“But I--”
“You are a good man,” Sivaha interrupted me. “Let us give you these gifts. We only wish to please you, not make you feel bad that you have not given us anything. You are Odin’s avatar and will be reuniting the Nordar banner under one people. That is a gift to us.”
“Alright,” I sighed when I realized that there would be no arguing with them. Both of my wives had strong wills, and it seemed like they had both colluded to get me something, so I wasn’t going to put up a fuss.
I still intended to give them gifts though. I would just need to figure out appropriate ones.
The trip back to Persephone went quickly, and we were soon walking up the ramp into her loading bay. Our various space fighter drones were positioned for quick launch, and I felt a little uneasy when I didn’t see Paula and Kasta performing their usual checks of the equipment. The twins weren’t the only crew members on board that were skilled with drone repair, but I had been through a lot of crazy shit with both of them, and I trusted their abilities.
We took the elevator up to the bridge, but instead of entering the main gunner area, Madalena and Sivaha led me back down the hallway toward my suite.
“We have thirty minutes before departure,” Madalena said as we entered my suite.
“How long will we be in warpdrive?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
“Twenty-two minutes,” the Prime Valkyrie answered and then she gestured to the coffee table that sat between my couches. There were two boxes on the table, and I moved over to inspect them.
The first box looked like it was made of a gray colored wood. It was carved with the Vaish wings, designs of crows, and what looked like spotted snow leopards. The detail of the decorations was astounding, and I realized that I was holding my breath as I looked at the piece of art.
The second box was made of flame maple, and its orangish color contrasted with the carvings of tigers on its decorated surface. It was just as ornate as the other box, and I smiled as the two beautiful women sat on the couch opposite me.
“They are gorgeous,” I said. “Thank you.”
“I imagine you can tell which box is from whom,” Sivaha laughed.
“Yeah,” I said. “Thank you again. I didn’t really need any--”
“Open them,” Madalena said.
“Ahhh,” I said as I glanced at each of the boxes. “Is there an order or?--”
“We coordinated the gifts,” Sivaha said, “but you should open mine first since the Prime Valkyrie’s will need more instruction.”
“Okay,” I said as I set my hands on the maple box. The sides had sliding tabs, and I quickly moved them free so that I could lift the lid.
Inside of the box was a red velvet lined surface that cradled a revolver and a sheathed knife.
The revolver was a piece of art which looked like it should have been hanging up in a museum. It was a little larger than the one I had damaged when I fought against Madalena’s father, with a bit bigger grip, a much larger cylinder, and a barrel that was a good five centimeters longer. It was made of a golden tinted metal, with darker hued golden stripes down the flanks and a more comfortable looking flamed maple wood grip.
“Wow,” I said as my eyes took in the magnificent weapon.
“Don’t just look, husband,” Sivaha purred, “put your hands on it and make sure that it pleases you.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” I chuckled as I pulled the revolver out of the case.
I was a bit surprised by its weight. It was heavy, of course, but I expected the weapon to be heavier than my old revolver since the cylinder was larger and the barrel was longer, but it felt as if it was only a hair heavier. The grip felt too large for my human hand, but it was still very comfortable, and I imagined that it would be perfect when I was in my shifted form.
“It is the same caliber as your old revolver,” Sivaha said, “but six shots in the cylinder instead of five.”
“It opens on the right side?” I asked as I popped the cylinder open.
“Yes,” Sivaha answered. “My weapon is to be wielded in your left hand.”
“Great idea,” I said. “Looks like the cylinder is a bit longer too.”
“So you can load a longer cartridge,” Sivaha said. “I like the long ones.”
“Ha!” I moved the revolver around in my hand a bit, closed the cylinder, and then aimed it at the wall toward the back of the room away from my wives or any of the crew that might have been in the bridge. The sights were strange, and I blinked a few times before I realized what was going on with them.
“Holographic sights?” I asked. “How?”
