“Yes, sister.”
It wasn’t unusual for a valkyrie to get territorial over certain souls. Without a second thought, I expanded my wings and shot into the night air—back to war.
18
Present Day
My nerves were shot as we roamed the Tualatin Mountains. Once again, I couldn’t stop Charlie from tagging along when we left at sunrise. I worried about her. She’d gotten involved in something that had nothing to do with her. She was so pure, and I didn’t want to taint her.
“You didn’t have to come,” I said as we walked a few feet ahead of Will and Fen. “Why do you insist on helping? Not that I don’t appreciate it. I do. But I am nothing but trouble.”
She shrugged. “Do you believe in destiny?”
I held back a laugh. “Those are fairytales humans tell their children.”
“Well, I believe. And I believe we met for a reason. I could have gone to any bar in Portland. Heck, you could have gone to any other library but came to mine. The only library in Portland with a supernatural librarian. What are the odds, Raven?”
“Doesn’t mean anything, Charlie. It’s a coincidence.”
“It’s fate. I’m meant to go on this journey with you, so that’s what I’ll do.”
I sighed and let the conversation drop. There was no point in arguing with her. The indignation in her voice told me all I needed to know, and nothing was going to dissuade her.
We made it to Yggdrasil a lot faster than the last time; the Norns must have known I would return. Urd, the old woman, was the first to appear again.
“You’ve returned, valkyrie.”
“With friends,” I smirked.
“I see that. Have you reconsidered?”
I shook my head. There was no way I’d give up my sword. I would die before I gave it up.
“You’ve wasted your time,” Verdandi sang. “No sword, no deal.”
“I have something better.”
Fenrir tensed beside me. He’d voiced his opinion on my sacrifice during the whole ride to the mountains. I was playing with fire, but I could take the heat as long as I learned who’d murdered Kendall and Donnie—and now Tyler.
“Oh, yes!” Skuld, the young Norn, chimed. “Yes, sister, she has a better sacrifice. Yes, she does!”
“Hm. Pray tell,” Urd said, motioning me to speak.
I cleared my throat. “A favor. You tell me who is murdering innocents under my name and I will owe you a favor.”
Verdandi’s eyes widened and gleamed with mischief. I didn’t want to think of the horrible things they might make me do.
“Anything of our choosing?” Verdandi clarified.
Fen growled, and I placed my hand on his wrist to stop him. “Anything.”
“Then we have an agreement,” Urd said. “When needed, we will collect.”
“Of course.” I nodded. “Now please, tell me what I need to know.”
“Skuld …” Urd motioned for her. The young Norn skipped toward me, getting so close to my face I had to lean back.
“Don’t be afraid, valkyrie. I don’t bite … much.” She giggled.
“Raven,” Will whispered.
Skuld’s gaze turned to the detective, her eyes growing wide. “You brought a warrior! You brought two!”
“That’s not what I need to know,” I gritted through my teeth. The girl was starting to annoy me.
“But you do! You do, you do, you do!”
Verdandi bit her lip as she held back a laugh. The hag leaned against the tree, watching as Skuld taunted me.
“Good and evil. Beginning and end. Lover and soulmate. Living and dead,” she sang as she twirled before me. “You choose, you choose, you choose!”
“Urd!” I yelled at the older one. “If you don’t tell me what I need to know, the deal is off.”
The old woman nodded. “Skuld,” she reprimanded.
The little Norn wiggled her fingers before placing them on the sides of my head. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.
“I see—”
Skuld was cut off by a loud, high-pitched scream. The blast of sound threw us all to the ground as we cowered from the noise. I crawled over to Will. He’d placed his hands over his ears and blood was seeping out between his fingers. I covered him with my body to lessen the blow of the sound waves.
My ears popped, and I winced from the pain as I stared down at Will who could now open his eyes. he watched me with restrained fear and a small amount of concern—for me.
