My new family would be fighting for their lives and I couldn’t do anything but wait. Neither Ull nor I were supposed to leave the cottage in case Loki was watching. I’d done as much as I could to help Asgard, and now our future was in the hands of the more experienced fighters. I knew they’d be able to rise to the occasion, but it was still unnerving to have to wait for news. I focused on Ull. Even in sleep his powerful muscles seemed tensed for battle, his strong jaw firmly clenched, and his bare chest rising rhythmically. My breath caught in my throat, and I reached out to touch him. He wrapped an arm around me, murmuring my name as he woke. I snuggled into his chest and wrapped my fingers around his bicep, holding on tight. For the next half-hour we lay quietly in the pre-dawn light, listening to the birds, hoping fervently that this was not the last morning we would spend together. When Ull’s mobile rang later that morning, I jumped so high I nearly spilled my tea. “Ja,”
