Renegade Valkyrie (Valhalla's Curse Book 1)

by Stacy Claflin

  I nod.

  “Well, she can probably sense my motives or something. Or use her powers to block my mind control.”

  “We won’t know until you try.”

  Titan taps his nail on the railing. “Oh, all right. I’ll do this—for you.”

  “Right. You’re going to hit on a beautiful woman for me.”

  He shrugs. “Anything for a friend. So, what happens if she catches onto me? Or I can’t work my magic on her?”

  “Then we figure something else out. Or maybe you can get her to open up without using mind control.”

  He nods, looking deep in thought. “Okay. Here’s the deal. If I bring her up here, it means everything is going great, then you suck some of her essence and find out what you need to.”

  “Drink! I drink essence.”

  “Whatever. Then you drink her essence. Does that sound like a plan?”

  “And if you don’t bring her up here?”

  “Then it means something went wrong and you’d better come get me because she probably has me under a spell.”

  I pull my hair back into a loose bun. “Gotcha. You don’t come up, I’ll go down and save the damsel in distress.”

  He twists his mouth. “I resent that.”

  “Then don’t fall for her tricks.”

  “No problem. I’m the trickster. She tries something, I’ll be all over her like glitter on a faerie. Witch won’t know what hit her.”

  “Perfect.”

  Titan stands taller, holds his shoulders high, and marches down the stairs without a word. He rounds the dance floor and has words with a guy next to our witch, who promptly offers Titan his stool.

  I snicker, imagining the mind control he used.

  Then Titan gets a new drink and sips, pretending not to notice Witchy next to him. After what feels like forever, but is probably no more than a minute, she turns to him.

  My ears itch to hear the conversation. Without the music blaring, I could hear them from this distance if I really tried.

  From what I can see, they’re enjoying a light conversation. She appears irritated, probably because he’s distracting her from looking for me.

  I stand taller, glad that she doesn’t know where I am. It’s no small task to hide from someone of her status.

  Titan stands and pushes his stool in.

  My pulse races. Is he bringing her up here, or is he under her spell? I narrow my eyes, trying to see more clearly. It doesn’t work. What I need is a pair of binoculars.

  “Come on, Titan. Give me a sign.”

  He holds out his hand and she takes it.

  Ugh. That’s not helpful. Either one of them could be pulling the wool over the other’s eyes.

  “Give me an obvious sign.”

  They stroll around the dance floor, heading for the stairs.

  Much better.

  I duck behind a pole. Even if she is under Titan’s mind control, seeing me might be jarring enough to pull her out from it.

  Their laughter sounds as they make their way up the stairs. My pulse drums in my ears.

  It’s now or never. I’m not going to get this opportunity again. I have one shot to take her by surprise, drink her essence, and see into her mind.

  The floor creaks as they walk by. Her dress makes crinkling noises with each step she takes.

  Her essence is so strong it takes my breath away for a moment. It didn’t happen before, did it? No, I’d been too hungry. Now I’m overstuffed. I won’t be able to take much of hers without getting sick.

  The door squeaks as it opens, then closes.

  I take a deep breath. We can do this. Titan is in control—otherwise he wouldn’t have brought her up here.

  My mind races. Images of death and dying push out my thoughts of the witch.

  Stupid vampires. I’m never going to drink from them again.

  I shove aside their memories and march toward the door. I’ve never actually been inside the room, so I don’t know what to expect other than the fact that it’s quieter and people like to suck face there.

  The door squeaks as I open it. Nobody glances my way. It’s dark inside, the only bit of light comes from a few candles on the wall and some pale white Christmas lights lining the edge of the ceiling and the wall. Tan leather couches take up most of the floor, and abstract art and rock posters provide the only decoration. People are making out everywhere. Couples take up all the furniture and are pressed against corners.

  Titan and Witchy are the only two not all over each other. She is, however, running her fingers through his hair and looking intently into his eyes.

  This better not be a trap. He’d better be the one in control, not her.

  As I creep toward them, nobody pays me attention. Not even my prey. She’s fully focused on Titan.

  My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest. Luckily, witches don’t have heightened hearing. Without her magic, she’s nothing other than a human.

  With each step I take, my mouth goes more dry until I’m standing right next to them.

  Neither one seems to notice me.

  It’s time to get her essence.

  I look directly at the witch and open my mouth.

  Nine

  She turns to me, her mouth opening in response to me pulling at her essence.

  Out of the corner of my eye, Titan gives me a thumbs-up.

  The witch’s mouth widens as the purple mist exits. It’s deeper in color than usual.

  It enters my mouth and the taste is richer. It feels heavier. Just what I need when I’m already full of the stuff.

  My eyes fight to close, but I’m not taking my attention off the witch for even a moment.

  Her eyes widen with recognition.

  And that’s why I’m fighting to keep my eyes open.

  She struggles, but her mouth stays open. I continue drinking her essence, waiting for her thoughts to be revealed.

  Waiting.

  She thrashes around, swinging her arms and nearly giving Titan a black eye. I drink in her essence as fast as I can. It’s so heavy though, and I’m not getting any memories. No thoughts. Or plans.

