Over the next serval days, Max had no idea what to do in regards to Hel. She kept encroaching on his space a lot. Especially when he stopped to rest or sleep. She kept holding onto him when he did. Half refused to let him up when he demanded she let go of him. He didn’t know why he wasn’t waking up to her coming against him in his sleep. He normally had a very good alarm system.
Then again she wasn’t trying to hurt him or anything. He thought about this as they had gotten on a ferry to cross to France. He stared out over the water thinking. She was a dangerous being. Here she was crawling into his bed and holding on to him. It was kind of a mind fuck if he did say so himself. Who in their right mind thought a goddess of death just laid next you and didn’t harm you? He barely knew her, but that didn’t seem to stop her. However spending serval days attached at the hip you started to see into a p
Max spotted an open sitting room and opened the door going in. Private was good and he was glad that one of these was free. It was just a small area with a small table by the window and bench seats along the walls of the room. He figured here was as good as anywhere. He stepped in and turned around to speak to Hel.He gave a rather harsh sound when she pushed him mostly with her fingertips into the room and he nearly went down. Though he caught himself and the door practically slammed behind her. She snapped her fingers and the shades that could be drawn came down and he narrowed his gaze. She looked intense.“What are you doing?” He sounded unsure, and he was. She looked dark and unbalanced right then. He didn’t see any positive emotions in her gaze. Or at least genteler emotions.&ldq
Hel was getting angry now, and she was feeling it even when not next to him. She was angry at how difficult he was, and she was angry that she couldn’t figure this how to feel thing out. What exactly did she have to do to get what she wanted from him? Second she was tired of Surt hunting for them, sending demonic creatures to track them down. Clearly they could sense her rather easy, and it was getting in the way of her concentrating on the task of getting Max. She was considering doing something drastic to remind those creatures just who they really answered too, but she didn’t want Surt to show suddenly. Then she’d have her hands full. She was still bound by rules at the moment.“I will be back in a few minutes.” She told him because she was hungry, and didn’t have to take from him yet. But she really wanted to. In the next few days she was going to have to. Though she
Hel followed him looking at the town and it started to grow into more of a city. She had to say that these mortals were very good at inventing things to help them when they weren’t like Max or others with gifts. But they were losing touch. They were losing their connection to it all and the part of her that was destructive watched closely. If it wasn’t good for the balance, it was fair game to destroy. Maybe that was her greatest role, destroy what is to make room for what could be. “This way.” He said turning down a path that was between a couple buildings. It had an archway that had plants growing everywhere. Just a few feet in it felt like you left the city and walked into a forest. The building that was tucked away here had vines growing up it. The sound of nature was real here. Looking left and right she couldn’t see the other buildings. Just a few large ponds and it seemed to extend quite a ways. Sh
“At least we’ve had time to rest.” Max said. Which he needed the sleep more than she did but they hadn’t been bothered yet. The potion and charm he and his grandfather made were working great. It felt nice to not have to worry at the moment in his opinion. Several days had passed and he was trying to decide the best course of action. Hel was being rather quiet the past couple days. He was trying to figure out why to be honest. She wasn’t pestering him, and he felt like something was off.“You have needed it.” She commented glancing around the street. A dark look back on her face.“Is there something wrong? I don’t feel anything off at the moment toward us. You look like there might be.” She looked up at him as they walked around the city, she shrugged and pointed.
“You okay?” He asked her where they were crouched behind a car. They had to take cover like everyone else on the street. It was utter chaos, a random act of violence. Max again thought the world cruel. “Yeah, a bullet just grazed my arm.” She said and Max was looking over at an older man on the ground who wasn’t moving. Max moved slightly toward him and Hel grabbed his arm. “He’s gone Max, you can’t help him.” Sirens were sounding, and there was shouting from the masked armed men. More explosions that sounded like they were throwing grenades. Max went to lean back to take cover and this odd dizziness came over him. He shook his head and sat back hard. “Max?” Hel said and as he sat back she saw the blood pooling on his shirt from his chest. He was blinking rather rapidly and seemed confused.
