Perfekt Order (The Ære Saga Book 1) (37 page)

“Where are we?” I stood slowly, testing my
equilibrium. When I wobbled, Tyr grabbed my elbow. He guided me to
the French doors that led to the backyard.

“This is the northwest compound. We call it
the safe house.”

My fingers touched the cool glass of the open
door, and I stepped onto the grey planks of the porch. Three steps
led to a grassy area, with a longer wooden staircase leading to the
ocean. In the moonlight, the sand was a pale silver. “It looks like
a beach house.”

“It is.” Tyr hooked an arm around my waist
and walked me down the steps, and onto the grass.

We stood beneath the large tree and looked
back at the house. The Cape Cod-style structure had grey shingles,
white-trimmed windows, and a white-columned porch that stretched
the length of the house. It was big but not imposing—a two-story
structure with three, maybe four good-sized bedrooms. I turned
around to watch the waves gently lap the silver sand. It must have
been high tide—there wasn’t much room between the bottom of the
staircase and the water. The full moon illuminated the little cove,
which hosted a total of four Cape Cod-style houses lined up like
sentinels facing the water. The beach stretched about a mile to the
right, where a sizable dune marked the delineation between cove and
open water. Two miles in the other direction, the water met a
mountain—I could barely make out the shapes of the treetops
covering the rock. To the right of the mountain a trio of boulders
nestled in the water, and from the flashes of light, I gathered one
held a lighthouse. Evergreens came right up to the edge of the
beach. We had to be somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.

Tyr’s arm was still around my waist, so I
leaned into him. He rested his chin on top of my head and wrapped
his other arm around me. I grabbed his hands and held tight.

“What is this place?”

“Asgard’s safe house in this quadrant of
Midgard,” Tyr explained.

“Why didn’t you just take Elsa to this safe
house earlier?” I pressed.

“We had planned to. Henrik was in the process
of increasing the security in this place, which required a quiet
period. But Fenrir struck while security here was down, and Freya
got on her matchmaking kick, so we ended up taking Elsa to Arcata,
intending to move her here when her condition stabilized. Henrik’s
only just completed the lockdown on this compound.” Tyr shook his
head. “
Finally
.”

“Do you have other safe houses?” I glanced
around. If they all looked like this one, I wouldn’t mind taking
the safe house intergalactic tour.

“We do. There are safe houses in every
quadrant of every realm, but this is one of my favorites. We’ve got
an Aesir permanently stationed here, though, and now that the
security increase is complete, it’s probably our safest location.”
Tyr pointed to the house closest to the open ocean. “That’s Forse’s
residence. He’s a close friend. He’s God of Justice, and he’s one
of our primary peacekeepers. Full-time job, these days.” Tyr’s
torso hardened against mine. My thumbs stroked his forearms until
he relaxed.

“Whose house is next to Forse’s?”

“That’s the medical unit. Elsa’s there, and
Henrik will be staying in the guest wing when he gets here in the
morning.”

“Did he make it out of Arcata safely? Or did
Fenrir…” I cringed at the memory of our terrifying departure.

“Henrik’s just fine. He used an enhanced
weapon on Fenrir and the wolf escaped through a portal. Henrik hurt
him pretty badly—Fenrir will probably need some time to recover
before he goes on the offense again.”

I swallowed down the knot in my throat and
pointed to the building directly behind us. “This one’s your
house?”

“Yes. I don’t get to come here a lot, but
it’s one of my favorite residences. When we’re not on the precipice
of war, it’s a peaceful place to be.”

The implication was clear; Fenrir’s attacks
were a call to arms. Adrenaline surged through my veins.

“What about that one?” I pointed to the house
next to Tyr’s.

“Ah, that’s where Freya’s staying.”

“Freya lives here, too?”

“At the moment, I do.” A musical voice rang
out as a willowy figure emerged from the house. The moonlight shone
against her long hair and reflected off her sparkling eyes. As
always, Freya moved with the poise of a ballerina. Her enviably
long legs, slender hips, and impressively toned triceps seemed to
float across the grass.

“Freya.” Tyr released his grip on me and
crossed the lawn to greet her.

