Of Gods and Monsters

by Susan Harris

  “Ashlyn Kyria Caitlyn Doyle.” Ash kept her gaze front and center as Caitlyn whirled in her direction, and the fates kept on speaking, this time in perfect unison.

  “You have meddled with the hands of fate when you should not have. You have divulged destinies that you should not have. You have changed the course of the future when you were ordered not to. For that, you cannot go unpunished.”

  “No. Leave her alone.”

  Zach was on his knees a heartbeat later, gasping for air and clutching at his throat. Everyone tried to move around her, yet they were somehow frozen. Zach’s face turned red, and Ash pushed past everyone to stand in front of Zach.

  “He has done nothing wrong. I have. I accept that I must be punished, but please—I will bear whatever punishment if you leave him unharmed.”

  The three sisters shared a look, then they nodded, and Zach was suddenly gone, vanished as if he had not been gasping for air a mere moment ago.

  “He has been returned from whence he came. Unharmed. We will allow you a moment to say farewell, then we will administer punishment.”

  Ash spun as her parents engulfed her in a tight embrace. “I love you both so, so much.”

  Her dad gripped her face in his hands, eyes wolf amber. “I am so very proud of you, my beautiful girl. I will love you until my last breath.”

  Ash was crying now as Derek stepped aside to let Ever embrace her. “Thank you for coming back. For making me see. For letting me love you. I love you.”

  “Kick his ass for me, Mom. Kick his ass.”

  Ash nodded to Caitlyn, Melanie and Erika, then lifted her hammer and strode over to where the fates stood. She jerked her chin up and felt the steel of her family at her back as she inclined her head to the fates.

  “I’m ready to go home.”

  Skuld pursed her lips as if pondering Ash’s punishment. “Since your birth, we have wondered if the considerable amount of power in you would influence the path of destiny, and it has. You are cocky, unapologetic, reckless and under the false belief that you are invincible.”

  Urðr looked at the hammer tattoo on her forearm. “Thor was an adult when he inherited the power of Mjölnir, and he took his responsibilities seriously. You consider it a birthright. We will ensure you learn from that misconception.”

  Verðandi grabbed her arm, and Ash thought she was being burnt alive as she screamed, the tattoo on her flesh searing and bubbling as the fate singed it from her skin. She dropped Mjölnir, her beloved hammer vanishing before her eyes, and Ash cried, for it was like losing a limb.

  Her body jerked, the movement taking with it the strength and magic that made her worthy of wielding Thor’s hammer. She sagged to the ground, her wolf in her eyes as she searched for the part of her that made her a goddess.

  She did not find it.

  “You have been stripped of the magic that allowed you to be chosen by Thor. You are still wolf, and you are still Valkyrie. Should you earn the right to be made worthy once again, then Mjölnir will be returned to you. Let us see if destiny is all.”

  Oh gods, she was dying. This pain, this loss was immense as she staggered to her feet, unable to turn to face the people she loved the most as Skuld clicked her fingers, and suddenly she was standing in the apartment she shared with Zach.

  Her legs gave out, too much loss to deal with, as strong arms went around her and kept her from falling to the ground.

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you.”

  She let Zach hold her, tears staining her face, soaking his tee as he reassured her that she was okay, that everything would be okay.

  “I am so very proud of you, my beautiful girl. I will love you until my last breath.”

  Her dad’s words played out in her head again, and Ash knew that losing her hammer now didn’t mean she had lost it forever. She might know what was going to happen in the past, but the future was still unwritten. Her story was not over yet, and she would be the one to wield the pen and write her own chapters.

  When she was done wallowing in her sadness, Ash swept the tears from her eyes, remembering that she was not helpless. She was the daughter of Derek Doyle and Ever Chace, and she would work twice as hard to prove she was worthy.

  The door to the apartment swung open, and eyes of dark brown swept over her. “Still alive, then?”

  “Fuck off, brat. I can’t deal with you right now.”

  Her baby brother stepped aside as Derek Doyle loomed in the doorway, his eyes a shock of amber, his hair speckled with a little gray around the ears as he glared at Ash with that alpha stare of his.