“Max, I’m going to move you okay?” He heard Hel’s voice and she sounded off, kind of worried which was weird to hear. He felt groggy, he felt like he couldn’t open his eyes and he mumbled something even he couldn’t understand. What was he even trying to say? What was that weird taste in his mouth? Was he drugged? “I have to move you or they are coming back to take you. They noticed that your blood type is different, and that you are healing pushing out the sutures they put in you. I’m taking you from here before they can do that okay?” He tried to open his eyes again, but everything was a bright blur and his eyes hurt. They felt sensitive and so did his hearing. Was she shouting at him? Where was she taking him from? He however felt himself being lifted off the bed, and there were a lot of sounds, reminding him of a hospital. Hel had stood in the room unnotic
Max opened his eyes and was staring up at a white ceiling. He turned his head already knowing that she was there. The bed he was on was reasonably comfortable and the room was on the smaller side painted a light brown. It was dark out now but he could see well in the room and met her dark gaze. “You are awake, I was starting to worry.” She commented and he was surprised she said that. She was worried? Her expression said it wasn’t a lie and he touched his chest where the bright pink spot was. He could still feel that it was sore, but whomever had stitched it up had done a great job. He was healing rather well. “No need I’m here.” He said with a smile. “Apparently it’s going to take more than that to stop me.” She leaned up. “You nearly died, if I hadn’t been there the wraiths would have taken you. I warned them n
“Thanks, I really need this.” Max said about the food, noting her odd shifting again. She cleared her throat. “Did you need more?” She asked and he shrugged. “Yeah I will, but this stopped my body from cannibalizing itself for energy. I’m surprised you got so much.” He said and she shrugged. “Easy when you are invisible.” He just smiled a bit. “I guess that helps.” He sighed and leaned against the counter there, she was more by the phone a few feet from him as she had been the one to hang up. She looked a little odd to him, he’d say almost fidgety but wasn’t sure if that was the right word. “Do you think your elder brother is going to show sooner rather than later?” He asked her and she met his gaze.
Tamara could not tell you the anxiety she felt in the weeks following what happened. That they were all on edge. Worried that none would keep their word and yet they had. It got easier over time to relax a little to enjoy moments. She took to showing Fenrir all that he wanted to learn, to show him the world. Even if they really didn’t leave the knew home they found. They were still learning, it was hard no one changed overnight. However his fierceness with her stemmed from the fact that he cared. He loved her, and she knew it. He’d whispered it to her one night a week or so ago. That he’d never felt his heart feel so many things at once, yet it always did looking at her. Tamara’s response had been quick and swift. He better love her, she’d stood in front of gods and declared she’d stand by him. They way he’d taken her that night was different in a way she could name and it was so much better. That b
“What is this!” A rather booming voice shouted as Tamara hit the floor. She was able to concentrate a bit more from the intense shock she just received from the blade. The blade had a consciousness to it, and with all the objects she’d ever worked with, this was a first to feel that it was alive. She got the sense that it liked her, it liked what she did. So it chose her over Surt whom it was made for. Her head was pounding a bit with the knowledge that passed into her from the blade. “Fenrir is awake. His siblings have found him and they come.” Tamara moved to stand but only managed to get on her knees first. “You deliver this news, and drop a mortal before us!” She looked up at the man that stood there. He looked old and had a shriveled socket that an eye must have been once but was no more. Just one eye, and her vision was clearing as her body temp was goi
“Kill the blonde one, distract Jormungand!” Antonio shouted at a few of the others who went for Serenity. Thor was back, but seemed to be torn between going for Jor or leaving. Clearly this was a shit storm he needed help with, but he seemed torn because it was clearly that Fenrir was not free of his bonding yet. He looked like he wanted to go for Surt but then he’d have to fight two giants and have a third on his back. That tactic worked, because they also rushed Hel who met them head on. Which put Jor in the position of help his mortal or go for Thor. Antonio knew what he’d choose. Antonio turned and ran toward the house where the other two mortals were and fighting well, clearly they knew their shit. That wasn’t going to help them this time. This was supposed to be and they were going to see to it, and he went for the male. He knew the elf had the amulet he needed to control Hel, and he went for him wh
