Nidhogg lumbered close, and I felt magic probe me again. Different this time. Dragon magic. Buckets of steam followed until I was blanketed in mist. Realization socked me in the guts. I carried his grandson. Batting mist aside, I took a couple of steps back.
“Do not even think about ordering me to sequester myself in a tower—” I began.
The Norse dragon bugled laughter. “Wouldna dream of it. Young dragons can fight by the time they’re a few months old.”
I reflexively splayed a hand over my concave belly. “Not my son,” I hissed. “He’s going to have a normal childhood, goddammit.” Protectiveness enveloped me like an out-of-control fire. I would fight for my child, offer him everything I’d been deprived of. Even if it meant raising him on a borderworld with only him, me, and Bjorn.
Nope. That wouldn’t work. He needed other children to play with. There weren’t any. Not on Fire Mountain, nor anywhere else, either. I battled a deeply sinking feeling. Why have a baby at all if his existence was marked by strife from his birth?
I felt more than saw Zelli move close with Dewi right behind her. Being surrounded by dragons is claustrophobic as hell. Bjorn and I stood at the bottom of an abyss surrounded by scales and coated in steam.
“His upbringing will be normal—for a young dragon,” Nidhogg said.
His words did not make me feel better, but I’ve never been one to shy away from conflict. “I get it that he has dragon blood from both sides, but he also has Norse and Celtic genetics,” I pointed out.
Nidhogg’s jaws lolled into a dragon grin. “Aye, child. All the above. He will carry unimaginable power.”
“We must raise him on Fire Mountain,” Dewi said, “to ensure he has everything he requires.”
“No.” Bjorn’s voice cut into the argument I was about to float. “This is our child. Mine and Rowan’s, and we shall do what we believe best for him.”
I raked my hands through my hair. Fingers snagged on my mostly undone braids. Weariness racked me. The baby was barely more than a collection of cells and we were already haggling over his future.
Meanwhile, Patrick and Hilda had fought their way past dragon legs and flanked me. Both witches hugged me. “I’m happy for you,” Hilda whispered into my ear.
Hel slithered through a gap between Zelli and Dewi. Tears shone in her eyes as she hugged first Bjorn and then me. I made a feeble attempt at diplomacy. “Thank all of you for your kind wishes. They’re overwhelming. I’m certain we’ll, erm, figure things out.”
“Best to have the fine points tacked down ahead of time,” Nidhogg said. At least he’d quit blowing steam.
“Absolutely.” Hel leaned into him, proud grandmother-to-be that she was.
I thanked my lucky stars—and the not-so-lucky ones too—my own mother wasn’t in a position to weigh in. Ceridwen would have had ideas of her own, but I felt certain she’d have sided with Dewi, both being Celts and all.
I’d been near the end of my tether before Dragon-baby showed up. I had to find a way out of Odin’s halls before I gave up and teleported away, and the lot of them added rude to my other list of failings.
“Get on.” Zelli’s words were followed by a jolt of dragon magic that left me astride her.
I didn’t ask where we were going. I didn’t care. Away from Valhalla would do it. “What about the witches?”
“Nidhogg said he would return them.”
The walls of Odin’s meeting chamber developed the liquid aspect I’ve come to associate with teleporting. When the mists around me cleared, we were in front of Bjorn’s cottage. I’d have liked nothing better than to let myself in and immerse myself in his lore collection—or fall on my face and sleep for a week. But people were lined up outside his door. I got to twenty and quit counting.
Midgard facing annihilation hadn’t been a good enough reason for Odin to relieve Bjorn of his master sorcerer duties. I jumped down from Zelli and pasted a smile on my face. “Bjorn will be here soon. Meanwhile, I’m happy to offer my assistance.”
Maybe I have a trustworthy face, but voices blasted me with a variety of problems. I was knee-deep working with a woman whose healing spells had gone awry when Bjorn showed up astride Quade.
“Thanks.” He gave me a quick kiss before jumping down from the dragon and settling in to work. Neither of us would get to do anything else until we’d made a dent in the throng surrounding his cottage.
About the Author
Ann Gimpel is a USA Today bestselling author. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in many webzines and anthologies. Her longer books run the gamut from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. Once upon a time, she nurtured clients. Now she nurtures dark, gritty fantasy stories that push hard against reality. When she’s not writing, she’s in the backcountry getting down and dirty with her camera. She’s published over 70 books to date, with several more planned for 2019 and beyond. A husband, grown children, grandchildren, and wolf hybrids round out her family.
Keep up with her at www.anngimpel.com or http://anngimpel.blogspot.com
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Also by Ann Gimpel
SERIES
Alphas in the Wild
Hello Darkness
Alpine Attraction
A Run for Her Money
Fire Moon
Bitter Harvest
Deceived
Twisted
Abandoned
Betrayed
Redeemed
Coven Enforcers
Blood and Magic
Blood and Sorcery
Blood and Illusion
Demon Assassins
Witch’s Bounty
Witch’s Bane
Witches Rule
Dragon Heir (Summer and fall, 2019)
Dragon’s Call
Dragon’s Blood
Dragon’s Storm
Dragon Lore
Highland Secrets
To Love a Highland Dragon
Dragon Maid
Dragon’s Dare
Dragon Fury
Earth Reclaimed
Earth’s Blood
Earth’s Hope
Elemental Witch
Timespell
Time’s Curse
Time’s Hostage
GenTech Rebellion
Winning Glory
Honor Bound
Claiming Charity
Loving Hope
Keeping Faith
Ice Dragon
Feral Ice
Cursed Ice
Primal Ice
Rubicon International
Garen
Lars
Soul Dance
Tarnished Beginnings
Tarnished Legacy
Tarnished Prophecy
Tarnished Journey
Soul Storm
Dark Prophecy
Dark Pursuit
Dark Promise
Underground Heat
Roman’s Gold
Wolf Born
Blood Bond
Wolf Clan Shifters
Alice’s Alphas
Megan’s Mates
Sophie’s Shifters
Wylde Magick
Gemstone
Lion’s Lair
Unbalanced
* * *
STANDALONE BOOKS
Branded, That Old Black Magic Romance (paranormal romance)
Edge of Night (short story collection, paranormal and horror)
Grit is a 4-Letter Word (nonfiction)
Heart’s Flame (post-apocalyptic romance)
Icy Passage (science fiction romance)
Marked by Fortune (post-apocalyptic coming of age story)
Melis’s Gambit (historical paranormal romance)
Midnight Magic (paranormal romance)
Red Dawn (post-apocalyptic para
normal romance)
Shadow Play (historical paranormal romance)
Shadows in Time (Highland time travel romance)
Since We Fell (contemporary romance)
Warin’s War (paranormal romance)