“Our weapon designers worked together,” Madalena said. “It is a mirrored projection powered from a small battery inside the top part of the weapon. The battery should last about ten years, but Lux has replacements and can service it if you need her to.”
“Fantastic,” I said as I stared down the sights again. Then I moved my head to the left and right as I kept my arm fixed. The focal points moved with me, and I let out another pleased chuckle. I was already a damn good shot, but having a holographic sight made it very difficult to miss.
“Thank you,” I said to Sivaha as I put the revolver back in the case.
“You are welcome, husband.” Her cheeks reddened a bit when our eyes made contact, but then she gestured to the box. “There is one more gift though.”
I pulled the knife up from the case and then withdrew it from its sheath. The blade was twenty centimeters long and was designed like an ancient Bowie knife. It was etched with layers of striped metal, but as I looked at the blade, they seemed to dance a bit.
“It is crafted from the same powerful metal used to make the aegis armor,” Sivaha explained. “The edge will never dull, and it will cut through most conventional armor.”
“Wow,” I said as I squeezed the grip and tested the weight in my hand. My hands were large, but the handle had extra room for when I was shifted.
“Do my gifts please you, husband?” Sivaha asked.
“Yeah,” I said, as I looked back into her brown eyes. “I really like them.”
She smiled at me again, leaned back into the couch, twirled her silver hair around one of her fingers, and gave me a smoldering look that left no question of how she wanted me to reward her.
“I’ll open Madalena’s now,” I said as I smiled at the Prime Valkyrie and grabbed her box. The case opened in the same way as Sivaha’s, and I pulled the lid free to see another revolver and an amulet.
The revolver drew my attention first. It looked similar to the one Sivaha had given me, but instead of golden metal, this was a silvery-chrome finish with etchings of feathers and stripes. It looked very similar to the way everyone’s aegis armor now looked.
“It is a beautiful weapon,” I said to Madalena as I opened the empty cylinder. This gun was designed conventionally, with the cylinder coming out the left side of the weapon, and it was at home in my right hand.
“I am pleased you like it,” Madalena said, but she really didn’t need to voice her emotions. The pleasure pouring off her was wrapping me in warmth.
I held both of the revolvers in my hands and then aimed them away from anyone. Madalena’s weapon was a twin to Sivaha’s in both weight, barrel length, and holographic sights. They felt as if they were made for me, and I had never owned bespoke weapons before.
“I am very grateful,” I said as I set the weapons back down in their cases.
“I have one more gift for you,” Madalena said as she gestured to the case, and I pulled the amulet out with a questioning look.
“Is this an aegis?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said with a slow nod. “It was once my father’s. It is the most powerful treasure of the Vaish Blood Overlord Clan, but my father tainted it with his betrayal. When you wear it, honor will be restored to it, and Odin will be pleased.
“Then I must wear it,” I chuckled as I clasped the amulet around my thick neck. The metal was cold
against my skin, and I stared down at where it rested on my chest. The design was a simple oval shape of rhodium colored metal, but as I watched it, the metal seemed to swirl and dance until a rune was etched in the center.
Both women gasped as soon as the rune appeared, and I gave them a puzzled look.
“What does it mean?” I asked.
“It is Freyja,” Madalena whispered.
“Isn’t she a goddess?” I remembered Hegeia telling me about her one time, but I couldn’t recall the details.
“Yes,” Sivaha said. “She is life, death, love, hate, war, sex, and song.”
“That sounds like everything,” I chuckled, but Madalena and Sivaha didn’t seem to think it was a joking matter.
“She is Odin’s wife,” Sivaha said. “She normally does not meddle with mortals.”
“She’s married to Odin?” I asked.
“Some call her Frigg,” Madalena said. “Or Syr, or Valfreyja, or Vanadis. The rune for her is the same.”
“Huh,” I said as I glanced at the amulet again. “So, what does this mean? You both thought that I’m Odin’s avatar or something like that. Am I actually Freyja’s?”