“Okay, how about not so hard?” Serenity said lifting up the third trash can. Tamara had gotten a few buckets. Jor’s red gaze didn’t look amused. He was his serpent at the moment. ‘Because I bit so hard the first couple times, your items are weak.’ “Maybe you are just to intense.” Max commented and that got him a hiss. Not a nice one either. “Just saying.” Serenity and Hel held the trash can sideways, he was as careful as he could be and bit into it letting his fang pop into the plastic. “There stop!” Tamara said and he paused, the other two holding the can. Tamara ran over and held the bucket up to his second large fang, but Fenrir took it from her giving her a look. “Contact with your skin might poison you Tamara
“I feel so cold.” Serenity said and Jor felt a relieved breath come out of him. All the muscles in his body relaxed, and he felt her turn into him a bit where he was sitting. They had arrived here at Tamara’s home two days ago after being told where it was. Tamara and Fenrir just arrived an hour ago. It was something to see his brother in the flesh again. However he’d been unable to let go of Serenity to actually greet him. None of them were sure she was breathing the first few hours after getting here. He had been very close to going on a rampage. He felt this complete desolation inside of him. Unlike anything else before, and he thought she was dead. When he was going to set her down she had taken in a sharp breath. After that he’d just sat where he was holding her as she did feel very cold. Though she didn’t feel like that so much anymore. He was sure she still needed warmth.
“You better not make a liar of me woman.” Hel said crossing her arms looking down at Serenity. She actually opened her eyes for a moment waking. “I’m trying.” She said very quietly and then her eyes closed again. She struggled to stay awake but everything felt so far away. It felt like to much. Hel knelt and wished that her touch wasn’t cold, but with Max gone, she had no warmth to give to anyone. She just tucked the blanket around the woman more. This mortal who Jormungand clearly cared for. Hel would forever remember the sight of her brother holding the woman as she came in the house. He’d been cradling her in his arms and the protective hold he had on her was one she had never seen him give anything. She knew the feeling, and she had seen the very slight surprise on his face looking at Hel. She wondered how much she had changed, or if she actually looked d
“Here, he’s been spotted.” Antonio handed Surt a paper. They were in New York City. Surt just felt like he should be here so here is where they went. Clearly they weren’t going to find Hel, and so they were back at square one. However Antonio’s work had paid off, and his call out to the Den that was now in ruins. “Who?” “Jormungand. My den gave me a description. I have been monitoring and sending out a sketch and description to police bulletins. We have a hit, it was a long shot, but I think fate likes things to go its way. So here he is.” Antonio shook the paper and Surt took it looking at it and crumpled it, he couldn’t read this language. “Where?” “Four hours from us, at least that was where he was last seen. He and Thor did some serious damage, especially T
Jor was startled awake when Serenity just pulled away from him and suddenly leaned over the side of the bed and wretched hard. She vomited what little she had in her stomach and he moved steadying her when she nearly toppled out of the bed. She was sweating and looked very pale. Her skin was still hot to the touch and she was shaking. “I feel horrible.” Serenity said reaching for the water and her hand didn’t quite go the direction that she wanted it too. Jor got up and moved around getting the water for her and had to help her drink. She swayed where she sat and felt dizzy. “You look horrible.” He told her and she gave him a look. “Thanks.” She commented and he felt that tug to smile. She suddenly just went back and hit the bed. Her entire body seemed to go rigid and he had no idea how to describe the sounds she
Jor woke first and Serenity felt like she was burning up, but she was also shaking slightly. He leaned up and felt her face before her forehead. She was definitely running a high fever. He got up moving around the bed to her side. He leaned over her frowning as she opened her eyes and looked at him. “I feel cold.” She said pulling the blankets closer. “You feel hot.” He told her and she was shivering, what was wrong with her? Why was she saying she was cold when she was clearly running a fever? He’d never dealt with anything like this before. He was concerned that she was really sick. The bruise on her face was yellow but not healed, he moved the blankets to check her for a second, other wounds weren’t much better. “My head hurts.” She commented and he had a tight lipped expression.