Dead Wrath (A Valkyrie Novel - Book 4)

by T. G. Ayer

  "Cool." Both Nicholas an his older sister echoed the same sentiment, and I couldn't agree more.

  Then I beckoned them. "Come. We need to hurry before they track us to the cars." I glanced back at the building, but there was no sign of movement.

  We bundled the family into one of the cars and, jumping into the other with Derek, we headed straight back to HQ. As soon as we entered the front hall, Iain hurried the family to a room upstairs, getting them out of sight as soon as possible. Joshua and Aidan met us in the hall as we watched the old man disappear with his charges.

  We'd saved them. I was so relieved I almost felt faint.

  "Everything go okay?" Joshua asked, rubbing my shoulder and giving me a sweet smile that said he'd missed me more than he'd missed being the one out on the job.

  I smiled back at him but found even that little movement suddenly difficult. I gave the two of them a quick recap and confirmed the rescue had gone without a hitch. But as I was recapping, I felt a twinge in my side. I winced and put my hand to what I thought was just a stitch in my back muscle. But when my fingers came away stained with blood, I sucked in a breath.

  "Bryn," Joshua almost yelled as I put my hand at my back again to check the wound.

  My head was beginning to spin as he turned me around gently. His searching fingers touched on something that seemed to be embedded deep in my side. Just the mere contact with it made me dizzy. Bile rose in my throat and the room began to tilt. I let out a ragged groan and bent over.

  "I'm sorry, babe. But we need to get it out." Joshua spoke softly beside me, his voice filling me with a little strength. Enough to stop me from passing out.

  Pain surged through my side as Joshua grabbed onto the object and pulled it slowly out of my side. He sat back on his heels, his palm open to show me the weapon. It was a super-thin knife about as long as my palm, with a two-inch long handle. I stared at the blood-drenched blade, thinking how clever they were to use such weapons. I hadn't even felt it penetrate my skin. Or my armor.

  That's when it hit me.

  The blade was thin, incredibly sharp, and three-sided, able to efficiently cut into Glasir-enhanced leather and slip through the links in my chainmail.

  Loki was certainly getting smarter.

  Joshua handed the blade to Aidan, whose face was now white as a sheet. Joshua wrapped an arm around me and guided me to the first stair. He tried to help me upstairs, tried to take some of my weight and help me get up the step, but I suspected I'd lost my glamor. Without it, my wings were visible and solid, giving me a weight that was almost four times my body weight. Glamor was certainly good for some things. But the problem was I now had almost no energy left to draw the powerful magic around me well enough.

  And so I slid slowly to the floor as blood seeped from the wound and down my leg, soaking into the leather of my pants.

  I saw Edrik lean forward, his face shifting and resettling into his wolf form. He said, "Help me. I will carry most of her weight. You take as much as you can."

  The ceiling shifted and my head lolled, and before we moved to the first landing, I felt the darkness take me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  My eyes were dry and gritty, my body weak and strangely heavy when sleep finally left me. I breathed slowly, feeling the pull of my wound as I cracked my lids open and scanned the bedroom. It was empty except for Joshua, who sat in a chair beside the bed, bent over, elbows on his knees, and face in his hands. He looked so lost I wanted to pull him close and squeeze him tight.

  "I'm not dead yet," I said, my voice a cracked whisper, breath like something had crawled into my mouth and died.

  His head shot up, his eyes going wide as he studied my face. He relaxed visibly, his shoulders loosening, his jaw no longer tight and hard. With a tender look, he rose and came to the bed to sit beside me. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he pushed aside a lock of hair that had lain across my forehead.

  I'd lost my glamor and now my feathers cushioned me as I swallowed and shifted against the mattress beneath me. "I feel fine." I glanced at the door, then back at Joshua. "Where is everyone? How long have I been out?"

  "Slow down there, tiger." Joshua held his finger out in admonishment. "Take it easy. You need to rest. That wound was deep, so you need to ensure it's healed before you go prancing around town."

