by C. L. Roman
Cecily and Pat joined Kai and Seth. “Oh really?” Cecily nodded to Pat. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a chain with Kai’s key. Cecily winked. “I told you he was a good thief.”
Kai pulled out a chair reaching for her key. The chain’s coolness tingled against her skin.
“Madam Liberty, do you have a place I can clean up?” Odin asked.
“For you?” she asked. “Anything.”
He bent his arm to escort Liberty away.
“Um, Dad?” Kai asked. “Do you want to explain to me what happened?”
“There are some details you are better off not knowing about. When you have lived as long as I have, many people owe you favors.”
***
Three days later, Cecily, Pat, Seth, Bill, Phil, and Kai joined Nate’s Pack on the far edge of Van Courtlandt Park for his funeral. Fall showed up to send this dear man to the afterlife. The cool air and changing leaves announced the end of summer. Wolves from three different packs came to pay respect to the omega wolf. Neither Kai nor her coworkers knew he was this loved.
The alpha shared his praise for Nate, threw in the first mound of dirt, and invited everyone to an after party where the stories continued for hours.
Cecily, Kai, and Seth stayed on the fringes of the group while Bill and Phil circulated among the pack.
“So,” Seth started, “these are werewolves?”
“Yep,” Kai answered. “Were you expecting something else?”
Seth shrugged. “I thought they would be bigger.”
Cecily rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Movies. They ruin everything. I bet you believe they only shift on the full moon.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please.” Cecily turned to Kai. “You’ve got to teach your man about this world.” She looked around the group. “Where is that man of mine with my beer? Did you have to get it from the store?”
Kai searched the faces around her. She spotted Pat talking to two young wolves. Cecily saw him too.
“Oh no. Tell me they aren’t moving in on my man.” Cecily stomped off to get Pat.
Kai and Seth watched her squeeze next to Pat and ooze sex all over him. The two wolves lost interest and left.
“I guess she really likes him,” Seth said.
“Let’s get something to eat.” Kai turned to a table piled with food. “They have a complicated relationship. I walked in her office one time when I shouldn’t have and,” she paused, “let’s just say when Pat dresses in leather pants, he’s very different.”
Seth put his hands over his ears. “I don’t think I want to know any more of that story.”
“Then let’s talk about a different story.” She served herself three ribs and potato salad.
“If it’s our story, then shoot.” He handed her a roll.
“I don’t know what Odin expects from either of us. I haven’t been out driving since everything happened. Someone has kept me busy at home.”
Seth smiled and patted Kai on the butt. “I haven’t chained you to the bed.”
“Yet.”
Seth winked. “We haven’t tried that have we?” He kissed her cheek. “Let’s wait and see. I’m sure when your dad wants us to do something, he will let us know.”
“I guess. I don’t like surprises.”
Seth pointed around to all the people. “This isn’t about surprises. This is about your lack of patience.”
“What is this foreign language you speak? I don’t understand the idea of patience.”
“Exactly.” Seth put their plates on a tree stump then pulled her in close. “You’ve been a warrior all your life. Let me do some of the fighting for you.”
“I’m not built like that.”
“Adapt. I’m not going anywhere and I’m sure Odin wants us together.”
“Patience, huh?”
“Patience and trust.”
She rested her head against his chest. “Two foreign concepts.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I’ve been given a second lifetime to help you understand those two foreign concepts.”
She lifted her face to his and kissed him. Nothing made sense in her world, but a huge sense of peace filled her heart. They both had a lifetime to figure out everything. Together.
A Note From Terri
Thank you for reading The Key to Valhalla. This was a fun piece to write because valkyries have always fascinated me. They are seen with beauty and horror at the same time. I set this story in New York and made Kai a taxi driver to pay homage to an older TV show I watched with my dad, Taxi.
Kai and Seth's adventure is just beginning. Seth has a lot to learn about his new role working with Odin. Madame Liberty has a lot to answer for when one of her girls turns up dead outside Trinity Church. And of course, Loki makes an appearance to make sure that life never gets dull. Keep an eye out for A Berserker's Destiny by early 2020 or maybe sooner- if the odds are in your favor. ��
—TAW
—About the Author
Terri is a former English teacher and librarian. She taught middle and high school and college. Now she works from home homeschooling her two daughters and living out her dreams via her stories. She began escaping into books a little later than most but was hooked after the first book. It has been her dream to give back to the book world since second grade.
When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys binging on Netflix and painting. Due to her crunchy lifestyle and free spirit, she considers herself a recycled hippie. Her most important goal is to help others jump and learn to fly.
To find out more about her characters and the lives they live, visit her at any of the following links:
Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Bookbub | Newsletter
Other Works by Terri:
Sassy Ever After
Sanctuary For My Mate (Series):
Never face your inner demons alone.
