Becoming Valkyrie (Pyralis Book 1)

by Brandy L. Cunningham

  As he watched me, he leaned in closer. Whispering in my ear, he said, “I always did bring out the animal in you, Valkyrie.”

  I glared at him. “If you think that having had a fling with me in a past life gives you any right over me in this life, you are wrong.” I brought my knee up between his legs. Hard.

  Desmond groaned. The second he released me, I fled. Running as fast as possible, I disappeared around corners, into the dark streets. I could hear his laugh echoing behind me. Panting, I ran. When I stopped, I forced myself to stop panting. It was ridiculous. I didn’t need to breathe so why did my body continue to display such human traits? Hiding, I felt like a fool. Running my tongue over my teeth again I groaned when I still felt the fangs. What had he done to me? I never wanted to see Desmond Wolfe again.

  My body felt completely opposite, unfortunately. I wanted Desmond with a desire that I didn’t know how to handle. What was it about him that made me lust after him in such a manner? I contemplated using the bag full of ingredients Evangeline had given me, but I hesitated. If I had to deal with seeing myself having sex with Desmond Wolfe again, I wasn’t sure I could handle it at that point.

  Standing, I wiped the dirt from my clothes, straightened myself up, and headed out of the French Quarter. I would find this Fiddler, and then I would allow myself to remember. When I had done that, only then would I allow myself to think about Desmond again. I needed to keep my head out of the past and focus on my present. To stay alive and learn what I could from this new world I had been shown.

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  Desmond sighed heavily. The scent of her still lingered on him everywhere her body had touched his. The taste of her sultry sweetness lingered on his mouth. Running his tongue along his lips, he closed his eyes, allowing memories from so long ago to wash over him. He could still see her, feel her the way she had arched up, moaning in his arms in the forest so many years past. She had loved him fiercely, and he had worshiped her. He recalled every sweet, delicious curve of her body, every sound she had made as their bodies had met.

  Opening his eyes, he stood from the chair in which he sat. Walking to the mirror mounted on the wall, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Pulling the black dress shirt off, he tossed it aside, his eyes never leaving the sight of his bare chest. His abdomen was hard, rippling with muscle. His shoulders and arms were well defined, impressive if one didn’t know what he really was. In reality, he was nothing special. All with powers, all with the poison of Vampire blood in their veins looked as he did. They were perfect specimens, stronger, faster, and smarter than mere mortal humans.

  Running a hand up his abdomen in the same path Valkyrie herself had once run her hand, he paused when his fingers brushed against the rough, uneven skin of his right shoulder. In the smooth surface of the mirror, he traced the area with his eyes, absorbing the details of the scar, and allowing the memory of the first time she had bitten him to wash over his mind. She had been so breathtakingly beautiful. Unlike anyone he had ever seen. Her alabaster skin contrasted against her deep black hair, and those wickedly sexy gold-amber eyes of hers had captivated him beyond belief.

  From the first moment he had seen her, he had wanted her. Watching her from afar had only fed the hunger to see her up close, and haunted his dreams at night. Like a phantom, she was with him everywhere. He saw her in his waking thoughts, and in his sleeping subconscious. He had been obsessed with the ebony-haired woman. Closing his eyes as his fingertips caressed the scar, he inhaled deeply the scent of the young woman that lingered on his clothes. She still smelled the same. Tasted the same. She may be a younger, slightly different variation of the Valkyrie he loved, but she was still, in essence, the same.

  Four hundred long years he had roamed the earth, waiting, hoping, and dreaming of the day he would find her. He had uttered the spell of reincarnation in a state of shock and grief. So many times, he had despaired that the spell would not work, that he had said the words wrong. Now, he had the proof that the spell had worked. He recalled also, the foreboding words of his mentor.

  “The spell must never be uttered by one without the knowledge to do it correctly. The consequences can be astronomical. The very soul of the one you seek to bring back may be fractured, changed. You may seek to bring a loved one back, but in the end, you might create a monster.”

