Death's Gift: Norse Blessed Book One

by B. Livingstone

  “That will be all men. We’ll talk more later.” Looking up at me, he gestures me forward with his hand. “Grace, come on in.”

  “Odin.” I bow my head in a sign of respect as I reach the front, before straightening back to full height. “Hugin and Munin came to me this morning. You wanted to see me?”

  “Yes, my dear. I wanted to see how you were doing. I know you are not sleeping again. Tell me about your dreams. Are they of the past or the future?”

  I wanted to ask how he knew, but this was Odin we were talking about. Nothing happened in Valhalla that he didn’t know about. I have a gift, or a curse depending on how you look at it. I have dreams of future events. The outcomes of these events can change depending on people’s choices. Only, since I died and ended up in Valhalla, I haven’t dreamt of the future. Only the past, and only of my past.

  I nod before responding. “Memories from the past. Mostly bad, but a few more pleasant memories of my parents and sister. Last night was one of the worst.”

  He stands from his chair and steps up beside me. Holding his elbow out to me, he says, “Walk with me and tell me about your dream last night.”

  Linking my arm through his, he leads me from the great hall and out into the bright mid-morning sun. The fresh air and welcoming rays of golden sunlight begin warming my skin, penetrating deep into my core, and effectively lifting my mood. Feeling lighter, I begin to tell Odin about the night my parents died, reliving my nightmare. He is silent during my retelling, allowing me to go at my own pace, just listening and lending me some of his strength during the more difficult parts.

  We continue to walk until we make it to a cliff’s edge overlooking a large body of water. The mid-day sun rises high into the sky, making the water nearly crystal clear for miles. Finding a large boulder a few paces back from the edge, we sit side by side in a comfortable silence. He doesn’t push me right away to continue my tale, just lets me sit and think.

  “What happened after your parents died?” he asks after a while.

  “Blood, heartbreak, and betrayal followed in both my dreams and my waking life after that horrid night. Beginning with the betrayal of our acting Alpha, Alastair.” I take a deep breath and without a second thought plunge headlong into the second worst night of my life.

  “Riley was supposed to be the Alpha of the Shadowcrest Pack, taking after our father and all of his fathers before him. However, after our parents were murdered, there were those who felt that Riley wasn’t strong enough or experienced enough to handle the role of Alpha or the responsibilities that came with it. Seeing as she was only thirteen years old at the time, they felt she needed a guardian, not to be one to a whole pack. Therefore, they agreed that Alastair would step into that role until Riley came of age, at sixteen. Alastair, however, did not agree with the Elders’ end plans. In fact, he had his own plans for when Riley became of age.

  “Shortly after my thirteenth birthday, my dreams became darker and far more disturbing. Future events, including my death, became clear but the details were always changing. The cruelest were the attacks on Riley. Nothing I tried to do would change the future in her favor. I quickly learned that I couldn’t change it, only the parties involved could change the outcomes. They needed to make the decisions, deciding which path to follow. The only thing I could do was prepare for every outcome. So, I did.”

  Looking into the depths of the water, I relive the night we ran.

  “The night of Riley’s sixteenth birthday, I woke from another one of those recurring nightmares. It was one of those dreams with numerous possible outcomes, and I tried to be prepared for each. Knowing what was about to happen, I got up, got dressed, and readied myself to run. I sat on my bed hugging my knees and praying for the best outcome to win out. I waited for the horror to start. Listening for the signs, and when they started, I knew what was coming.

  “When I heard Riley scream from down the hall, I covered my ears as tears started to well in my eyes, knowing if I intervened it would only make things worse for my sister. It gutted me all the same though. Knowing what was happening, doing nothing. Waiting was the toughest thing I had to do to date.”

  2

  Grace

  I hug my knees tighter to my chest and begin to rock as I remember the dream of Alastair on top of Riley, pinning her down on her bed as he tries to force the mate bond on her. The threats he whispers into the dark space around them. What she’s forced to endure and do in order to get free.