  I glared at him as heat began to rise in my blood, a relentless wave that was a blend of impatience and fury. "All I want to know is what the status of the mission is," I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him. I wouldn't put it past him to try and hold back information to ensure I didn't get stressed or upset. And I wasn't past holding my seniority over him either. And he knew it.

  He sighed, at last relenting. "The wife and kids are safe. We got word to McClellan that they are fine."

  That perked me up a bit. "And the sale? Did he go through with it?"

  Joshua shook his head, a lock of dark hair falling on his forehead. "We've been monitoring him and so far the sale hasn't closed."

  "You think McClellan is stalling?" I asked, frowning. Maybe even Loki himself was stalling.

  Joshua rubbed his chin. "If I were him, I would stall. Loki isn't going to just back down even if he no longer has the family for leverage. He must know by now that we're onto him so he's going to go dark very soon. If he hasn't already."

  A knock on the door interrupted my response. The door opened and Aimee popped her head into the room. "Oh, good. You're awake. Iain thought you might want to listen in on the final sale."

  "That's a great idea."

  She brought in a small receiving device and set it on the mattress beside me. She pressed a button and we received a rush of static before it settled. Then she said, "McClellan insisted that the final transaction be done in a public place, so we're receiving the transmission from a cafe in Soho."

  Aimee fell silent as McClellan cleared his throat. "He's not here yet," he said, nerves jangling his tone to a stutter.

  "Stay calm, sir. Just keep silent until he arrives," came an unfamiliar voice. Probably one of Iain's operatives.

  McClellan didn't respond, and I assumed he was obeying the instruction the agent had given him.

  Cups clinked in the background and a murmur of voices indicated the cafe was fairly busy. That was a good thing. Hopefully this tactic would keep the lord alive.

  "He's here," said McClellan, and I stiffened, hoping that was all he would say. Loki was not stupid.

  A rush of static, then a voice. "Confirmed, white male entering the cafe. Blond hair, long black coat. Briefcase in left hand. Over," the agent reported over the transmitter.

  A chair scraped the floor and fabric rustled as someone sat beside McClellan. "I have to admire your bravery, Lord McClellan," said Loki. The distinctively familiar rumble in his tone brought back memories of my most recent altercation with the god. Loki continued. "Although, I'm quite sure you know by now that your family has been taken to safety by your ... friends." He fell silent for a moment while McClellan refused to answer. "What's the matter, McClellan? You didn't think I'd be told that your wife and children were rescued? An event they will remember for the rest of their lives, I'm sure, but I'll leave that to them to tell you when you finally do see them."

  "I assure you I had nothing to do with their rescue." His voice quavered, and I couldn't imagine how this man functioned in cabinet when he was unable to lie with a straight face.

  "Oh, that I know. You are not that resourceful," Loki snapped, his voice a few degrees colder. "Now, if you don't mind, we have a transaction to complete."

  "What if I refuse to give it to you?"

  I stiffened. No time for heroics, Mr. Lord.

  "Then I will kill you here and now and take it for myself," said Loki. The pleasant tone in which he spoke did nothing to hide the underlying threat. "And your friends watching the cafe? Well, they wouldn't be able to get here fast enough. I can leave here at will, and I will be gone within the blink of an eye. You will understand better once your fam
ily explains the method of their escape. An escape from a hotel room thirty-seven floors up that was not supposed to be possible."

  Loki seemed hesitant to bolster his claim with a boast of who or what he was. He had no need for secrecy. Most people would never tell someone they'd been rescued from a high-rise apartment by an angel and a dragon. Nor would they go around telling all and sundry that they'd seen a man disappear right in front of them. But perhaps he was being careful. I certainly would, since multiple claims of strange beings might hold more weight than one claim. And the coffee shop sounded busy to my ears, despite the background buzz of the transmission.

  "So where is my property?" asked Loki, maintaining the pleasant voice, which I had no doubt matched an equally pleasant smile.

  "Give him the virus," came Iain's voice, low and calm.

  A rustling, scraping sound filtered over the transmitter.

  "He's sliding a small metal briefcase across the table," came the update.