“If Freyja wishes something, then it is Odin’s wish as well,” Sivaha said, and she actually smiled a bit. “She is the patron to the Valkyries, and if she has given you her blessing, then our job of uniting the clans just became easier.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Freyja does not bless mortals,” Madalena said. “Yet, she blesses you, and therefore our mission.”
“Or it could be that she just likes cats,” Sivaha laughed. “She has two of them. Perhaps she seeks our husband as a third to pull her carriage in Folkvangr.”
“Folkvangr?”
“It’s the field outside of Valhalla,” Madalena said. “Those who die in battle can go to Valhalla or Folkvangr. Valhalla is for feasting and reveling in the honor of the past life, Folkvangr is for resting weary souls who have fought and feasted for too long.”
“I see,” I said, but I still had problems believing that Odin, or Freyja, or any “god” cared about my mission. All I knew was I had to save the galaxy from some vampire assholes. If a bunch of badass Norse gods wanted to come along for the ride, it was fine with me.
“Try to use your aegis,” Madalena said.
“Okay, what do I do?”
“Imagine it coating your body and filling you with strength,” she explained. “It might take you a few days to learn how to--”
I was already thinking about the armor covering my body as Madalena was speaking, and I felt the metal resting against my neck begin to heat like a coal. I almost hissed with pain, but before I could, the metal of the amulet seemed to melt like an ice cube and flow across my skin.
The metal looked like mercury, but the warmth from my chest was spreading across my body along with the dripping metal. It felt a bit like someone was pouring warm water on me, and my heart started to slam in my chest as I watched the alien armor cover my clothes.
“He took to it quickly,” Sivaha snickered, but it sounded as if she was speaking through a tunnel or water.
The liquid metal was climbing up my neck, and I forced my mouth closed so that none of it would get in my mouth. As soon as I clenched my teeth, the metal rolled over my jaw, around my nose, and over my eyes. Panic flooded my stomach as the metal moved up my nose, and I closed my eyes as my panic turned into terror.
“Breathe normally,” Madalena said. “Pretend the aegis is not there, it feels a bit uncomfortable the first few times, but the magic only wishes to protect you. It won’t suffocate you.”
“Hmmm,” I growled through my clenched teeth as I forced air inside of my nose. Just as Madalena said, the metal seemed to get out of my way when I breathed in.
“Try to open your eyes,” Sivaha offered.
I could feel the metal over my face where my eyes were. It felt as if I was wearing a tight-fitting helmet, but it wasn’t completely uncomfortable, so I slowly peeled my eyes open. I could see the two women, but there were glass lenses over my eyes and a heads-up display that was giving me a meter readout of everything I focused on. The colors seemed a bit sharper than my normal eyes, but that could have been my imagination.
“You can talk as well,” Madalena said. “Speak normally. It feels strange at first because the metal holds your jaw, but it will loosen once you speak.
“Like this?” I asked, and the sound of my voice made my skin vibrate a bit under my armor. The words came out clearly though, and I felt my lips turn up into a smile.
“Perfect,” Madalena said with her usual nod. “You learned it quickly. Try to move around your suite.”
“Alright,” I said as I rose from the couch.
The armor didn’t feel heavy at all. In fact, it felt as if I was only wearing my flight suit. I walked around the room without any problem and then turned back to the two women as I rotated my arms through the air.
“It’s surprisingly light,” I said. “Hard to believe it is actually armor.”
“It is not fully evolved yet,” Madalena said.
“Wait, what does that mean?” I asked.
“It will stop most small firearms, but using it more will make it evolve. It will grow thicker and more armored where it must, and it will eventually have back thrusters.”
“Ahh, yeah,” I said as I looked behind me at my shoulders. “I was going to ask if that was working. It sounds like it is alive.”
“It is attuned to you,” Sivaha explained with a shrug. “Odin grants us his magic.”
“Or Freyja?” I asked, and my wives nodded.
“It might take a year or three to evolve fully,” Madalena answered the question I was about to ask.
