“Yes. What did you think...? Oh!” Flora covered her mouth with one hand. “You thought I meant—” she made a helpless gesture “—she had been intimate with him? Oh, good heavens, no! That would have led to certain death. Odin would not allow a Valkyrie to disgrace her calling so.”
That clinched it. I will definitely not mention Lorcan. Although the thought instantly angered her. It also made her want to seek Lorcan out and drag him off to bed. Why shouldn’t I? I’m not a Valkyrie yet. To hell with their code. I’ll follow it once I reach Valhalla. In the meantime, what I do is my business and no one else’s. And my heart is pure and true. It belongs to Lorcan...
“You look quite fierce. Is everything well?” Flora’s expression was alarmed.
Tanzi attempted a laugh. It almost worked. “I’m fine.” As fine as someone can be when she is wondering if she is about to make the biggest mistake of her life. “Where is the grand hall?”
Flora indicated for Tanzi to precede her across the courtyard and into another wing of the palace. When Tanzi cast a final glance back over her shoulder, Silja had turned away. Life imprisonment for helping a wounded soldier. Brynhild certainly lived up to her fearsome reputation.
When they entered the grand hall, it was full of people, all of whom were seated on cushions on the marble-tiled floor. Lorcan was already there, sitting with a group of men. The familiar smile lit his eyes when he looked up and saw her. Some of the heaviness around her heart lifted and she made a move toward him, but Flora’s hand on her arm restrained her.
“It is forbidden for the men and women to mingle.” Flora’s voice was laden with condemnation.
With a regretful look in Lorcan’s direction, Tanzi took a seat on the opposite side of the hall. The meal, which consisted of a number of courses—all of which were delicious—seemed to take forever, and Tanzi had to be content with watching Lorcan across the room as he conversed with his companions. Now and then their eyes met and Tanzi felt the full force of her love for him ignite inside her like an out-of-control forest fire. Only his touch could quench it and, since that was not to be forthcoming, she was forced to let it rage wildly. Unable, and unwilling, to follow his lead and make small talk, she ate in silence, desperate to get away from the oppressive atmosphere of the hall.
“I can find my own way back,” she told Flora, when the meal was finally over. Ignoring the look of hurt the maidservant gave her, Tanzi stalked out of the hall on her own. The courtyard was in darkness, lit only by an occasional pool of golden light from torches set high in the sandstone walls. As she neared the entrance to the women’s wing, a hand shot out of the gloom and grasped her by the arm. She was hauled into a dark corner and pinned against the wall by a warm body.
Before she could protest, a familiar voice murmured in her ear. “I thought I’d go mad if I had to spend another minute not being able to touch you.”
Tanzi melted against Lorcan’s muscular chest. “We are not supposed to mingle.”
His laughter turned to a husky groan as her lips found the pulse at the base of his throat. Lorcan’s hands smoothed the slippery silk of her gown over the curve of her buttocks. “I want to do a lot more than mingle with you, Searc.”
As if on cue, Flora’s disapproving voice called out across the courtyard. “Your Highness?”
“Ignore her.” Lorcan pulled Tanzi deeper into the shadows.
“The Valkyrie have returned. Brynhild will see you now.”
Tanzi didn’t know the meaning of the Gaelic words Lorcan muttered under his breath, but she got the impression they were not complimentary toward Odin’s eldest daughter.
“Go to my room. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Pressing a swift kiss onto his lips, she emerged from the darkness and crossed the courtyard to where Flora was waiting for her.
* * *
The coats of the horses shone like satin and the steeds plunged and reared with restless energy even after their long ride. Each horse unfurled giant wings in preparation for the flight back to the stables. Brynhild, all-powerful leader of the warrior maidens, dismounted and strode out at the head of her armor-clad troop. Noted for their beauty, each Valkyrie was possessed of fair, silken skin, impossibly blue eyes and flowing, golden tresses. They were dressed in identical silver helmets adorned with white wings, and scarlet corsets over which they wore fish-scale breastplates. Over their battledress they wore cloaks made of the purest feathers from the whitest swans. Each Valkyrie carried her own shield and spear and wore a short sword at her side.
