Yet, I knew I was capable of loving Tyler. Perhaps that’s why I’d left him, only to fall into the arms of another.
“You’re doing it again,” Will complained.
I flinched under the sharp edge of his tone. “No I’m not.” I turned, easing myself onto the dock and drifted my toes across the cool water.
Will sat with me and crossed his legs. He didn’t much care for the lake, not that I could blame him. “It’s not fair that you look at me like I’m some kind of stranger.” He locked me in that magnetizing gaze. “I don’t have anyone else to tell me it’s going to be okay. You have to do that for me. When you don’t, I feel like I’m falling.”
I knew I shouldn’t touch him, but my hand was already on his, squeezing his fingers. “I’ll never let you fall,” I said. “I’m a Valkyrie, remember? I can fly and catch you no matter where you are.”
He smiled and just for a moment, I felt like I was allowed to be happy.
The moment was short lived. Just when I was starting to let go of all my seemingly irrational fears, bubbles formed under my feet and the temperature of the water plummeted. Ice spidered around the bank and I yanked myself free of the lake before the water’s surface crusted over.
We’d had an uneventful couple of weeks, just long enough to absorb everything that had happened. We were due for something supernatural to break the calm. Whatever had been watching us decided it was time to reveal itself…
My breath puffed clouds in front of my face and a sheet of ice broke over the lake, only the center remaining unfrozen as bubbles violently raged from the underwater storm.
I locked my jaw and took Will’s hand, ready to face whatever deity had decided to call on us now.
Will sucked in a breath when a form rose from the waters… his mother.
I snarled, because if Will was in danger of becoming something I didn’t recognize, his mother had become something far worse. “Stay back!” I warned.
“Mom?” Will asked, oblivious to the horror that had just risen from the lake. He pushed me aside, his brute strength toppling me over as if I were nothing.
The woman had him in her trap. Shadows wrapped around her like a corpse covered in dark velvet. The waters had rotted her flesh. I could spot the milky bones beneath her skin, but she pushed a mirage to make herself appear more human. She’s the one that had taken all the dark magic I’d sensed and left only slivers behind. She’d been at the bottom of the lake feasting on the lingering essence of the Norn. It was a miracle she hadn’t devoured the bodies we’d tossed in.
Two silver eyes gleamed underneath a mask of darkness and she’d kept her sweet “Mrs. Johnson” smile. She used it to full effect, forcing the shadows to part as she opened her arms. She drifted to us and kept Will locked in her gaze. “Son,” she whispered as her lips stretched into a grin. Her words shouldn’t have been audible, but the hiss of sound bounced off of the frozen lake and shoved into my brain. A familiar cold clawed into my chest.
“She’s a Norn!” I cried, but Will was past listening.
“I saw an opportunity,” she admitted, “but I am no Norn. I was already close to becoming an Immortal without their help.” She grinned. “Will’s father had been a fruitful experiment. When you killed the Norn, you gave me the last push I needed to unlock immortality.”
Will flinched, but didn’t move.
“I come to you with an offer,” she purred, talking to Will. Her gaze flicked to me ever briefly, locking me in an icy prison of fear. “Your Valkyrie might yet live, if you cooperate with my master.”
Will’s fingers twitched again. This wasn’t the first time an Immortal tried messing with his mind. The Norn’s curse had wiped his memories, and then I’d tried to push him away as well. That was nothing compared to the bloodlust of the Valiant he’d found himself in when I’d broken the Norn’s curse, resulting in Sam’s death. Now, his mother was trying to control him, but Will snarled and twisted free, ripping the shadows off his face that clawed around his eyes. “Who is this creature making you do such terrible things? Tell me. I’ll rip him apart and set you free.”
She frowned that he’d so easily purged himself of her newfound powers, but pride hinted at the edges of her gaze. “Baldr.” The name resonated through me like a bad omen. “He’s made a bid against Freya and Odin.” Her shadows screeched at the names as if enraged. “It’s time to choose a side.” She extended a hand. “Baldr could do great things with a Valiant.”
“Don’t listen to her!” I begged and gripped Will’s arm. “Snap out of it!”
