Renegade Valkyrie (Valhalla's Curse Book 1)

by Stacy Claflin

  We’re in a bedroom that has to be twice the size of my house. An enormous bed sits off to the left near a sitting area. We’re obviously in the castle because of how luxurious everything is. Gold plates almost everything, and despite this being a room that Gessilyn and Killian probably haven’t visited in ages, there isn’t a speck of dirt. There never is in the castle.

  Fox shakes his head. “Can all this teleporting cause permanent damage?”

  “That wasn’t teleporting,” Roska corrects. “It’s rune travel. Totally different.”

  “If you say so.”

  Titan glares at Fox but doesn’t say anything.

  I look at Roska. “How far are we from Alrekur’s wing?”

  “We’re in the wing, but on the other side from his living quarters.” She leads us out of the bedroom and into the brightly lit halls.

  Fox covers his eyes. “I thought vampires lived in darkness. Aren’t they afraid of the light?”

  “Royal vampires are different from common ones.” Titan glares at him.

  “I stand corrected.” Fox meets my gaze and lifts a brow.

  I shrug, not sure what’s gotten into Titan. Maybe it’s part of Eveline’s spell.

  Roska turns back to us. “Don’t make eye contact if you can help it. There are always a lot of visitors, and oftentimes they don’t tolerate other species. More specifically, they hate witches and werewolves, but I can’t imagine they’re terribly fond of tricksters or angels of death, either.”

  We turn down various hallways. It always feels like a maze in the castle, whether traveling through one wing or across the entire massive building which is said to be the largest castle in the world. Alrekur’s wing alone is bigger than most castles I’ve visited.

  Not many vampires cross our path, but they’re all dressed to the nines and glare at us. The only reason they don’t do more is because the king and queen have forbidden their visitors from attacking anyone inside the castle. Not that it stops them all. Plenty have broken that rule and suffered the consequences. King Alrekur and his famed temper don’t take kindly to having his rules ignored.

  We come to a corridor that looks familiar. My wings press against my skin, fully prepared to burst out. They usually do that when I’m near any of the original vampires—the magnitude of their power sends an immediate response for my body to prepare for battle.

  Two vampires equally as tall and muscular as Fox stand in front of a set of doors. One glances our way with a scowl on his face. “Who goes there?”

  Roska steps forward. “We’re friends of Alrekur and Marguerite.”

  The guard’s brows draw together. “I don’t recognize you. Are you on the list?”

  “There’s a list now?”

  “Yes.” He folds his arms and steps closer. “Are you on it?”

  “No. Will you tell them that Roska and—”

  “Seize them!” The guard grabs Roska and pins her arms behind her back.

  She cries out, clearly pained.

  My wings burst out and hit Titan in the side, nearly knocking him over. Pressure builds in my eyes.

  The guard pales and drops Roska to the floor.

  More sentries march into the hallway from all directions.

  The vampires swarm around us.

  Roska calls out in a foreign language.

  One of the guards covers her mouth and drags her away.

  The pressure on my eyes intensifies with my anger. Fox turns to me and his face pales. He stumbles. A common reaction to seeing my eyes turn black.

  I focus on the vampires and open my mouth, ready to make myself sick on their essence. Anything to assuage the situation.

  Several of them stop in their tracks and open their mouths. Black swirly mist with just a sliver of purple flows from them, heading straight toward me.

  A sharp pain rips through my side. Blinding, pulsating agony tears throughout my body from what feels like a massive gash.

  The essence snaps back into the mouths of the vampires.

  My head snaps back. More pain sears through my other side. Stars dance before my eyes. The bright lights fade. Everything grows fuzzy. Dimmer.

  Then black.

  Twenty-Six

  A throbbing pain in the side of my head wakes me. I can’t open my eyes. I struggle against my lids. The left one finally opens a crack.

  It’s only now that I notice my sides. They feel like they’re on fire. Actually, worse. More like they’ve been dipped in acid, then set on fire before being crushed by a falling mountain. That’s how they feel.

