“We can’t call for the Bifrost, Johann. The storm’s too bad, it will tear us apart.”
Ah, words again! This time, I understood them. The Bifrost . . . that was some kind of tunnel, or boat, or . . . bridge! It was a rainbow bridge! No, that made zero sense. Bridges were steel and cables and asphalt, not rainbows. Duh. The darkness was trying to alter my memories.
“Well we can’t just wait out the weather. Allie will die!”
Allie . . . what a friendly name. It sounded familiar. Oh, God, was someone I knew about to die? Another swirl of red-black coursed through my brain, bringing with it a fresh wave of pain. Argh! This was unbearable. How could I make it stop? Please, just make it stop!
“Allie’s. Not. Going. To. Die.”
The last voice growled fiercely, as if its owner was willing his words to come true. And I believed him. Allie, whoever she was, would not be dying today. This angry male most definitely would not allow it. His commanding tone made it clear he was not to be messed with—not by whoever he was talking to, or by whoever was in charge of letting people live or die. Dominance absolutely oozed from his energy.
“Can you call your brothers, Mack? We could use the Swords of Exile about now.”
Swords of who now? Whatever messed up dream I was having took a fanciful turn as the image of glowing white blades filled what little head space wasn’t being occupied by sheer, agonizing pain. I clung to the picture, in part to distract myself from whatever was stabbing my head, and in part to take on some of the power that particular vision made me feel. Power. Own your power. The words came through me, but they weren’t mine. Was the pain making me insane?
“Even if my brothers were able to port into Jotunheim, there’s no way of knowing whether the Exile Shield would be strong enough to allow the Bifrost to function. We could still be ripped apart on exit.”
That did not sound good. Not for poor Allie, or for any of the angry, protective males who were occupying this space. Protectors. That word flowed through me too. I sensed that these males were here to protect someone . . . to protect me?
Well, they certainly weren’t doing a bang up job. My body was in an inexplicable amount of pain, and I was pretty sure I was losing my mind.
“Nobody’s getting ripped apart. Heimdall won’t send it down if he doesn’t think we can make it back. We’re getting Allie up to Asgard, and we’re getting her healed.”
It was the dominant energy again. Only this time, when he spoke, I picked up on another emotion within his field. Layered thick among the rage and frustration was an intense, all-consuming love. For Allie. This angry, dominant male was absolutely overflowing with love for Allie. It was a beautiful juxtaposition, and I hoped the feeling was mutual.
A fresh wave of pain wracked my body, this time pulsing between my head and my chest. The stabbing continued up top, but in my torso, I sensed a dense spiral, a whirlpool of darkness that sucked all light from my heart. God that hurts! A dense weight pressed against my chest, or maybe it pulled from behind my back. Either way, something vital, something life affirming, was being taken from me.
And the voices around me continued to argue about a rainbow.
Minutes passed, or maybe hours, but finally the pain that pulsed between my chest and my head ebbed. The voices came back into focus, only this time there were more of them. I tried to open my eyes, but everything around me was hazy. One face moved in and out of focus—a beautiful man with long blond hair.
“Allie.” He spoke the name as if in prayer. “You’re awake!” The man pressed his lips to my forehead, relief and love pouring from his energy to fill my empty heart with a speck of light. “Allie’s awake!” The man called over his shoulder, before turning back to breathe into my neck. “Thank gods you’re okay.”
Hold on. I was Allie? This guy loved me? And I was about to die? A knowing crashed over me as my memories broke loose from the darkness’ hold. There had been a blackness taking my memories, taking my essence, but I wouldn’t let it continue. I was Allie. I am Allie. I repeated it like a mantra, hoping to never forget. With every chant of my name, I felt a tiny bit stronger.
“Ugh,” I moaned. A fresh wave of pain overtook me, and I squeezed my eyes shut. No, Allie! Fight it! You are not dying! You want to live!
“Brothers, form the Exile Shield.” A peaceful voice gave the order, and the space a few yards away filled with a brilliant, white energy. Hope radiated in a ring, and the darkness inside me skittered against my chest like it was anxious. Did the hope ring frighten whatever was making me feel so awful? If so, how did I get myself closer to that ring?
As if on cue, strong arms eased themselves beneath me. “Hold on, Allie,” the dominant voice commanded. “We’re going to get you home.”
Home. Where was home? Images flickered across my mind, but none of them felt quite right. The tiny house in the meadow was too distant, the two-bedroom dorm in the city was too temporary. Pictures raced, and I let them move across my consciousness until one lit up in a rosy pink glow. There it is. Home. A girl with long blonde hair and a glowing necklace sat comfortably on a loveseat beside the blond guy who’d just leaned over me. They stared out the window, watching the snow fall, their heads lightly touching. There was an ease and familiarity between them. It was lovely, really.
“Argh!” I cried out as the arms pulled me into something warm and firm. I forced my eyes open to see what was happening. The angular lines of the man’s beautiful face blurred as my body was jostled. Snow-covered trees flew quickly past, and before I could register that we’d moved, I found myself pressed against this man’s chest, surrounded by a circle of light so bright that the blackness in my heart writhed back and forth as if in pain. My headache immediately returned and knocked itself up to a full-blown migraine. Holy hell, I was either going to pass out or puke all over this poor guy. We’d see how much he liked me then.
“It’s as secure as we’re going to get it.” The peaceful voice had a heavy edge. “It’s now or never. This storm’s not letting up any time soon.”
“Heimdall! Send the Bifrost! Now!” the dominant voice ordered. Then it shifted. “Hold on to me, Allie.” My protector—yes, that word resonated, protector. This man was absolutely here to protect me from whatever was causing this unbelievable pain—spoke softly into my ear. “This might hurt.”