I would have thought my words ineffective except for the hairline fracture of gold that split across his skin. The icy bite in the air hissed as warmth emanated from Will, the scalding heat of his body sending me reeling back with a yelp. Will turned on his mother and growled as the shadows screeched and wilted before turning to ash. “You sacrificed me,” he snarled, his words taut with accusation and hurt. “But that wasn’t enough for you. You had to take my life, again and again, as well as Dad’s. And now that I might be useful to you, you ask me to join your side?” He scoffed. “When I ascended, I gained knowledge of a world I can’t even begin to understand.” He straightened. “That night, a part of me died, just like you wanted.” He flicked his wrist and a golden sword thrust into his grip, steaming against the cool air. “Get out of here before I send you back into the lake to join my father.”
His mother frowned and glanced at the sword. “You’re coming into your gifts quickly, my son.” She glowered at me, seeming to need someone to blame. “The Valkyrie clouds your judgment. When she betrays you, I’ll be here, ready to welcome you back.” She eased into the water. “Blood is stronger than ash.”
Old Flames
After Will and I were absolutely sure his mother wasn’t going to make another appearance, we made ourselves go inside and lock the doors—not that a couple of locks would keep out whatever Will’s mother had become, but it made me feel better.
Will sighed and went to the kitchen to start up our evening meal of ramen. When we’d finally raided the pantry, we’d found Tyler’s version of preparing for the end of the world. He’d stored away enough junk food to feed a fraternity for years, and I was growing sick of starch and salt. I just didn’t know what else to do. Even though the police had found our bodies, it didn’t mean I could just waltz into town. The lake house was the only place where we could hide from the humans. Now, though, I almost wished that we’d been found. At least we could have a decent meal.
Just when Will handed me my bowl and I forked a mouthful of ramen into my face, Tyler decided to finally make his appearance. His return to humanity was just as glorious as his departure had been; sudden and not without a sarcastic comment.
“Honeymoon over!” he said far too cheerfully as he sauntered into the room with a glowing sword balanced on his shoulder. He scrutinized my dinner before smirking. “Romantic.”
I sent my bowl clattering to the table and jabbed a finger in his face. “Where have you been? You can’t just abandon us like that. We’ve been sitting around just waiting to get attacked or worse.”
Will’s hand rested on my shoulder and once again, it felt like he was the one comforting me. I hadn’t just lost my mother and turned into a new species.
Tyler narrowed his gaze and light glimmered through the crystal of his Immortal eyes. After a few weeks of adjusting to Will’s appearance, Tyler didn’t catch me off guard as much as he would have otherwise. “While you’ve been here…” He waved to Will, “canoodling with your toy and noodles,” he jabbed a thumb at his chest, “I’ve been negotiating with Odin and Freya for your lives.” At my blank stare, he added, “You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t ask you to do that,” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “And I don’t believe for a second that you’ve been gone just playing the hero.” I leaned in. “I think that there’s something in this for you. I think that you came for Will. You are my father’s soldier, after all.”
; It was brief, but Tyler lost control of his powers long enough for brilliant rays of light to shine through his skin and eyes. I shielded my gaze, not expecting that kind of power to be contained inside of him. “Can you turn down the lights?” I complained.
He shuddered and composed himself, the brilliance dimming enough that I wasn’t going to get a splitting headache just trying to have a conversation with him.
Will cupped my elbow and led me to the couch, giving me a wink. “Let me handle this,” he whispered, then faced Tyler and gave him a big smile followed by a bear hug. Tyler staggered under the unexpected embrace. “So you’re back,” Will said. “Val’s just sensitive. You did leave for a while, but why don’t you tell us what you’ve been up to?” Will made himself comfortable on the iron chair adjacent to the couch and leisurely rested a hand on my knee. Tyler tensed at the blatant display that Will believed I belonged to him. I shivered, not sure if I liked this possessive side of him.
