He sighed and shuffled to the window. Plucking a rose from the vase, he ran a finger over the thorns across the stem. “I’m not just a Valiant,” he admitted and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “I was actually an Immortal before I became one of Odin’s soldiers.”
“Dalia?” I asked.
Tyler nodded and turned the rose over, revealing one of the petals that had faded and withered. He plucked it free, but didn’t let it fall. “My conversion was part of an alliance between Dalia and Odin. With the power I inherited from her, Odin would be able to hide his ship, and at times even Freya’s planet.”
“Inherited?” I asked. My eyes went wide. “… Are you related?” My gaze dropped to the unseen rune on his hand. “That symbol. It means you’re Heimdall’s heir… doesn’t it?”
Tyler nodded and laughed when I swayed on my feet. He guided me to the sofa and sat me down. “Don’t look so shocked. You’re not the only one with a deity for a parent.” He shrugged. “But you might be the only one with two.” He sighed. “Odin and Freya have each other, even if they like to stay light-years apart. My mother, though, she only has her children. She’s the weakest of the gods and it’s my siblings and I who keep her safe.”
“Siblings?” I asked, my voice turning into a squeak. “How many are there?”
He shrugged. “Who knows. I don’t run into them often. The way we help her is by making alliances with other powerful Immortals. I’m lucky that Odin’s work requires me on Earth so I can keep an eye on her.” He frowned. “I can sense when someone wants her dead—which is more often than she likes to admit.” He folded his fingers behind his head and leaned back. “Although, it’s a strange position to be in now with Will’s mother being our target.” He eyed me. “Do you think he’s okay with it?”
I didn’t like talking about killing Tyler’s mother. Hel, I didn’t like talking about killing anyone. Some Valkyrie I was making…
Frustrated, I rolled off the couch and walked to the window, peering down to find Will wandering through the gardens. Jules bounced past him, running her fingers across the leaves as she danced and laughed. She might be having the time of her life, but a darkness clung to Will as if the Skuld had left a layer of their hatred on his skin.
“Those things,” I asked Tyler, “the Skuld, you called them. What are they?”
“The Norns’ pets,” Tyler said. He joined me at the window, his gaze pensive on the pair below. “I’m sure Will can feel them better than you or I. His mother’s the one that sent them, after all.”
I shivered, not because that surprised me, but because a part of me already knew. “Was this why Freya assigned me to Will? He’s a special case, isn’t he?” Not that reaping a soul wasn’t ever a special case…
Tyler nodded. “Now you’re catching on.” His gaze swept over me and his fingers followed, trailing down the golden strands over my shoulder and over my back, stopping where my wings should have been. “Your mother didn’t allow you to come back out of mercy. She sent you because she had no choice. You’re the only one who can help Will stop his mother. Baldr is just gaining more allies and getting stronger. If he wins, then darkness reigns.”
I should have pulled away. Letting Tyler touch me betrayed everything I felt for Will. Yet when I pictured the look on his face every time I rejected him, I couldn’t move. The more my memories struggled to the surface, the more I realized that the bond Tyler and I shared ran deeper than I’d realized.
“So, why does my mother want me to come home now?” I asked, painfully aware that I was inches away from Tyler’s body. Heat wafted off of him, hinting at the Immortal power that lingered under the sculpted, muscular lines.
“Because she’s weak,” Tyler whispered as he absently caressed my cheek. His forehead pressed against mine. “She’s just as weak as I am. She wants to keep you all to herself and damn the consequences.”
I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. Such raw admission made my knees wobble. “Is that why you’ve pushed me away?” My voice shook as I fought the urge to rise on my toes and brush my lips against his. “You said that I’m the only one that can help Will stop his mother. What happens once he does? Are you hoping he won’t need me anymore?” I pushed my thoughts at him. Are you hoping to have me all to yourself once he’s gone?
His breath puffed hot against my face. “Sweet Aerie. Your love is forbidden, be it to Will, or to me. Perhaps that’s why I crave it so much.” His lips hovered over mine and I held my breath. “When Will stops his mother, I hope he can stop me.”