Brynhild paused in front of Tanzi, looking her up and down. Signaling for the other Valkyrie to enter the grand hall ahead of her, she took Tanzi’s arm and led her into a small reception room.
“What was your mother’s name?” No preliminaries, no greeting. Tanzi bit back smile. It was like being with Vashti.
“Enja. She was a sidhe who became a Valkyrie, until she married my father.” Tanzi drew a breath. Now for the hard part. “He is Moncoya, King of the Faeries.” Brynhild gave no sign that she knew the name, so Tanzi continued with her story. “When my twin sister and I were babies, she left and we always believed that she returned here.”
Brynhild gave her a sideways glance. “I remember Enja.”
“You do?” Tanzi had not been prepared for her own reaction to those words. Sharp tears stung her eyelids and then spilled over. “I’m sorry. My father always forbade any mention of her, so I’ve never met anyone who could tell me about her. What was she like?”
Brynhild smiled. “Like all Valkyrie. Beautiful, brave, true of heart. You look like her.”
“I’ve always wondered how she met my father.”
“In battle, of course. It was one of many in the endless war of supremacy for Otherworld. Enja was one of the Valkyrie sent to gather the fallen. She never returned.”
Tanzi frowned. “You make it sound strange.”
“That’s because it is. It is the sworn duty of a Valkyrie to bring the bravest of the fallen to Valhalla that they might serve Odin. That is why I remember your mother so well. It is the only time a Valkyrie has failed us.”
Although Brynhild’s tone was neutral, Tanzi sensed censure in her manner. She thought of Silja in her lonely prison tower. The fate of a Valkyrie who stepped out of line was not one she wanted to dwell on. “She must have loved my father very much if she was prepared to break the Valkyrie code for him.”
Did she imagine it, or was the look Brynhild gave her one of pity? “Either that or there was some other incentive—or constraint—so great, she was unable to return to us.”
Tanzi frowned, puzzling over the words. Was Brynhild trying to say that her father had forced Enja to leave the Valkyrie and stay with him? It would be almost impossible to believe...if they were not discussing Moncoya. “I take it we were wrong and she is not here now?”
Brynhild shook her head. “Wherever Enja went when she finally left your father, she did not return to us.” There seemed to be a number of messages in Brynhild’s words, and Tanzi felt she needed time to analyze them. Brynhild was moving on. “And now you wish to follow her and become a Valkyrie yourself?”
“If you’ll have me.”
“Why?” That blue gaze was sharp and inescapable, pinning her in place.
Tanzi had prepared a speech. Every word went out of her head. In that instant she knew that only the truth would do. “Because my father has arranged for me to marry the devil and I have nowhere else to go.”
Brynhild was silent for a long, heart-stopping moment. “Come to the Valkyrie Hall tomorrow at noon so that we can begin your induction.”
CHAPTER 19
Tanzi ran back to her room on feet spurred by Brynhild’s words about her mother coupled with the need to see Lorcan. Fortunately, when she whirled through the door and slammed it behind her, he was lying full lengt
h on her bed with his hands clasped behind his head.
“How did it go?”
She inhaled deeply to calm herself, even though her ragged breathing was due to tension rather than exertion. “I am to begin my induction at noon tomorrow.”
The shutters instantly came down on his expression. “So this is ‘goodbye’?”
That was a question she could never answer. How could she ever bring herself to say that word to him? Instead, Tanzi replied with a question of her own. “Have you seen the tower that holds Odin’s youngest daughter?” Lorcan shook his head, his eyes still fixed on her face. “They imprisoned her there because she spoke to a man. All she did was help him when he was injured during a battle.” Her voice rose slightly on a note of panic.
Lorcan rose from the bed and came to her, running his hands down her arms. “You’re shaking. What has happened to upset you so much?”
