The girls planned a long Saturday of activities at the lodge, but that morning, Jess decided to sit out. The others wouldn't miss her, and she didn't want to interfere with Elizabeth's weekend anymore than she already had. Besides, she had a plan of her own.

  She took her time eating breakfast in the cafe, where she could see everyone who came down the hall or the staircase and went out the front door. Even after she finished eating, she waited there, trying to keep her people-watching as inconspicuous as possible. It paid off when she spotted Sigyn trotting down the stairs in black leggings and a wool sweater. It was a cute outfit to wear indoors, but that didn't stop her from going straight outside and to the supply shed where all the rental equipment was kept.

  Jess jumped up after her.

  It was dark inside the shed, but just as cold as outside. Jess crossed her arms to tuck her hands tighter against her puffy coat. The only light was a couple of old bulbs hanging from the rafters. Most of the space was taken by racks of skis and snowboards, with a row of shelves and supply cabinets in the back. Jess crept forward, on the lookout for Sigyn, when footsteps behind her made her jump.

  "No guests back here," Sigyn said, brushing past her with arms full of skis. She dropped the skis on a workbench, and when she noticed Jess still hadn't moved, she made a little 'shoo' hand gesture at her.

  Throughout the morning Jess planned out the monologue she was going to deliver, proofing and editing it in her head until she was certain it was so clever and sophisticated, it would impress Sigyn enough into complying. But standing in front of her, she was taken aback by how regally Sigyn stared down at her, like an eagle with blue eyes. All the fancy words Jess had strung together became a clumsy ball of lead in her mouth, and all she could manage was: "I know what you did."

  Sigyn tilted her head. "Sorry?"

  "I saw you shoot that wolf."

  A whisper of a smile tugged at the corner of Sigyn's lips. This girl was brave to confront her, but she had no real power. "What wolf?"

  "I know it was you!"

  "You are mistaken. I was at the open mic last night." So sure was Sigyn in her alibi, she turned her back to Jess, taking one of the skis and placing it into the vise on the table to wax it.

  Jess fumbled with her phone in the pocket of her jacket. "I have evidence. I was going to give you a chance to confess. It would get you a lighter sentence."

  All the muscles in Sigyn's back and shoulders went rigid. She turned slowly, her eyes narrowing on Jess. "Do you, now?"

  When Sigyn faced her, all the confidence Jess mustered in her body melted. Here she was, alone in a room with a potentially dangerous criminal out of sight of anyone else. The longer Sigyn stared at her, the more uneasy Jess became. It was the very same dread she felt last night on the hill.

  With long strides, Sigyn began closing the distance between them, forcing Jess back against a wall. It was a good time to call for help, but Jess was distracted by the change in Sigyn's face.

  It wasn't physical. More like something under the surface. Her face, still beautiful as ever, had become a mask covering something pretending to be human. Nausea swayed through Jess' stomach. She didn't dare move, worried the slightest thing would set it off, but the harder she tried to hold still, the harder she shivered.

  Their faces were centimeters apart. Breath cold as the mountain air tickled the pores of Jess' cheeks. Sigyn's left hand brushed past her hair and then braced against the wall, caging her in. Up close, her eyes were almost completely white with a dark ring around the iris. It was like seeing some weird, alien sea creature in a documentary with a body and movements so foreign, you could stare at it for hours trying to figure it out.

  So lost was Jess in those eyes, when a hand slid into her pocket, she didn't even flinch.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Sigyn's lips twisting into a smirk holding up Jess' phone, currently in recording mode. She tapped the red button to turn the camera off. "I wasn't born yesterday, sweetheart."

  When Jess snatched her phone back, the fear and dread vanished, and all was right in the world again.

  Sigyn once again turned away. "Stick to the guitar, sweetheart. You're out of your depth."

  "I will prove it was you."

  "What a way to spend your vacation." This time when Sigyn looked at her, it was a look of pity. "Either way, what is it to you?"

  "I don't believe in killing animals."

  Sigyn let out a puff of air in a short laugh that made heat pool in Jess' face.