  A bright light flashes before my eyes. Is that actually from the room, or is it a memory?

  Azure appears in front of me, alive and well, wearing a black skin-tight outfit. Typical. She’s waving her hands over a pile of flower petals covered in drops of blood.

  Her sister appears to the left and says something impossible to hear.

  Azure tells her to leave her alone. She says no. Azure turns back to her bloody petals.

  Her sister pushes them off the table and screams in a language I don’t recognize—which is odd, given my vast travels.

  The witch’s anger surges through me. With her essence in me, I can feel it as though it were my own.

  Azure spins around and waves her arms. As she does, her sister flies against a wall and crumples to the ground.

  They argue as the sister gets up and runs toward her.

  Azure holds up her hands again. “You’re dead to me, Eveline!” Then she storms away.

  Crushing disappointment and heartbreak tears through me.

  My head snaps back as the flow of essence stops. It takes me a moment to regain my bearings.

  The witch in front of me—Eveline—appears dazed too.

  I know her name and that she didn’t get along with her sister. Also that it broke her to be separated from Azure. I’m not sure what I’ll be able to do with the information, but it’s more than I had a few minutes earlier.

  Eveline’s brows knit together, then she glares back and forth between Titan and me. “You two are working together!”

  Her voice holds so much power, the framed painting next to us shakes.

  “Sorry, Soleil. Her magic overpowered me.” Titan stares at her, his expression tight like he’s constipated. Somehow, Eveline is holding him in place.

  “It’s okay. I was able to—”

  Eveline calls out, then an invisible force
shoves me back against the wall.

  I shake my head to clear it and step away from the wall.

  She has both hands outstretched. One toward me and the other at Titan. He’s grunting and gasping for air, obviously unable to fight her.

  “Stop!” I try to run toward her but can’t get my feet to cooperate.

  “You two think this is child’s play?” She screams so loudly that her hair swirls around at the force of it.

  Everyone is staring at us. None of the couples are still making out. They’re frozen in place like she has them under her control too.

  I stare into Eveline’s flaming brown eyes. “Maybe we should take this outside. Leave the humans out of this.”

  Her nostrils flare. “Or maybe we shouldn’t. I’m in the mood for that anti-Valkyrie call again.”

  My body shudders in response to the threat. I turn to Titan, pleading for help.

  He shakes his head, his eyes apologetic. His arms and legs twitch like he’s trying to move.

  Where did we go wrong?

  I grit my teeth. This isn’t over yet. Not until I say it is. Especially not while I’m overflowing with essence.

  Titan gags and grasps at his neck.

  Anger surges through me. I glower at Eveline with all my fury.

  Some of the people gasp and cry out.

  I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the framed photo. My eyes have turned completely black and my skin has paled, making the black appear all the more ominous.

  A girl faints and crashes to the ground.

  My wings are threatening to burst out. I fight to keep them inside.

  Eveline shouts in the same foreign language I heard in her memories. A wind whips around me, blowing my hair out of the bun. It stings as it slaps my face.

  I take in a deep breath and open my mouth, continuing to stare her down as humans drop like flies all around us. Then once I’ve garnered enough strength, I release a flow of essence.

  The swirling purple mist flows through me and hits Eveline hard enough to knock her flat on her back. She struggles to get up for a moment, then before I know it, I’m on my back.

  Everything spins around me as I try to figure out what just happened. I push myself up and look around.

  By now not a single human is left standing. Titan is engaged in a battle of the minds with Eveline. Both are staring at each other with pained expressions.

  I take advantage of the distraction and build up more essence to release at her. I can’t keep doing this or I’m going to end up weak again, but it’s the strongest thing I can throw against her—without using the one weapon that will alert my superiors to my location.

  Eveline turns to me just as the essence swirls out of my throat. It hits her with enough force to send her flying to the nearest wall. She crashes into it with a loud thud, and a crack weaves up to the ceiling.

  I grab Titan’s arm. “We have to go!”

  “Not so fast!” Eveline jumps to her feet, raises both arms into the air, and speaks in the same foreign language she used with her sister.

  Titan turns to me. “This can’t be good.”

  “Understatement of the year.” I yank his arm. “Let’s get out of here.”

  We turn and run for the door. Before we reach it, it turns into a brick wall.

  Titan turns to me. “I know I shouldn’t be impressed, but dang!”

  Eveline’s voice grows louder. The floor shakes hard enough that the couches around us vibrate and some scoot along the ground.

  I turn to Titan. “Still impressed?”

  He turns to Eveline and narrows his eyes. Hopefully he’s attempting mind control and not just glaring at her.

  I tighten my grip around his arm and close my eyes to teleport us back home. It’s hard to focus on any image of the house between the vibrating floor and Eveline’s shouting. I picture my room, and cling to the image of my bed and nightstand.

  A dizzying feeling sweeps through me, probably the last bit of essence being used up as I bring Titan home with me.

  I open my eyes.

  We’re still in the club. Titan is still glowering at Eveline. She’s still shouting, only now she’s conjured up a stronger wind. It’s whipping her hair and mine.

