Page 19 of Luna Cursed

"Torsten! Is that you, my big handsome wolf?" Von's tone changed again to be sugary sweet.

"Yeah, it is. Now, why don't you help me out and answer my question? Youarethe best Odin expert I know," Tor replied. Freya flipped him off.

"I think this question deserves to be answered in person. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Get here in ten, and I'll take my shirt off."

Von, the biggest flirt that Ciara had ever met, actually giggled. "You got a deal," he said and hung up.

"Well, that was easy," Tor commented.

Bayn chuckled. "He's going to make you take your shirt off before he gives us anything, you know that, right?"

"Small price to pay if he can answer our questions."

Ciara's eyes rolled at him. "Is there anyone that doesn't want your dick?"

"Only you, bunny," Tor said, snatching some bacon off her plate and only just avoiding the fork she tried to stab him with. He laughed, and she wanted to push him off his chair.

Freya and Bayn were grinning at them, and Ciara turned back to her plate so she wouldn't have to look at them.

Von arrived nine minutes and thirteen seconds later. The downstairs door opened with a bang, and he called, "That shirt better be off by the time I get up there!" His long blonde hair was a wild snarl that matched his dark eyeliner, leather pants, and tight pink tank. His eyes found Tor, and his smile went wide. "Now, you are definitely a welcome sight in the morning. A little too clothed for my tastes. Come on, off with it."

Ciara almost choked as Tor very slowly unbuttoned the top of his dark gray Henley and dragged it off. Von pretended to swoon.

"Quick, give me coffee before I pass out," he said to Bayn. "Feel free to take your shirt off too."

"Nice try," Bayn replied and filled a mug for him.

Von collapsed on the couch. "Now, Freya, my love, what glorious mess have you gotten into?"

"No mess. Not yet anyway. Ciara? Why don't you take the lead on this one?" Freya suggested.

"I'm looking for Varg. He and his cult are hunting Fenris because they think he is their true god. Why would they lurk around towns and sites named after Odin if that's the case? I'm sure they were actually trying to excavate at the last place I saw them," Ciara explained.

Von's eyebrows shot up. "Well, fuck. They are really trying to find Fenris, aren't they?"

"Yes, I just told you that," she pointed out.

"You don't understand, my pet. You would have to be insane to worship Fenris because you're defying Odin.Odin, who rumor has it, has come out of hiding and was seen with the elves," Von said, crossing his arms. "I don't suppose you know anything about that?"

"We could if you have any useful information to exchange for it," Tor said.

Von's smile turned delighted. "You have a deal. If they are digging at sites named after Odin, they might be buying into a mostly unknown legend about where Fenris was bound. Most of the stories imply it was in Asgard, but there is no way Odin would allow his enemy to be that close. There's another collector I know. He's mad on Fenris legends. I can reach out to him to see if any of the old tales has an exact location where Odin imprisoned him. Where else was Varg spotted?"

Tor rattled off a list, and Von nodded. "Definitely all named after Odin. They will end up digging up half of Scandinavia if that's their only lead. How quickly do you need the information?"

"The quicker, the better. Ciara and I will head to Onsøy this afternoon to see if Varg is still there. Doubtful, now that Ciara blew his hiding place, but there still might be something left behind," Tor replied. He draped his shirt over one wide shoulder, and Ciara couldn't stop staring at it. Better that than all of the mythical creatures from Viking legend tattooed over his chest.

"I'll leave a message with my contact, but he is a bit of a crazy recluse, so it might take him a day or so to get back to me. He tends to forget to charge his phone and then ignores it for days," Von said. "Keep me updated if you find anything interesting at these digs. I'll be able to move them for you."

Ciara's eyes narrowed. She knew what collectors were like, but she still didn't like the idea of her aiding the black market antiquities trade. If it meant finding Varg, then that was the only thing that mattered.

Von left not long after, dropping more than one hint to Tor that he was welcome to come with him. Ciara had always liked Von, but at that moment, she had the sudden urge to push the pretty Viking down the stairs. Once he was gone, she pointed at Tor's shirt.

"Can you put that back on now?" she asked.

"Why, does my bare chest bother you?" Tor replied, getting into her space and forcing her to take a step back.

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