  "Thank you, McClellan. I can't say it was a pleasure doing business with you because naturally, your family's escape has been a bit of a concern to me. But nevertheless, this transaction has been completed to a certain level of satisfaction." Something clinked and then the sound of something moving over wood burst over the transmission.

  "He's passing his briefcase across the floor. Probably the money," the agent reported.

  A moment of silence passed. Then Loki said, "Aren't you going to count it?"

  I could picture McClellan shaking his head.

  "So now you trust me?" asked Loki.

  "I could never trust a man like you," said McClellan, spitting out the words, fear, disgust, loathing, and anger clear in his tone.

  "Ah, but I am not a man. Ask Brynhildr. She'll tell you." Then Loki gave a short, harsh bark of laughter. "Won't you, Bryn?" he said, his voice now low and conspiratorial, as if he knew I was listening. The hairs on my arms rose as I waited for the next words.

  But they never came.

  A chair scraped at the same time as the agent said, "He's getting up. Should I take the shot?" The agent sounded cocky and far too sure of himself.

  "Negative," said Iain, sounding a little annoyed. "Whatever you try, you'll just scratch him. He's a god, for God's sake." All Iain's frustrations seemed to have been imbued in his words, and I could tell he hated to let Loki go as much as I did.

  But McClellan's choice of a cafe meant it was too public a place to initiate any kind of one-on-one combat with the god. Besides, what means did we have of subduing him or capturing him besides an all-out battle? I still had the water the Norns gave me, but I didn't know how it worked. The last time I'd used it, I didn't exactly stick around to find out what effect it had on the Trickster.

  Now it was over. Loki was gone.

  We'd been so close. I gritted my teeth, furious. "We lost him."

  "Not exactly," said Joshua with a sly grin. When I raised an eyebrow in question, he said, "We inserted a tracking device in the handle of the box containing the virus."

  "All that means is we can track him. That's good, but what about the virus? He's now in possession of a deadly sickness. One he can use to hold humanity to ransom or to destroy our world as we know it." I felt hope drain out of me just as fatigue took over.

  Joshua glanced at Aimee, the smile on his face telling me there was more. "You should know the good scientist wanted to ensure the virus couldn't be used to kill a lot of people in one go. Apparently, he was unable to destabilize the virus enough so it wouldn't make a person sick. But what he did do was ensure it could not survive in the air. Now it can only be transmitted through bodily fluid, and even then, blood will be the most effective transmission method."

  I raised my eyebrows, impressed at the resourcefulness of McClellan. "So even if Loki uses the bomb to deliver the virus, the chances of anyone being affected is low. No epidemic, no mass sickness," I said. "That's one smart man."

  "And one very grateful man," said Iain as he walked into the room. "He said to pass his deepest gratitude to you."

  "Why me? We all worked this mission together."

  "He remembers you from the ball. He believes without you, none of this could have happened. He has no idea how right he is."

  I shook my head, not liking the idea of being held fully responsible for our success. "Look, everyone who participated, Joshua, Siri, Edrik, and not to mention Derek, are all responsible for the success of this mission. And I won't have anyone saying otherwise."

  Iain chuckled. "Yes, sir." Then he looked at Joshua and Aimee. "I see what you mean about your Bryn."

  I glared at the two of them, but they remained unaffected. Then I turned my attention back to Iain. "So is he with his family yet?"

  "Not yet." Then he glanced at his watch. "He should be with them in the next half hour, though. I instructed our agents to take him directly to his family. We will have agents stationed at their homes, schools, and workplaces for the next few months, just to be sure they are safe."

  I pursed my lips, then shook my head. "I don't think that would be necessary. The only time Loki would return to seek McClellan out is if he discovers he tinkered with the virus."

  "And our plan is to ensure that never happens," said Joshua.

  I agreed. The best way to ensure McClellan and his family were safe was to destroy the virus before Loki used it.

  I sat back against my pillows, my mind whirling with possibilities. Then I shifted to look at Iain. "Is he on the move yet?" I asked.

  Iain nodded, knowing immediately whom I referred to. "He took a car straight to the airport."

  I frowned. "Why is he sticking to Midgard transport?"