Forgiveness For My Mate
Harmony For My Mate
Shelter For My Mate
Holiday Chords- Christmas Anthology
The Way You Drive Me Crazy
A Love and Found Prequel
By
Olivia Hardin
Can a simple drive lead to something as crazy as love?
OH
Copyright © 2018 by Olivia Hardin
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Dedication
For Daddy
Trivia from Olivia
At the end of World War II in the little village of Somerset in the UK, a German prisoner struck up a friendship with a little 5-year-old girl and her father. Lance Corporal Franz Schmidt met Patricia Herring while her father was the driver at the camp where he was held for three years. During that time Franz painstakingly carved toys for her in the evenings from scrap wood he found around camp. Among other toys, he created a miniature grocery modelled after the one his family owned in Germany.
Patricia’s father, John, transported the POWs to jobs around the countryside and during that time Franz made friends with her family. They even breeched protocol and invited him to their house for dinner.
After the war Franz wrote to the Herring family, jubilant to be reunited with his own little children, but recounting the travails they suffered post-war. Appa
rently, Patricia’s family even sent care packages to Franz with presents for his children and sweets for his wife. In 1958 Franz died, but his son remained in contact with Patricia as of a 2016 article in The Daily Mail (take a peek to see photos of the exquisite toys Franz created for little Patricia.)
In addition to Europe, German POWs were also housed in camps in the United States. In all there were over 400,000 Germans interred in the US in camps throughout the states, including Louisiana. And just as in Somerset, those Germans in Acadiana also helped out on farms during their time there.
Dear Mr. Kirkpatrick,
I believe you will be very surprised to receive mail from Germany and from me. I was at the Camp in Jennings, and when I had reported for work on your farm. I take courage to write this letter to you.
In Aug. I wrote letter to you as a prisoner of war. Today I am with great pleasure because I am discharged now.
As you know, we are very badly off here, in particular little children are suffering with the prevailing living conditions. I have a little 7-year-old sister and would be much obliged to you if you could send me some provision for her. I will compensate you for expenses when I am able. Until then, enclosed is small token for your little daughter. She was kind to us on many times. At the time now, though, I can only give you word that I will repay you at some day and you will see that you will not be disappointed.
I think back on the time at your farm. Under today’s conditions it was a nice time for us. Under normal circumstances I would not have troubled you so please know I am sorry to now.
Wishing you and your family are healthy and to have a very nice Christmas.
With best regards, Franz Müller[1]
Chapter One
Lacey
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be fine.”
I had one wrist draped over the top of the steering wheel, the fingers of my other hand gripping the bottom.
“But I’d feel much better about this if you were on the interstate. Can’t you just wait for it to reopen?”
“Ma, please,” I whined into the phone, though my lips were curled into a smile. On my way to Lafayette, Louisiana from Texas, I’d gotten an alert on my phone’s GPS app about a major accident that had shut down the interstate. Stopping at a little service station, I’d fueled up then located an alternate route that hugged the coast. It was a little out of the way and somewhat off the beaten path, but I was feeling nothing less than adventurous on this trip. I decided, what the heck? I would only be young once, and it was time I did something a little crazy.
“You could get lost, though. All those twists and turns on the back roads. And it isn’t safe for a woman traveling by herself. Damn your brother for cancelling on you.”
I giggled, covering my mouth so she wouldn’t hear me. My mother was a true prude, and the use of the word “damn” was pretty strong language for her. And that meant I would be in big trouble if she knew I was laughing at her. I bit my lip until I could recover enough to speak.
“Really, Mom. I’m fine. My phone is going to give me each and every turn, and I’ll be in Lafayette before you know it. What could possibly happen?”
And then, almost as if by providence, something happened. My car suddenly felt as if it were changing gears on its own. There was a vibration, then a loud whirring and whining noise unlike anything I’d ever heard. I gasped, taking my foot off the gas and hoping everything would right itself, but there was clearly something wrong with my beloved Chevy.
“Lacey? Are you listening to me? I have to go to water aerobics now, but you call me as soon as you get there, okay?”
I muttered a promise and a goodbye to her while I eased my car into a nearby parking lot. Not immediately opening the door, I said a little prayer of thanks that she wouldn’t know – at least immediately – that I was pulled over on the side of the road practically in the middle of nowhere. Not totally in the middle of nowhere, since there was at least a place I could get safely off the road.
With a frustrated breath, I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel. I didn’t need another delay. The timing of my appointment had been pinched by the accident, but even with the detour, I’d figured I had at least three or so hours to spare. But car trouble was not something I’d expected.