  Ash waved at him, ignoring Gideon as he stuck out his tongue at her while her dad stepped closer. She took a step back as the full force of his wolf bore down on hers, and she knew he was seething with anger right about now.

  “Hey, Daddy. Miss me?”

  Ever

  * * *

  And just like that, Ash was gone, leaving Ever with this overwhelming sense of loss that made her legs quiver. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as Derek wrapped his arms around her, his own skin wet. They stood there, embracing for what felt like an age, before Derek stepped back and cupped her cheek.

  “She’s not dead, Ever. She went home. She will never be far from our thoughts. But she had to go, and we still get to see her grow up, knowing she is this amazing kid.”

  Her mate didn’t sound convinced by his own words, yet Ever knew he spoke the truth. Ash was punished for her actions. and Ever wasn’t even there to help her fix them.

  “You are there. The you sixteen years in the future. So am I. We won’t let her go through this alone.”

  Ever barely had time to come to terms with everything when a horn blared in the distance and Ever jerked her head upward.

  Odin’s horse Sleipnir reared up on its eight legs as her father blew into a horn that Ever recognized. This was the horn that was hung on the wall behind Odin’s throne, waiting for Heimdall to usher in the dawn of Ragnarök. Heimdall was dead, so now Odin was sounding the horn himself, Gjallarhorn held to her father’s lips as he gave Ever a warning.

  War was upon them, and he would meet her on the battlefield.

  The Valkyries landed by her side. Few as they were, their loyalty was never in doubt.

  “The berserkers have lined Patrick Street, my queen. Marcel and his vampires wait at the other end, ready for your command.”

  Ever inclined her head to Danae, then glanced at Erika. “You ready to lead your army?”

  “I’m ready to lead your army. Side by side. But I think we need to dress for battle.”

  Ever wasn’t sure what Erika meant until Kenzie stepped forward. “We made a stop to Valhalla. Picked up a few bits. Erika said no Valkyrie should ride into battle without the right armor.”

  Ever took the armor from Kenzie, then turned toward Derek. “If I asked you to stay out of the fight, in case something goes wrong, would you?”

  His lips curved into a smug smile. “No Valkyrie queen rides into battle without her champion. You go, I go.”

  “As do I.”

  “Same here.”

  Caitlyn’s response came, with Melanie chiming in after her.

  “As do I.”

  Ever turned to see Loki dressed in all his Asgardian finery. His long, black hair was pulled back off his face but left loose. He was dressed straight out of a superhero movie, from the green and black and gold floor-length coat to the black leather pants and top that clung to his lean frame. On his head, he wore his helmet forged from Asgardian gold, the horns stretched out and up.

  His scepter was in his hand as he came toward her..

  “You vowed to stay out of the fight.”

  Loki glanced over Ever’s shoulder before his eyes of stars and galaxies danced. “I was foolish to think I could remain impartial. Back then, I had not much to lose. Now, there is so much at stake. You have me, sister. I will stand beside you on this night as Thor should have stood beside you against Father.”

 
Ever went up on her toes to kiss her brother’s cheek, then left him to have a few words with Erika before they went to war. Inside the warehouse, there was a flurry of activity, as the Valkyries dressed in their own armor, and Ever felt like she was back in one of her past lives, watching her sisters don their shields and weapons before departure.

  Kenzie, a warrior herself even if she hadn’t been a newly made Valkyrie, wore a skintight bodysuit made entirely of black, yet chose to adorn her shoulders and wrists with Asgardian metal. The others all chose traditional Valkyrie armor, from knee-length skirts and corset-style tops to buck leather pants and full-sleeved woven tops that were made from material that was impervious to a blade.

  “Let’s get you dressed.”

  Erika’s voice was soft beside her as she led Ever away from the hive of activity. Ever paused to glance at Derek, watched as Erika and Derek shared a look, then he smiled at Ever and turned back to Caitlyn as she strapped a tactical vest to his chest.