  Alastair’s wailing scream pierces the air, and the well of tears in my eyes overflow just as my door swings open. Seeing Riley through my blurry tears I cry, “I’m sorry, I should have stopped him. I’m sorry, Riles.”

  She grabs my shoulders and with a little shake exclaims, “Gracey, everything is okay, but we have to run… now!”

  Thankful this was the better of the outcome possibilities of this night, I get to my feet and grab the two bags I have had stashed under my bed for months. Handing one to Riley, she takes a peek inside. Shoes, clothing, snacks, and cash meet her gaze. She gives me a quizzical look, silently asking me what’s up. I shrug my shoulder and reply, “I had a dream a few months ago.” I don’t tell her it was a lot of dreams with varying outcomes. That would invite too many questions that I can’t answer.

  Gods, I wish Mom and Dad were here to answer them.

  “Yeah, we’ll talk about these dreams of yours sometime, but now is not the time. We have to move… now, Gracey.” Riley grabs my hand and quickly leads me down the stairs and out the door.

  We ran from our home in Alaska to the border of Canada. I saw this too. I know where we’re going, who we will find, and how it all ends. Do I tell my sister, or do I just let things play out as they should?

  “Keep up, Gracey. We need to make it as far from the pack as possible before sunrise.”

  Riley’s worry is heavy and suffocating. I can see the weight of it dragging her down. She’s taken on so much to take care of me over the years, I should give her this one. “Riley, we’re going to be okay. I’ve seen it, we just need to get over the border. We’ll be safe there. I promise.”

  Riley stops in her tracks, disbelief written across her face. “Grace, tell me about these dreams. When did they start?”

  I knew this would happen. I couldn’t keep my trap shut. “Riley, I’d rather not get into this.”

  “Well too bad, we are. For starters, we have nothing better to talk about. Secondly, you knew this would happen. You said you had a dream months ago, but you never told me. Why?”

  I know she’s not going to let this go. She’s like a dog with a bone. Ha! See what I did there? Begrudgingly, I explain, “Because if I had intervened, the outcome would have been different.” Riley snorts at that, so I just put it out there. “You’d be dead.”

  That gets Riley’s attention and her eyes, wide and alert, meet mine. “Riles, don’t you think I would have done something if I could? I had that dream almost every night for the last two months. In each one, I tried something different to prevent what happened. In every altered dream where I tried to stop him, you, or both of us, ended up dead. In the ones where you died, it was me that he mated. Not long after, he’d force me to have pups for him, then he’d have me killed. The only dream where you lived and we both got free was this one.”

  Her eyes are shining with unshed tears, not for herself, I knew, but for me, as she whispers, “Grace, I can’t imagine seeing that play out every night for months on end. I wish I had known that was what you were dreaming about. What you were fighting.” She had lain with me so many nights as I battled those dreams, so she knew they were bad. She just never knew what they were about.

  Coming closer, she puts a hand on my shoulder and pulls me in for a hug. I can feel the rigid tension laced throughout her body as she clings to me. Trying to hold myself together, to be strong for her, I reply, “I’m okay, Riles. I’m just sorry you had to go through that. My one wish was that I could have saved you from the nightmare.” I tried to s
oothe away her tension, running my hand over her back.

  I can feel the tears that slip down her cheek, hitting my shoulder, as a soft whimper escapes her throat. Her strength is waning as her mind races, slipping from the moment as she replays what happened in her mind. In this moment, she’s not the Alpha, she’s just my big sister who just survived a rape attempt and who has been trying to stay strong for her little sister. When her shoulders begin to shake, I wrap my arms tighter around her. Soon after her knees give out, we end up on the forest floor in a heap. I pull her closer to me as I whisper into her hair, “Shift, Sister. Let your wolf take the lead for a little while so you can rest. She’ll protect you, and I promise you; I’ll be okay.”

  She knows what I mean by her wolf protecting her. Right now, Riley’s emotions are vast, raw, and vulnerable. Her wolf can shield her from the painful memories and the emotions that now grate on her like sandpaper, giving her a moment of peace and serenity to just relax.