  More walls crack. The floor shakes even worse. The framed posters and paintings fall, crashing to the ground. Each of the windows are transforming into bricks.

  She’s not only crazy, but dangerous. All the passed out humans are going to get hurt, if not worse.

  That’s my answer. I know what I have to do.

  I turn toward them, close my eyes, and open my mouth. Their essences flow into my mouth, filling me. My strength returns. I close my mouth, then open my eyes.

  Pieces of the ceiling are falling all over the room. The walls are cracking even worse than before and now the floorboards are pulling apart from each other.

  It’s a long fall to the ground below—more than the average second level of a building.

  My pulse races through my body as I prepare to pummel Eveline with the essence again. If this isn’t enough to stop her, that’ll leave me with only one option, and I’m not sure I want to go there. In fact, I know I don’t.

  I release the flow of essence. The purple, sparkling mist swirls toward her as she continues shouting and the building around us crumbles like it was made of sticks.

  My foot falls through the floor. I jump back and manage to avoid going down.

  The mist still hasn’t reached Eveline.

  My breath catches in my throat. Will it be enough? In time to stop her before she kills everyone?

  The essence finally hits her. She stumbles backward but regains her footing before crashing into the crumbling wall behind her.

  She glares at me with wild eyes and takes a step toward me.

  The floor cracks with a deadly force. My wings explode from my back, tearing through my skin and ripping another shirt. I grab Titan just as the floor crumbles beneath our feet.

  Eveline, all the people, and everything else fall through. The walls crash just before more of the ceiling breaks free, crumbling all around us.

  I flap my wings and fly through the largest gap in the wall. The cold night air hits us like a gushing waterfall. I press through and fly over the city, above the lights hidden by the darkness of the sky.

  Titan says something, but the sound is muffled by my massive wings flapping.

  Our home comes into view. I arch my back and aim down, hoping no one sees us. The last thing I need is someone capturing me on their cell phone and the image getting back to Valhalla’s agents.

  Ten

  I slam the door, lock it, and then let go of Titan.

  He flops backward toward the ground. His eyes are closed, and he’s limp.

  “Titan!” I dive down and catch him just before he hits the floor. “Titan!”

  His head rolls back and he doesn’t respond.

  Terror grips me. I race him over to the couch and listen for a heartbeat. It’s there, but it’s weak.

  He’s not bleeding that I can see. There aren’t any other visible wounds—no gashes, bumps, or bruises.

  It has to be magic.

  Fury rages through me, dancing with my panic for Titan’s safety.

  I will kill that witch. Eveline is going down, and she’s going to suffer.

  “Titan!”

  No response.

  I slap his face.

  Nothing.

  My arms and legs tremble from a combination of low essence and fear for my friend. I can’t lose him too.

  “Stay with me.”

  He doesn’t move.

  I know what I have to do. And I’m going to need a month to recover from the events of this day.

  “This better work.” I close my eyes and prepare the essence. I’m definitely low. Dangerously low.

  What little essence I have pulls from my throat and struggles out of my mouth. I can almost hear it whimpering.

  Titan gasps for air.

  My
eyes fly open. The flow of essence is thin and faint. But it’s strong enough to travel from me to him.

  He looks around, but still pale, and doesn’t even try to sit up.

  “Are you okay?”

  Titan just moans.

  Food. He needs food.

  I scramble to my feet. “Stay right there.”

  Like he’s going to run off in his condition.

  He mumbles something else I can’t understand.

  I race to the kitchen and pull out everything I can find that doesn’t need preparation. Then I gather as much as I can onto a tray and carry it over.

  “Time to eat.” I force a smile. “Get up, lazy bones.”

  He just sighs.

  I hate seeing him like this. Titan is strong and sarcastic. Not this—whatever Eveline has done to him.

  “Gonna make me do all the work, huh?” I put the tray on the coffee table then help him sit up.

  His head rolls back to the couch.

  My heart drops, but I refuse to let him see my terror. I cradle his head and reach for some ice cream.

  “We both know how much you love ice cream. I think it’s actually your secret sauce. This’ll get you up and moving.”

  He doesn’t respond.

  I scoop some rocky road onto a spoon and bring it to his mouth. “Here comes the airplane.”

  Titan arches a brow. Barely.

  Good. An actual reaction.

  I circle the spoon toward his mouth and make airplane noises.

  He glares at me. It’s weak, but it’s a glare.

  Holding back a smile, I bring the spoon to his mouth.

  He flinches—probably from the cold—but doesn’t open.

  “Oh, come on. You aren’t going to make me do everything, are you?”

  Titan mutters something. It sounds like an insult.

  The corners of my mouth twitch. “Good. That’s what I like to hear. Open up.”

  As he starts to mutter again, I slide the ice cream into his mouth.

  My skin warms and my heart speeds up. What in hades is wrong with me? There’s nothing romantic about this, yet that’s how I’m responding.

  I remove the spoon and a moment later his expression contorts.

  “Brain freeze?”

  He gives a slight nod.