  When they were upstairs and alone, Erika waited until Ever had her armor set down on one of the camp beds, then they stood facing each other, neither of them knowing what to say to each other. There were millennia of history between them that could not be summed up in the brief time they had to get ready.

  “Erika …” Ever started to say, but Erika clucked her tongue.

  “Nope, you don’t get to offer me a soppy goodbye. We don’t do that. You and me. It’s been that way since we first met, and waging war against your father won’t change that. You don’t get to “Erika “me like this is the end. It’s not. Because a Valkyrie does not fear death. Death fears us.”

  Ever laughed softly. “I only wanted to say thank you. For being there, all this time. Derek might be my soul mate, but you are my soul sister. Two parts of my heart. I am honored to have you stand beside me, Erika.”

  Erika’s jaw was held firm as she stepped forward and untied Ever’s hair. “Shut up. You make it sound like this is it. We know it’s not. Now let me fix your hair, one last thing. We can’t have you riding into battle looking like you’ve been dragged through a hedge.”

  Ever was still laughing as Erika braided her hair in the traditional way, then separated it so that she had four separate thick braids hanging down her front. Erika glanced at Ever’s armor.

  “I think we can do better than that,” Erika mused as she went over to a bag and pulled out a sleek back outfit that consisted of trousers and a top. Black boots followed as Erika ordered her to dress. When Ever had pulled on the outfit, she turned back to face Erika.

  The top had soft spikes on the shoulders, a crisscross of material across the neckline that nearly covered anywhere she could be stabbed. It was molded to her skin, but Ever knew that it would not impede her fighting.

  “One last thing.”

  Ever continued to look at Erika and let out a gasp. Resting in Erika’s hands was a helmet—no, a crown, fashioned from the same Asgardian gold as Loki’s helmet with blue jewels speckled in the front and the pieces that curled on the top that resembled a Valkyrie’s wings. Blue streaks of lighting made the crown look like it was fractured, yet it was anything but. The helmet was curved to cover her forehead down to the bridge of her nose, curving around the eyes, and then the shape over the ear was fashioned to resemble a Valkyrie’s wings.

  “Erika … this is …”

  Erika dropped to one knee, holding the crown out. “It is a crown worthy for a Valkyrie queen. It is yours, the first and only one for the rightful heir to the throne. This will never be tainted by Odin, for it was forged by master dwarves who listened to the words of those who love you the most and created this for you. Wear it into battle today and know that we stand beside you, with you. Until our last breath.”

  Erika rose as Ever ducked her head, letting her best friend set the crown on her head, then Ever took the sword that Erika held out for her. A gasp sounded in the door as Ever turned to see Derek leaning in the doorway, his eyes filled with his wolf and other things. She wanted to say so much, but her mate walked past Ever to where Erika stood.

  “You might be a Valkyrie general, but you are also one of ours. Family. A member of this team. You never back down, Erika. And put on the goddamn tac vest before I superglue it to you.”

  Erika rolled her eyes but took the vest from Derek as a horn sounded again in the distance. He kissed Ever’s cheek, then left them alone as Erika slipped the tactical vest over her shoulders. She flashed away for a second, and when she returned, she was dressed in all black, with an array of knives and blades on her hip and two guns. Under the vest, she wore the same outfit as Derek, right down to the standard-issue boots.

  “Let us join our sisters, my queen.”

  Ever made to tell Erika she didn’t need to call her queen, however, Erika steered her to the stairs, where the entire room fell silent as she descended. The Valkyries dropped to their knees, fists over their hearts. She crossed the floor to them and asked them to rise.

  “It has been an honor, my sisters, to fight beside you again,” Ever said in the old language, then switched back to English for Kenzie. “We go to war with hearts full and not a trace of fear in our bones. We take with us the strength of those who are awaiting us in the great halls of Valhalla, where we will feast and drink with them again one day. But today is not that day.”

  “Hail to the victor!” Erika shouted, and the Valkyries cheered in response. The horn sounded again, the battle counting down to the final minute.

