“There were nine worlds,” Thorin said as his phone rang. He tugged the device from his pocket and peered at the screen. “He could have come from any of them.”

Thorin swiped his thumb over the screen and put the phone to his ear. An animated voice on the other end rattled on for a bit before Thorin replied with a casual, “Yup. She’s here.” And a moment later, “Yes, she’s fine.” After the caller spoke again, Thorin said, “I don’t know yet. I’ll give you a call when we figure it out.”

“Who was that?” I asked when he hung up.

“Val.”

I blanched. I would have rather faced the wolf than deal with Val. Skoll wanted to kill me, and I harbored a steadfast and unequivocal loathing for the wolf. Val, however, wanted to own me and had used heavy-handed methods to get his way. I didn’t hate him, but I wasn’t eager to face him yet, either.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“North Carolina.”

My pulse skittered. North Carolina was home, the place I most wanted to protect and keep separate from the strange and dangerous world of magic and monsters. “Did he really think I was dumb enough to go back there?”

“Weren’t you?”

“Dumb? No. Incognizant? Yes. I left there fast. I knew what a danger it was.”

“Well, it’s as good of a place to look for your trail as any.”

Thorin was right, which is why I hadn’t stayed. Not wanting to talk about home anymore, I moved on to my next question. “How about Baldur? Where is he?”

Thorin’s brows drew down into a contemplative look. “Back in New Breidablik. Why?”

Instead of answering, I asked another question. “What were your plans for me once you got here? When you heard my voice on the phone and you knew it was me, what did you think would happen next?”

The furrow in Thorin’s brow deepened. “I thought I’d come and make sure you were safe.”

“Then what?”

“Then I planned to take you back to Alaska, regroup with Val and Baldur, and put you somewhere safe. Being out in the open, as you’ve discovered, is too dangerous.”

“So, lock me in a cage. That’s your answer?”

Thorin’s jaw clenched. He folded his arms over his chest, and darkness—the cold, angry kind—glinted in his eyes. “I’m sure if I say yes, you’ll tell me all the reasons why that would be a bad idea.”

“You’re a smart guy, Thorin. I’m sure you could figure them out for yourself.”

“Why did you call me? If it wasn’t my protection you were seeking, then what do you want from me?”

“I do want your protection,” I said.

Thorin’s eyebrow flickered upward, and his expression changed from antagonized to intrigued.

“I want your brawn and your might. I want your experience and knowledge, too. I want all these things for several specific reasons, and none of them have to do with you locking me up in a cage. How would that work, anyway? Your conscience is appeased because you saved the world—and yourself—without having to kill an innocent woman. Meanwhile, I rot away in captivity. Is that how you see it going?”

A-a-andhere comes the animosity again. But no, quite the opposite. Thorin’s severe posture relaxed. He slumped onto the bed beside me and rubbed his eyes. “Is that really how you see me, Sunshine? It’s true I’m an immortal being and a god, and it’s my nature to command and expect submission, but I have also lived as a man for a very long time. It has tempered me, some, believe it or not.”

Thorin scratched his jaw. “When I left you at the Aerie, the last time I saw you, I thought we had established a trust between us. I thought we had an understanding. I had proved myself capable of compromise, but then you took advantage of my goodwill. You used it to deceive me, so forgive me if I’m less inclined to reason with you now.”

Thorin’s argument made more sense than I wanted to admit. All the ire and self-righteous pomp I had built up in preparation for confronting him seeped out like air from a leaky balloon. I stared at the blank TV screen and said, “It would be easier if you were just the Thor stereotype. Angry. Rash. Obstinate. Not too bright.”

Thorin snorted, but a smile played on his lips. “Then you could dismiss me and not take my opinions or feelings into consideration.”

“Yes. It’s easier to keep you at an arm’s length that way.”

“It’s no surprise that building walls would be your tendency, Sunshine. You’ve been hurt. Badly. That’s not a thing anyone easily overcomes.” He spoke truth.

I didn’t want to let Thorin in, didn’t want there to be more between us than an agreement, a compact based on our mutual need for survival. His last words to me at the Aerie had indicated he wanted the same thing: distance, objectivity. But there he sat, slumped beside me in a dingy motel room in Sacramento, offering compassion. His presence felt like a lot more than a cold business agreement.

“I didn’t deceive you on purpose. At the Aerie. I was trying to protect you.”

Thorin exhaled a heavy breath. “I know that, and I should probably express my gratitude.”

I chuckled. “I’m sure that’s not really in the nature of a god, either, is it?”

Thorin looked at me, his eyes warm and brown. “Not so much.” His expression turned serious again. “I am immortal, Solina, and not so easy to kill. Going forward, I need to know you appreciate that fact. You should never make the choice to risk yourself for me or Val or any of our kind.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but the words didn’t come. I shook my head, cleared my throat, and started again. “I understand. I do. But in the short time you’ve known me, you must have realized I’m not the type to sacrifice others to save myself. Which brings me to the reason I called you.”

“It wasn’t because you were longing for my companionship?” Thorin waved in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t worry. I won’t make you admit it.”

I laughed, thankful for the offering of his humor. “I do welcome your company, but you’re right, it’s not the reason I reached out to you. What I really want is to have your help in accomplishing two things.” I held up my index finger. “First, I want to stop running and hiding. I want us to be more proactive about our approach to Helen and Skoll. Get them before they get us.”

“And the second thing?”

I raised my middle finger, making a pair. “I want you to help me find Skyla.”

Thorin’s jaw slackened, and he blinked several times, obviously overcome by surprise. Then he recovered his composure and said, “I can agree with being proactive, but I don’t see how hunting for Skyla would be the best use of our time and resources right now. Why should we make finding her a priority?”

“Why? Because if you don’t help me, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of my life chasing me down and hoping you find me before the wolf does.”

That got him. Thorin sobered and rubbed his jaw. He raised his chin and peered down his nose at me, but a twinkle shone in his eye. “That’s not being proactive. That’s just wasting time.”

“Chasing me is a waste of time? You’re probably right, but chasing Skyla wouldn’t be. She’s my number-one ally. She didn’t abandon me when I needed her most, and now it’s my turn to not abandon her. Don’t tell me you don’t appreciate loyalty, Thorin. I know how you feel about Baldur.”

“If I were to agree to your demands”—Thorin’s eyebrow arched high in skepticism—“how would we even begin? She could be anywhere. Or nowhere. You should be prepared for the worst.”

“I know that.” I had, in a weak moment, admitted to myself that Skyla might be dead, but I wouldn’t abandon her until I had verified her death. No amount of reasoning would change my mind. “But I have to know, either way.”

“Should I call Nate and ask him to tell us what happened? Schedule a meeting and demand proof of life?”

“Do you think he would respond to that?”

Thorin gave me a what-do-you-think look.

I shrugged. “Well, if you don’t think Helen or Nate would be willing to just hand Skyla over, assuming they took her in the first place, then I might have another idea about how to track her down.”