Page 40 of Tyr

Tyr shot Phes a glare. Phes raised an eyebrow and then nodded. His eyes flashed with the realization that Tyr felt more for Celeste than just a mere friend.

Celeste jumped up, dancing again before Tyr had made it to the end of the row. His gut twisted as he climbed the steps, fighting every instinct to drag her along with him.

Tyr walkeddown the row and up the aisle. He looked back at her, and she smiled and waved. He nodded and continued upward. Her smile fell as her heart pounded in her chest. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could pretend she hadn’t heard what he’d said about her at Vali’s place and what he’d wanted to do to her moments before. Thinking about her in his bed. Wanting to lick the beer from her mouth.

She was damn proud of herself for not tackling him right there. She had tried to push down her growing feelings for him, but she was reaching her breaking point. His strong jaw. His piercing eyes. The rough, calloused hands that had traversed herbody too many times in as many days. All of him shouted to her of protection, strength, and raw sex appeal. Her body tingled at the thought of his cool metal hand caressing her flesh. Tempting. Touching. Teasing.

Celeste shook her head. No. She needed to stop. He was… a god. Immortal. Ancient. He’d probably been with hundreds of more experienced women than her. Women who knew how to treat a man like him. How to please a man like him… The idea soured her stomach.

“Don’t worry,” said Hephaestus. “He likes you, too.”

Celeste turned. “What? No… I wasn’t… I mean…”

Hephaestus hugged her with one arm. “Yes, you were. It’s written all over your face. Believe me. I’ve seen it before. Never aimed at me, but at my brother, Ares, all the time.”

Celeste’s cheeks heated.

“It’s not my place to say, but I’m going to anyway. I’ve never seen Tyr look at a woman the way he looks at you. The way he watches you. However, I also know him enough to know that if anyone is going to make a move, it will have to be you.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. It’s just how he is. But if you make a move and he reciprocates, you need to be prepared for him to want you for himself and no one else. I’ve known him for a long time. And I’ve never seen him notice a woman more than once. But you… You’re his one. I feel it.”

Celeste turned and looked up the aisle for Tyr, but she couldn’t see him.

She tried to remember the word Tyr had called her earlier. Fyg… Flug… “Do you know whatFygameans?”

“Fyga?Sorry. Why?”

She shook her head.

The song Yggdrasil started with one of the singers talking about the legend of the tree. As the melody thrummed throughher, she couldn’t help but think of Tyr and wonder what his strong lips would feel like on hers. She sat for a moment and let down her mental shield, reaching for the band, feeling what they did as they played the music. It was beautiful.

Celeste swayed in her seat and closed her eyes, taking the music in and letting it fill her.

Suddenly, a shockwave rushed through her, jolting her in her seat. She scanned the arena, trying to spot where it came from, but there were too many people.

Her heart pounded. She’d never felt anything like it before, but she was sure of one thing: someone needed help. But she had no idea who or where.

“I didn’t know what you’d want, so I got a few different things.”

She jerked her head up. Tyr held three kinds of soda, a bottle of water, and two different juices.

He sat, dropping several of the bottles onto the floor. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

She reached out again to see who had sent the distress call, but nothing happened.

“I… I’m not sure. One minute, I was feeling the music, and the next, there was this… pulse that ripped through me.”

“What do you mean,pulse?” Tyr’s voice became urgent.

“Pain. Someone in terrible pain. Calling for help.”

“Do you know who?”

She scanned the arena again. “There are too many people. I can’t tell what it is or where it came from. It may not even be someone not here. They could be anywhere.”

“We should go.”

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