The screaming lasted roughly sixty seconds, and I collapsed to the side of Will once it was over. Everyone turned to the source of the sound. In the middle of the clearing stood Charlie. Her heavy breathing and bulging, teary eyes stared at me. There was only one reason a banshee shrieked at random. Death.
“Charlie,” I mumbled as I attempted to stand. “Who—”
She wasn’t fast enough. Cawing came from above. At least a hundred ravens flew over us, covering the sun and darkening the forest so it appeared to be nighttime. Before any of us had time to react, they dove straight for the Norns. Their beaks pecked at the hags, attacking them ferociously. Urd didn’t stand a chance. The crows went for her eyes, poking at them as rivers of blood streamed down her face. Her cries echoed through the forest, making me wince. The sound spurring me into action, I ran toward her. Swatting at the birds, I attempted to get them off of her, but there were too many. Verdandi was against the tree, the ravens pecking holes into her flesh. Skuld was the worst. She laid motionless on the ground; her eyes were empty, staring at the ravens flying above her while some of the birds ate her insides.
Fenrir came for me and dragged me out of the fray of ravens eating their way through the Norns. Verdandi stretched her hand out to me.
“Help us!” she wailed. “Help us!”
With my back against Fen’s chest, I leaned on him for support. Unable to move, I could only stare at the bloodbath before us. Urd’s eyes and tongue had been eaten. All that was left were black, gaping holes. Verdandi’s death was the slowest, and all I saw were her pleading eyes.
“We have to go!” Fen yelled as he dragged me away. “Raven!”
When the birds got their fill, their black, beady eyes turned to us. We ran. The flapping of their wings could be heard behind us. There was no way we’d be fast enough. Had I still had my wings, I would have stood a chance. Fenrir could shift and be long gone, but he ran beside me, not letting me go. I wasn’t stupid to believe it was because he cared. He needed me, and that was that.
Charlie slowed to a jog and fell behind. I spun around to get her, but Fen had a strong grip on me.
“Charlie!” I yelled as I looked back at her.
I stopped running, forcing Fen to stop with me. Will followed, and we all watched as Charlie turned her back to us and faced the ravens head-on. She stood tall, her feet apart and hands fisted at her sides. When the birds got closer, she sucked in a deep breath and let out a shriek. The air visibly pulsated before her as the sound waves hit them and they began to drop like flies. They exploded as they met her screams, and all we could do was watch in awe and a little bit of terror.
Two ravens were left, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out who they were. They didn’t dare come near Charlie. Once she realized it, she stopped screaming.
She gasped for air, and I ran to her before she fell to the ground.
“I got you,” I muttered as I held her up.
Hugin and Munin flew away, their caws echoing through in the distance.
I brushed strands of her hair away from her face as the guys approached us. “Are you okay?”
Charlie nodded and smiled. “I told you I could take care of myself.”
Needless to say, it’d been an interesting and disappointing day. We were back to square one, and I was beginning to think Fen might be right. Odin’s ravens had attacked us and killed the Norns before they could give me any information. The thought made me sick. My father was cruel, but I never thought he was capable of
something like this.
“Raven?” Charlie whispered as she knocked on the bedroom door. I peered over at the bedside clock. It was two thirty in the morning. I couldn’t sleep, and from the looks of it, neither could she.
“Come in.”
Her thin frame slid inside, and she shut the door, leaning against it. Not speaking, she only stood there, her eyes glistening in the darkness as they watched me.
“Thank you. For today,” I said. “What you did … was incredible. I shouldn’t have doubted you for one second.”
She nodded, her gaze far, far away. What we’d witnessed was gruesome. I expected Charlie would have trouble sleeping for a while.
“I can’t sleep either,” I said, tossing back the covers on the empty side of the bed and motioning her over. Quietly, she crawled beneath the blankets and laid next to me, staring at the white ceiling.
This was the first time I’d laid in bed with someone I didn’t have a sexual attraction to. It wasn’t like that with Charlie. We had a genuine friendship, and I didn’t want to mess it up with my stupidity.