  I moan and roll over, only to dig my scalp into a sharp rock. Warm liquid pools in my hair.

  “What in the bloody underworld happened?”

  “Royal vampire guards. That ring any bells?”

  I turn toward the familiar male voice. My entire body screams out in agony. Every cell is being ripped apart and boiled. I should’ve stayed still.

  “Are you okay?” That sounds like Titan. It’s hard to tell over all the pain.

  I struggle to sit up. I’m not sure if I succeeded. Everything is spinning around me. My stomach lurches, then I vomit all over the floor. It keeps flowing, like I’d just feasted. But I can’t remember the last time I ate.

  “Soleil!”

  Despite my dizziness, I manage to turn toward the voice. It looks like Titan in front of me, but he won’t stop moving. Or rather, nothing will hold still. He’s just part of all that.

  Somehow he ends up right next to me. “That’s a really bad gash. Drink some of my essence.”

  I don’t know if I can. And my words won’t make it to my mouth.

  “Will you say something?”

  Can’t he tell I’m trying? My stomach lurches another time.

  Oh, no. Not this again. I turn around and throw up once more.

  Titan rubs my back.

  This is humiliating. But also comforting at the same time.

  Once I’m done, I wipe my mouth and turn back around. My vision settles down. I glance around. We’re in what looks like an ancient prison. Makes sense given how old the castle is.

  Then I study Titan. He doesn’t look nearly as bad as I feel. Maybe I took the brunt of it.

  “Are you okay now?”

  “I think so.”

  He digs into his pocket and hands me a little box of mints.

  “Thanks.” I put half a dozen in my mouth.

  “What did those vampires do to you?” Titan scowls.

  I rub my right side. Searing pain shoots from my wound. I gasp but manage to find my voice. “They’re known for putting substances on their weapons. Could be vampire venom, poison from a unicorn horn, or anything really.”

  “They’re going to pay!”

  I moan, then scoot toward the wall, filthy as it is. “I’m sure the queen will see to that.”

  “Drink some of my essence,” he says again.

  “No, you’re already dealing with enough from that spell.” I lean against the wall.

  He moves next to me and puts his arm around me. “If you’re going to be stubborn, at least let me help.”

  “I’m not.” But I rest my head against his shoulder. It feels nice.

  “Why did those vampires do that? I thought you were their friend.”

  “Not of the guards. And Gessilyn is the queen’s friend. One of my pack members is her daughter. I’m more of…” I search for the right word. “An acquaintance? Ally?”

  “How long until she figures that out and lets us go?”

  “No idea. For all we know, Eveline is behind this. I’m not sure how she’d pull it off, but at this point, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

  We sit in silence for a while. Sitting with him is comforting, and I can’t deny how much I like being so close to him.

  “Are you sure you won’t take some of my essence?”

  I shake my head. “Like I said, you’ve been through enough. You’re still recovering from Eveline’s spell.”

  “Hey, that gives me an idea.”r />
  “What?”

  Titan turns and whispers in my ear. His breath sends a shiver down my spine. “Take the essence of the first person to come in here. Then we can get out of here.”

  “Don’t say that so loud!”

  He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “I whispered it.”

  “Vampires have crazy good hearing. They could probably hear that from down the hall.”

  Titan frowns. “You really should—”

  “Okay, I’ll consider it. But we shouldn’t spend too much time thinking about it.”

  “Why? They read minds too?”

  “Yeah, they’re vampires.”

  He shakes his head. “How is it they’re the opposite of the ones in LA?”

  “Royal and common vampires are practically two different species. There’s a lot of animosity between them.”

  “I’m not sure which ones are worse.”

  “Can’t say I disagree with you at this point.”

  Silence settles between us again. Every inch of my body hurts, though it’s the two gashes on my sides that are really screaming at me.

  “So.” Titan clears his throat. “What’s the deal with the djinn?”