  “One last thing before we go.” Erika pulled out a knife as Danae held a bowl in her hands. Erika sliced her palm, the droplets of blood dripping into the bowl. Each Valkyrie did so, the ancient ritual pebbling goosebumps on her skin. When all of the Valkyries had shed blood into the bowl, and Ever had added her own, Erika dipped two fingers into the blood. Speaking in the old language, Erika streaked two lines down Ever’s cheek. “Our blood.”

  Erika repeated the ritual for every single Valkyrie in the room, then held out the bowl for Ever to dip her fingers in. On their other cheek, Ever repeated what Erika had done, except this time, she said, “My blood.”

  Erika set the bowl aside and placed her fist into the center of her chest, and they all followed her lead, as they were always meant to do.

  “Hail to us, warriors of blood and bone. We are daughters of night and victory. Gaze upon us, masters of fate, and guide us in our victory this night. By the blood of my systirs, I shall not fear death, for the end is only the beginning.”

  “For Valhalla, for glory,” Ever said softly.

  “For Valhalla, for glory,” they answered, both Erika’s prayer and her declaration, for those who were not Valkyrie would not know that the promise was not a path to life but a vow to fight until death and then wait for their arrival in Valhalla.

  Turning to Erika, Ever reached out and clasped her forearm. “Lead as you were destined to do and await my arrival on the battlefield.”

  “Don’t be fucking late.”

  Erika winked as she turned to Derek with a smirk. “Need a lift, Boyband?”

  This was part of the plan. One she had discussed with Erika days ago. Erika would be Derek’s shadow; Kenzie would be Caitlyn’s, and Danae would shield Melanie. They would fly them to the battlefield and out of it if the situation became dire. The team did not know it, of course, just that they would fly Valkyrie express to the city center.

  Derek glanced in her direction as if he knew what she was thinking, and of course, he probably did, her emotions a storm inside her that no doubt leaked down the mate bond.

  As Erika rolled her shoulders, her black and blue wings spreading out, Derek held Ever’s gaze. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “I love you.”

  “I know. I love you too.”

  Then Erika gripped him under the arms and all but dragged him up and out the window. She could hear him swearing like a sailor before the next two pairs followed after them. Then the remaining Valkyrie followed after Erika, and Ever was standing alone in the
warehouse.

  Or so she thought.

  “The shifters have joined in the fray now. So we stand with vampires, shifters, warlocks and witches.” Loki said. “I have called upon the frost giants to come stand with us, but it has been so long since I was one of them that I do not know if they will come.”

  Loki stood in the doorway. Ever turned to face him. The horn blared again as Ever sheathed the sword at her back, readying to spread her wings and fly toward the battlefield.

  “Do you remember ancient Greece?” Loki asked her suddenly.

  “You mean when we created the Pegasus legend?”

  “I think we need to be legendary again this night.”

  Loki clicked his fingers, and a horse pure as the snow appeared in the warehouse, eyes as clear as the waters of Valhalla. Her wings stretched out, her hooves like thunder against the stone floor. The horse bowed its head to Ever, and she rubbed her palm along its nose.

  Ever peered up at Loki. “Then let us go be legendary, brother.”

  Ever swung up on the horse’s back. She grabbed hold of the reins as it reared up, charging from the warehouse as Loki vanished into thin air. Out on the streets, Odin’s horn blew again, and her horse took off down the street before stretching out its wings. She flapped them once, twice, and then they were soaring through the air.

  The horse moved like it was galloping over sand. Ever steered it toward Patrick Street, where she saw thousands of supernatural creatures standing in formation, ready to jump into the fray as soon as it started. She heard the shocked gasps and felt all eyes on her as she flew on top of her winged horse, like the legends of old, a true Valkyrie riding into battle on a winged horse to claim the worthy for Valhalla.

  The berserkers snarled and growled as she flew over them, right toward where Odin sat on his eight-legged horse. Ever stayed in the air, out of striking distance, as she called down to Odin.

  “You can still end this, Odin. The way to war has not yet been set in stone. Are you not tired of killing your children?”