By the time I lifted my head and started to get out of the car, I noticed the “check engine” light had also just come on. I knew virtually nothing about cars so it seemed like a stupid idea to pop the hood, but I reached down and pulled the lever just the same. I heard it unlatch, then opened my door and walked around to the front. I’d just propped the hood up when I heard a voice calling out to me.
“Yoohoo! Are you okay over there?”
Over my shoulder I peeked through the tall beach grasses to see a little country store. Whereas the lot I’d pulled into was concrete but without a single building, the woman was standing on the long porch in front of a strip of little shops in the middle of a gravel lot. She had red-brown hair, pulled back with a headband. One hand was held against her brow to block the sun as she squinted in my direction.
“Just leave your car right there, and come on up here,” she called out to me. I considered her words, chewing my lip in indecision. I should just call AAA and have them come tow me somewhere. “You coming?”
I smiled and waved at her, then reached into the car to grab my purse before running across several feet of tall grass and the rocky parking lot to get to her. She was a short, older woman, but her smile was as big as her face. She might have been fifty or even sixty, but she had a sparkle in her eyes that spoke of a youthful soul.
“M’name’s Betty.” She put out her hand to me, and I shook it. “Too hot to stand out there.” She placed a hand on my back and led me with a soft pressure into the store.
“I’m Lacey. Lacey Miller. I guess this is your place, then.” I pointed to the sign on the front door that read “Betty Ruth’s Country Store.”
“Yep, that’s me. Been working this old place since I was ‘bout ten years old. Back then, it was called Boudreaux’s Country Store.”
“Your last name’s Boudreaux then?”
She cackled, and I wondered what was so funny, but all I could do was wait for her to get her breath. Finally, she wiped at her eyes and shook her head. “I always get a kick out of that. Betty Ruth Boudreaux? As if. I had a hard enough time with a name like Betty Ruth, but imagine if my last name had been Boudreaux. Can you imagine? Can you even imagine?”
“Yeah, I can’t.” I offered a weak smile, still not entirely sure what was hilarious about that. We were in Cajun country. Betty Ruth Boudreaux sounded all right to me.
“Boudreaux is the name some marketer thought would be a good idea back when the place was owned by a chain out of Dallas. They were barely making enough to keep this little store going, then they changed the name thinking it would attract folks because it was Cajun. Worked okay with the tourists, but not the locals. Everyone kept tryin’ to figure out who Boudreaux was and whether he was related to Teddy Boudreaux or John Boudreaux or that girl Cathy Boudreaux. It was exhausting, let me tell you. And it certainly didn’t help with business. So, do you know what’s the problem?”
My head was spinning, and I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess people just wanted the place to be named after a real person maybe?”
Betty started laughing again, a low in the chest wheezing sort of chortle that made me worry she might give herself a heart attack.
“No, doll. Your car. Do you know what’s the problem with your car?”
“Oh! No, I have no idea. It just started running funny and made a crazy noise. But it’s okay.” I grabbed my phone from my purse and held it out in front of me. “I’ll just call AAA and get it towed to a shop.” I bit my lip with worry. “And maybe I can rent a car, too.”
Mentally, I considered how long it would take AAA to dispatch someone out here into the boonies. Probably an hour at least. Then I’d have to deal with a shop and a rental. I’d be lucky if I got
to my destination by nightfall.
“Where you headed?”
“Lafayette. I’ve got an appointment this afternoon, but…” I glanced at the clock on my phone with worry.
“Oh, yeah? Job interview?”
I smiled. “No, not a job interview. Um, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just make the call…”
“Mary!” Betty called out so loud that I physically jumped a few feet off the floor. “Mary, get your skinny little butt in here!”
There was a noise behind me, then a pretty red-head made her way from the back of the store, a big box in her arms. She offered me a bright grin before she turned her attention to Betty.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Is Luke still here on the bayou?”
“Oh.” The girl, probably about seventeen or so, shrugged her shoulders. “I think so, but I’m not sure. I didn’t see him drive by, but I wasn’t watching.”
“All right, all right. And good Lord, girl. That box looks heavier than you are. What are you doing, just standin’ there holdin’ it? Go stock those shelves.”
Clearly the only reason Mary was standing there was because Betty had called her, but I just bit my tongue and looked at the girl. Her cheeks turned pink, but she only peered at me in amusement as she hurried off to do her boss’s bidding.
“Okay, you put that phone away. We’re gonna get you all fixed up,” Betty said to me as she rounded the front counter and grabbed a corded phone from under the register. She flipped through a little personal phone directory, found what she was looking for and dialed.
“Lukey! Lukey, you still up there workin’ on that A/C for Our Lady?” She raised her eyes and flashed her teeth at me, covering the receiver with her hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you taken care of …”