  “I came across him in my search for Eveline. He’s been helping me.”

  “How do you know he’s not working with her?”

  “His actions line up with everything he says.”

  “People can lie, you know. He could be playing you. Djinn are like that.”

  I hold Titan’s gaze. “So can mesmers, but I made the right decision to trust you.”

  He looks deep in thought for a moment. “How do you feel about him?”

  “Fox is a good guy. He’s on our side. If it makes you feel better, I read his essence and it all rings true. He’s honest.”

  “What I mean is how do you feel about him?”

  My pulse drums in my ears. I’m suddenly aware of how little space there is between Titan and me. I swallow. “Nothing like what I feel for you.” Crap. Why did I just say that? “What I mean is—”

  Titan presses his lips on mine. Everything else melts away, including my pain. My heart races. My skin is on fire. It takes a moment to realize this is actually happening.

  I kiss him back and move my heavy hand so that my hand rests on his arm. He traces my fingers, giving me goose bumps. I shudder and press closer to him.

  He pulls away and takes a deep breath. “This isn’t the place I imagined our first kiss, but wow.”

  My heart is still racing. Wow is right. “You imagined this?”

  “Are you kidding?” He threads his fingers through mine and squeezes my hand. “I haven’t been able to stop. You’re like a spell, and I don’t want to be cured.”

  Warmth fills my cheeks. “How long?”

  “Too long.” He kisses me again. “Now I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop. I’m so glad you finally feel the same way about me.”

  “Finally? What do you mean?”

  He runs his hand through the length of my hair and cups my chin. “I’ve been waiting to see the same spark in your eyes when you look at me as I’ve had. You had to recover from heartbreak, and I sure as hades wasn’t going to get in the way of that.”

  My mouth gapes. “When did you fall for me?”

  “It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that you feel the same way. I knew waiting for you would pay off. And for what it’s worth, I don’t mind sharing your heart with Brick. He’ll never leave you, and he shouldn’t.”

  Strong emotions nearly choke me. I can’t speak. Titan is too good to be true. Far too good. As I stare into his greenish-gold eyes, overwhelming appreciation and something else—love?—wash over me.

  Feelings have never been my strong suit, and they’re not going to start now, so I close my eyes and kiss him. He pulls me closer, and the overpowering emotions grow stronger.

  In fact, the agony in my sides is fading. All I can feel is his mouth on mine. He takes the kiss deeper, and my mind spins, taking me far from my searing wounds.

  His love is pulling me from my pain. All pain—physical and emotional. Or is he healing me?

  Titan pulls back but keeps me close. He gasps for air. “For being an angel of death, you sure know how to make a man feel alive.”

  I draw in a deep breath and hold it for a moment. “And for a trickster, you sure know how to heal a person.”

  His gaze moves from my eyes down to my side, then his eyes widen. “Your gash is gone!”

  “What?” I pull at the rip in my shirt. Sure enough, my skin is as good as new. I check the other side, and that wound is also gone.

  “How did that happen?” He traces the line where my skin had been ripped apart.

  “I think you did that.”

  Titan’s gaze moves up and locks with mine. “I’ve never healed anyone in my life. Actually, I tend to do more damage to others than anything else.”

  “Seems we work well together.” I bite my lower lip.

  He moans. “Don’t do that.”

  I release my lip. “Sorry. Why does that bug you so much?”

  “Bug?” He laughs. “Trust me, Sols. It doesn’t. That’s the problem.”

  The corners of my mouth twitch until I’m smiling like a fool. “I’ll have to keep that in mind, you know, for when I want something.”

  He shakes his head, then pulls me close. “Don’t ever change.”

  Twenty-Seven

  Click. Click. Click.

  Someone is unlocking our cell door.

  Titan and I exchange a worried glance. He shifts his eyes, then nods at me. He wants me to drain the guard’s essence so we can make our escape.

