by C. L. Roman
None of them answered her but revved their engines. Evil hung on the riders like toxic algae on the Florida coastline. The helmets blocked their identities, but Kai knew demons when she smelled them.
“Maybe one of you can solve something for me. Do those little toys really get your crotch going?”
One signaled the others, and they took turns riding past her.
“Aww, this is like school. Are we playing follow the leader?” She jumped out of the way. The dock would soon crowd with people. As much as she wanted to shift, she’d have to fight these thugs as a human.
“Why don’t you get off of those and fight me like a warrior?”
While she turned away from one rider, she held out an arm and clotheslined another one. One came up behind her and hit her knees with a pipe. Her legs buckled, and she fell on a rock. She threw it at another driver. Before she could hurt another rider, the leader shot her with a taser. As she laid curled on the ground moaning, one rider came over and yanked off her key. He tossed it to the one she assumed was the leader.
Kai saw ice-blue eyes with a scar across the left side when he took off his helmet. His bald obsidian head gleamed in the early morning light. He walked to her, squatted down on his legs, and dangled the necklace just out of her reach. “Poor child, I was told this would be tough. You don’t seem that tough to me. Mi den left, likkkle, I am leaving, see you later.” His island sing-song accent sounded familiar, but she could not place it.
Kai fought to grab the key but couldn’t move. She watched as the bikers rode away, lowered her head, and fumed at her lack of strength.
She felt herself being lifted and carried to the car. When her vision cleared, she followed Seth opening the driver’s door. She laid on the backseat unable to argue, but a loud clang rang in her ears as the gate closed with Seth on the wrong side. Her heavy eyes closed.
Chapter Three
Kai’s stomach grumbled when she smelled bacon. Bacon?
Her eyes popped open, and she rolled to the floor in a crouching stance, prepared for a fight. She lowered her glamour and slid out her custom Bowie knife from the sheath on her belt. Nothing felt familiar.
“Whoa. Hold on there, lady. I’m not the enemy.”
“Seth? Where are we? Why are you here?” She sat back against the couch but rested the knife on a leg for easy access. The pounding in her head echoed her heartbeat, each thud hurting more than the last. “What happened?”
He handed her a glass of water. “I’ve got something stronger, but you should start with water first.”
Water sounded excellent.
“I’d say you’ve got some nasty enemies.”
Kai reflexively reached for her key.
“Yeah, sorry ’bout that. Your attackers took your key.”
The room blurred when she bolted up and she fell on the couch. Seth came over to help her sit upright.
“You need to chill. The body doesn’t like 50,000 volts of electricity.”
“They used a taser?” Memories of the attack floated in her mind like random puzzle pieces.
“It was a coordinated attack. Impressive actually.”
“You saw it?”
“I wanted to see you again.” He looked away. “They were gone by the time I got to you.”
Kai wanted to smack him. “You fool. No one comes back from Valhalla. That’s not how it works.”
A timer dinged, and Seth walked back to the kitchen. “It wasn’t a fair fight. I couldn’t just leave you.”
Kai joined him and sat at a bar. “You don’t get it. It doesn’t matter what happens to me. I’m just a servant. You’re the warrior.”
He put a plate of bacon and eggs on the counter. “Well, I made a judgment call. What kind of warrior would I be if I let a damsel fall?”
Kai snorted. “I’m not a damsel, in case you didn’t notice.”
Seth placed his plate next to her and sat on a stool. “No, I guess you really aren’t. Hey, do you want coffee? I don’t have cream, but the milk’s not bad, yet.”
“Black is fine.” Kai ate her breakfast before he returned with a mug.
“Wow. I guess you were hungry.”
“Thank you for breakfast. I need to go. I’ve got to get that damn key back to send you to Valhalla. You don’t belong here anymore.”
Seth cleared her plate and finished the last of his breakfast. “Yeah, about that. I don’t want to go.”
Kai gulped her coffee. “It doesn’t matter what you want. Odin calls for you. That’s all that matters.”
“Am I dead already?”
“Yes. I mean no.” She sighed. “Look, I’ll explain this one time only. I’ll use short sentences so it’s easier to understand. You died. Odin called. My job was to get you to Valhalla. Your job was to cross. You fight on Odin’s team. Understand?”
He threw a dishtowel over his shoulder, crossed his arms, and leaned against the counter. “If I’m dead then how was I able to make breakfast? Why am I still breathing? If I’m a ghost where’s my sheet?”
“Idiot. It doesn’t work that way. I don’t know why you’re still here.”
“But I’m solid. Touch me and see.”
Total waste of time.
Kai slid off the bar stool and met him at the sink. Her heart quickened when she patted his hard chest. Once was not enough and she patted it several times then cupped his biceps just to be sure. Seth used her distraction and pulled her against him. He kissed her hard. His hands flowed through her hair as he pulled out the ponytail. She softened her stance and leaned into him. He abruptly pulled away, leaving her breathless and a little confused.
“If I were dead, would I have been able to do that?”