  Desmond’s hand fell away from his shoulder. Lifting his finger to his face, he stared down at the red, roughened skin on the tips of his forefinger and thumb. The skin was chafed and peeling. The burn would heal, but he would not forget the lesson he had learned today. Valkyrie was changed. Never had there been fire in the veins of the woman he had loved. He was not immune to her flames as he had hoped. Her fire would burn him, and, in concentration, it would kill him. Lifting his eyes to his reflection, he stared into his brown eyes. Relaxing his control, he watched the violet ring form around the black of his pupil. There was much he didn’t understand about the Valkyrie that had come back, but she wasn’t the only one with secrets.

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  11

  Unfamiliar Places

  Outside the city of New Orleans, my troubles started up again. My body felt different. I felt sick. Like I was growing weaker. The light of the partial moon above me soothed me, but it didn’t fix me. I swayed as I walked. Something was not right. Around me, images blurred, and the sky grew dark in the light of day. I felt myself falling, but I was powerless to stop it.

  When I woke, I lay in an unfamiliar bed. The walls around me were decorated with rich paintings and the furniture was elaborately carved from cherry wood. The antique looking four-poster bed was massive. I felt like a small child, curled within its enormity. I blinked several times, taking in the heavy burgundy drapes, and the black bedding. Wherever I was, it was dark and quiet. Hearing a rustling across the room, I sat up slightly, causing my head to throb.

  The man who stood there was hauntingly beautiful. With his golden hair and deep bronze colored skin, he already stood out, but his very unusual eyes made him even more different. Neither blue nor brown, with specks of yellow and green woven into the irises, I didn’t even have a color in my brain to describe them. His face was smooth and strongly chiseled, and he stood well over six feet with, a wide strong build. I realized, that I had seen this man before. There was a memory buried deep within my subconscious mind that niggled at me, but I couldn’t access it. I knew, however, that this man was familiar to me, important even.

  My gaze fixated upon him. He stood near the foot of the bed, watching me. I could read nothing from his eyes. Finally speaking, his deep voice was smooth and strong, but without the seductive quality of Desmond’s.

  “Do not be afraid. I am not an enemy. You fainted. You’re lucky you have friends such as you do. You were far too vulnerable lying there alone for just anyone to find.”

  Frowning, I blinked. “What friends do you mean?”

  “The Gargoyles. They brought you here. It is fortunate for you that they knew of me. If you had fallen into the hands of another Vampire, it would have been catastrophic.”

  I swallowed. Sitting up, startled, I realized that my throat was no longer dry. I could swallow. Had he healed me? Was I human again? Looking up at him in excitement, I watched as he turned his face away. Furrowing my brows in puzzlement, I glanced down. My body was naked. Groaning, I pulled the sheet back over myself.

  “Why the hell did you take my clothes off? Are you some kind of pervert or something?”

  The man turned slowly back toward me. There was a spark in those magical eyes. His jaw ticked. “You are very immature. Do you assume that any man who sees you naked would be overcome with lust? You forget, Vampires created lust. I no more want to ravage your body than I want to spend the night amongst humans. You burned your clothes, and all of us as we tried to help you.”

  Staring at him, I looked him from head to toe. “You look fine to me. I thought Vampires died if burned by fire?”

  He regarded me coolly. There was a timelessness about
this man that made me squirm. He seemed old, but he looked young, and it threw my mind off.

  “Vampire are burned by fire, but there are some of us who are not as simple as others. For example, to be Vampire, you must have been human and become Vampire through being bitten and turned by another. These Vampires have blue eyes. If one is born to two Vampires, then you have blue eyes. If you do not have blue eyes,” he smiled glacially. “Then you are of a different Cast. There are those who were bitten by Vampire, but carried the blood of another Cast, such as Witch, Shifter, or any other Cast. The list goes on. Those are not Vampire. Those go by many names. Really though, they are mutts. Then, there are those who, like me, were born to unknown parents, with unknown genes but who are… different, shall we say.

  There are other kinds of creatures as well, but I find it tiresome to recite the entire list of Casts living amongst us. The only ones you need to know are the very important ones. The strongest, and most dangerous.”