His touch stilled some of the trembling in her limbs. Even so, she couldn’t tell him of her fears about her mother’s fate. “The Valkyrie are ruthless. Their code does not allow for any interaction with a man.”
“So I take it you have decided to keep ‘us’ a secret from Brynhild?”
Tanzi tilted her head back, desire—an instant, molten antidote to any other emotion—flooding through her as she looked up at him. “Is there an ‘us,’ Lorcan?”
Since she was in the act of undoing his fly and freeing his erection from his jeans, she supposed Lorcan could be forgiven for the look of surprise he shot her way. “I don’t know about you, but this feels a lot like an ‘us’ to me.”
“Can we talk about this later?” As she spoke, she sank to her knees, her lips closing over the silken head of his cock. The breath left Lorcan’s body in one long hiss and he leaned back, propping his shoulders against the door for support. Tanzi took his helpless shudder to be a sign of agreement. She felt his groans reverberate through her as she sucked him as deep and hard as she could. Cupping his sac in her hand, she commenced a sweeping rhythm, taking in his full length, then licking the sensitive underside of his cock as she pulled back again.
“I need to be inside you.” Lorcan pulled her to her feet.
As soon as Tanzi had slipped her underwear off, Lorcan hoisted her dress around her waist and lifted her so that she could wrap her legs around his body. Holding her with her back against the wall, he drove into her so hard that she cried out. Keeping her still with his hands gripping her buttocks, he impaled her, each thrust sending an electric current of pleasure up and down her spine.
“You’re so hot and tight. Let me feel you come.”
She closed her eyes as his words tipped her over the edge and she tightened and convulsed, squeezing him hard with each contraction of her muscles. Every nerve in her body felt the impact of her orgasm and she moaned and shuddered. Lorcan joined her, his cock pumping rhythmically inside her. He kissed her, drawing her tongue into his mouth and sucking it gently as he pulled out of her and lowered her to her feet.
“This can’t be ‘goodbye.’” He murmured the words against her lips. Tanzi could hear her own anguish echoing in his voice and see it reflected in his eyes.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “It isn’t. We have until noon tomorrow.”
* * *
Lorcan watched Tanzi as she slept. She was sprawled across the bed, doing her usual starfish impersonation, relegating him to a small corner. Every muscle in his body ached, and he stretched. Since this was their last night together, they’d made it a good one. He managed a reminiscent smile, even though the expression was at odds with his mood. All he really wanted to do was lock that door and make sure Tanzi was forced to stay with him forever.
His mind went back to a time before he got to know her, when she’d been Moncoya’s condescending daughter instead of his lover. He shook his head as if to clear it. Lorcan had spent his whole life fighting. Battling monsters and saving lives for the resistance had become something he did to keep from warring with the demons inside himself. Moving from one fight to the next was all he’d ever known. After his mother’s death, there had been nothing in his life worth putting down roots for, nothing worth keeping. He’d always thought his heart was damaged beyond repair. Now he knew it was simply that nothing had ever managed to breach the walls he had built up around his emotions. Until Tanzi came along. He almost laughed. Who’d have thought I could fall so hard, fast and gloriously for the high-and-mighty, untouchable faerie princess?
I won’t say “goodbye” to her. The thought was so sudden and decisive that he sat bolt upright. I can’t let her walk away. I love her too much for that. A sigh of relief shuddered through him. It’s about bloody time, Malone. What took you so long to get here?
He made a move to wake her, to tell her the jumble of emotions that was coursing through him, but before his hand could connect with her shoulder, there was a furious hammering on the door. Tanzi’s eyes flew open, her fae instincts overcoming any trace of slumber so that she was instantly alert.
“Who is it?” She clutched the bedclothes around her naked body.
“It is Flora. I must speak with you immediately.”
“Have we been discovered?” Lorcan cocked an inquiring brow in Tanzi’s direction. “Will Brynhild try to have you locked away in that tower with her youngest sister?”
“The tower would be too good for me. Stay here and behave,” she whispered, tugging her gown from the previous night over her head. Going to the door, she opened it just wide enough to allow herself to see Flora, but used her body to block the view so that the maidservant could not see into the room. “What is it?” The regal tone that worked so well was back in her voice.
