy."

"Wow." Her eyebrows shot toward her hairline. "But don't we have the dragon princess for that?"

I shook my head. "Siri makes fire with flames. Enya just makes the heat. Quite thing to see." The excitement coming back flushed my skin. "Her body changes. Her skin looks like a log turned to ash, like white bark."

"Sounds cool," said Aimee, her shoulders finally relaxed.

"Oh, I think I'll leave you in charge of our two girls. And if it makes you feel better, you are welcome to keep an eye on Aidan."

"You want me to babysit him or spy on him?" She raised an eyebrow.

I snorted. "What do you think?"

"Fine." She sighed as if I'd just given her the task of cleaning out the cage of a hungry tiger. "As long as I have permission to run a sword through him if he puts a foot wrong."

I glared at her in answer, then choked back a laugh as she rolled her eyes and walked back to the group. I followed close on her heels. But as we reached the group, someone walked into the room. His arrival drew shouts of happiness and huge grins from everyone who knew Brody.

But my stomach hardened and I felt a little ill.

He was dressed in black leather, the fabric fortified with Glasir leaf magic. A while ago, Frigga had developed the new softer and more impenetrable Glasir chainmail. After its success, she'd commissioned the rest of the black garments to be redesigned using the Glasir magic, making it stronger, more durable, and harder to penetrate. Frigga's workers had also designed a black undershirt that went beneath the upper body dress of silver chainmail. And finally, the long black coat completed the picture, making him look decidedly attractive.

Yet still pale and thin.

I drew abreast of him, but the look he gave me was one filled with worry.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my forehead rippling with a frown.

"Er ... nothing really. I just thought you'd want to send me straight back to recuperate."

"Why would I do that? If you're here, it means you're ready to join us. The only thing I would expect is that you leave the more strenuous stuff to us." I spoke with authority, more so because I wanted to ensure that Brody would listen instead of doing something foolish and reckless.

His expression was slightly relieved. "Thanks. I'll behave. It's my first time out with you anyway. I don't think I'm in any condition to try my hand at being a hero." He gave a self-deprecating smirk.

"Hey. The last thing anyone here is concerned with is being a hero," said Aidan. My gaze jerked to his face, and I had to admit I was surprised he'd spoken those words. I paid closer attention as he continued. "We are all just here to do our part. If the situation requires bravery, then so be it. But I don't think anyone here is looking at this or any other mission as a route to heroism."

I was impressed, and from the look on Aimee's face, she was too. I glanced at Joshua and he gave me a small smile. He hadn't expressed any negativity toward Aidan joining the group, and I was glad he hadn't given me a hard time too. Aimee I could handle. Joshua would be that much harder.

I was about to speak when an einherjar entered the room and had to skid to a stop to prevent himself from crashing into me. I caught him by the elbow and stared at his flushed face, concerned. He was about to speak when he saw Brody and did a double take before he glared at him. Brody flushed, his skin darkening with the rush of color to his cheeks.

Nobody needed to explain anything to me. One look at the two warriors told the whole story clearly enough. Brody had escaped to join us. Which meant he'd lied to me, in front of the whole team.

I patted the warrior on his shoulder. "Thank you, einherjar. You may leave now."

He looked at me, then glanced at his charge. "But--"

I held up a hand. "Don't fret. He will be returned to you soon enough. He just has some responsibilities to fulfill." The warrior hesitated, but the look on my face convinced him to leave without another word.

When he was gone, I turned my attention to Brody. Seemed the other who knew him were equally disappointed in him, because before I opened my mouth, Aimee said, "You know, we get how much you want to join us and be part of the team, but lying isn't the way to go." He hung his head, staring at the stone floor.

"How can we trust you now?" I asked softly.

His head shot up, his eyes landing on my face. "I'm so sorry, Bryn. I just wanted to join the team."

I sighed. "You do realize this lie could have potentially killed someone on our team?"

He stuttered, "But how...? This is one of the best teams in Asgard."

"That may be true, but only when we are at our strongest. You would have introduced a weak link into our team, a link we would have been ignorant of until it mattered. Whatever we say when we are out there--never leave a man behind, it's team or nothing--none of that matters if we don't have full honesty within the team."

He looked at the ground again. "I'm really sorry. I guess I didn't think about the consequences."

"You're telling me," snapped Joshua, his face revealing to poor Brody how much he'd disappointed him.

But I didn't want to draw this out too long, especially since Brody had had the best of intentions. I cleared my throat. "Just before we leave, I want to introduce you to a few additional team members." I beckoned Myst and the Ulfr who stuck beside her. They'd spent much of their time in the room to themselves, and I chided myself for not introducing them earlier.

"So this is Myst, and this is Edrik, who will be my Ulfr partner. Edrik will be joining our team permanently, while Myst will be supporting me in overseeing our efforts. Myst will remain behind as our point of contact." Myst smiled at the gathered members, and Edrik gave a small bow, then proceeded to shake hands with everyone.

I gave them a few minutes to chat, then said, "Right, people. Let's grab our weapons and get ready to leave. I'll meet you all at NY HQ."

Everyone trickled out the door, with even Enya bearing confidence in her step. The only one that lingered was Siri, and I knew why. I glanced at her. "Siri, you stick with me, okay? You'll find your feet sooner or later, but for now, I want you to stay close. I'm not sure when I'll be needing your skills."

Siri nodded and then helped as I closed and stacked files before storing them in the tall wooden cupboard that sat against one of the far walls.

At last, with the place neat, we left the room and hurried to the transfer room.

Once we entered, we were welcomed by the low heat of the fire that blazed in the middle of the room. All around us were hooks on the walls and boxes on the floor. Hooks were for furs and cloaks that were left behind on a mission. Boxes were for weapons that were delivered to the transfer room by the Huldra or respective servants of the Valkyries, warriors, and Ulfr.

A few Huldra lurked about, ready to help their masters or mistresses with cloaks and weapons. Among them I noticed Turi, who threw me a brilliant grin the moment she met my gaze.

She hurried to me, her skirts flapping, orange hair flying. "Good. You are here. Come, I have your cloak and your sword and helmet ready." Her cheeks were flushed and it looked like she'd been doing a lot of hurrying.

I shook my head at her offer. "Coat and sword only, Turi. I won't be needing the helmet just yet."

She bobbed her head and bent to an engraved box to grab hold of my black coat. Long and made from the same special black fabric as the rest of my clothes, it was soft and looked amazing. I slipped my hands into the sleeves and enjoyed the feel. The hem reached my knees and seemed precisely shaped to my figure in spite of nobody ever measuring me for the garment. I'd always suspected Turi had something to do with the sizing.

Now she fussed and tried to help me with buttoning up the coat, but I waved her away.

Siri giggled beside me. She'd already arrived dressed and ready. Someone must have ensured she received the proper garments in time for our departure. Now as I looked at her, I was struck by how young and vulnerable she looked.

I bent my head closer. "I know we haven't had a chance to practice anything. Are you comfortable enough in dragon form to carry me on your back?" I asked softly.