Perfekt Balance (The Ære Saga Book 3) (4 page)

“Hold up.” Henrik held out one hand. “Where
are you going? And why is Forse about to kill someone?”

We all turned to look at Forse. Sure enough,
his eyes were slits, his breathing was sharp, and he had a pulsing
forehead vein that rivaled Tyr’s neck one. He positively seethed
anger.

“We are going to Svartalfheim,” Tyr answered
coolly. The four gods in the room drew a collective gasp.

The mortal took in our reactions with
practiced calm. “Which one’s Svartalfheim again?” she asked
lightly.

“The worst one after Helheim,” Brynn
muttered.

“It’s the realm of the dark elves,” I
explained. “When the cosmos was born, the blackest souls were sent
to a wasteland—a realm of isolation and soot. Svartalfheim.”

“And you’re all going there?” Mia
squeaked.

“Forse, Brynn, Elsa, and I are going there.”
Tyr spoke with his chin on Mia’s head. “You’re staying here with
Henrik.”

“Elsa doesn’t need to go,” Forse argued.

“
You of
all people know how delicate this retrieval is. The perp has been a
fugitive since…well, it’s been a long time. She’s being harbored by
dark elves who demanded Fenrir in her place, and I have no
intention of unleashing that beast again. The elves agreed to
accept one of the Svartish treasures from the vault instead of the
wolf, but they could very well turn on us once we get there. We
need a Unifier to make sure this exchange goes peacefully. Right
now, Elsa’s all we’ve got,” Tyr finished.

“Um, thanks?” I said.

“You know what I mean.” Tyr turned his gaze
to me. “I don’t want to drag you into Svartalfheim any more than
Forse does. I know you’re not up to speed on the peacekeeping
function, and I don’t like putting you in danger. Not only are you
my baby sister, but you’re a Key—you’re one of the gods we train to
protect. I hate everything about this. Unfortunately, I don’t have
another option.”

“I could go,” Mia offered. Her voice was
shaky, but she held her head high.

“No.” Five voices sounded as one. A
combination of relief and disappointment flickered across Mia’s
features.

“If I’m not ready, you’re definitely not
ready,” I reminded her. “I’ll get this one, and once I have a
handle on this bizarre skill set I’ll pass the torch to you. I
promise.”

“I’ll hold down the fort from here this
time.” Mia stared me down. “But I don’t want to be on baking duty
with Henrik forever.”

I
swallowed.
Figure this out, Elsa.

“Hey, there are worse things than baking with
me.” Henrik raised an eyebrow. “I never did teach you to make my
mom’s chocolate mousse cake, did I?”

Mia looked up with a small smile. “Does she
use Mexican vanilla?”

“Tahitian,” Henrik countered. “And I’ve got a
stash in my secret cabinet.”

“Now that that’s settled, does anyone want to
tell me the name of the perp we’re retrieving from that
Odin-forsaken realm?” Brynn chimed in.

I turned to my brother and waited for his
answer. When he spoke, his voice was clipped.

“Runa.”

The name fell like a lead balloon at a
birthday party. Brynn’s mouth dropped open, and Henrik sucked in a
breath. I couldn’t see Forse’s face, but the sound of knuckles
cracking behind me let me know he wasn’t happy. I could relate.

Oh dear gods. We’re going after Runa.

The room
swirled in a violent vortex, and Forse gripped my arms to steady
me. As he righted me in my chair, the world slowed to a standstill.
Runa was more than just Forse’s psychotic ex-girlfriend. She was
the monster who committed
the
crime—the one that changed everything.

When I finally found my voice, it came out
dry and scratchy. “We’re going after Runa.”

“Yes.” Forse watched me carefully.

“And you’re charging her with high
treason.”

“Yes,” Forse repeated.

“Good.”

Forse kept his hands on my arms as I breathed
through my rage. “Elsa, if you don’t want to go with us we
can—”

“
We can
what?” Tyr interrupted. “We can’t let the dark elves keep her—her
crime was against Asgard, and she needs to answer to
our
realm for what she’s
done. Not Svartalfheim. You of all gods know
that.”

