Page 72 of Tyr

Her grandmother didn’t speak for a minute. “Be sure you keep her there. I can’t guarantee her safety here on Earth outside of the room I created and warded for her.”

She created it? Not her mother?

Sariel nodded, and the angels picked up her limp mother and disappeared in a flash of light.

Her grandmother stood a moment longer. “I’m sorry about your father, Celestine. Even though he was a demon, he was better than most and obviously much better than my own child. If you ever change your mind and want to join us in the fight against evil, call, and I will come for you. No matter where you are.” Her golden glare landed on Tyr. “God or not, if you let harm come to my granddaughter, I will bring all the hosts in heaven to aid me in your eternal destruction.”

Tyr nodded once, and then a golden light fell over her grandmother. She gazed at Celeste for a long minute before wiping a tear from her eye and disappearing. A patch of lilies sprouted up from where her grandmother had stood.

Tyr hugged Celeste before kissing her head.

“Did you mean what you said?”

“What?”

“That I am staying with you?”

He searched her face. “Did you mean what you said? I am to be your husband?”

“Well… I figured…”

Tyr smashed his lips to hers and pulled her hard against his chest, sending a thrill through her.

A moment later, they parted

“Does that mean you want to marry me?”

Tyr smiled and kissed her again.

By the time they parted again, Heimdall had retrieved several blankets from the house and had wrapped Sylax in them.

“Can… we bury him on the estate?”

He put his arm around her. “Of course. We will bury him at our home.”

Despite her sadness and pain, Celeste couldn’t help smiling. Hers. Her place. She finally had a home. A real home. A home with Tyr.

CHAPTER 15

Tyr came home,and the first thing he did was shower with Celeste. She pulled the bullets from his wounds, and he cleaned the blood from her body. Nothing sexual, simply two people helping each other wash off the worst day of their lives.

Then, they crawled into bed naked, and he held Celeste as she cried. He wanted more than anything to make it better. To fix it. To stop her hurt. But he had no idea how. His way was to injure people. Kill people. But there was no one to kill. She’d said to leave the human, Anton. And her mother was gone. So, the only thing left for him to do was be there for her.

As the light crept into the sky, she fell asleep in his arms. Only then did he slip out of the bed, pull on pants, and leave their room. He walked the distance down the hallway to the landing and from the landing to the stairs, his heart aching with every step.

He descended to the dining room to the thick glass table where Heimdall had laid out Sylax’s body. He stood for several minutes, staring at the navy blue blankets, before opening them. The pain of seeing Sylax had Tyr’s knees buckling and him dropping into a chair. If he hadn’t known it was Sylax, he never would have guessed. He’d been burnt beyond recognition.

“I’m sorry, Sy. Sorry I couldn’t save you. That you wouldn’t let me help. But I promise I did what you asked. I kept her safe. She’s myFylgja, Sy. I love her. And I promise I will never, ever let anyone hurt her again. For as long as I live. I swear it.”

“That’s Sy?”

Tyr looked over at Herm. “Yeah.”

Herm joined him at the table. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

“Is Celeste okay?”

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