“Should I wear my other armor instead?” I asked.
“Perhaps,” Madalena answered. “The more you wear the aegis in combat the quicker it will evolve. You can also wear it around like your normal clothes, and that will also help.”
“But not as much,” Sivaha said. “When I was a young girl and received mine, I wore it around my castle for a month without much change, but then I wore it in a gun battle that lasted a few minutes and it evolved several phases.”
“How do you tell which phase it is on?” I asked as I looked down at the metal. It almost looked as if there were tiger stripes on the surface, but when I moved they seemed to disappear into the polished surface.
“There are nine,” Madalena answered.
“Of course there are,” I chuckled. “And I bet they are named after your worlds.”
Madalena surprised me with a short laugh, and then Sivaha joined her.
“You are on the first phase,” Madalena said. “Sivaha or I will tell you when it has progressed, and then you will get a feel for it.”
“I’m going to look in the mirror,” I said as I walked through my bedroom and into my bathroom. The two women followed right behind me, and I turned the light on so I could study how the helmet looked.
Madalena’s helmet looked like a screaming banshee-skull. Sivaha’s helmet looked like a snarling cat, but my helmet was plain, smooth, and shaped a bit like a flat egg. I actually didn’t even see the eye holes or the glass where I looked out, and I ran my hands over the spots with surprise.
“It is magical,” Madalena said with a shrug. “Created by the power of the gods and given to those worthy of the All Father.”
“Or his wife,” Sivaha said as she raised a perfect eyebrow.
“How do I make the helmet fall away?” I asked as I ran my armored fingers over my flat armored face.
“Just as before, imagine it dripping from your face,” Madalena moved her fingers over her cheek and then nodded at me.
I did as she instructed and watched with fascination as the metal began to melt from the top of my head like ice cream left in the sun. It dripped down my hair, temples, cheeks, and jaw before settling around my neck. Then I was left staring at my human face and my yellow eyes.
“Cr
azy,” I said, and the man in the mirror smiled.
“Our husband is a very fast learner,” Sivaha said to Madalena, and the Prime Valkyrie smiled.
“It could be that it is easier for me because I am used to shifting,” I said as I noticed the reflection of the mirror catch in the polished surface of the armor and repeat itself into infinity. For half a moment, I felt like I was falling into myself, and I wondered again about my real identity.
Was I really one of these alien tiger creatures? Or was I human?
Did it matter?
“In truth, I was still a bit uncertain that you would be able to control the aegis since you have not passed your rite yet,” Sivaha said.
“This is more proof that Odin and his wife have selected our husband as their avatar,” Madalena said.
“I’m going to try removing the armor,” I said.
“It is called ‘restoring the aegis,’” Madalena said.
“Got it,” I replied as I imagined the metal crawling back up my skin and clothes so that it was back in the amulet. The silver-gray material slowly followed my wish, and I watched it retreat with fascination.
“How does it know to go over my clothes?” I asked.
“You know it should go over your clothes,” Madalena answered, “so it does.”
“That explains why your armor goes under your weapon harness,” I said.
“Yes,” Madalena replied.
“I am grateful for the gift,” I said as I touched the amulet.
“And I am grateful that I have pleased you, my lord.” Madalena bowed her head, but I stepped toward her and lifted her chin so that I could give her a passionate kiss.
The Prime Valkyrie was possibly the strongest warrior alive, but her body melted into mine as she let out a passionate gasp. I wanted our kiss to last for the rest of our lives, but Sivaha cleared her throat, and I parted from my first wife.
“I am the jealous type,” Sivaha said, “but I will make an exception for the Prime Valkyrie.”
“I have a kiss for you,” I said as I wrapped my left hand around her slender waist and pulled her to me. Sivaha purred as our tongues battled, and her nails dug into the chest of my flight suit as if she wanted to tear it off me.
Teeth & Claws: A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure (Star Justice Book 10) Page 6