“
Förbaskat
, Tyr, I’m not letting her hurt Elsa!” Forse exploded. The
words echoed off the marble countertops, piercing the normally calm
kitchen.

“I’m not letting her hurt anyone!” Tyr yelled
back. “And the only way I can ensure that is if I bring her to
Odin!”

“Enough!” I interjected. With my emotions
under control, I re-opened my abilities and sent waves of calm at
Forse and Tyr. Their chests continued to rise and fall with angry
breaths, but their auras reflected a slight decrease in rage. It
was the best I could do. “Forse, I understand where you’re coming
from. But Tyr’s right. Runa needs to be brought to justice. And
since that’s you”—I tapped the justice god with my pointer
finger—“and since I’ve got your back whether you like it or not,
I’m going with you. Tyr’s spot on; we don’t want this exchange
going bad. We can’t let her hurt anyone else. I need you to have
that faith in me you promised you would.”

“I believe in you, Elsa. I’ve always known
you have what it takes to master this job, even before you believed
it yourself. You’re incredibly powerful, and you can do anything
you set your mind to. But there are so many forces working against
us these days. If anything happened to you, I’d never forgive
myself.” Forse pressed his forehead to mine. His concern was sweet,
and normally I’d have melted into a giggling mess at the contact,
but right now I just couldn’t go there.

“
Let’s
make sure we’re all safe then
.
We’ll bring Runa in so she can be prosecuted to
the fullest extent of Asgardian law.” I shot Forse a look brimming
with confidence I didn’t actually possess. Since the energetic
fireballs shooting between him and Tyr suggested they still
operated at a six on the anger scale, it was clear I was a woefully
ineffective Unifier.

And I had the job of my life ahead of me.

“When do we leave?” Brynn placed her hands on
the island countertop.

“First thing in the morning. I’ve got to head
to Asgard after dinner to retrieve that weird-shaped crystal from
the treasure room.” Tyr ran a finger along Mia’s arm. She
shivered.

“Odin’s willing to part with that?” Henrik
sounded surprised. “The research team hasn’t figured out what it
does yet.”

Tyr shrugged. “Whatever it takes to get Runa
in custody.”

“Well then, it sounds like you’re going to
need your energy.” Mia jumped up and put on her oven mitts. As she
bent over the stove, she called out orders of her own. “Henrik, get
the drinks. Forse, add two more place settings to the table. This
lasagna’s not going to serve itself.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Henrik saluted. He swatted
Brynn on the behind and gave a rakish grin as she giggled.

“Henrik!”

“Brynn, you can get the salad out of the
fridge.” Mia carried the lasagna to the table and set it on
hotplates. “Tyr, make sure we’ve got enough ice cream. If not,
please bring some in from the garage fridge.”

“Aye aye.” Brynn set to task.

Tyr
checked the contents of the freezer and closed the door. “We’re
fully stocked.
Prinsessa
, this looks amazing. Come and sit down. Oh, and
Brynn?”

“Yes?” Brynn set the salad on the table and
turned around.

“The next time you and Henrik get dressed in
a hurry, try to wear your shirt the right way.” Tyr winked as he
took his seat.

Brynn glanced at her T-shirt and her hands
flew to her mouth. “Oh my gods!” she squealed, before running out
of the room. She returned half a minute later, with a righted shirt
and a mortified expression. She picked a dish towel off the counter
and threw it at Tyr, who wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. To
my right, Forse chuckled quietly, and even Henrik sported an
enormous grin.

“I’m going to remember this moment when
you’re crying for your bodyguard to save your life in
Svartalfheim,” Brynn warned.

“You do that,” Tyr guffawed.

Mia sat beside him, muffling her laughter
behind one delicate hand. “Sit,” she giggled. “Eat. You’ve all got
a long day coming up tomorrow.”

Forse held out my chair and I shot him a
grateful grin. The smile he returned me looked forced, but I’d take
it.

Mia only knew the half of it. Long day didn’t
begin to cover what it would take to retrieve Runa. But we’d get it
done. And if that monster was the reason Forse kept that wall
around his heart, then maybe I could do more than just keep the
peace on this recovery mission.

Maybe I could give Forse—and myself—a real
chance at happiness.