“Tyr.” Freya hugged him back before giving me
a warm smile. “Mia, it’s good to see you. Sorry again about locking
you in the house. It really did come from a good place; Tyr would
have been impossible to live with if you’d gotten hurt. But I hear
you’ve been trained on the basic weapons, so I won’t need to do
that again.”

“Good to know.” The space gun and crossbow
were
basic
weapons?

Tyr ran his fingers over my arms. That was
when I realized I hadn’t cleaned up since my blackout-inducing
Bifrost experience. I was wearing the filmy top I’d worn for dinner
with my friends, only now it sported multiple wrinkles from my
catnap on the couch. My hair was in a messy bun, and I could
probably do with a mint. I was in no way fit for company. I ducked
my head against Tyr’s chest.

Freya tutted. “Tyr, she has goosebumps. Let’s
get you inside, sweetie. I left some things up in Tyr’s room for
you. When I saw him show up with one suitcase for the both of you,
I had a feeling he might have forgotten some of the girlish
essentials.”

“Thanks.” I stared at Tyr’s bestie, willing
myself to have an
attitude of gratitude
, like Meemaw would
say
.

Freya beamed down at me, perfect white teeth
gleaming against her perfectly tanned skin. She literally could not
be any more flawless, bless her heart.

Freya waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it.
Let’s get you all squared away and then we can talk about Elsa. Her
vitals were stable when I checked, so her team asked me to let her
rest until morning. Though I’m sure you won’t relax until you see
her yourself, Tyr.”

“You know me, eh, old girl?” Tyr cuffed Freya
on the shoulder.

“Control freak,” Freya agreed.

“Cat lady,” Tyr retorted.

“Watch it. My girls are Norwegian
skogkatt.”

“Norwegian what-cats?” I asked as we walked
back into Tyr’s house.

“I have Norwegian forest cats. They’re like
mountain lions. But fluffier. And cuter.” Freya’s smile was
sanguine.

“And a hundred times tougher.” Tyr shook his
head. “Don’t let Freya fool you. If someone crosses her, she’ll
have her cats bite the guy’s head clean off and serve it to the
next troll that comes through the dark forest.”

“Good to know.” I put
Don’t tick off Freya
or her pets
on the top of my list of Things To Remember About
Tyr’s Life.

“I’m not that crazy.” Freya rolled her eyes.
“Tyr’s just sore because I can kick his sorry behind in
hand-to-hand combat.”

“That happened one time. In middle school.”
Tyr spoke through gritted teeth, and I giggled. Getting beat by a
girl during the most embarrassing adolescent years must have been a
major blow for the up-and-coming God of War.

“Whatever. It happened.” Freya made herself
comfortable on the couch, and Tyr guided me up the stairs. “I’ll
wait down here. There’s a bag on the bed—if you need anything else
just let me know; I’ll run next door and bring it over.”

My previous unease surrounding Tyr’s BFF was
being trumped by her all-encompassing thoughtfulness.

“Thanks, Freya. This is really nice of
you.”

I followed Tyr up the stairs, past the
leather couches lining the landing, and into the master suite.

“Do you like it?” he asked, as he switched on
the light.

Like
didn’t even come close. The suite
had an open plan, with an enormous jetted tub sitting opposite a
double-headed shower near the entry. A small powder room sat behind
a white paneled door, with a vast mirror framing the double sinks
and vanity outside. Beyond this area was a plush king-sized bed,
swathed in thick white comforters and pillows, and facing two
oversized windows. The windows looked out onto the beach below. The
whole room was done up in creams and whites, with dark iron
fixtures and a cedar dresser. The sand-colored wood floors were
warm beneath my bare feet. Were they heated?

“Mia?” Tyr grabbed my hands and whirled me
around. “Are you okay? This was the safest place I could think of
to take you, but if you don’t feel comfortable here we can—”

He broke off when I touched a finger to his
lips. “It’s gorgeous. I love it. You sure Wolfie can’t get us
here?”

“I’m sure,” Tyr promised. “It’s invisible to
anyone that doesn’t have a residence here, and our bodyguards. And
access requires a retinal scan; I overrode that part for you, since
you were passed out when we got here. Trust me, this is the safest
place in all the realms for you to be.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was
holding. “Okay.”

