Page 204 of Dark Haven Omegaverse

“That was one of Hel’s powers,” he said with a nod, pulling off his helmet to reveal his androgynous face. His features were neither too masculine nor too feminine, his long, white hair was wrapped in a ponytail, and his azure eyes had a smudge of black over them like a mask, which made them seem to peer into yourvery soul. “Do we have somewhere a little more comfortable to test them out?”

“I wish.” I sighed. “This place is barren and cold. It’s awful. When I have my group back, I’ll make it more accommodating.”

“Already, you seem to grasp what a leader is more than your predecessor,” he mused. “She viewed this realm as a prison. And for her, it was. However, it wasn’t an inherently bad realm. None of the realms are. The darkness has to balance the light. That’s the way of things. Yet, there is beauty in darkness. I believe you see that beauty, don’t you, Harlow?”

My mind immediately went to Monty, Kol, and Drake. They were all from this realm and they were hauntingly beautiful in their own right, just as the land itself was.

“I do,” I agreed. “Yet, I can’t do anything to fix this war while I’m unguarded and without my mates. They are my first priority and I won’t apologize for that.”

“On that, we agree,” he promised.

I couldn't help but wonder if this god had mates. Would being bonded change his neutrality? It felt like no matter where my thoughts were now, that Drake was right there with me, his opinions clear through our connection. I knew with all of them there, I would always have others to lean on, and that would make me a much better leader.

“So, how do I find my powers? I’ll need them in the days ahead,” I pointed out. “I don’t want to hide away and let others fight without me.”

“Lead the way to a proper space, then we’ll speak more,” he said, putting his hands behind his back again as if waiting patiently.

Drake, who’d been silent during this interaction finally spoke up.

“The war room was the place we’d go, we haven’t found much else here. Unfortunately it was destroyed,” he admitted beforecalling out to Zetta. The wraith popped into view and looked at him expectantly.

“Yes, Master Drake?” she asked.

“It’s just Drake,” he growled in frustration. It had been a battle to lose the formality here. At least she no longer shied away from his annoyance. “Is there a library, or any room we can use to sit and talk?”

“Yes, right this way,” she said before turning and leading us farther into the castle.

It was embarrassing to walk through the halls knowing he was seeing the empty walls and floors. It was more like a tomb than a castle.

My omega was cringing away from it at every turn. Once we could freely travel like Odin promised, I was going to bring a bit of human touch to this castle.

The library Zetta led us to was not much different than the rest of the castle. It wasn’t the cozy and warm space I’d pictured with comfy couches, a bright warm fire, dark wood furniture, and the scent of leather and paper in the air.

At least there were hard ivory chairs and a roaring blue fire in the fireplace.

It was something.

“I know Hel preferred to use the fires of Helheim, but I’m partial to warm fire,” Valgri said. With a wave of his hand, the blue fire was replaced by normal orange fire. The warmth of it was blissful and Drake and I rushed forward, basking in its glow.

“That, we can definitely agree on,” I said, forcing myself to look away from the flames. “I didn’t realize it was an option.”

Between the heat of the flames and the scent of my mate drifting over me, I let out a blissful sigh. As the smell of smoke mixed with Drake’s spicy chili and bitter dark chocolate, a pang of longing hit me. It was far too close to our missing mate.

“Once you learn to manipulate the realms around you, anything is possible. Hel created this castle to be imposing, informal, cold, and to make her subjects uncomfortable,” Valgri answered as he held out his palm and formed a small tree in it. I watched as the leaves started to fall, tiny green specks falling to the floor, before it withered and disappeared. “How do I describe this?”

It was rhetorical so I waited for him to gather his thoughts. Valgri started to pace, a strange fog forming around his feet as he walked back and forth in front of us.

He stopped as abruptly as he started, facing us with a genuine smile.

“Imagine it like a fog in the air, visible, tangible. You reach for it, and manifest exactly what you want. Simple as that.”

“Simple.” I laughed in a mix of frustration and disbelief. His stare was unwavering so I gave in. “Alright.”

Closing my eyes, I tried to feel the power in the air. It was cold and drafty like it always was here. Instead of focusing on the fog he described, I tried to picture normal clothes on my body.

Drake’s snort of laughter had me opening my eyes and groaning at my now-naked body.

“Well, that was not the plan. I apologize, Valgri,” I squeaked out, trying and failing to hide myself as Drake stepped in front of me to block me from view.

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