  "You mean not using the Bifrost?" asked Aimee, frowning and now thinking about it herself.

  "Yes. Unless he thinks it would be dangerous traveling on the bridge of the gods with a hazardous virus," I said almost to myself. "I wonder if a virus designed to affect the human biological system would make an Asgardian sick?"

  Iain's forehead scrunched up. "That would be a question for ... Well, I have no clue who we would ask. Humans and Asgardians have very similar physiology. And genetically speaking, we should be compatible."

  I laughed softly. "Yeah, I believe I am living proof of that fact." Everyone else laughed too. "I think we proceed with caution, as if the virus will affect people of the realms too. It's the safest course of action right now."

  "Very well, then." Iain already looked like his mind was miles away. "Let me be on my way. I shall gather the troops and give them an update. And we will keep an eye on Loki's movements."

  "Let me know as soon as he lands. I want to know where he is almost before Loki does."

  Joshua frowned as he studied me over his shoulder. "But, Bryn, I'm not sure you'll be up to a full-on mission in your condition."

  I shook my head. "I've been injured worse before and had to endure more, mission-wise too. I can handle it," I assured him firmly. I didn't want to head into an argument with Joshua. Not now and not in front of Iain. We were still a team.

  Joshua raised his hands in submission. "Okay, as long as you're sure. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself so badly that you can't join us for future missions," he said, ensuring he had the last laugh.

  I let him have it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  It didn't take long for Iain to locate Loki. He'd boarded a private plane to St. Petersburg in Russia. Although we were all surprised by his choice of country in which to hide, we also agreed that nobody really ever knew what was going on in the Trickster's head.

  And for that matter, neither did anyone know about my recent run-in with Loki, Grand Canyon style. I didn't feel like talking about it, neither did I want to worry anyone with that information, especially when I knew whoever I confided in would nag me to death about it.

  We spent the evening resting and cleaning or sharpening weapons as was necessary. I made a tally of my weapons. I'd lost two daggers to the frost giant at the Shard, so I was down two weapons.
My bottle of anti-Loki Norn water, now plastic instead of fragile glass, was safe and sound. I was staring at my sword when Iain walked past me on his way to his office.

  "Is something the matter, Bryn?" he asked, his brows knitting.

  I twisted my lips. "I'm running low on weapons. I left two embedded in a certain frost giant. I usually never go anywhere without additional weapons."

  "Well, that is certainly a weapon to admire," he commented, jerking his chin at the sword. It had once, long ago, belonged to the legendary Brunhilde, warrior princess, daughter of Odin. And apparently she was me. Still hard to get my head around.

  I snorted. "It's a weapon to fight with. Not one to throw at an attacker. And definitely not something to attack with from a good distance. I really think I should have brought more daggers with me." Right now, I wanted the three-sided Jotunn dagger. I'd have to ask Joshua, though, so I made a mental note.

  Ian cleared his throat. "Well, my dear, I have just the thing for you. Follow me," he said, walking down the row of cubicles to a door at the opposite end of the room. He pressed a small switch in the wall and a white panel opened to reveal an outline of a handprint. He placed his palm within the outline and waited as a light scanned from below.

  The panel beeped. Then the door began to slide open to reveal a room about thirty square feet in size. The walls were lined with cages that were filled top to bottom with shelves and racks and hooks bearing every kind of weapon known to Midgard and Asgard.

  I gasped. "Holy wow. I would never have guessed this was here," I said as I entered the room, feeling almost as if I needed to tiptoe.

  "There are swords and daggers. Take whatever you need." Then he studied me over the top of his glasses. "Might I suggest you take advantage of the array of handguns? Perhaps a gun would be a suitable weapon since you want one to use from a distance."

  I agreed, thinking perhaps he might be right. Maybe it was time I kept a gun at my hip. But I didn't have much practice with them. I decided to take two anyway. I was studying a Glock, turning the black weapon over in my hand, when I heard voices at my back. My team entered the room behind me, murmuring at the array of weapons, their eyes scanning the room from floor to ceiling and then back again.