Tyr drew me in and pressed his lips against
my temple. “I promised I’d take care of you, and I will. Always.
Now check the bag and let me know what else you need. Freya can
bring over more stuff tonight, and Henrik will be here with the
rest of your things when the sun comes up.”

“I kind of want to take a shower,” I
admitted. My arms still had goosebumps; standing in hot water
sounded heavenly.

“We can do that.” Tyr’s face lit up. He
started to take off his shirt.

I shoved him out of the room with a laugh.
“Not with your friend downstairs. Go visit. I’ll be down in
ten.”

“Fine.” Tyr sighed. “Towels are on the foot
of the bed.”

“This place has a housekeeper?” I hoped she’d
cleared the security check.

“Better. It has me.” Tyr twirled a finger and
an extra towel appeared on top of the stack.
Oh. My. God
.
He’d left
housekeeping
off his list of magical abilities. If
I played my cards right, I might never have to scrub another toilet
again. “Soaps and shampoos are already in the shower. Blow-dryer’s
in one of those drawers. You need anything else, just give me a
shout.”

He turned and walked out of the room. I
grabbed a towel off the foot of the bed and turned on the faucet.
Hot water filled the room with steam, and I hung my towel on the
hook next to a plush robe before stripping down and stepping into
the shower.

The water smoothed my goosebumps almost
instantly. I stood under the stream, washing and conditioning my
hair. When I was done I took an extra minute to enjoy the water
pressure against my back, then I turned off the shower and toweled
off.

The plushy robe felt soft against my skin as
I padded across the heated floors. It was still dark outside, so I
opened the bag and pulled out a soft pair of silk lavender pajamas.
Lacy piping at the wrists and ankles gave a delicate touch to the
classic design. I put the pajamas on, then pulled out a hairbrush,
toothbrush, face cream, deodorant, and a small makeup kit in colors
suited to my fall palate. Freya had even included my favorite
lavender perfume. How she’d put this together on a few minutes’
notice was beyond me. Unless…

I froze. Then I crossed to the vanity, put on
moisturizer, and blow-dried my hair on autopilot.

Unless Tyr had known something like this was
going to happen. Maybe Freya had had this bag packed for weeks,
just waiting for my inevitable arrival at the safe house. Tyr said
Fenrir went after everyone he loved. And he said he’d do whatever
it took to keep me safe. How long had he known we’d end up here?
And what was his plan now that we were in the compound? Were we
just going to live here forever, or until Tyr figured out how to
beat the wolf? Until the wolf was dead? It was immortal, wasn’t it?
That could take years—what exactly was going to happen to me? And
how was I going to pass any of my classes if I was hiding in a
secret safe house invisible to
the whole entire cosmos?

The blow-dryer slipped from my hands and hit
the counter with a thud. I turned it off. There were so many
questions bouncing inside my head, I wanted to find a notebook or
four and work them all out. But these weren’t questions I could
resolve on my own; I’d need to ask a certain Norse god exactly what
his plan was. And I really needed him to have a plan. Because
attractive as this compound was, I wasn’t about to sacrifice a
lifetime of impeccable academics only to flunk out of college my
freshman year. There was no way I could live with that shame, not
to mention explain my indefinite absence to my family and friends,
even if I could justifiably place the blame on the lords of the
underworld.

I caught my reflection in the mirror and
sighed. My hair was not yet fit for public viewing. My boyfriend
and his bestie might have been waiting for me downstairs, but Mama
always said it was better to arrive late than to arrive ugly. I
finished drying my hair and brushed it until it shone, brushed my
teeth, and padded downstairs in bare feet.

“Oh, good. They fit. I was hoping.” Freya
looked up with a smile as I entered the living room.

I smiled back, feeling more generous now that
I, too, had sleek, glossy hair. “They’re perfect. And you even
packed my favorite perfume. Thanks, Freya.”

She waved a hand. “It’s nothing. I’m glad
you’re here. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen this guy. You
know, without the weapons drawn.”

“So you guys have been friends for a while.
How did you meet?” I sat next to Tyr and tucked my feet underneath
me. He threw an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.

“Our moms were best friends, and Freya was
born a week after I was adopted. Freya’s been trying to keep up
with me since day one.”