I closed my eyes, waiting with anticipation for Tyler to break all the rules he’d just laid out for me. His warmth vanished, replaced with licking shadows. When I opened my eyes again, Tyler was gone. I exhaled and my breath frosted the air.
Not now, Mother
I didn’t wait for Will to come back up, mostly because I couldn’t face him with my cheeks red with guilt all over. Tyler and I hadn’t done anything, but after he’d openly admitted his feelings for me, my heart roiled with my own conflicting emotions.
I settled into one of the rooms in the luxurious suite, opting for a smaller chamber with a single flatscreen and a whirlpool bath. The plush carpet thinned out to marble tile floors with a short wall surrounding the bath. Such an open layout would never have been possible with a roommate—at least, not with someone with an ounce of modesty. My heart pinched for Sam, remembering how she’d teased me about that. I closed the door and turned on the faucet.
Rummaging through the guest compartments revealed bath salts and soaps, which given how ripe I smelled opted for dumping the whole thing in. Soon the bath overflowed with bubbles that spilled onto the tiled floor. I marveled as the water gathered into the grooves and disappeared into camouflaged drains.
Shedding my clothes and slipping into the steaming waters, I sighed, glad to finally relax. Even if the knots in my muscles attempted to unwind, my mind was another story.
Tyler shouldn’t have affected me like that… but he had.
How was it possible to have feelings for such two utterly different souls? I knew that I loved Will. We had a connection that sparked magic and tempted fate. Eventually, I’d grasp those lost memories I had of him and understand what it was that had brought us together. Yet, as I shuffled through the murky layers of Grimhildr’s programming, what else might I find?
As my heart wandered, hoping to find a lifeline to grab onto, I closed my eyes and drifted into a state of relaxation as the steaming waters soothed muscles I hadn’t even known were sore. I’d fought the Skuld and accessed my Valkyrie powers enough to call for my embers and my weapon. Using scalding powers that threatened to burn my mortal body to cinders always left me drained. Fatigue washed over me as I finally succumbed to the bath.
Just when I was starting to relax, a knock sounded against the walls I’d put around my thoughts ever since I’d learned that Tyler could invade them. I wasn’t going to let him disrespect my privacy like that. Yet, I sensed it wasn’t Tyler who’d given me a warning that I was about to be invaded.
Daughter…
Freya’s voice crashed through my defenses. She could have destroyed me with a single thought, but I was far too precious to her. Her invasion came with her love for me that surprised me almost as much as her strength. She called for me again, this time her power singing through the burning metal of my locket as it radiated against my collarbone.
I clutched the necklace and scrunched my brows together at the twinges of pain as her voice vibrated through my body. “What do you want?” I asked through clenched teeth. “I’m trying to relax.”
The air steamed as her connection to me strengthened and the flames of Muspelheim threatened to infiltrate the room. I growled and moved to get out of the bath, but slipped and caught myself on the edge. The bottom dropped out and the waters turned into a nightmarish vortex as I clung on for dear life. “Mother!” I shrieked.
We must talk…
An invisible force unlatched my f
ingers and I screamed as I slipped through to another world.
“I’m sorry,” she began.
Freya didn’t look sorry at all. She sat atop her throne, her spear at her side, and her chin upraised as if she had every right to pull me out of my one moment of relaxation. The air around her wavered, but it wasn’t just the heat of Muspelheim that played with her hair. This wasn’t really the volcanic world, and this wasn’t really a place. I was inside her head.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I said and crossed my arms. I startled when wings brushed against my shoulders. I didn’t turn to look at the fascinating appendages. This wasn’t really my body. This was how my mother remembered me, garbed in battle leathers that followed the curves of my body. The flaps left my legs free to run and the leathers at my torso hugged the arches of my wings that extended from my spine. A tight headband hugged my temples and marked me as one of the Frigg, benders of time and beloved of Freya’s daughters. My fingers twitched, remembering my spear, but this was how I looked before my time of trials and tribulation. I didn’t have any weapons against my mother then. Just how she’d wanted it.