“I think I need a drink,” Charlie whispered into the quiet of the room.
I laughed. “Excuse me?”
She swiveled her head and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Alcohol. I need it.”
I reached underneath my bed and pulled out the bottle of whiskey I kept hidden for when I got thirsty in the middle of the night. Uncapping the bottle, I handed it to her, sensing her judgmental eyes on me.
“Do I even want to know?”
“Nope.” I shook my head.
She sat up and took hold of the bottle, pausing before taking a swig. She sucked in a breath as she grimaced from the taste. A second later she was coughing, and I had to go to the kitchen for some water.
“Maybe you should stick to peach schnapps.”
Charlie nodded. “I think you’re right,” she agreed, her voice raspy.
“Are you okay?”
As she leaned against the headboard, I turned to her and sat with my legs crisscrossed.
“I’m fine. Actually, I feel great.” She grinned. “I’ve never felt so … so powerful. It’s intoxicating.”
I chuckled and threw back my head. “Yes, it can be intoxicating.” I now understood her desire to drink. She wanted that adrenaline rush again. “But it can also be dangerous. While you kicked some serious ass today, I still think you should look out for yourself and try to keep away from this. I think I’m going to find another place to stay.”
It was one of the thoughts keeping me awake. Charlie had really blown my mind with what she’d done, but I still worried. With her talents and compassion, she was meant for so much more.
“Whether you stay here or not, I’m not backing out. I know this is where I’m supposed to be. Today was confirmation.”
“It’s not safe. Odin knows where you live. He could come for you to try to get to me. You should probably lay low for a while.”
Charlie quieted for a moment, and the silence made me uncomfortable.
“I know you’ve been on your own for a while, but you don’t have to be anymore. You have people who care. Don’t push me away.”
“I’m trying to keep you safe,” I argued.
“Like I’ve said, I can take care of myself.”
She could take care of herself, just not against Odin. I didn’t want to burst her bubble, but she wouldn’t stand a chance. I wouldn’t, either, which was why I could never part with the Sword of Souls. Now more than ever, I needed it by my side.
“Can I sleep with you?” Charlie whispered. “And not in a sexual way,” she quickly added.
I laughed. “Yes, you can.”
I took a few gulps from the bottle of whiskey and set it on the nightstand. We adjusted ourselves in bed and went to sleep without another word.
Charlie jumped on the bed, jerking me awake. “Let’s do something wild!”
Wiping the side of my mouth with the back of my hand, I turned over to face her. I squinted, trying to adjust to the bit of light seeping through the curtains.
Charlie was cracked out. It seemed she’d been awake for hours as she nursed a mug of coffee.
“You tried whiskey. That was wild enough,” I mumbled, bringing the covers over my head. She pulled them off of me. “What are you doing?” I groaned.
“It’s my day off.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
She huffed. “Maybe going food shopping was a bad idea.” Charlie grimaced as she handed me a cup of coffee. I declined.
“You think?” I deadpanned, sitting up on the bed. “Whatever. I guess I’m confined to the apartment, the library, and any nighttime activities. In other words, bye-bye, sun.”
“Well …” she started. “There might be somewhere else you could go. There’s no sun, but it’s fun!”
My side-eye game was fierce because Charlie and fun in the same sentence just didn’t make sense.
“After yesterday’s excitement, I don’t think I need anymore. Our best bet is to lay low and wait for—”
Charlie cleared her throat. “I spoke with Will …”
I rolled my eyes. “And?”
“He said he’ll call us in a few days. The station is crazy busy after your latest appearance at the grocery store and he’s needed there for the time being.”
Of course he was. “Have you turned on the news?”
Charlie nodded. “You’re the only thing they’re reporting.”
I snorted. “And you think we can have fun when I can’t even look out a window in case someone recognizes me?”
She bit her lip. I knew that mischievous look. She was concocting something and piquing my curiosity.