“The Norn have asked me to take you to them.”
Tanzi paused, and, from his position on the bed, Lorcan saw her expression change as she regarded Flora with suspicion. The Norn were the three Goddesses of Fate, said to control the destiny of every mortal from birth to death. “I am not mortal. What can the Norn possibly want with me?”
He sensed a shrug from Flora. “I am merely the messenger. It is rare these days that the Norn ask to speak with anyone. They are independent of the other gods and cannot be commanded, although it is well-known that Odin wishes he could order them to obey him because they annoy him intensely. They please themselves, keeping to their own tower in the palace. Nevertheless, they were most insistent. They told me they have something to tell you that you will want to hear. It concerns the future of the entire faerie dynasty.”
Tanzi appeared to think for a moment. Lorcan knew anything that concerned the fate of the faeries would gain her attention. She nodded decisively. “Give me ten minutes to wash and dress.” She closed the door, leaving Flora waiting in the hall. Turning to Lorcan, she cast an apologetic glance in his direction. “This sounds like something I need to hear.”
“Cal has no time for the Norn. He’s met the three old crones who sit at their spindles spinning the threads of human destiny. He thinks they enjoy meddling and like making mortals suffer.” Cal had said it often enough. Lorcan didn’t think the Norn could do any real harm. How much could they actually know of the world beyond their tower and their spinning wheel?
“But I don’t see how they can hurt me, since I’m not mortal.” Tanzi’s confusion showed on her face. “One thing I do know about the Norn is that they cannot lie. Whatever they are about to tell me must be the truth.” She bit her lip, her expression troubled. “Even so, my instincts are telling me not to go, to stay with you.”
His gaze was warm on her face, his voice gently mocking. “Listen to you, the faerie princess who doesn’t do emotion suddenly discovering her intuition. Go and see what they want. I’ll wait here for you. I need to talk to you when you get back. The Norn might have something to say to you, but what I want to tell you is much more important.”
* * *
If th
e Norn wanted to tell her something that affected the future of the faerie dynasty, there was someone else Tanzi wanted involved in the forthcoming conversation. Although Vashti couldn’t be present physically, Tanzi hoped she could use their psychic bond to her advantage. As she hurried along the labyrinthine corridors in Flora’s wake, she felt for the acorn that she had slipped into the pocket of her jeans.
Vashti? There was no response. Vashti, can you hear me?
Nothing. Perhaps Vashti was wrong about the fact that they could communicate no matter how far apart they might be. Tanzi rolled the acorn between her fingers. A faint but unmistakable noise reached her ears, and she turned her head, seeking its source. A smile touched her lips. The sound was inside her head. Vashti’s gentle snores were rhythmic and reminded her of when they were children. She had heard that noise a lot during her early years. It had been a constant source of exasperation to Rina. Her twin had always been difficult to wake up.
Vashti, listen to me!
They were mounting a staircase now, nearing the top of the tower that housed the reclusive Norn. Tanzi was reminded of childhood tales of secrets and attics. Would they find a sleeping princess or an evil goblin? Her thoughts were interrupted by a sleepy voice inside her own head.
Tanzi? Do you know what time it is? It was Vashti’s familiar early-morning grumble, and Tanzi felt her heart expand with love and relief.
I need you to listen in on a conversation.
A soft chuckle echoed in her mind. Whoa. If this is between you and your Irish stud, leave me out of it.
Flora held open a door and Tanzi stepped inside, her eyes narrowing in an attempt to adjust to the gloom.
Just stay with me, Vashti. This could be important.
The attic room was cluttered, filled with the remnants of centuries of abandoned memories. Motes of dust hung in the air and tickled Tanzi’s nose, and the only source of light was a high window covered by a graying lace curtain. Three figures were huddled in the center of the room. Even in the poor light, it was easy to see why Cal called them “crones.”
Harlequin Nocturne May 2016 Box Set Page 49