  “I can’t leave you here on your own.” Before I can reply and assure her that I won’t be alone, her wolf will be with me, I see her eyes roll. I’m sure her wolf had some smartass remark to give her in return. I imagine something along the lines of, ‘What am I, chopped liver?’ Or ‘did you forget about me?’

  After a few silent heartbeats, Riley huffs a “fine” before stripping down and transforming into her wolf. A beauty she is, too. Snowy white with silver, shining eyes that glow in the moonlight. Such a contrast to her normally bright, fiery red hair and steel grey eyes.

  I smile down as she shakes out her fur. “Hey, girl.” Getting up to my knees, I wrap my arms around Riley’s neck in a crushing hug. “Is she behaving and giving you control? You make her relax in there.”

  After pulling back, Riley gives me a sloppy wet kiss across my face, from my chin to my temple, before pouncing off.

  Laughing, I stand, wipe my face on my sleeve, grab our bags, and take off after her.

  The sun fully sets as we make our way across the Canadian border and find our way to the small but deep cave I saw in my dream. “I’ll build a fire and we’ll just chill here. It won’t be long before we’re found.”

  Returning from the past, I turn to meet Odin’s tender gaze. “It wasn’t long after that, that Jimmy found us.”

  His hand cups my cheek as his thumb wipes a tear from under my eye. “You have been through a lot, my child. More than anyone should have to. I fear this is just the tip of the iceberg, am I right?”

  Rather than speaking, knowing if I tried, I’d shatter, I just nod my head in confirmation. “I would like us to continue these talks, digging into the past. We cannot unlock the full potential of your powers until we get these nightmares of yours under control, or chaos will unleash that you do not want to deal with. Your powers will connect with your emotions, which, at the moment, are unpredictable. Therefore, so will your powers be.”

  Taking a centering breath and trying not to take offense to the fact that he just called me unpredictable and essentially out of control, I nod my head with a softly whispered, “Okay.” He nods in return and I continue. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course, my dear.”

  “Why am I here? Why me? Why did you bring me to Valhalla?” Giving him the side eye, I add, “A straight answer this time, please. I’m tired of not knowing what’s going on and being treated with kid gloves. I’m twenty years old and I think it’s time I got some real answers. Don’t you?”

  He looks down, assessing me. I can see him weighing his response, carefully choosing his words. With a resigned sigh, he asks, “You heard about the prophecy, correct?” I nod. “You are here to train so you can fulfill your part.”

  “But I don’t understand. Why me? I’m not a fighter, let alone a warrior.”

  He turns his body so he is facing me directly, places a hand on my shoulder, and meets my eye.

  “No one is born a warrior or fighter, Grace. Your instincts are strong, yes, but the skills of a warrior are developed over time with practice and proper training. Besides, I think you are sorely underestimating yourself. You hold within you a well of untapped power. Power greater than the nine realms have seen in a long time. Have faith in yourself, stay the course of your training and you will find it. You were born for this path, Grace, to become a warrior. To become my valkyrie.”

  I want so much to believe what he says. But when I look at myself, all five feet and three inches, skinny, with no muscles to speak of, I have a tough time believing I hold the strength and power of a warrior, let alone a valkyrie. Valkyries are soldiers of Odin. Strong, graceful, and agile, of which I have none of. Nonetheless, I will try. I will give all of myself to this task if it means I can see my sister again.

  My back hits the unforgiving ground that used to be under my feet… again. Once more, I curse the viking giant standing over me. “Gods, damn you. I’m done. You’ve all made a mistake. I’m not a warrior. I can’t do this.”

  Frustration and anger boil through my system. I have been in warrior training with one of Odin’s generals since arriving two months ago. And in those two months, I have not once been able to land a hit or kick anywhere other than on the ground. I have had my ass kicked and whipped more times than I can count. Now… I’m tired.

  My body vibrates with the unspent tension and adrenaline. Huffing out my frustrations as I stare into the cloudless bright blue sky, I wonder for just a moment what Riley is doing. “You picked the wrong sister,” I whisper to the open sky. Sadness lacing each word. Gods, I miss her. “Riley was always the strong one.”

