Valr’s mouth flicked up in amusement, but Magnus couldn’t stand the panicked look in Helle’s eyes; he pulled her into his arms and lowered his mouth to her ear. “Trust us.”
Helle shook her head.
“I promise,” Magnus swore, “I will keep you safe. I swear it on our bond.”
Helle looked up at him, stunned, maybe a little baffled, but still brimming with fear, and Magnus couldn’t hold back any longer. He slid a hand into her hair, cupped the back of her head, and laid a gentle kiss on her mouth, trying to convey all his affection, loyalty, and protectiveness.
Helle made a surprised sound in the back of her throat and jerked back, but while Magnus released her mouth, he kept cradling her head, caressing soothing circles on her scalp with his thumb. “You’re mine to protect,” he breathed, “and I’m yours to command.”
“Magnus,” Bjorn barked in the steely tone that got Magnus to do whatever he said.
Magnus laid a final kiss on Helle’s lips, having to fight like crazy against the command just to resist for a bare two seconds, and then scrambled away from Helle with an apologetic glance, wishing he could comfort her more. Wishing they weren’t escorting her into a prison. Wishing she believed him about them being her mates. But she hadn’t pulled away from him when he’d initially taken her into his arms. Maybe because she was so surprised, but still. Magnus took it as a positive sign.
His alpha’s command hooked into his chest, pressing down on his lungs, but Magnus was able to whisper, “Whatever you need, Mistress, I will provide.”
He’d do anything to keep her happy, indulge her every whim. And if she decided to take him into her bed, he’d be the happiest vargr alive.
Bjorn heaved a sigh. “Listen, Helle Aven.” Helle’s icy eyes darted to him, her body tense with fear. “Asgard Penitentiary is full of the most dangerous Asgardians, specially built to contain people with magic. If you want to survive it, if you want to stand a chance of earning your freedom, you need to listen to me. When I give you commands, it’s to ensure your safety.” His expression tightened, a muscle feathering in his broad jaw. “Like it or not, you are the Fenrir. You’re pack now, and I’m your alpha. Like Magnus says, we’ll offer you some protection from the guards and your fellow inmates. Some. I’m afforded a significant amount of power inside the prison, but ultimately the valkyries are in charge. Even I answer to them. Do you understand the position you’re in?”
Helle looked sick but, slowly, trembling head to toe, she nodded. “It’s … it’s not a trick is it? It’s not a hallucination?”
“No,” Bjorn replied, softer.
“I’m supposed to be human,” she breathed, and Magnus was horrified to see tears lining her eyes. As if sensing he was about to scoop her into his arms again, she brushed her tears away and held her bound hands out in front of herself. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything, and Magnus’s heart ached. His poor Fenrir. He couldn’t imagine how hard the transition from human to vargr must be.
“Well,” she breathed eventually, casting a glance around at the deserted shore. “I’m definitely not in Kansas anymore.” Her shoulders rounded, her head pulled back as she stood straighter, though she still shook.
Magnus smiled when she looked at him, trying to convey strength and confidence, sending it pouring down the luminous bridge between their souls to strengthen her. Bjorn gave her an approving nod, compassion in his eyes.
Valr made a sound in the back of his throat. “Done being dramatic?”
Helle’s confidence ebbed away. She shrank into herself, her ribbon-wrapped hands curling into fists, and Magnus could have torn out Valr’s throat. “I’m done,” she said quietly.
“Valr,” Bjorn said in a low growl.
Valr scoffed and headed toward a set of steps carved into the white rock that made up most of the island. “Just remember what we’re here to do—keep Little Miss Ragnarok here from killing Odin and make sure she serves time for her crimes. Not to fawn over her.”
Magnus’s chest rumbled as his vargr made itself known, a low warning growl he let increase in volume.
“Stop it,” Helle said, her voice soft but strong. She met Magnus’s eyes, then Bjorn’s. “Stop … stop fighting over me.”
And without prompting, she started after Valr towards the stone steps. Towards the prison she’d be lucky to get out of for as long as she lived.
“Bjorn,” Magnus said worriedly, scuffing his shoes against the shore. “If she doesn’t like confrontation … how’s she going to survive in here?”
Bjorn didn’t respond.
He and Magnus followed Valr and Helle up the steps in silence. The closer they got to the prison on the crest of the cliff, the worse Magnus felt. Helle was his mate; if she spent the rest of her life in here, so would Magnus. That reality wrapped around his chest like a constricting band, making every breath tight and short.
He tipped his head back when he reached the top of the island mount, staring at the stars, drawing a deep breath. He wondered when he’d be able to do so again.
Helle was staring at the prison ahead of them with dread, her chest rising and falling quickly and her bound hands shaking. Or maybe she was staring at the guards arrayed around the fence, the wings on their silver helmets upswept and deadly sharp, their fur cloaks pinned with brooches shaped to resemble rainbow bridges. The expressions on their faces were stoic, fearsome. To a woman who’d always thought she was human, they must be utterly terrifying.
“You’ll stay with me?” she whispered, looking from Magnus to Bjorn to Valr, pleading and desperate. “The whole time?”
“The whole time,” Magnus promised, moving close enough to brush up against her
