Page 7 of Baldr's Secret Mate

“I’ll fucking kill him…” he growled under his breath.

Before I could get anything out, Heimdall scooped Loki up, threw him over his shoulder, and took off down the hallway. I watched him go, my ears ringing and the fire alarms still blaring. I couldn’t hear Tyr’s taunts anymore, but that didn’t make me feel better. I was worried he might be sneaking up on me again and I wasn’t going to get lucky again with those grenades.

Forcing myself off the floor, I ran in the direction Heimdall had gone, trying to get as far away from the lobby as possible. My magic could’ve handled Tyr. But heavy artillery was another thing entirely.

As I ran through the halls, I saw guests and wolves alike heading for the exits. I followed them outside into the snow of the front lawn at the top of the mountain. Wiping the dust and debris from my eyes, I looked around, searching for Thor and Flynn. My heart beat wildly in my chest and it wasn’t until I finally spotted a bright red mop of hair that I felt some relief. I rushed over to them, finding my brother, Flynn, and his grandmother all cold, but in one piece.

“Are you alright?” I asked, skidding to a halt in the snow.

Thor looked back at me, his jaw falling open. “Me?! What about you?!”

“I’m fine,” I said, dismissing his concern. “Is everyone out?”

We both stared back at the resort as people stopped streaming out of the front doors. There was a large crowd standing in the lawn and it was impossible to tell if we’d gotten everyone or not. However, the size of the group made me feel a little better. If it wasn’t everyone, it was damn close. At least they were no longer inside with that fucking lunatic.

“It was Tyr,” I said, looking back at Thor. “He was setting off grenades in the main lobby. And Loki… Loki was with him. But he tried to–”

I never got the rest of my words out as a thunderous explosion rocked the earth under our feet. Everyone cried out, covering their ears and dropping into a crouched position. Thor and I were the only ones that didn’t duck because our eyes were fixed on the resort.

On the far end where the main utilities were housed, was a large cloud of dust shooting into the sky. Glass shards flew through the air, sparkling in the lamplight before the electricity cut out. That section of the building was engulfed in dust, but that didn’t stop the crunching and cracking of concrete from reaching out ears. A moment later, with another loud snap, I heard an unfamiliar sound, almost like sudden torrential rain, but louder.

We looked on, our eyes adjusting in the dark. The alarms had stopped, the lights were out, and the snowflakes seemed to mock us with their gentle and calm downward spirals. It was about the time I heard the first outcry that the dust faded away enough for me to see what had happened to Fenris Hot Springs Resort.

The entire back end of the building had collapsed. It was now nothing more than a pile of rubble on top of a cold, dark mountain. My heart sank, seeing my childhood home nearly destroyed. Not to mention, a large section had collapsed into one of the hot springs, filling it with broken glass and rubble.

I just hoped nobody was inside when it came down.

Chapter Four: Baldr

It was nearly three days before we were sure nobody was buried in the rubble that used to be the resort. The guests were told there was a gas leak resulting in an explosion that leveled part of the building. However, those of us in the pack knew better. With a couple wolves leading the local fire and police departments, we were told the truth.

Someone had placed plastic explosives in the heart of the resort, knowing it would take out all the major utilities and cause a chain reaction. The moment Thor and I were told the truth, I knew it was Loki that had led Tyr to that spot. Only he would know how to get in and deal us such a considerable blow. But, either by luck or plan, that section of the resort had been nearly empty. And thanks to Flynn’s quick thinking with the fire alarm, what few wolves we had stationed in that part had gotten out before it was leveled.

It seemed, for as much loss as we’d endured, luck was somehow on our side. Not a single wolf or guest suffered more than scratches and bruises that night. Well, everyone except Loki. After he’d shielded me from that grenade, I didn’t havetime to see if he was breathing or not before Heimdall took him. A part of me hoped he was still alive. Another part of me realized that even if he was, Thor would probably kill him if he ever showed his face again.

But we didn’t have time to think about that at the moment. Thor and I were far too busy shuttling guests out to other hotels to the north or getting them back home as quickly as possible. At the same time, we had to find housing for our wolves. The other half of the hotel had been deemed structurally sound so that we could keep living there. But with no utilities and no heat at the top of a freezing cold mountain, there wasn’t much point in staying.

The small town of Fenris, thankfully, was home to at least three small hotels for summer guests not going to the hot springs. They were empty during the winter, so Thor called in a favor and took all the rooms available in the entire town. However, that didn’t leave any for us, so we decided to take up residence in Nana’s house at the bottom of the mountain.

It was a small house with only two bedrooms. That meant it was barely large enough for Nana and Flynn, much less two werewolves on top of that. Nana took her old room of course and I wouldn’t let the other two take the couch. Flynn had a bed that was just barely big enough for the two of them and I didn’t feel right taking it for myself. So I slept on the couch. Not that I did much sleeping though. Nana was a light sleeper who had a tendency to get up at two in the morning for a light snack. Then she was up again at five to make her coffee for the day and watch the sun come up. She always tried to be quiet for my sake, but I found it almost impossible to sleep through.

Not only that, but now that the other wolves had been moved into town, that meant farm chores were on our heads. Nana was far too old to be doing all of them herself, so Flynn took over. Usually he dragged Thor out into the farmyard at theass crack of dawn to help him feed everyone breakfast. I helped a little bit, but I also wasn’t much of an animal person. Maybe that was a little odd considering I was part wolf, but I didn’t have much time to think about it. My mind was far too preoccupied with what Loki had told me before he was… well, blown up.

I’d tried several times to reach out with my magic and see if he was still alive. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the spell to work. I remembered my mother being able to do such things. She could even communicate telepathically over long distances, something else that I couldn’t seem to figure out. But no matter how hard I tried or tried to channel her wisdom, I just couldn’t do it and it made me want to scream.

So I was stuck at the bottom of the mountain with a mountain of responsibilities and no idea if one third of my family was still alive. The only thing I had to go on was the message he’d given me. I wanted to go to the hot spring straight away, but with everything that needed to be done, I spent my entire day either on the phone or looking after our pack. Thor needed my help and I couldn’t abandon him just yet.

However, as our third day since the attack drew to a close, I knew I couldn’t wait much longer. I’d found a handful of minutes to escape to the front porch, taking a seat in one of Nana’s rocking chairs. All the snow had been swept off the porch, but there was still a cold bite in the air as the sun sank below the horizon. I rocked back and forth, staring up at the last pinks and golds reflected on the underside of the clouds. If I had to guess, I’d say it was going to snow all night.

“Sit out here for much longer and your ass is gonna freeze to that chair,” Nana’s voice said as she stepped out onto the porch. She took a seat in the chair next to me and glanced back and forth before taking a partially crushed box out of her thick robe. I could smell the tobacco before she even pulled out a cigarette. “Don’t tell Flynn about this,” she said, casting me asideways glance. “I’d never hear the end of it. He’d tell me it’s not good for me.”

“He’d be right,” I smiled. “But I won’t tell him.”

“He might be right, but I’m old as shit,” she laughed, lighting her cigarette with a lighter she pulled from her breast pocket. “Let an old woman enjoy her vices.” She took a long drag, savoring every second before she blew the smoke up into the sky. “So why are you out here sulking in the freezing cold, huh? What’s got you all wound up?”

“It’s nothing important,” I said, shaking my head.

“Try me.”

---