Sassy Ever After: A Hot Piece Of Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Melanie James Page A

Grace’s voice? Show yourself,” Rafe said.
    “I never show myself in the open. Come to the cabin.” Grace suddenly coughed. Dagrun’s control of her voice had ceased.
    Rafe led the way through the clearing, stopping at the weathered front steps.
    “How long has she been living here?” Hannah asked, pushing aside the brush hanging over the path.
    “Not long. Maybe a week, two weeks at most,” Rafe replied.
    Grace surprised them by opening the door and stepping through a screen of cobwebs. The others filed in close behind her. “Dagrun?” she called out.
    A stained window allowed only the dimmest of outside light to seep into the room, just enough to see an old woman sitting perfectly still on a rickety old chair. Her long gray hair was braided with a green ribbon that matched her ankle-length dress. She was clearly a woman out of an ancient time. “Tanner. Come to me. You can’t stay here long, just long enough to finish your dream.”
    Tanner obediently approached her and took a seat on the wooden bench that faced her. She took his hands.
    “Your mate as well.”
    Tanner saw Hannah’s slight, hesitant movements, and nodded for her to join him.
    “Your Alpha and wise woman too.” Dagrun waited for Rafe and Grace to claim a seat.  “Now, close your eyes and you will see.”
    They were swept through the sky. A bird’s-eye view of a rugged coastline came into view. Diving down, a breathtaking sight appeared: A village, shrouded in the smoky haze of a hundred fires, hugged the shore. Several Viking longships were moored in the natural harbor, surrounded by numerous smaller craft bobbing in the gentle surf. One large building dominated the rest. Its ornately-carved, heavy timbers made it easily recognizable as the center of power.
    Rafe felt the story of the people surge through his veins. Pushed north to the brink of survival, they had adapted. Striking out to raid enemies not only brought them treasures for trade, it also weakened the surrounding areas to prevent the rising of would-be adversaries. It was a harsh, unforgiving land. Survival demanded courage, resourcefulness, and even brutality from its inhabitants.
    Images of a young man becoming a brave warrior flashed before them like a montage. They watched in their shared vision as Dagrun sent the Viking warrior away on his mission to conquer death, allowing them to partake on the journey Tanner had dreamed countless times.
    Only this time the dream didn’t end. Odin’s giant wolves, Geri and Freki, suddenly appeared on the horizon. Odin, dressed in the dark robes of a temple priest, stood between them. “Warrior, you have come to the right place to find death.”
    Freki leaped with lightning speed, landing on Tanner’s chest and taking him down instantly. 
    “You are the soul I have chosen to be reborn as a wolf-warrior,” Odin continued. “Your wolf will be unlike any others that roam the Earth, for he will have the size and the majik of my wolves. You will only return to the Earthly plane to walk among the wolves when my wolf-warriors need your special gifts to survive. I bestow upon you a great honor.”
    “When?” Tanner struggled to speak.
    “Time is an illusion,” Odin answered as Geri closed in.
    The dream ended with the color red spreading through the snow.
    Dagrun’s visitors opened their eyes. She told Tanner, “That was your dream. You have been reborn to fulfill your destiny. Odin has given you as a gift to your pack, to your Alpha. You are the only one who can save Black Paw from annihilation.”
    With those words, Dagrun disappeared before their eyes.
    Hannah sucked in a sharp breath. “Where did she go?”
    Grace was the first to answer. “To where she’s needed.”
    “That was…” Rafe sat wide-eyed on the bench.
    “Yeah,” Tanner agreed. “Hey Grace, is there any chance she could be wrong?”
    “The ancient volur were never wrong.”
    “Shit.” Rafe sighed.
    “My thoughts exactly.” Tanner rubbed his