HOPE It should have been an easy sell. He was just another client, a wealthy target. I offered him what I had. He stole the rest. Beautiful. Confident. His Viking blood made him a conqueror. He dominated my senses. He planned to rule my body as well. I didn't have a chance at keeping my heart. AXEL Her name said it all. Hope. She came to me in my darkness. The compass that would guide me out of the storm. The goddess, Freyja. She's with me as I fight Hel, the enemy that took everything from me. I am at war now, but the moment the dust settles I'm taking Hope as my prize. She's a challenge. Resistant. Catching her will be like catching the wind. But my people were sea wolves. We know how to tame the wind. And I'm a patient man. Victory is my only option.