Page 56 of Baldr's Secret Mate

Thor ran a hand through his hair, clearly trying to process this new information. “So all those times you disappeared into the mountains...”

“I was going to see Mist,” I finished for him. “He was trapped in a magical barrier on the Skoll mountain. I stumbled across him by accident when I was younger, and we became friends. Over time, it became... more. Although, until a couple days ago, I didn’t realize just how much more.”

Mist squeezed my hand, offering silent support. I could feel his nervousness through our bond, but also his excitement. He was thrilled to hear me claiming him as my own, to sharehim with my family for the first time. It was a complicated mix of emotions we were both going through. And yet, despite all that, I could still hear the clock ticking in the back of my head.

“But we’ll need to talk about it later,” I said. “We could’ve stayed in Asgard and been safe for a while. However, we rushed back here because I’ve been having visions.” I lifted my gaze, meeting Thor’s. “Tyr is on the way here. Right now. And he’s got half of my mother’s spellbook.”

On cue, Mist reached into his bag and held up the other half.

“Where… Where did you find that?” Thor asked, recognizing the book he’d never been allowed to open. “I thought it was lost.”

“So did I, but there’s no time to explain,” I said, rushing him forward. “Tyr will be here by sundown with his wolves and with the spellbook. I have no doubt he’s figured out how to harness its power somehow. That’s what I saw in my vision.”

“But how—”

“I don’t know Thor,” I urged. “Truly. If I knew, I’d tell you. But right now you need to gather the other wolves to fight. You also need to know that Loki and his mate are on our side.”

“Loki is a traitor!”

“No, Thor, he’s not,” I replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t tell you at first, because I needed to be sure. But Loki is on our side. He’s the one who told me how to figure this all out and get Mist free. If it hadn’t been for him, we’d be dead and rotting under the rubble of the resort. He’s been helping us this whole time.”

Thor was silently staring at me, trying to process everything I’d said.

“But right now I need to eat and regain my strength.” I glanced back at Mist. “And Mist… he needs to—”

“I’m going with you,” he said, cutting me off. His green eyes stared daggers into my soul. “And that’s final.”

I nodded, feeling over the bond that there was no way I was going to convince him otherwise. “Alright.”

“But first,” he said as Flynn stepped back into the room carrying an armful of clothing. “I want to take one of these showers I’ve heard so much about.” He reached up, stroking his tangled beard and hair. “If we’re going to war today, I want to at least know what it feels like, just once. And I think I want to shave.”

“I can help you with that,” Flynn offered, handing the clothes off to me. “Come on. I used to cut hair in college for booze money. I’m not too bad at it.”

I reached out, squeezing Mist’s hand. “I love you.”

Emotion surged through the bond, showing him that I wasn’t just telling him how much I cared for him, but that I was wishing him safety and happiness and a long life all at the same time. He knew what was coming and yet, he’d kept it all to himself for my sake. He understood I needed my brother on high alert for the battle ahead, not mired down by the future that would inevitably arrive.

“I love you too,” he replied.

And he meant it.

Chapter Thirty: Mist

By the time I stepped out of the bathroom an hour later, I felt like a new man. I’d shaved away nearly all of my beard, leaving a small amount of scuff behind. I almost shaved it clean, but Flynn insisted the little bit left behind made me look devilishly handsome. He’d also cut and quaffed my hair into a short flowy style that I’d never seen before, but I thought it looked nice. It took me a few minutes to pull myself away from the mirror after I was done. The man staring back at me was one I’d never seen before, all hard edges and surprisingly handsome. I never realized in all the years I was trapped in that dome that this man was inside me. It made me feel like I could do anything.

And that’s exactly what I was gonna do because nobody was going to take Baldr, my mate, away from me. While we were in Asgard, I’d touched my power. And since that incident with the Draugr, I’d been using it here and there without telling Baldr. It was a dangerous practice I knew, but that’s why I always waited until the middle of the night before sneaking off. I didn’t want him to feel it through the bond and stop me, notwhen he was marching to his death. I didn’t care what his visions foretold, I wasn’t going to let him die by Tyr’s hand. I couldn’t.

Still, even after all that practice, I felt like I barely had a grasp on how to use my magic. All I could do was find it and poke it. After that I didn’t really know what I was doing. I might end up with exactly what I wanted or another Draugr situation. However, when it came to Tyr, I didn’t really care about holding back. If my magic went wild and tore him apart, then that was fine with me. My only real problem was making sure I got to Tyr before Baldr did. But I had an idea for that.

I stepped out of the bathroom, my new look bolstering my confidence. Flynn was waiting for me in the hallway, his eyes widening as he took in my transformation.

“Damn,” he whispered. “You clean up good.”

I smirked, feeling a strange sense of pride course through me. “Thanks. Now, I need your help with something.”

Flynn raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s up?”

I lowered my voice, glancing around to make sure we were alone. “I need you to distract Baldr for me. Keep him occupied while I go after Tyr.”

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