  "Animals kill and get killed every day. It's not a matter of belief, it's a matter of survival."

  "Well, that wolf wasn't doing anything to you. It was minding its own business when you aimed at it!"

  Sigyn looked Jess up and down with as much interest as reading a menu. The girl was so upset about all this that Sigyn almost wished she could explain everything. Almost - she wasn't that stupid, and she didn't much give a damn what the locals thought of her. "There are forces at play here that you could never imagine."

  Jess had heard her share of farmers and hunters preach about the only good wolf was a dead one, and the only way to handle them was shoot, shovel, and shut up about it. It was the first time she heard an excuse this cryptic.

  One thing was for certain - she wasn't getting anywhere with this. She stomped out of the shed, shoving the wooden door out of her way hard enough to hurt her wrist, but she didn't react to it in case Sigyn was still watching her.

  Without a backup plan, Jess was at a loss. Maybe if she kept an eye on Sigyn, the opportunity would present itself, but she only had until tomorrow before they went home. While she waited, she turned to the internet to dig up any dirt on the sketchy resort owner.

  Of course, 'Sigyn Ransdottr' pulled up no results.

  There was no digital footprint of any kind - social media, news articles, no one who even happened to have the same name. All the browser could muster up was an endless list of references to Norse Mythology texts.

  Sigyn was the goddess of loyalty and victory, married to Loki, the trickster god. She is referenced both in the Prose and Poetic Eddas as staying by her husband's side after the Aesir punished him for the murder of Baldur.

  Jess closed her laptop and slouched in her chair. Reading about Norse Mythology wasn't going to help anything right now. Still, she couldn't help wondering if Sigyn had been named after the goddess of those stories. She definitely acted the part.

  That night, a typical Saturday crowd flooded the lodge's bar. Jess was lucky to snag a seat in the back of the room, where she could just barely keep an eye on Sigyn, who would float between helping Kark serve food and drinks, and mingling with guests.

  She was like a shiny magnet, drawing a small crowd around her wherever she migrated to in the room. By the smug smile on her face, Jess could tell Sigyn revelled in the attention - conducting it, even. No one questioned her superiority, and everyone pined for her eyes to land on them.

  Not that Jess cared at all. Sigyn could prance all she liked - it was her lodge. Jess was perfectly content alone in the back, mindlessly scrolling through her phone.

  There was one table in particular Sigyn would visit most often. Sometimes to serve food, but most often just to chat. Chat was putting it nicely considering the way she leaned across the table to display her chest to the men and women drooling over her. There was a precise art in the way she ran her fingers through her blonde hair and lightly tranced her jawline as she spoke.

  Her audience was hooked, saying anything to make her stay, any excuse to lean in closer to her, or touch her bare shoulder.

  The longer Jess watched, the angrier she got, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

  Before returning to the bar, Sigyn bent down to whisper something into one of the guy's ears, before shooting the rest of them a grin and leaving with a sway of her hips. Jess took it to mean she had chosen her victim out of the flock, but to her surprise, the entire table of six stood up and made their way up the stairs.

  Over the course of the night, Jess observed the same thing happen a few more times - sometimes to individuals, and sometimes to couples or groups of friends, all who eventually left up the stairs. Was Sigyn ordering them back to their rooms or something? Eventually curiosity got the better of her, and she followed - at a distance - one last couple who fell victim to Sigyn's charm, acting like she was heading to her own room.

  They walked down the hall and through a door that said EMPLOYEES ONLY. Jess pushed the door open just enough to peek inside, seeing a staircase leading up to a secret third floor. Had all the couples gone this way with specific instructions from Sigyn? Was there some secret after-party room up there or something?

  She elected not to go any further, since she had already been caught by Sigyn once that day and she didn't want to push her luck. Back in her own suite, the main room was quiet with faint laughter from her sister's group as they enjoyed a movie night.

  As tired as she was, Jess stayed up to watch her own movie on her laptop, trying not to think about how easily Sigyn completely ignored her downstairs.