A week. An entire week since that hated ceremony. And still, no word from Alfheim or Shannon.

Every moment Aidan was asleep, I'd spent trying to find some way to break this fucking curse. I'd searched records that hadn't been opened since the dawn of Ylir, Odin's grandfather's reign as All-Father sixty-four thousand years ago. With desperate intensity, I dug backward through the depths of our archives. The current million and a half years from the Age of Ascension, all the way into seven hundred million years of the Age of Inquiry, to when our ancestors first developed the ability to use bifrost and portal energy. Even into brittle scrolls of the five hundred million years before that, comprising the Age of Enlightenment, and the first experiments into understanding the basis of our current science, before Asgardians were able to travel the nine realms at will.

Any and every possibility I explored. No matter how crazy it seemed. I even asked Healer Moja if a complete blood transfusion would break the link.

There was no way I could accept Aidan had only thirty-five days of life remaining. Surely, that Norns-cursed ceremony had gone off without a hitch and he was safe now? Shannon would have done everything in her power to ensure that outcome. I knew she would.

Yet, I couldn't risk it. Not my beautiful little boy.

Frustrated, tired, and depressed, my eyes held the telltale heat of forming tears. On top of my worry for Aidan, Shannon's absence was a hollow ache that no distraction could fill. Our empty bed held no heat—no laughter—no comfort. I couldn't help but recall those weeks of desperate searching last year. Even knowing where she was this time, the feeling remained to haunt me.

It seemed Aidan was picking up my mood. He kept pushing away the spoon or spitting out his lunch with irritable frowns and flailing of those cute chubby arms. I struggled to get food actually into his little mouth, instead of on his face, shirt, hands, hair, and table. Both of us would be in tears shortly.

"Come on, my little man. You won't get big and strong like your Uncle Thor unless you eat your food," I coaxed, holding a spoonful of pureed carrots.

Aidan usually liked carrots.

Not today.

His hand managed to hit the spoon perfectly. It flipped out of my fingers and splattered my face and cleavage. The cold, sticky, orange mess started to slide between my breasts.

A tear traced a path down my flushed cheek, followed by another, and another. My eyelids closed as a soft exhale left my lips.

Why is this so bloody hard?

A deep chuckle came from the doorway. "Do you think he aimed it like that?" Thor asked.

Swiping at my eyes with a hand, I used a flick of power to clean myself. There was no need to advertise my frustrated anguish. "I don't know, but he wins this battle of wills today." I conjured a pile of the circle-shaped cereal Aidan liked to chase around on his tray and got rid of the blended carrots.

"Loki," Thor said, putting his big hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged off his hand and stood, starting to pace.

"Loki..." He stepped in front of me, grabbing my shoulders. "Do you really think I can't see how upset you are?"

Reluctantly, I met his concerned gaze.

"Why don't you go to her? Shannon wanted you with her in the first place. Go join her on Alfheim. Find out what's going on. Surely you trust us to look after Aidan?" he said.

Another tear escaped the confines of my eyes even as I tried to blink it back. "What if..." I couldn't get the words out.

"You really think Shannon will love you less in your female form? Or that she doesn't need you now that she has Elatha as well?" Thor pulled me in for a hug. "Use that big brain of yours, Loki. She might enjoy your cock, given how often you two disappear into rooms, closets, gardens, and other secluded, and sometimes not-so-secluded, nooks. But if you tell me you don't please her in other ways as well, I'm going to call you a liar. I've walked in on you far too many times to believe that."

I snorted and squeezed him. My big brother really did give good hugs.

"Besides, if palace gossip is to be believed, you have moves that Atlantean has never even heard of," he teased.

Rolling my eyes, I let go and shoved him away. "Seriously, what is with you and Mother both listening to palace gossip? Shannon doesn't need to be hearing about my past relationships."

"Relax. From what I can tell, it's been more bemoaning the fact you are permanently unavailable."

"Then they need to shut their traps or I'll shut it for them, permanently," I snarled, not finding this funny whatsoever. "How do you think Elise would react if someone started chirping in her ear about your past lovers?"

Lines formed as Thor's brows drew together and his face darkened. "Okay. I see your point, and I wouldn't want Shannon upset by idle tongues. I'll be sure to get that message out."

"Thank you." My hands twisted the fabric of my gown.

"Will you at least think about going to Alfheim to join Shannon?"

"Do—" A knock sounded at the door to my rooms. "Come in," I called out.

The door opened to reveal Mist. Her face lacked her usual playful expression. Instead, her lips were pressed together, with no hint of a smile. No mirth in her blue eyes.

"Is Shannon—" My voice broke off, unable to complete the question with my heart lodged in my throat.

"No, she's not back yet. I came to update you on the situation," Mist said, seriousness in her tone and every movement as she came to stand in front of Thor and I. It had my stomach churning and my fists twisting fabric with nail-bending force. "Shannon and Elatha did everything required of them, but although the Winter Court agreed their demands were met, Badb refused to lift the curse. She tried to claim we'd misunderstood and that the curse can only be lifted as a life for a life."

My knees buckled.

Thor caught me and helped me sit on one of the couches.

"Shannon isn't..." I couldn't even say the words, gasping for breath. I knew she would have offered her life to save our son. My hand pushed at my breastbone, at the ache that was the missing bond with Shannon.

