Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More by Laura Howard, Kim Richardson, Ednah Walters, T. G. Ayer, Nancy Straight, Karen Lynch, Eva Pohler, Melissa Haag, S. T. Bende, Mary Ting, Christine Pope, C. Gockel, DelSheree Gladden, Becca Mills Page B

arose. When Odin got word of a Fire Giant uprising, he dispatched his Warriors to Muspelheim. When the Dark Elves found a way to breach Asgard, the Warriors were sent to Svartalfheim to dispose of the conspirators. Odin was unsympathetic and unforgiving – any threat to Asgard was a capital offense, and the Warriors had orders to kill anyone involved.”
    “Sounds kind of harsh,” I whispered to Henry.
    “Not really.” He shrugged. “If your death was prophesied, wouldn’t you kill first, and ask questions later?”
    Maybe.
    “Odin’s son, Thor, had a special connection to the Warriors. The God of Thunder used his hammer, Mjölnir, and his belt, Megingjörd, to literally crush his enemies. And he worked closely with the Warriors to train them for battle. That’s how he came to meet a warrior named Sif, who also happened to be the Goddess of Beauty. He married her and adopted her son, Ullr.” She wrote the name on the board.
    Ullr. Just one letter off from Ull. Even when I wasn’t thinking about him he managed to creep into my day. Jerk.
    “You okay?” Henry shot me a look.
    “Sure. Why?”
    “You’re typing really loud. You’re going to break your keyboard.”
    Oops.
    “Little is known about Ullr, though based on the number of sites throughout Scandinavia bearing his name, he must have played a vital role in early Norse cultures. It is believed his father was a warrior who died in battle. And on becoming Thor’s stepson, Ullr became a titled god – God of Winter.”
    What had she just said? I scanned my notes, reading back Professor Carnicke’s words. Thor’s stepson, Ullr … God of Winter. A deity with a stepdad named Thor going by the name of Ullr… or Ull.
    It couldn’t be possible. Could it?
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    I wasn’t going to get an answer any time soon. Ull never did show up to class, and I didn’t see him around campus the rest of the day, either. Usually, I caught a glimpse of him getting tea between classes, or heading through the east door of the library in the early afternoon. I didn’t know his schedule or anything, but he stood out; it was hard not to notice him.
    I did a good job of going through the motions the rest of the week without thinking too much about whether I’d kissed a real life god. I went to classes, smiled at Emma’s jokes, even went out for ice cream with my flatmates. By Friday afternoon, I still hadn’t seen Ull around campus, and my curiosity got the best of me.
    Since pride goeth before the fall of the world’s most useless psychic, I decided to swallow what little I had left and call him. The least he could do was tell me that he wasn’t into me. I braced myself as I dialed his mobile. One ring, two. I could hang up now and spare myself any more embarrassment. Three rings, four. Oh, right. Stupid caller ID would out me even if I hung up now. Five rings. Then a click, as the call was forwarded to Ull’s voicemail.
    So he’d turned it on. My palms got all sweaty at the velvety sound of his voice. The outgoing message said he’d gone out of town for a while, and would check his messages periodically. Was the idea of a third date so awful that he’d run away?
    The short beep caught me off guard. “Uh, hi Ull. I just wanted to say, um… hi, since you know, I haven’t heard from you… about getting together this weekend.” Oh, good heavens. Of course he knew that. “I mean, I’m sure you’re busy, and I understand if you, uh, don’t want to call.” Stop. Talking. NOW. “But you weren’t in class, and, well, I, uh, just wanted to make sure you’re okay. I mean, I’m sure you’re okay. You probably just, um… yeah. Talk to you later.” I banged my head against the wall. Thankfully, I’d stopped babbling before I could tell him I really wanted to make out again. I had some dignity.
    Adding insult to the injury that was my day, my Ragnarok nightmare came back that night.
    As I stood in a field of English lavender, Ull suddenly appeared at my side. He