“I´m not really into rewards or helping strangers for that matter.”
“Are you defying me?” he asked surprised as if she was the first one to say no to him.
“No, I´m just being honest and weren´t you supposed to meet Dorian the Dark?”
“He will have to wait,” Wolf said impatiently. “Now, that I have other things on my mind.”
Other things? He meant her. Freya didn´t like this. She didn´t like this at all and she bit her lip in frustration. How in the first realm was she going to get rid of him?
“I can´t. I´m busy. I´m a god and we…we like to shorten the lives of mortal men, so you know, I have duties that I need to take care of.”
“You do not get involved with that,” Wolf said doubtingly but Freya nodded.
“I do though, there´s no fun in being a god otherwise.”
Once again he made her regret her words as his eyes darkened. It gave her a notion of how he had to be in battles and she felt bad for those who had stood in his way.
“You let them see you naked, to lure them into the water with you?”
“Well…” Freya said carefully. “I´m not always naked. I think I´ve worn my dress four times maybe… and I don´t really drown them. Mostly I just give them a tickle.” It was her favorite hobby in fact. To see them scream with laughter, just before the other god´s put their claws into the poor souls and destroyed all the fun.
“A tickle,” Wolf said with one eyebrow raised until he looked furious. “You won´t be doing that anymore, I give you my word.”
“You give me your word?” Freya asked surprised but then she turned amused. “Will you unleash your great wrath if I don´t listen to you?”
“And more,” he said threateningly and she involuntarily shrunk from the look in his eyes. “Now, promise me you will never go near another mortal again.”
“Uh, yeah, I promise,” she said in a hurried voice, wondering absently why it was so important to him. “Bye now.” He looked like he was about to snatch her and Freya gave a squeal and plummeted into the river until the water was up to her knees.
“Don´t you dare leave me,” he said and lifted his hand again as if he was ready to turn the water into ice.
“Do not do that,” Freya whispered. “This is our home.”
Wolf frowned as if he hadn´t given that thought any consideration.
“Please just go.”
Wolf straightened as if she had just slapped him but then he rearranged his features into that menacing expression.
“I will for now,” he said and turned around and as he walked, the ground beneath his leather boots turned into frost. “But I´ll come back for you, Freya of the Emerald Forest.”
Chapter Three
“I still don´t get it,” Armmie said, with her elbows on the shore and her legs kicking in the river. “Why would the Frost Bringer try to prevent you from doing your god duties?” Her eyes flashed. “Oooh, now I see. Maybe he wants to save you for his own, keep you in a fish bowl in Ice Falls?”
Armmie snickered but Freya pouted sourly.
“So, what do you think?” Armmie continued. “Do you think frosty has the hots for you? Do you think he wants to frost you up, real good?”
Freya shot Armmie an exasperated glare but then tried to act as if she didn´t care.
“The only thing I was worried about him frosting was the river. I didn´t pay much attention to anything else except for that he said he would be back.” Back for her.
“Let´s hope that he doesn´t,” Dasha cautioned. “We have enough to worry about than adding that cold giant to our problems.” Her head jerked at Cass who was sunbathing by the shore. “Cass lost her voice just the other day. She sang so loudly, she´s gone hoarse.” Dasha shook her head. “She´s one of our best singers and it´ll be difficult to lure the men without her.”
“Not if Freya decides to help,” Armmie said and Freya felt a lump in her stomach. “Her voice brought the Frost Bringer himself to his knees.”
“I´ll tickle them and that´s it,” Freya said, crossing her arms and the others sulked.
“You always let us do all the dirty work,” Armmie said and Freya rolled her blue eyes.
“Don´t pretend as if you don´t like it.”
“All right, I confess,” Armmie shrugged. “I do like it.”
Dasha laughed with glee but Freya just sighed, playing with a blade of grass. Free from frost this one.
“What do you know about Ice Falls?” Freya asked, ignoring their meaningful glances.
“Not much,” Dasha said brusquely. “Only that it’s a cold and miserable place. It’s so freezing, few immortals are able to stand it.” Dasha bit her red lips. “But I´ve heard it’s one of the most difficult areas to overrun, even for Wryfell.”
Interesting.
“He must be a great male,” Freya said absently, surprised by the slight dreaminess in her voice. She was just about to correct herself when Cass said.
“Who the Frost Bringer? That he is all right, but brutal and apparently no fun at all. The few times I´ve seen him, he´s looked like he´s two seconds away from murdering someone. I wouldn´t want to be around that.”
“Because you hate murdering others yourself, you mean?” Freya said sarcastically and then added, “I´m sure he´s not that bad.”
“He is though,” Armmie said in a bored tone of voice. “He can turn immortals into ice.” She shuddered as if the sheer thought was unbearable.
Freya ignored them, floating in the river, her thoughts wandering to Philip as usual. Centuries had passed without him and yet she remembered him as fiercely as if she had just seen him yesterday. His dark hair, his stubborn mouth and his kind, dreamy eyes that had promised so much both in this world and beyond. None of his promises had come true and Freya had forgiven him a long time ago. And in the end, she