“
ELSA, YOU’RE WAY TOO
good to me. You made my favorite.” Forse tossed a kernel of
popcorn in his mouth, and I tried my hardest not to stare at his
lips while he chewed.

I failed.

“
Light
sugar, extra butter.” I forced my eyes upward. “The
perfekt
balance of sweet
and savory.”

“Thanks. I have a surprise for you, too.”
Forse set the bowl on the end table and walked to the kitchen. He
returned carrying two glass containers and an easy grin.

“Coke in a bottle! Where’d you find that?” I
bounced on my knees.

“A market in Eureka just started carrying it,
so I ordered you a case. I popped a few in your fridge and left the
rest in your garage.”

I clapped my hands together. “Forse Styrke,
you are too much. How did you remember how much I like this?”

Forse
raised one eyebrow. “I don’t remember you
liking
it as much as I remember
you
trying to kiss me
because of it.”

My face
went from zero to blazing in half a second. “
You
spun that bottle and it landed
on
me
, thank you
very much.”

“
True.”
Forse opened both bottles and handed me one, then reclaimed his
spot on the couch and took a long drink. “But
you
were the one who jumped across
the circle and tried to attack me. If Tyr hadn’t pulled you back,
who knows how far you would have tried to go.”

That was my brother. Interfering with my love
life since early adolescence.

“Whatever.” I took a delicate sip. The
bubbles tickled my nose as the sweet liquid slid down my throat,
bringing on a delightful wave of nostalgia. “Oh my gods, this is so
good.”

Forse raised his beverage. “Thanks for the
popcorn.”

“Thanks for the Coke.” I clinked my bottle
against his, and picked up the remote. I pressed “play” as we
finished our beverages in companionable silence. Forse set our
empty bottles on the end table and settled the popcorn in his lap,
then threw his arm across the back of the sofa and shot me his easy
smile.

“
Get over
here,
hjärtat
.”
Forse tilted his head. My heart raced at the endearment as I
scooted into the nook he’d made just for me. I nuzzled my cheek
against Forse’s chest, and tucked my feet underneath me. It was a
calculated position—just enough contact to evoke that warm feeling
of safety I got whenever Forse touched me, but not so much as to
signal his emotional red flags. Despite our comfortable exchange, I
knew Forse was one awkward hand-brush
away from bolting out my door faster than he had
at Freya’s spin-the-bottle party. I didn’t know if it was a guy
thing or a
me
thing, but boys hadn’t exactly lined up to date the God of
War’s little sister. Tyr’s overprotective streak and propensity to
blow up when anyone looked at me twice were massive turn-offs to
would-be suitors. But Forse had always been the exception; Tyr
never minded my spending time alone with his friend. Maybe it was
because they’d known each other for hundreds of years, or maybe it
was because Forse’s title bound him to a certain honor code that
eluded lesser gods. Either way, it made things infinitely easier
for me to spend time with him.

I shifted
my weight so my knees brushed against Forse’s thigh. The additional
contact sparked a wave of warmth that ebbed up my legs, through my
stomach, and settled around my heart. With a contented sigh, I
increased the pressure of my cheek on Forse’s chest. Smooth muscle
muffled the heartbeat, but I heard its tempo increase.
Yes!
An elated grin
broke out across my face at the sound. It might take him years to
figure out how
perfekt
we’d be together—if he ever put it together—but at least I
had physical confirmation that I had some kind of effect on
him.

Forse
cleared his throat and leaned slightly away. My mouth twitched as I
tried not to frown.
One step forward, two steps back.
Every. Single. Time.
With
great reluctance, and the long-suffering patience only an immortal
could summon, I lifted my head and met Forse’s eyes. I wanted to
ask why he felt the need to pull away from me, but I knew
having
the talk
would freak him out. So I settled for the first thought
that came into my mind. “Are you nervous about
tomorrow?”

“
Elsa,”
he started. Then he pressed his lips together so they made a fine
line. He’d closed off.
Dang it
.

“
We’re
just watching a movie,” I reminded him. “That’s it. We’re two
friends who’ve known each other for centuries, watching
The Tempest
.”