Tyler eased onto the adjacent sofa and teetered on the edge, looking more uncomfortable than if he’d just remained standing. “I’m not going to lie to you,” Tyler said to me, as if Will didn’t even exist. “Your father sent me for the mortal. He knew that Will’s death would crush you, so he tasked me with making sure Will ascended.” His jaw flexed. “Why do you think he’d send me, hmm? Out of anyone an Immortal like Odin could have chosen?”
I stopped and tried to think of how many soldiers my father had acquired over the millennia of humanity. For every mortal that was assigned to a Valkyrie, only a small percentage of the humans trapped in a Norn’s curse survived. Kill or be killed didn’t seem to be the mentality for a long line of the galaxy’s do-gooders, but maybe that’s why Tyler had a point. The Valiant were ruthless, but Tyler and I had a bond. He wouldn’t do anything that’d hurt me.
I glanced at Will. His fingers clenched hard around my thigh. “It’s because you care for her,” he said.
I fumbled for my necklace. Even though my mother tormented me through it, I had nothing else to anchor me when my feet felt like they were getting swept out from under me. Two Immortals were sitting here, trying to tell me who cared about me the most.
Tyler gave Will a nod of approval. “That’s right. I damn well care for Aerie. If Odin says she’s going to be sent to the pits of Muspelheim if I don’t help some mortal ascend, then guess what? I’ll rip out the eyes of a hundred Norn if I have to make that happen.”
I flinched. “That eye we found at the bottom of the lake…”
He lifted his chin. “That’s right. I’d already stolen it from the Norn. Problem is I needed you to have it without knowing it was me.”
If Will hadn’t been holding me down, I would have launched to my feet. “I could have drowned in that lake! Do you know how many times I had to dive for that thing?”
Tyler leaned back in the sofa and folded his arms over his chest. “I do what I have to do, Aerie. Just like I’m not the begging type, but I went and begged your mother to let you off the hook.” He glowered at Will’s hand still on my leg. “You two are clearly on your way to breaking the first law of the Valkyrie again. Freya would be within her rights to enact punishment. She’s been too lenient already.”
I growled. “She wants to wipe my memories again? Go on. Let her try. I’ll just get stronger and eventually that stupid spear of hers won’t have any effect on me.”
Instead of a rebuke, Tyler smirked. “Such rebellion. It’s almost like you’re a real teenager.”
Will must have heard enough. He pulled me onto his lap and enveloped me in his warmth. Pressing a kiss to my hair, he whispered, “It’s all right, Val. He’s just trying to get under your skin.”
“It’s working,” I hissed.
“I get it,” Tyler snapped. “You two are a thing now. That’s what I’m trying to warn you about.”
I squirmed off Will’s lap. Will got up and Tyler jumped to his feet, quick to rise to any challenge Will might offer. “I think you’ve upset her enough for one evening,” Will snarled.
“Why don’t you and I talk alone?”
“No way,” I shouted and latched onto Tyler’s arm. “He’s not leaving my sight.”
Tyler bristled. “I didn’t intend to stay long. I’ve come to collect Will and then you can do whatever you like. Go take a vacation. Whatever.”
That statement sent stars sprinkling behind my eyes. The hell he’d come to “collect” Will.
“What happens if I don’t go with you?” Will asked.
Tyler straightened and his fingers curled into fists as if he wanted to knock Will out and just get it all over with. “You’re an Immortal now. You can’t just pretend like you don’t owe anyone for that gift. Odin is the one who made you and Odin is the one you answer to. If you don’t come with me, breaking the first law of the Valkyrie will be the least of your problems.” His gaze found mine, making my stomach churn with the raw emotion that stormed in his eyes. “Breaking the second law comes with a much harsher punishment.”
“You’ll have to forgive me,” Will snapped, shoving himself between Tyler and me. “I’m not familiar with the laws of the Valkyrie, or anything else about this Immortal business. You see, no one’s been around to teach us. My girlfriend here had all her memories wiped, if you forgot. So please forgive us if we don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
Tyler snarled. “You think this is a game? Breaking the second law of the Valkyrie means defying the gods. Even questioning them calls for the punishment of death or exile.” He tilted his head and I didn’t like the dangerous edge to his voice. “Remember Elaina? Haven’t seen her around, have you? That’s because her exile to earth comes with the torment of Michael’s rebirth over and over again. She follows him into his own madness every life he lives. The only reason she’s not dead for her blatant rebellion is because this life was deemed a worse fate.”