  I considered this man who was a stranger, and yet not. “So, what am I then?”

  He smiled, and it held a mysterious look. “You, my dear, are what we like to refer to as an anomaly. You are a changeling. Once, you were the daughter of a Vampire and another. Now, you are many things. You are Vampire, but not. You are Witch, but not. You are unique. When the spell was muttered by the one who tried to resurrect you, it was not done correctly. You were not resurrected, instead you were reborn, but you were changed. The powers of the universe chose what you became, and none knows what or why.”

  “Of course, no one knows. I shouldn’t even be here then. I shouldn’t have been reborn if there was no real rhyme or reason for it.”

  Tilting his head to one side, he shook his head slowly. “There is always a reason. You came back. To me, the possibilities are endless. You no longer have only blood in your veins. Now, you also have fire. Yet, you still have a heart that beats, and lungs that breathe. To me, this is very unusual. Pair that with your need for the same sustenance I need, and you are truly an oddity.”

  The same sustenance as him…that sentence rang in my head, sending up alarms. “I don’t need any food or water.”

  His smile turned slightly sinister. “I am not speaking of the sustenance humans need. You are no human. You have never been human. I need blood to survive, as does anyone with any link to the Vampire gene.”

  I swallowed. Eyeing him, I tried not to think about what he meant when he had said I shared that trait with him. Instead, I asked questions to distract my brain.

  “So, who are you then? Why did the Gargoyles bring me to you specifically? Are you not just a Vampire then?”

  Standing, he stretched, and I couldn’t help noticing the sight of his thick corded muscles flexing in his arms. He was powerfully built, and I doubted there was an ounce of body fat on him. He walked toward the window and pulled the drapes back. Outside, it appeared to be daybreak.

  “I am, in the sense that I carry the gene that causes me to have fangs, and to lust after blood. I am not in other ways. I was never bitten. I was born as I am. My name is Aeron Nyte, and I have been around far longer than most. I have gone by other names, in other times. The Gargoyles brought you to me, specifically, because I have been the only one they could trust for many years. Also, they mentioned you sought The Fiddler.”

  Sitting up farther, but careful to hold the sheet close to my nude body this time, I nodded. “Do you know who the Fiddler is? Can you take me to him?”

  He surveyed me. Still, his face remained calm, placid, and void of any emotion or reaction. “I know who the Fiddler is. What I would like to know is who told you to find the Fiddler?”

  I chewed my lip. I wasn’t sure I could fully trust this man…err, Vampire, or whatever he was. I didn’t have much choice. “Desmond told me to seek The Fiddler.”

  At the mention of Desmond, the Vampire called Aeron closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened them, he fixed his intense eyes upon me. “Ah, I see. So, Wolfe has already found you. Has he once again corrupted you?”

  I frowned. Maybe I should be leaving now. I was so confused about this man. I felt sure there was some link between us from the past, but his actions, and lack of emotion made me question what kind of connection we may have had. He certainly didn’t react as if I was someone he cared for. Yet, at the mention of Desmond, the man I was pretty sure had been my lover, this Aeron seemed a little annoyed. I didn’t get the whole explosion of sexual lust with him I had felt around Desmond, but still, there was definitely a deep-set attraction to him within me. Maybe it was just his exquisitely chiseled features, and amazing physique, I wasn’t sure. My gaze darted around the room, immediately seeking a weapon or some chance of escape. Aeron laughed.

  Moving toward me, he sat at the foot of the bed. He was making me nervous. The fact that I had not a single stitch of clothing on didn’t help matters much. “What do you want with me?” I knew I sounded pathetic, but I was afraid.

  He gave me a soft smile. “What I want for you, Valkyrie, is for you to let go of your human side and embrace the new you, so you will survive. What I want is for you to forge your own path, free of the influences of Desmond or Byron.”

  Standing, he waved his hand toward the dresser. “There are clothes in there. Please, get dressed. When you are done, I will be waiting down the stairs and to the left. You will find the dining hall there.”

