Broken Dove (Fantasyland #4)(207)

Lucky her.

“Knees!” Noc shouted.

I looked back at Pol who was grinning.

Uh-oh.

“Knees!” Noc bellowed.

Pol dashed to the side.

Because he was an ass**le, he did this toward me.

He didn’t make it.

This was because a wall of man formed in front of me.

I had his back so I saw he was a man wearing a cloak.

A man carrying a sword.

A man who didn’t hesitate using that sword.

He swung it out in a mighty arc and I heard a body hit the ground. A nanosecond later, I heard another, quieter thump that included a sickening roll.

“Okay,” Cora murmured. “Gross.”

Apollo turned to me.

I stared up into his furious jade eyes.

Jade eyes that were beautiful—furious, murderous, whatever, I did not care. I just loved those eyes. I would love those eyes forever as I would love the man who had them.

Not to mention, I was freaking beside myself I was looking into them right then.

So I ignored the bloodied sword (not to mention the drops of blood on his face and clothes) and ran into his arms.

Those arms closed around me.

I felt his lips at my ear and heard his deep voice say to me. “You are safe now, my dove.”

I just knew he’d find a way.

I took in a long breath and held on tight as I let it go.

“I’m guessing you didn’t take his other hand,” I said quietly.

“You are correct. I did not.”

Bye-bye Pol.

I closed my eyes.

“It is done, Frey Drakkar.”

I opened my eyes and looked to the side to see a pointy-eared man had his gaze aimed our way.

Apollo loosened his grip but didn’t let me go. But I could look further around.

Frey was there. As was Lahn. As was Tor (the real one, or the other real one).

All was well.

I looked to the vaulted stone ceiling. Thank you, God.

“He is mine,” Lahn grunted and stalked forward.

I should have known with the way he was stalking but I didn’t think. So I didn’t look away and saw Lahn bend over a scuttling Baldur and raise him from the floor by his hair.

Luckily, his back was to us but I still heard the unmistakable crack when Lahn’s arms moved swiftly.

Then, with no ado whatsoever, Lahn dropped Baldur’s lifeless body to the ground and turned, stalking back to his woman.

He’d broken Baldur’s neck.

Bloodless, at least, but still.

Guh.

“I believe she is yours,” Frey said and my eyes went back to him.

He was looking at Tor.

So I looked to Tor to see him nod, bend and kiss Cora on her forehead and then he moved to the thrones.

Lahn disengaged from Circe and fell in behind him. Frey disengaged from Finnie. And Apollo let me go.

They all moved toward the cage of ice.

The be-capped creatures that I figured were elves shifted back as they did.

Apollo was the first one to whip his sword around.

He went for a second pass and Frey pulled his sword out of the scabbard at his back.

Around they both went and Lahn unsheathed his.

Then they all rounded their swords as Tor walked up the steps.

They let fly.

I gasped as the swords struck the wall of ice and it shattered, blowing out. But suddenly, the shards arrested in the air in unison before they tinkled to the ground like harmless bits of crushed ice.

When they did, Minerva’s body fell to her throne.

And when it did, Tor moved up the rest of the steps.

I watched her focus on him.

“This can’t happen,” she said, her voice no longer sounding all around but coming direct from her mouth, her face was stricken. “I’m a god.”

“Gods have faith. Gods have loyalty. Gods have love,” Tor replied. “You were never a god.”

“But—”

That was her last word.

Tor swung his sword and Minerva’s head flew to the side.

Okay, I could put up with some gruesome, I’d proved it.

But enough was enough.

I looked away.

I looked back when I heard, “I believe this one is for you.”

When I looked back, I saw Valentine lounging casually against the black throne. Helda was still unconscious, slumped in it.

Derrik was not far from Valentine’s side.

Apollo moved up the steps that way. I saw him look to Derrik before he looked back to Valentine.

“We all go,” he declared.

“Of course, chéri,” she replied and lifted up her hands.

No sooner did she do that then the vast room filled with green mist.

She was a strange one, but it couldn’t be said that Valentine wasn’t something.

“Here we go again,” Finnie muttered as the mist enveloped us.

The room faded away.

This time, we didn’t fall.

But I cannot tell you how happy I was when the frozen tundra and snow-tufted pine trees formed around us.

Safe.

Alive.

Home.

I saw movement and looked that way as I felt the others shifting in around me.

The movement was Apollo. My view was from the back and he was walking away but I saw he was carrying something in his arms.