Mist caught my other hand, kneeling in front of me. "No! No, Loki. She's alive."

My breath whooshed out of me. Thank the Norns!

"Elatha wouldn't let her sacrifice herself, insisting if anyone was going to die that it would be him, not her," she continued.

Damn. That was another one I owed the too-handsome Atlantean. Of course, he just had to be honourable as well. The fucker. I couldn't help but admire him, even if I didn't want to.

"Huh. Well, Loki, if you had to get a second consort, he's a good one," Thor said, nodding his head slowly. "I don't think I mind having him as a brother."

Narrowing my eyes, I scowled at him. "Can you just not? Please?"

Mist squeezed my hand to get my attention, and I looked back at her.

"We found out that there was a prophecy at Shannon's birth. That's what led the Queens to conduct the marriage between Shannon and Elatha. Neither Queen Aine, nor Shannon's mother had a copy of the prophecy, so we had to travel to meet Scota, the Dark Goddess who'd given the prophecy," she said.

"You met the Shadowy One? Damn. She's fierce, I'm told. Quite the legend. Like Manannan, she stayed out of the last few wars between Asgard and the Sidhe. What was she like?" Thor asked.

"Amazing. We sparred with her and learned as much as we could in the two days we spent on her island," Mist gushed.

I tugged on Mist's hand. "Back on topic... Mist, tell me about this prophecy. What does it say?"

Mist recited it, and my pulse quickened as she spoke.

Thor and I shared a glance. "Did you pick up on that as well?" I asked him.

"Wisdom's light—it's got to be our brother," he mused.

"Definitely. And that middle part—darkest green, brightest gold, heed desires, else war unfold—that seems like a warning for me," I added.

"The two lines after could describe Shannon's powers," Mist said.

I nodded and patted her hand. "If I'm remembering my discussions with Math Mathonwy correctly, the power of three can be essential for Sidhe magic."

Thor gave me a sidelong look and smirk. "Isn't he one of your old—"

"What did we discuss earlier, Thor?" I said. Damn him.

Mist looked back and forth between us, her eyebrow raised. "Something you want to tell me, Princess?"

I waved a hand. "No. It has no bearing and is very old news. Both the start and end of the prophecy seem to suggest the power of three is needed, centred around Shannon," I mused.

Thor smiled and elbowed me. "Well, it's a good thing she has two consorts now, isn't it? It sounds like both you and Elatha are needed to help her bring back our brother."

Mist's eyes widened. "You mean..."

"Yes. We've got to go to Helheim," I confirmed.

"We need to talk to Father and Mother," Thor said, standing.

"Agreed." Looking over at the table, Aidan only had a few cereal pieces left he was trying to capture in his little fingers. "Want to see Grandmother and Grandfather?" I asked him.

He kicked his feet, hazel eyes bright. With a quick power clean to get rid of gummy cereal bits and smears of carrot, Aidan was respectable enough for court. Fortunately, Odin was wise enough to not insist on court attire for babies. I lifted him out of his baby seat as I changed my own clothes to formal armour and fighting leathers.

"Can I carry our little prince?" Mist asked, eyes hopeful. She made funny faces as she held her hands out to Aidan.

He lurched towards her, and I handed him over with a smile. As usual, his little hands immediately tried to grab her blue hair, and she laughed.

Heading out of my chambers with Thor beside me, I listened to her baby talk as she followed behind us. Aidan babbled right back, like the little flirt he was. Between Shannon and my personalities, I expected we'd have our hands full with him when he got older.

Reaching the throne room, we passed the guards and bowed our heads at the foot of the stairs. We waited for Odin's and Frigga's acknowledgment.

"Is my gorgeous grandson already charming our Valkyrie?" Odin asked, smiling and motioning us up the stairs. He held his hands out for Aidan.

"He is, All-Father," Mist replied with a grin.

She handed Aidan over, who happily bounced on his grandfather's knee, as she updated Odin on what had occurred in Alfheim. When she got to Badb's double-cross, Odin's face tightened, but he held his temper. He cradled Aidan a little closer, meeting my eyes, before turning back to Mist.

Frigga bit off a curse with a quick look in Aidan's direction. "Sorry. Please continue, Mist," she said.

Mist told them about Elatha stopping Shannon from sacrificing herself. I wasn't surprised when Mother caught my gaze, eyebrow raised. I knew what she was thinking and crossed my arms over my chest.

Mist finished by telling them the contents of the prophecy, and Thor and I put forward our ideas as to what it meant.

Odin blinked, opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. It took him two tries, and clearing his throat before the words came. Even then, his voice was unusually subdued. "You really think there's the possibility you could bring Baldur back?"

Frigga smiled, a pleased expression on her face with her green eyes knowing as she met mine. "It sounds like the will of the Norns, my dear." She put her hand on Odin's shoulder. "Badb would accept Baldur's return as a life owed. Freya would force her to."

"Shannon and I will do our best to save both Aidan and Baldur," I said. I wasn't about to speak for that damned Atlantean, but everything I'd learned about him suggested he would as well. It was almost too much to hope for, that I'd have the chance to correct the biggest mistake of my life and save my son at the same time.

When have I ever been that lucky?