Jerk
She stomped to the couch. “I have never met anyone who didn’t cross when they were called. I don’t know what you are, but you are definitely dead. I need you to stay here until I can figure out what’s going on. If anyone who knows you died sees you, that’s a whole can of worms I don’t want to open.”
“So you keep telling me.” He plopped next to her on the couch and turned on the TV.
The news reporter said, “In breaking news, we’ve learned that the police officer shot yesterday, Seth Mendez, did not recover from his injury. Detective Mendez served the city of New York for twelve years. Friends and family gathered today at Times Square to honor this fallen hero.”
The screen flashed to a group of people standing near a makeshift memorial.
“Dude, you have a lot of friends and family,” Kai said. She searched the faces on the screen, hoping to sense anyone with evil intentions. One tall man stood out among the myriad of faces. Random silver whiskers highlighted his black, short, boxed beard. A red, plaid, flannel shirt hung open low on his chest exposing a gray wife-beater tank top. He looked out of place but didn’t seem to pose a threat.
Seth bent forward resting his arms on his knees. “Shit. That’s my mom. I need to call her and let her know I’m okay.”
Seth took out his cell phone, but Kai knocked it out of his hand.
“What the hell?”
“You can’t call your mom. What are you supposed to tell her?”
Seth threw the remote across the room. He walked to the window and held on to the frame. A small thud vibrated the window as he dropped his head to the glass.
Kai stood behind him.
“I don’t know what to say. If it’s any consolation, I haven’t met any warrior who wanted to die.”
“That doesn’t make it any better.” He sat on the sill. “Growing up, the only thing I wanted to do was be a cop. I remember the day I was sworn in like it was yesterday. My mom couldn’t stop crying. She was proud of me. Pop too.”
Kai never interacted this much with a charge. The one time she did, she found herself cast out of her home and banished to this realm. Her sympathy was not enough to cross Odin again.
“I need to know what’s happening. Can I trust you to stay here and not contact your family?” Seth stared b
ack with a blank face. “I don’t think I can. You’ll have to come with me. Do you have a hat and dark glasses? Maybe a hoodie?”
He continued staring. She touched his shoulder. Seth leaned his cheek down and rested his face on her hand. Kai wasn’t prepared for the butterflies she felt in her stomach with such a simple gesture.
“What’s it like?” he asked.
“To be dead or Valhalla?”
“Both.”
“Well, I’ve only seen Valhalla from the outside. We aren’t welcomed until it is our time and only then if we find favor. I haven’t died, and I seriously doubt I’ll find favor.”
“No?”
Kai sat on the floor with her back against the wall. “I don’t know if I should tell you this. Odin is probably so mad at me right now even Frigg won’t be able to help.”
“You talk about all these people as if they’re real.” He joined her on the floor.
“First, they’re not people. Don’t forget that. If you forget they’re Gods, you’ll lose All. The. Damn. Time.”
“Lose what?”
“Everything.”
“What happened with you?”
“It starts with the key I lost. That key has been passed down through the females in my family since the beginning of time. I come from a long line of honored women who were held in high esteem. I was young and naïve. I wanted to be like my sister. I wanted to make my family proud. I had no idea of the sacrifice I had to make. My lover fell in a battle one day. I couldn’t bear to see him cross. I found him and brought him back to life. When Odin found us, he killed him and stuck me here.” She held her breath and moved her eyes upward to discourage the tears welling in them.
“You can bring someone back to life? You can bring me back to life?”
“Didn’t you hear what I told you? Odin forbids it. I crossed him, and my lover suffers now in the depths of the underworld instead of fighting triumphantly beside Odin.”
“Who is Odin fighting against since the beginning of time?”
“All manner of evil.”
The butterflies returned to Kai’s stomach when Seth reached for her hand. “I know I should be honored to be considered good enough for some kind of heavenly army, but if you can bring me back to life, I need you to try.”
She saw the desperation in his eyes. “What would your life be like? Think about that. If you become a man who reverses death, do you think your life will ever be normal?”
He pulled away. “No.”
“The best thing I can do for you is to find my key and take you back.”
Seth stood, picked up the remote, and turned off the TV. He walked out of the room. Kai heard him rummaging through drawers. When he returned, he’d changed from his uniform into jeans and pulled a black baseball cap over his head. “I’m not wearing a hoodie in this heat. I have a pair of sunglasses around here somewhere.” He reached around his middle, secured his waistband holster, and hid a compact pistol under his shirt.
“You’re coming with me? I don’t trust you.”
“You made it sound like I didn’t have a choice. Do you have any idea where to look?” He held out a hand, helping Kai to stand.
She shook her head. “I can’t believe this is happening. I must be losing my mind.”
“I know this island like I know the back of my hand. I’ve been here since I was a kid. I can help. If I reach out to some of my contacts—”
“Seriously?”
“Well, I mean you can reach out to some of my contacts. They actually might talk to a hot chick better than me, anyway.”
Kai’s cheeks warmed. She knew she was attractive. All Valkyries used their beauty to charm and comfort dying warriors on the battlefield. But it had been a long time since any man took the time to compliment her.
Seth walked around gathering office supplies and took off a picture hanging in his dining area.
