249
Lucy
After the fitting, as we left Gabriel's boutique, Stacy and I were both in high spirits. The anticipation of the upcoming Crescent Moon Festival made it feel like the attack and everything else had faded away.
Stacy, always full of energy and enthusiasm, couldn't resist talking about the festival.
"It's a shame I won't be there, but promise to take plenty of pictures? And I want to hear all about it when you get back."
I nodded, sharing her excitement. "I promise, but why can't you come?"
She smiled. "Security risk. No magical dates to go with."
I pouted. "We can't find you a supernatural date? I'm sure David knows someone?"
"My age?" She asked.
"He has... a lot of family."
"We could be related!" She cried, grinning at me. "It's no rush, but I'll ask. Where is your paramour?"
I winced. "He's... sick."
Her eyes narrowed, and she nodded slowly. "Well, I hope he gets better soon..."
"Me too."
How long would it take for him to recover? I hadn't even thought to ask.
As we drove back to the Blood Moon Estate, I couldn't help but think about David and how much better he seemed this morning. His waking up was nothing short of miraculous, based on what Trent told me.
I couldn't wait until he was back on his feet. I looked forward to sharing the news of my dress fitting with him and perhaps lifting his spirits after the challenges he'd faced.
Once back at the estate, I hurried to check on David and was pleased to find him still awake. The wound was still emitting flickers of multicolored flame, but his skin was a lot clearer.
He had a book in his lap and was propped up on a bunch of pillows.
"Hey," I greeted him with a bright smile, my heart filled with warmth at the sight of him.
David put his book aside and returned my smile. "Hey, Lucy. How was the dress fitting?"
"Good."
He wrinkled his nose. "No spoilers?"
I hesitated. "I tried on your mother's armor."
His eyes widened.
"It... fit perfectly."
He smiled, his eyes turning more purple. "That's... wonderful news... Though you don't have to feel pressure to wear it."
I shook my head, kicked off my shoes, and climbed up on the bed beside him. He lifted the blankets for me and let me cuddle up beside him.
"I think someone will be in here to hover soon," he said. "Maybe having you here will keep them from coming back so frequently."
"Maybe." I sighed. "What are you reading?"
David looked down at the book he'd set aside earlier.
"It's a collection of ancient myths and legends," he replied, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "I'm hoping it'll answer a few questions I have. Fragments of the Trial are coming up, memories from previous Fenris wolves. I'm trying to make sense of it."
"Like human myths?"
"This one, yes. But so much of humanity's understanding of the supernatural is misremembered bits and pieces from the time when we lived in something like harmony... The time before the Moon Wars."
I hummed. "You think you'll figure something based on how it was remembered?"
"Basically. It's a shot in the dark, but I have to start somewhere."
"That sounds fascinating. What myth are you reading about right now?"
"I'm researching the story of Ragnarok, specifically Fenrir's role in it," he explained. "It's a captivating tale, a significant event in Norse mythology."
"Why?"
He smiled. "My ancestor, the first black wolf we know of, was named Fenris. It's an alternative name to Fenrir, a premier character in the story of Ragnarok."
I wrinkled my nose. "Isn't that the end of the world?"
"Something like it."
I leaned in closer, eager to hear more. "Tell me about it."
David opened the book to the marked page and began to recount the story of Ragnarok.
"I'm not terribly interested in the end," David explained. "Fenrir is the son of Loki and a monstrous wolf. His quick growth, large size, and massive power were a concern to the gods as they couldn't bind him."
"Why did they want to?"
"Fear," he said easily. "One among them, Tyr, took care of the wolf since he was born and taken from Loki... To be fair, the gods treated all of Loki's children terribly."
"What do you mean?"
"Jormangandr, the World Serpent, was tossed into the ocean, and Hel was trapped in another world of bitter cold. How accurate this all is is variable."
I winced. "What happened to Fenrir?"
David smiled and continued. "The gods trick him into a set of bonds that he can't break from. He bites off Tyr's hand as part of them breaking the good faith deal. When Fenrir breaks free from his bindings at Ragnarok, he swallows Odin. He's then killed by Odin's son, Vidar, who avenges his father's death."
I winced. "Seems gruesome..."
"It is, but I had a vision, several visions, of a large wolf bound in chains the way Fenrir was said to be. Selene was trying to kill it." He paused. "I think the werewolf virus has some connection to this story. It's old enough for it to have been obscured, and given what I saw of the Moon Wars, I wouldn't put it past Selene to have fiddled with human knowledge of the supernatural."
"Will you tell me about the Moon Wars?"
He paused. "What I know of it or what I've been told?"
"I'd... like the truth, I think," I said. "And then what most people know about it."
He nodded and told me about the battle between Oren and Fenris that resulted in the cursing of his line. He told me about the battlefield.
"It seems a lot like Ragnarok, doesn't it?" I asked. "Everyone's dead, and there are only a few people left who remember it... Only two who can go around spreading the information?"
He blinked and looked down. He smiled. "You think Selene tried to write her own future in the story of Ragnarok?"
I shrugged. "It seems like it. What do you think?"
"She's arrogant enough for it... I wonder if she loved Oren then and over the years has grown tired of him..." He tilted his head. "Though, I then have to wonder where the parallels are. Jormangandr and Thor... With Hel as keeper of the dead..." He murmured to himself, and I smiled.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
"The lightning," he said calmly. "And... perhaps Peter's obsession with trying to build a weapon to kill a dragon."
I frowned. "Peter?"
He nodded. "Interesting that my family would stand against Odin and his ilk if the parallels are true... Ragnarok signifies the end of the world, the ultimate reckoning. But it's also a cycle of rebirth, where the world emerges anew from the ashes of the old. The old gods die, and a new generation takes their place. Interesting still that Selene doesn't seem to have a role in Ragnarok other than to survive it with her chosen person..."
"Lucian said she doesn't know how to fight." I wrinkled my nose. "I have to agree."
He chuckled. "Oh?"
I flushed. "I guess you weren't around for when I punched her."
He lifted his head and laughed. His whole body shook with it. His eyes were a vibrant green now, and lights drifted around his head.
"You have to tell me the rest of the story."
I was a little bashful, but I told him. He grinned at me, tugging me closer and kissing me as I finished telling him. He growled low in his chest.
"You magnificent creature," he whispered, dragging his teeth along my neck. "You're so perfect. I would have loved to have seen it. I will have to teach you to share memories so I can see it."
I winced. "Maybe not."
He pulled back. His eyes narrowed. "Why?"
I shuddered. "I... I just don't know how much I'd want you to see."
"Something else happened?" He asked. "Something you don't want to tell me. Why?"
My stomach churned. "I... just don't want to think about it."
He said nothing for a moment before he gently turned my head. Our gazes met, and I felt trapped in his gaze, in the warmth and heat and the slowly burning anger, too. I felt protected and wanted, cared for in a way that made me warm all over.
"You need never fear them again," he whispered. "I will kill them all before they're allowed to hurt you again."
My eyes widened. The promise was chilling and warming, and I didn't know how to feel about it.
"I trust you," I said. "And... thank you."
He smiled and nuzzled closer, holding me against him.
"How about a nap, hm?" He whispered. "All this talk of Ragnarok has made me tired."
I nodded, grateful that I didn't have to talk about it but even more grateful that he understood.
"One day," I promised.
He squeezed me close and kissed my head.
"Whenever you're ready."
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