Read Online Perfekt Control (The Ære Saga Book 2) by S.T. Bende - Free Book Online Page A

that too-intense gaze. But being this close
to Henrik was mesmerizing. Enchanting. He was every bit as dazzling
as the elves and fairies whose charms we were trying to avoid.
    Too bad his magic bracelet didn’t block out
guys.
    “Were you thinking about last time?” he asked
in a soft voice. I wanted to lie, to tell him I was fine, over it,
and that it was locked away in the black box in my chest where I
stored all unwanted emotions so my perfekt control never
wavered. Henrik’s pupils dilated in concern, and the color of his
eyes shifted to a slightly deeper blue. Gods, I couldn’t lie to
him. I’d tell Henrik anything he wanted to know. Ever.
    “Oh, Brynnie.” Henrik rubbed my jaw between
his thumb and pointer finger. “I’m so sorry. I should have thought
about what losing Freya again would do to you. If you want, I can
take you home and—”
    “No.” I shook my head violently. “I’m in this
with you. I may not have been old enough to do anything to help
back then, but this time I am. You and I, we’re going to take that
perp down. Or her. Or them. Whatever. And then we’re going to make
whoever it is pay.”
    “Brynnie, Brynnie, Brynnie.” Henrik rested
his chin on the top of my head. “You are something else.”
    “Yeah,” I murmured, trying to ignore the
smell of sunshine coming off his chest. How was it possible for
someone to smell like, well… like happy? Henrik smelled like
happy.
    “No, I mean it.” Henrik pulled back. His
thick hair was disheveled from our jog, but his eyes bore their
telltale twinkle, as if he viewed the world as an adventure yet to
be conquered. Immortality had always been so easy for
Henrik. For me, some days, it felt inescapable.
    “You mean what exactly?” I fumbled,
forgetting our conversation.
    “You’re something else. You’re strong. You’re
smart. You’ve been through Helheim, but you don’t let the past drag
you down.” He moved his thumb to stroke my jaw and I felt a pull in
my belly. “If I’d seen what you saw…”
    “You’ve seen worse,” I reminded him. “You
were Elite Team before you were Tyr’s guard. I know the kinds of
assignments Odin sends that group on.”
    “Yeah, but there’s a big difference. Those
were just assignments—no personal ties. What you saw—”
    Henrik broke off as I held a finger to his
lips. Despite everything I’d done to put my emotions on lockdown,
my eyes pooled with tears. I squeezed them shut to stop the
inevitable embarrassment. “Can we talk about something else?” I
begged. It was hard enough to keep the door locked without someone
bringing it up. Especially someone I already felt vulnerable
around. My gaze darted from left to right, looking for
something—anything—to talk about. “Like, uh… that.”
    I exhaled slowly as I took in our
surroundings. A crystal blue pond lay to my right, its surface
barely disturbed by the cascade of water tumbling down a moss-lined
mountain. Grey stones intercepted the liquid at regular intervals,
creating a white mist that framed the waterfall from top to bottom.
Clovers and wildflowers surrounded the pool, and pink and purple
butterflies darted from bloom to bloom, wings flapping gently in
the light breeze.
    “I guess this is the waterfall?” I shook my
head at my obvious words. “It’s so… it’s so…” Words failed me, and
the nearness of my memories mingled with the thrill of Henrik’s
touch, causing my eyes to water anew. He was here. He was safe. He
was… doing everything he could to make me feel better, and I was
crying on him. Weakling . This was so unprofessional.
I pounded my fist against his chest. “Dang it! Sorry, Henrik. Just
give me a minute and I’ll be normal again.”
    “Brynn,” Henrik soothed. He laid his cheek on
top of my head and rubbed my lower back. His hands traced a
familiar pattern, and I started to calm, as if his touch drew the
pain right from my heart. Typical . The god was totally out
of my reach, but he was the only