“You’re reclaiming memories you’re not supposed to have,” she said as her gaze narrowed on me. “Why do you fight my attempts to save you from yourself? Don’t you understand the danger?”
I wasn’t sure if she was talking about Tyler or William—perhaps both. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t supposed to remember my feelings for either one of them. I wasn’t supposed to feel at all… and neither was she.
Propping my hands on my hips, I decided to counter her question with one of my own. “If you want to help me understand, then why don’t we start at the beginning? When did you first fall in love with my father?”
Her eyes widened. The red flames of Muspelheim licked behind her irises, her rage a mask for the compassion I knew she hid underneath. “I’m not the one who is suspect here.” Her knuckles turned white as she clutched her spear, the symbol of her merciless power. “I am not the one who is endangering the entire universe based on selfish notions. I made a mistake by loving your father. It won’t happen again. Odin and I are now powerful allies, but our relationship doesn’t stem beyond that.” She eased into the cold curves of her throne. “We wouldn’t do anything to endanger you.”
That statement opened my eyes to the truth Freya was trying to hide beneath her merciless demeanor. “You never stopped loving,” I said, the words a bitter accusation on my tongue. “You’re a hypocrite. You only transferred your love to me… and now you’re smothering the instincts that you instilled in me.”
She flinched at my words, but didn’t retaliate like I expected. “Perhaps you’re right,” she said, her eyes glimmering with embers, “but it doesn’t change the cost of our love. If you continue down this path, it will not end well.”
The ground shook as if to emphasize the warning. The once pristine onyx walls cracked and heat broiled throughout the chamber. Shouts sounded from outside and metal clashed. I frowned at the breach of her thoughts as the realities of Muspelheim fed into my surroundings. “Tyler told me that Baldr found you.”
Freya nodded. “We’ve always stayed a step ahead of him, or perhaps he didn’t care to put in the resources to pin us down.” Her shoulders rose as if every muscle in her tightened.
“What of father?” I persisted. “If he is such an ally, then why hasn’t he come to you in your time of need?”
Freya’s entire mood changed as if I’d said something ridiculous. She openly laughed and rose from her throne to glide down the steps and stand before me. “Your father knows that the small waves of Baldr’s forces will only serve as target practice for your sisters.” Her fingers drifted over my face. “Don’t fret for me. We’ll fight off the Skuld that Baldr sends to Muspelheim, but I fear it’s only a distraction. Whatever he’s up to seems to be focused on Earth.”
I’d known that Baldr had been putting Muspelheim under attack, but I didn’t remember his forces being comprised of the Skuld.
Instead of asking about the darkness I was becoming intimately familiar with, I tensed, wondering how much Freya knew about Will’s mother. That darkness in the lake was the same as the powers I’d used to conjure bodies… and it called to me to do so much more. Did she know that? Is that why she’d sent me to anchor Will, because I somehow knew how to fight it?
My lips parted to tell her, then my jaw clamped shut again when I glanced at the spear that gleamed with a humming power. This was the woman who’d taken my memories; everything that had made me who I was. Without them, I was left feeling confused, conflicted, and broken.
She appraised me as I fought my internal struggles. Her wings came into being, silencing my thoughts into a state of mute wonder. She didn’t show them often. Great white arches without a single spot to mar their perfection fanned out behind her like a mirage. Most Valkyrie had black wings, and mine boasted freckles and flaws. Yet Freya was the best of us, our mother and the Immortal who would lead us through Ragnarök itself.