  Baler steps to straddle my body, one foot on each side of my hips. Looking down at me, he cocks his head to the side, much like a confused bird might. “Now, Little Valkyrie, I don’t think that’s true at all. Don’t you think your sister has enough on her plate already?” He extends a hand down to me.

  Huffing out a breath, I grab hold of his forearm and he paces back before pulling me to my feet. For him, it’s not extremely far to pull seeing as my head only comes to his chest. Damn giant. He is a mountain of a man, standing nearly seven feet tall with long, dark chocolate hair tied back with a leather thong. His greyish-green eyes peer down at me, slipping past my defenses and right into my soul. A strange flutter begins low in my belly. A sensation I don’t understand, and one I don’t want to think too hard on. Thankfully, he doesn’t give me time to.

  “Your sister may be destined to lead the shifters, to be their Queen, but you… you are destined to lead the Queen. As not only her advisor, but as her warrior as well. You are enormously powerful, Little Valkyrie. You only need to believe in yourself.”

  Taking a step back from me, he gets low, knees bent, and hands raised, taking up his fight stance before goading me again. “In the meantime, until you reach that point where you find your confidence, I will just continue to land you on your ass.” With those parting words, he charges at me… again.

  3

  Grace

  “Ouch.” Slow steady steps, Grace. One step at a time.

  “Ouch.” Okay too fast, too far apart. Smaller steps. That little voice in the back of my mind reminds me. Yeah, thanks. I reply to it.

  “And now I’m talking to myself. Ouch. I’m gonna kill that viking bastard.” After our little heart to heart, he proceeded to kick my butt, knocking me to the unforgiving, unmoving ground at least twenty more times before calling it a day. Now I’m trying miserably to make my way back to my room for a hot soak in my gigantic jacuzzi tub with jets. Every muscle, joint, bone, hell, even the hair on my body hurts. Be it just plain tired and sore, or bruised and battered, if it has to move, it hurts.

  “Son-of-a-biscuit-eater! Ouch!”

  Making it back to my room, I shuffle my way to the bathroom and breathe out a sigh of relief when I find my tub filled with hot steaming water and… BUBBLES! Just waiting for me to return. I don’t know who does it or how they know what I need and when, but I am forever grateful.

  Stripping down as quick as possibl
e, which is sloth swiftness in my current state, I slide into the tub. The heat immediately penetrates my sore aching body, causing a moan to escape my lips.

  Laying my head back, I sink down as deep as I can, but still be able to breathe. Closing my eyes, I drift off into a dream.

  A feeling of displacement washes through me, causing my eyes to open. Rather than waking to the white and golden bathroom, I find myself in a small, dark, musky room. With a small, open, doorless bathroom in one corner and a tiny kitchenette in the other. Two bare windows sit along the far wall only about ten feet ahead. Scanning the room, I find it’s void of any furniture other than a threadbare mattress in the corner. The only sign that anyone occupies the space is the ratty bag and dirty sneakers by the door. Then I notice the lump of a body in the middle of the mattress, curled on their side in the fetal position.

  Hesitantly, I walk over to the shaking form. With their back turned to me, I can see the outline of their spine and ribs through the holes in their tattered shirt, malnourished. Their skin is pale, almost ashen. Their long hair is a dull red, matted, and crusted with dirt and debris. Her. My inner voice states. Her breathing is irregular and soft whimpers escape between gasps of inhaled air. Her shoulders shake with each whimper.

  Crying. That little voice again.

  Ya think, I echo back. Gods, my conscience needs to stop.

  “Why did you have to go?” she whispers into the empty space.

  Who is she talking to? Does she know I’m here?

  “I can’t do this without you,” she continues on a sob.

  Taking a tentative step closer as not to scare the girl, I peer over and am hit with realization. “Riley?” I ask on a gasp.

  Her body freezes for just a moment. “Gracey?” She shakes her head, squeezing her eyes shut as a tear drops off her nose onto the mattress. “No, it can’t be, you’re dead.”