  I nod back, though I’m not sure it’s such a good idea. Drinking essence was what got us locked up in the first place.

  Click. Click. Click.

  The door creaks open slowly.

  My breath hitches. I really have my doubts about this, but I promised Titan I would drain the guard’s essence. I have to follow through, or my word will mean nothing to him.

  A burly guard resembling the ones upstairs in Alrekur’s wing steps inside.

  Titan nudges me.

  I open my mouth. My wings don’t react. This might not be possible. It has to be. I focus on the guard’s essence. My wings put mild pressure on my back.

  I’m going to let Titan down. We aren’t going to get out of here.

  Behind the guard, someone else steps inside.

  Marguerite, the vampire queen, walks into our cell wearing a regal deep green dress and a crown that manages to sparkle even in the dim cell. Her eyes widen as her gaze lands on me. “Soleil, I am so sorry!”

  I try to rise but find the rest of my body hasn’t healed yet. My knees give out and I fall toward the ground.

  She suddenly appears in front of me and helps me up. “Here, drink some of my blood.”

  Titan grimaces and shakes his head.

  Marguerite glances at him. “I assure you, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything else with the healing properties of my blood.”

  “Pardon me if I don’t trust you.”

  She nods. “I completely understand why you don’t.”

  He gives her a double-take. “You do?”

  “After what our guards did to your group, of course. I fully intend to make up for their actions to each one of you.” Marguerite holds up her wrist, and as she does her eyes glow red. Her teeth become sharp before my eyes, then she bites down into her wrist. Blood drips from her flesh and she holds it up to me. “Drink.”

  Titan’s eyes are wider than I’ve ever seen them.

  Fortunately, I’ve seen vampire blood heal people in the past. As much as drinking blood disgusts me, I need to do this.

  I close my eyes and bring my mouth to her wrist. The cool liquid actually doesn’t taste bad—not that it tastes great. I won’t be pouring any into champagne flutes any time soon. Regardless, I drink.

  As the blood travels down my throat, I can feel a small sp
ark of strength. I continue drinking, and the strength grows. It travels throughout my body until all my pain and weakness have disappeared.

  I stand up straight, pulling away from her wrist.

  “How do you feel?” she asks.

  “Like new.” I open my eyes. “Thank you.”

  “It’s the least I could do.” Marguerite turns to Titan. “Would you like some?”

  “Like? No. Need? Maybe.”

  She holds her wrist toward him. “You won’t find a better elixir for your ailments.”

  “Ailments.” Titan snorts. “You mean injuries.”

  “Right.”

  Horrified, agonizing screams sound from somewhere.

  Titan looks around. “What’s that?”

  The queen steps toward him. “The first of the guards who did this to you and your friends.”

  “Really?”

  She nods. “They’re going to pay. Alrekur already had his way with them, but I convinced him to stop before he took it too far.”

  Titan glances at her wrist, then over at me. “Her blood helped you?”

  “I truly feel like a new person.”

  He stares at the blood then shrugs. “What have I got to lose?”

  Marguerite steps close enough that her wrist is almost touching his mouth.

  Titan wrinkles his nose but drinks the blood anyway. Color returns to his face. A few moments later, he pulls away and wipes his mouth. “That actually wasn’t so bad.”

  “What did I tell you?” The queen gives him a small smile, then licks her wrist. The wound heals immediately.

  Titan’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head. “Impressive.”

  “We’re not all bad.” She adjusts her crown. “I’m going to bring you two to a guest room where my servants will help clean you up. Then they’ll bring you to the dining room. A banquet is being prepared for you as we speak. Then we can discuss what you came here for. Sound good?”

  “You bet.” Titan throws me a curious glance. “If you’re trying to earn our forgiveness, you’re on the right track.”

  Marguerite gives him a friendly smile. “I’m glad to hear it. Never have any of my guests been treated so badly, and I intend to make up for what you went through and then some. Follow me.”

  She leads us out of the cell and down a dreary hall.