Heroes (Eirik Book 2) by Ednah Walters Read Free Book Online Page A

They’re best friends.”
    “It’s nauseating how chummy they are,” Echo mumbled, and I wondered whether his problem was with Eirik or the hound. He sounded jealous.
    Garm made a mewling sound and licked my hand and wrist. His tongue was warm and like a large, wet towel. He was so furry I wanted to bury my frozen face in his leg. Heck, I wanted to hop on his back and let him carry me the rest of the way.
    “Good boy.” I patted his face. “Can you carry me and warm me? I can’t feel my legs anymore. I wasn’t going to do this, but I know you won’t mind.” I let my fingers sink into his massive leg and buried my face in his fur.
    Oh, that felt nice. Despite the temperature, warmth radiated from his skin. And the adorable dog sunk onto the ground and allowed me to use the thicker fur around his neck. I turned my head to warm my cheeks.
    My eyes met with the others. They were staring at me as though I’d lost my mind. The need for warmth had a way of making humans do stupid things. This wasn’t one of them. Dogs were the best. We never owned any because my mother had refused to get one. Even after she’d left, I still couldn’t get one. I’d still hear her voice in the back of my head yapping about dogs not being our familiar. Where were we to find a dragon? That was then.
    “We need to go,” Echo whispered, and Garm growled.
    “It’s okay, pup. I’ll be back.” I ruffled the hound’s fur and stepped away. The cold rushed back to replace the warmth on my face. Modgie opened the massive gates and waited until we walked through before closing them again.
    “Celestia, I’m going to make this easier for all of us now that we’ve passed that damn dog,” Echo said. Confused, I stared at him. The next second, he’d scooped me up in one sweep. “I hope you don’t mind going in feet first.”
    “Oh yes, please. And I forgive you for threatening me with it earlier.”
    He chuckled. “Trudy, catch up.”
    He went into hyper speed and took off. How he could move through the snowy ground without falling was beyond me. Cold air slapped my face. Whatever thawing Garm had done disappeared. I let go of the artavus in my pocket to hold on to Echo and buried my face in his neck. Damn, he smelled nice. Not as stimulating as Eirik’s scent, but still nice nevertheless.
    We arrived at the front entrance of Hel’s Hall, and a guard opened the doors. Being carried by a fast-moving Grimnir was like riding a roller coaster. Thrilling and scary. My stomach roiled. I needed a moment to find my footing when Echo set me down.
    The warmth of the hall was a welcome change, and my skin tingled as circulation returned to it, but it wasn’t enough. My teeth still chattered, and I couldn’t feel my toes. I needed someone to warm me up, stat. Maybe a dragon. Since they breathed fire, they must also give out body heat. All I knew about them was that they were magical. There wasn’t a lot of literature on dragons.
    How would I react when I met Eirik’s again?
    I squinted and looked around the hall. There were more crystal lights in the Throne Room, and music floated from somewhere beyond the Waiting Room to our right. The guards appeared to have doubled. I still had no idea why the goddess had summoned me.
    The guards bowed, and I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see her or Baldur. They weren’t there. Echo was to my left and Trudy hadn’t arrived yet, which meant they were bowing to me. Weird.
    I smiled, or tried to because my teeth still chattered, and was about to ask Echo where I was supposed to go when I recognized the guard who’d followed me during my last visit. He wore a broad grin.
    “Welcome back, Miss Celestia.”
    “Thank you, Creed. How are your daughters doing?”
    “Very well, thank you for asking. The youngest one is teething now.”
    Before I could say anything else, a portal opened and Goddess Hel glided into the room. She looked different without her glowing runes. She was still pale on one side