“We’ll do this old school. Let’s start with this.” He wrote the word “key” on a stickie note and hung it on the wall. Then he made two more; “motorcycles” and “Valhalla”. “What can you tell me about the leader? He talked to you, didn’t he?”
“He had an accent, maybe Caribbean. And a scar that went across his eye.”
He scribbled the new information on stickies. She closed her eyes and tried to remember more. “His eyes were blue, but not like regular blue. They were almost white, like ice.”
“This is good. Now, what can you tell me about the key itself? Why would someone want to steal it? Would someone want to break into Valhalla?”
“No, I don’t think so, but the key opens portals to other realms and I bet that’s why they wanted it.”
“The key opens doors to other worlds?”
“I guess you could call them worlds. I’ve always seen them as realms or maybe even dominions.”
“So, these people take your key, they can go anywhere?”
“They can open any gate if they know where it is.”
“Can we cross any gate out there?”
“I guess. I don’t know for sure.”
Seth scribbled notes and ideas then posted them on the wall. He stood back and studied his brainstorm. After rearranging everything a few times, he asked, “Who knows where these gates are?”
Kai held out her hand asking for the paper and a pen. She wrote one word then hung it in the center of the cluster.
Seth cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“I wish I was.”
“Well, this doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
They sat on the barstools and stared at the note Kai put on the wall. One word stabbed her heart like a hot poker. Valkyrie.
Chapter Four
“I need to get this car back to the garage. Cecily’s left four voicemails. She’s not happy.” Kai unlocked the taxi.
“How are we going to work this, when we don’t want to run into anyone who knows what happened?” Seth pushed the trash from the seat to the floor. “Don’t you ever clean this out?”
Kai snickered. “I always clean up at the end of the shift. Cecily is strict about how we take care of her cars. I used a new car once and came back with a door ding, which was not my fault. I haven’t driven a new car since.”
“Sounds like a real hag.”
“Cecily? Nah, she’s a great friend. Good at keeping secrets.”
“Does she know what you do in your off time?”
Kai changed lanes and squeezed across an intersection before the light changed. “Yes.”
“And she’s okay with that?”
“Well, let’s say she understands. I guess I need to tell you about the other people I work with before we get there. Though I’m not sure your Catholic-mind can take it.”
He scoffed. “I’ve seen a lot in my time on the force. I can handle anything you tell me.”
“Okay, tough guy. Cecily hires different types of people.”
“What do you mean ‘different types’?” He flung his arm in front of Kai’s face pointing out the window. “There’s a BGP. Stop and get coffee.”
She swatted his hand. “Dude, what are you a kid?”
“If I’m not here long, I want to do a few things before I go? Having a good cup of coffee is one.”
She flipped a U-turn in the middle of the street. Seth grabbed the overhead handle. “Whoa. You’re crazy.”
“No, I’m in a hurry and this isn’t going to turn into a bucket-list excursion. We get the coffee and get back to the garage.”
Seth held the door open for Kai and the lady behind her. As the lady walked in, she pulled on the inside door handle.
“Hey, I’m with her.” Seth held on to the outside handle. The lady continued to pull the door.
Kai said, “Excuse me. Are you okay? My friend is coming in too.”
The lady looked outside. “The door’s stuck. Trying to keep the cool air inside.”
“But you’re shutting the door on me,” Seth said.
Kai l
ooked between him and the lady. The stranger never acknowledged Seth.
“She can’t see you.”
“Lady I see you. I’m not blind.” The woman stormed off.
“What was that all about?” Seth stood by Kai.
“I’m not sure. Summer makes people do strange things.” They stood in line waiting to place their order.
“I can help the next person,” a barista called.
“I’ll take a large dark roast and a muffin, then whatever he wants.” Kai nodded to Seth.
“Who?” The barista asked.
“Him.”
“You don’t have to do that,” the guy behind her said.
“Not you,” Kai huffed. “Him.” She used her thumb to point to Seth.
“Um, okay. Your friend.” The barista nodded and whispered, “Weirdo”, under his breath.
“You’re right, they can’t see me.” Seth waved his hand up and down in front of the kid's face. No reaction.
“You don’t see the guy standing next to me?”
“If you see him, then I see him.”
“Whatever. Just double my order.”
The barista rang up the coffees and muffins and Kai paid. She picked up their order at the end of the counter. As Seth walked by the condiment station, he pushed off a stack of napkins. The woman sitting next to the station gave Kai a dirty look and rolled her eyes.
“Would you get out of here,” Kai muttered. She bent and picked up the napkins. Several customers watched her walk out the door.
“Well, that wasn’t awkward at all.” Seth reached for his coffee.
“Cool trick, lady.” A kid riding a skateboard pointed to Seth as he raised the cup for a drink.
“Great. They can’t see you, but they see what you’re holding.”
Seth shrugged.
“Don’t say anything. Just get in the car.”
They rode to the garage in silence. Kai scanned the passersby. It was a long shot, but she hoped to feel the same demons who attacked her.
After keying in the code, she drove into the underground garage and found the numbered spot that coordinated with the medallion number.
“Remember what I told you about the people Cecily hires.”