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  Once the door was securely closed behind Aeron, I snuck quickly toward the dresser. Unfortunately, all I found were lace undergarments and dresses. Some looked nice enough, but others were altogether…scandalous. I frowned, wondering who had worn this stuff before me. I know the saying beggars cannot be choosers, but there was no way I was wearing another woman’s undergarments. I pulled a dress from one drawer and shook it out. It was a slender black dress that I approximated would stop just above my knees.

  The low-cut front was daunting, but of everything I had seen, it was the best I could do. Pulling it on, I felt awkward without bra or panties. I hoped the black color would help hide the fact that those particular items were missing. When I searched the room, I found that there were also no shoes. Looking around for my satchel, I was super bummed to find it missing as well. My entire center seemed to be out of whack here in this house that smelled of old wood and the scintillating scent of its host. Inhaling a deep whiff of the air around me, I experienced a warming in the pit of my stomach.

  The smell of this man had me curious, there was an alluring mix of soot and earth to his scent that I found oddly exiting. Almost as though the man had recently been wandering through the woods, near a fire. The deep-seated aroma of animal and bark penetrated my overly-aware senses and left me salivating for more. What was happening to me? Shaking off the thoughts my mind was dragging up of this Aeron Nyte, I scolded myself.

  “Geez, Val. Get a grip. You act like some over-horny teenager. What the hell has gotten into you?” Running my hands through my hair, I turned to survey myself in the full-length mirror again.

  The black dress hugged my body, and as my gaze perused myself, I blinked. Where the hell had all these curves come from? I mean, I hadn’t exactly been flat-chested before Halloween, but surely my breasts hadn’t stood up in such a perky manner before, had they? Frowning, I moved my gaze down to my hips, realizing that they too seemed curvier than I remembered. The rest of me was lean and athletic, and I found myself staring in disbelief that my body seemed suddenly so perfect.

  The only reasonable explanation I could think up was the change in me had perfected and refined my body. Even my hair seemed different. Lifting a clump of it in my fingers, I brought it forward. It was smooth and silky, deep black with the slightest deep red hue to it when the light hit it just right. Curious, I studied it further. It was less frizzy than I recalled, and seemed flat-ironed to sleek perfection. Falling around my face, it tumbled down my shoulders, reaching down the past my waist. It had not been that long before. I realized that my hair reminded me now of
a shroud, covering me, and holding me close.

  Lifting my chin, I exited the door. I figured it was a good thing Mr. High-and-mighty here wasn’t attracted to me, it made me feel far less worried about my lack of underwear and bra. Tiptoeing out of the room, I nearly tripped as I took in the sight of the massive house. The staircase curved down the wall to my left, but to my right, it continued around the perimeter of the house, and gently wound its way upward, obviously to another floor. I couldn’t believe the sheer size of this place. Three stories, I had never seen a three-story house before.

  There were many doors, all carved from the thick rich cherry wood of the furniture. All the windows were covered with thick drapes, and everything seemed opulently perfect. There was definitely an old world feel to this place, and I wondered where I was. Slowly descending the stairs, I looked around as much as I could, seeking to take in all the details available to me. I had the feeling this Aeron Nyte was not a simple Vampire. There seemed to be layers upon layers of depth to him.

  When I found the dining hall, I entered to see Aeron posted near a window, looking intently out at something. Although I had walked silently into the room, he sensed me immediately. Turning, he allowed his gaze to browse slowly over me. I shivered beneath the cool appraisal. His constant stony expression didn’t change.

  “I see you didn’t find the undergarments to your liking?” he lifted a brow as he said it.

  I tried to keep my embarrassment hidden, and probably would have succeeded better had I not tripped on my own feet with shock that he noticed so quickly.

  “Uh, actually I’m not into wearing someone else’s panties, thank you, but eew.” I made an expression of disgust as I expressed my thoughts.

  To my utter surprise, he laughed. I cannot say it was a real heartfelt laugh, more of a chuckle, but the sound stirred the attraction toward him that had slowly begun growing in my body. When his face returned to his normal state, he shrugged.