Charlie leaned in as if she were going to share a secret. “Let’s go dancing,” she said, the biggest grin lighting up her face.
We’d spent most of the day arguing about whether or not to go out dancing. It just wasn’t my scene, but Charlie insisted it would be. She was adamant about it. I was about to give her my final no when her bottom lip quivered, pleading with me. She palmed her hands together in prayer and squeezed her eyes shut. It made me chuckle, and I grudgingly agreed. Dancing couldn’t hurt.
“You could have put more effort into this,” Charlie chided as we got out of the car and walked down an alleyway.
“This hoodie,” I pointed to what covered my face, “is what’s saving my ass right now.”
It was midnight, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t recognize me. Charlie had been trying to get me to dress up. Specifically, she wanted me to wear a dress, which was a line I wouldn’t cross.
“Fine,” she relented, “but I told you not to worry about anyone recognizing you. I even used a supernatural rideshare company. We protect our own.”
I laughed. “That is absurd. There is no such thing as supernatural ridesharing.”
“Our driver was a vampire.”
The seriousness in Charlie’s face was all the confirmation I needed that she was telling the truth.
“Where the hell are we going?” It was becoming obvious this wasn’t going to be a normal night out dancing.
She gave me a sly smile, walked to the end of the alleyway, knocked on the red brick wall three times, and waited.
“You can’t be serious,” I whispered when one of the bricks was pulled out. “Oh tits.” I walked closer to Charlie.
“Ogre pickle juice,” she said to the mouth that appeared at the opening.
The person on the other side didn’t say a word and put the brick back in place. The wall suddenly started to shimmer until it disappeared. A big, redheaded guy with a long beard stood at the entrance of a nightclub as the bouncer. I imagined the patrons found him intimidating with that scar going down the middle of his left eye. We made eye contact as we passed him, and he smirked at my daring attire of ripped jeans and a flannel—it was quite scandalous. What can I say? I’m a fashion icon.
Dance music burst out of the club as doze
ns of bodies grinded against one another to the beat. It smelled of alcohol, sex, and sweat—quite an interesting mix.
“Come on.” Charlie jerked her head toward the bar. “Let’s have some fun.”
My jaw practically hit the ground as I watched the banshee stroll in so casually. I almost didn’t recognize her.
I grimaced when I caught up to her. “Ogre pickle juice?” I tried to stay as close as possible to Charlie so we wouldn’t get separated. All kinds of supernatural species invaded the nightclub.
“They have a new password every night.” She grinned, overly excited. “I’ve never been here before!”
And there was the Charlie I’d met. The innocent young woman who thought drinking whiskey was rebellious.
“How did you hear about this place?” I yelled over the loud music.
“Everyone knows about Demon City. The head warlock of Portland owns it.”
“Obviously,” I said under my breath.
Heading straight to the bar, I found myself liking this outing a lot more now that I could see alcohol. Maybe Charlie could be fun. Maybe.
“Can I have a Pink Succubus and …” Charlie motioned for me to order, but I had no idea what to get. The menu was an array of cocktails I’d never heard of.
“Uh … can I just get a whiskey? Neat.”
The bartender was a young man, fairly handsome but also barely of age. He looked like your average boy next door if it weren’t for the yellow cat eyes.
“Shifter,” Charlie yelled in my ear, answering my unspoken question.
He served our drinks and slid them our way. It was surreal being on the other side of the counter.
“We’re also fully stocked on Venom tonight if you’re interested,” he said while Charlie paid.
“Venom?” I quirked a brow.
He nodded and was about to say something when Charlie cut me off. “No thanks,” she said, dragging me away from the bar.
With drinks in hand, we maneuvered across the dancefloor looking for a table. The strobe lights zig-zagging across the place were going to give me a damn epileptic attack. It was a friendly reminder of why I didn’t do the dance scene.
The Last Valkyrie Series Complete Boxed Set Page 14