She flinched when the white feathers brushed my arms and I realized that she hadn’t intended to summon them. “Oh, child, you still bring out a side of me that isn’t supposed to exist anymore.” She clung to the hilt of her spear as if it anchored her to the fiery rage of Muspelheim. “I’ve tried to mold you into what Valkyries are supposed to be, yet you all bear a mark that betrays my failure. Your hearts are in there, sprouting wings and telling me how you wish to be set free.” She straightened and her wings flared with blue flames before turning to ash and trailing down the folds of her battle leathers. “We are Valkyries, warriors who keep the world a single blade apart from Ragnarök. Without us, without our sacrifice, the universe would fall into chaos.” A click sounded as she pressed a button on her spear and the trembling walls around us turned into a glitter of stars. The universe unfolded before my eyes and my knees wobbled as she showed me world after world until we delved into the darkest pits of the cosmos. She pointed her spear to a seemingly insignificant void of black and it came to life, swirling with vibrant blues and reds. “The humans discovered the forces that only the Valkyries can control. Tears in time and space that come from another world, one unlike anything you could begin to imagine. It is full of color, wonder, and horror.” She clicked another button, transforming the brilliant light-show to a swirling vortex of screams and pain. “The humans call it dark matter. They understand that an unseen force pushes the universe where it should collapse in on itself.”
I waved my hand through the terrible display. “What is it?” I asked, my eyes wide with wonder.
“The echoes of the last Ragnarök trying to push this world apart. It wants to push and push until the universe itself tears open and allows a creature through that’ll swallow the universe whole.”
My mind spun trying to imagine a creature of that size. Feeling frantic, I clutched at the hard leathers that strapped over her wrist. “If humanity has already discovered it, then why don’t you explain what it is? Maybe they could help.”
She smiled, but it was a smile of a mother to her child that had just asked for a star to be plucked out of the sky. “Humanity helps us in other ways.”
I swallowed the hard lump in my throat. “Did you know Will’s father was a scientist?” Perhaps he’d been too close to figuring out something Freya didn’t want him to know.
“I know of all bright minds humanity has to offer. However it is the Norn who hold dominion over sacrifice, and to sacrifice knowledge is a great one indeed.”
I frowned. “So you knew the Norn had targeted him, yet you did nothing.”
She sighed and waved to the expanse of the cosmos that glittered like helpless sprinkles amidst the power of the echoes of Ragnarök. “This is what we are up against, my child. Sometimes we must endure hardships for the greater good.”
My teeth ground together at her excuse for allowing Will’s father to die. If he ever found out the truth, he’d never forgive me. To him, I’d always be just anothe
r Valkyrie who’d used humanity for their own agenda.
When I didn’t respond, Freya pressed a sequence of buttons across the upper hilt of her spear. The movement made me flinch as if muscle memory had me trained to fear it. With a tap of her fingertips she could wipe out entire lives from existence, or she could bring forth the flames of Muspelheim and turn the cosmos into an inferno. When she held onto that spear, she held onto her excuse for justice and pitiless rage.
“Daughter,” she said, her voice taut with emotion, “I brought you here because you’re losing sight of the bigger picture. I sense your heart opening in ways that are dangerous for someone with your gifts.” Her fingers brushed over the necklace. It hummed against her touch. “You have control over space and time itself. There is a reason I have made the first law of the Valkyrie. If you dare to love, if you dare to bring such weight into your heart as the crushing power of that emotion, you’ll breach time and space itself.”
I flinched under her warning. “I don’t know what that means.” I knew I sounded stubborn, but she couldn’t just ask me to lock my heart into a box and hope it’d turn to stone.
She gave me a sympathetic smile. “It means you must trust me, Daughter. Promise me that you’ll at least consider what I’ve shared with you.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. She’d told me that my love could destroy the world and that terrified me to my bones. “I’ll think about it,” I said. Maybe Freya was just trying to control me… or maybe she was trying to save us all.
She tapped her spear against the floor and the echoes spanned out until my world was a roaring vortex sending me back home.
Be safe… my daughter.
A Valkyrie's Love
I jolted awake in a tub gone cold. Coughing and splashing, I crunched my toe against the porcelain edge and cursed as I stretched my neck back into a normal position. Rubbing the ache, I popped the drain and wobbled out of the bath before I wrapped myself in a fluffy towel. The whole ordeal had been a transfer of consciousness. I watched the waters swirl in the tub, reminding me of the ominous vortex that was out there in the cosmos right now, threatening to tear everything apart.
Valkyrie Rebellion: Valkyrie Allegiance Book 2 Page 7