I sucked in a breath. I’d assumed that Elaina had gone looking for Michael’s new birth family. She said that she would be drawn to him and would find him again. Yet, I couldn’t deny what Tyler was saying. Elaina suffered deeper than anyone I’d ever known.
“So, what are you saying?” I asked, my teeth chattering with fear and rage. “If Will doesn’t go with you, you’ll kill us both? I find that hard to believe. After everything we’ve been through, you must have something else up your sleeve.” The Tyler I knew wouldn’t destroy me like this. He was stalling because he wanted something. I just had to figure out what it was.
Tyler ran his fingers through the silky strands of his hair. I hadn’t seen the gauntlets before, but the more I angered him, the more his golden armor layered over his skin and solidified. The leathers stretched as he flexed his fists. He looked as if he’d launch at me at any moment and rip Will and me apart. I squeezed Will’s hand.
As if in response to my apprehension, Will gazed down at me and everything I needed to know rested in his eyes. I’d been beating myself up the entire time we’d been trapped at the lake. I hadn’t been able to forgive myself for all the terrible things that had happened. But somewhere along the way, Will had filled an empty place in my soul. The way he looked at me now said that I did the same for him. We couldn’t be parted. There was no argument about that.
“We stick together,” Will said, echoing my thoughts. He faced Tyler. “You’re just going to have to go back and bargain some more. Say we fought you, and that if Odin wants me, he’ll have to accept his daughter coming along as well.” His fingers squeezed mine. “That shouldn’t be such a big deal, right? Freya can survive without one of her Valkyries for a little while.”
“You don’t understand how this works,” Tyler said through gritted teeth. “Your circumstances are unique. You shouldn’t even have the mental capacity to argue with me right now. Odin owns you. It’s only because of Aerie that you have any capability of thinking for yourself.” He flicked his wrist and his sword appeared. Golden dust drifted from the dangerous edge of the blade. “If you choose to be stubbo
rn about this, I’ll rescind that benefit myself.”
Tyler had just revealed something that he shouldn’t have. I reeled Will behind me before that golden dust could get anywhere near him. Will hadn’t been the only one getting in-tune with their Immortal side. Flames ignited in my soul and I called forth my own weapon, a Valkyrie spear that sang in the air and stopped inches away from Tyler’s throat. “You’ll do no such thing,” I said.
Tyler didn’t seem like he had any inclination of standing down. The smirk that sprang across his face at my challenge only served to enrage me more.
Luckily, a knock sounded at the door, breaking the building tension.
Jules in her full Huldra glory stood with blooms budding in her hair and vines winding around her head like a crown. She smiled as if none of us had blades at each other’s necks. “Well, hello. Are you having a reunion without me?”
When I found my voice, I asked Jules where the hell she’d been. She was one of the few Immortals who could have helped us. She still passed as human and no one was looking for her. Thanks to my mother, everyone had forgotten that she existed at all. It was unfortunate, but that meant that she could have freely walked around town and gotten us waffles and sandwiches. My mouth watered just thinking about the possibilities.
Jules ignored me and drifted to Tyler. She caressed his face as if he were a breakable porcelain sculpture. “I can’t believe I missed it,” she whispered as her eyes glittered with wonder. “All this time, I thought that it was Will’s sorrow that awakened me… but it was yours, wasn’t it?” Tyler stiffened, but didn’t flinch away as Jules continued to brush away the golden strands of his hair. I frowned because she was no longer Will’s overprotective cousin. She seemed softer, more ethereal. “It was your heart I felt breaking,” she continued, her words smooth and relaxing. “It was you I’d been drawn to all this time, but then I got so caught up with Will and the Valkyries, I didn’t even notice that it was you I was meant to heal all this time. I’m so sorry.”
Valkyrie Rebellion: Valkyrie Allegiance Book 2 Page 3