Jules was definitely different. Her hips swayed when she moved, making her look like a graceful dancer. The living blooms in her hair were a part of her, opening and breathing. She seemed sensual and divine. She was a Huldra, and this was definitely what I’d imagined a forest nymph to look like. When she’d tried to help Will, she’d turned into what he’d needed. His own mother had turned against him, whether he’d avidly known it or not. Jules had filled that motherly, protective void for him.
But now… she was filling a void in Tyler’s heart—and it was a seductive one.
Tyler glanced at me when he spoke. “Yes, it was my pain that awakened you.” The admission made my eyes go wide. He finally shrugged her away as if he gained confidence with his words. “I was glad you misplaced my pain for Will’s. He needed you more than I did. Plus, it kept Will’s mother distracted and…” he smirked, “for a time, kept a particular Valkyrie from getting into the mortal’s pants.”
“I’m not in anybody’s pants,” I snapped. Will and I had something special, but we hadn’t taken that physical step. To do that, I had to allow Will completely into my heart. I couldn’t do that to him. No matter my feelings, my world would destroy him. I’d already broken him, turned him into something he wasn’t supposed to be. Now Odin called him to battle on the frontlines—not quite the future I imagined for someone I loved. I wanted him to find a way to be mortal, or at least to feel mortal, and live the life that I had taken from him. I wanted him to be happy, and I had no doubt my world would make him miserable.
Tyler gave me a raised brow. “Seriously? Three weeks alone in a lake house with nothing to do and you guys aren’t doing it?” He smirked, clearly amused, but I sensed the layer of relief that fell from his shoulders like a cloak. “What’s wrong, Will? You scared of Valkyries?”
“This has nothing to do with you,” I reminded him. This was about Will and me. Tyler and I had been close in another life, and perhaps I’d loved him once. But I was different now. Even if I still sensed a connection that lingered between us, Will had every right to claim me. Even if I couldn’t be with him, he’d taken my heart anyway.
“It has everything to do with me,” Tyler hissed.
Anger spurred inside of me and I wanted to blame Tyler for everything, but I couldn’t use him like that.
Tyler grabbed my arm and tugged me away from Will, leaning in close until the heat of his skin burned against mine. He whispered, “You can use me all you like.”
My eyes went wide. Some Valkyries had the ability to read minds… since when could Tyler snatch my thoughts out of the air like that?
Unsettled, I jerked away. Jules pouted, not needing to read minds to understand what Tyler might have said to me. “Jules,” I said, directing my attention to the Huldra, “you said that it was Tyler’s sorrow that awakened you?” That was an important fact that I didn’t want to miss. Tyler was just trying to distract me with revealing he could read my thoughts—or he’d just been a really good guesser. The fact was, it took immense grief to awaken a spirit of nature like the Huldra and give her a mortal body. Her mission would be to resolve that pain and bring peace to her forest again. I could have understood Will’s grief when he’d lost his father and putting that kind of emotion into the forest. But if it’d been Tyler… something big had happened. Something that would have been wiped from my memories like everything else.
Jules batted her eyelashes at Tyler, clearly enraptured with him even though she’d never noticed him before Will’s ascension. “I can’t remember what sorrow awakened me, only that enough pain filled my trees and roots to give me flesh. I am a Huldra. I am called to mend broken hearts.” Tiny vines twirled intricate patterns along the shifting crown atop her head. Her voice lowered with ominous wonder. “That sorrow feeds me even now.”
I didn’t want to consider what that might mean. If I felt a connection to both Will and Tyler, was I fooling myself into believing that Will was the one I was meant to be with? What if my memories of Tyler were just as lacking and we’d had something more? What if Tyler suffered even now, having to see Will and me together?
Deciding to focus on the present, I counted the broken pieces of my heart like currency. Each shard that cut me was the harsh pain of love that I felt for Will. Even if I’d had something with Tyler, that past was gone along with my memories. If they resurfaced, I’d deal with it then, but for now, Will was my primary concern. Tyler wasn’t here as a scorned lover. He was here to take Will away from me and there was no way I was going to allow that to happen.
“You were gone a while,” I pointed out to Tyler. “You claim you were negotiating for our lives. So tell me, why does my father need Will so badly? If you can explain what he needs, perhaps there’s something else we can offer.” We’d already exchanged Will’s soul for the power of the Norn. I didn’t imagine it would be easy, but if Odin held claim over Will, perhaps there was something else we could exchange in return.
Jules’ eyes went wide. “Odin is your father? That’s impossible.”
Tyler waved her away before leaning close to me and addressing me with a chiding tone. “I wouldn’t go spouting around that you’re Odin’s daughter. Freya and Odin procreating breaks a whole new set of rules. History is still playing itself out for the punishment of that venture.” He pinched my chin and electricity zinged through me at his touch. Had Tyler always affected me this way? “Don’t be selfish,” he said. “This isn’t about you. Baldr has done more than taken Asgard for himself. He’s coming after the Immortals that have been exiled, which means your parents. He knows that Odin and Freya have been building their armies and he wants to nip that problem in the bud.” I shivered and he released me with a frown. “Baldr has already targeted Muspelheim,” he continued. “Odin is keeping him at bay, but he needs more capable soldiers on the frontlines.”
Tyler glanced at Will, who no doubt looked the part with his glowing skin and armored leathers that appeared without his conscious effort. His fingers twitched and I knew he was resisting the urge to summon his sword which would only enforce Tyler’s proposal that he join in on the violence.
“Do you know why this sounds like a war that isn’t mine to fight?” Will asked, his voice a deep rumbling growl that made me proud. “You just said a whole lot of names I’ve never heard of before. Baldr? Asgard? Muspelheim? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m from Earth. Why should I care about places I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met?”
Tyler hissed, his temper loosening as light flared across his skin like lightning. “Do you think you ascended by the will of your own strength? It is Odin who gave you this body when you should have died and your soul dissipated into the cosmos. You have magic that doesn’t belong to you—it belongs to Odin. Without proper guidance, it’ll consume you, but it doesn’t have to.” He extended a hand. “Come with me and let me teach you. We absorb the Norn’s darkness to create a balance Odin’s blistering light of Immortality.” He glanced at me. “She can’t help you do that. Only I can.”
I wobbled on my feet. Didn’t Tyler know there was darkness inside of me? Maybe he did, and he knew that I could never let it free.
“I’ve seen what darkness does,” Will countered. “My mother succumbed to it. If that’s how I’m supposed to survive, then I choose death.”
I whirled to face him. “What?” I couldn’t imagine him choosing any route that would destroy everything I’ve been trying to prevent. Will was supposed to live.
“Stop being stubborn,” Tyler said and flexed his open fingers. “Come with me and be grateful I’m willing to help you.”
“Grateful?” I spat and slapped his hand away. “It’s because of Immortals like us that any of this happened in the first place. If you think I care about Muspelheim, you’re wrong. Freya took that away when she took my memories.”
Tyler appraised me with the authority of one of Odin’s top lieutenants. “You don’t need to care. If Baldr gets his way, it’s only a matter of time before he d
escends upon the outer territories such as Earth.” He took a step closer so that I could feel the heat of his magic that fueled an Immortal body that had seen far too much hardship. “Freya needs her Frigg daughters—all of them. You have control over space and time. With your help, Freya could move Muspelheim somewhere Baldr will never find it. With the Valkyrie stronghold safe, he couldn’t complete his conquest and your precious Earth would stay safe.” His finger traced over my locket, sending a hum of power through my body that responded to his magic. “You’re the strongest Frigg, Aerie. Sam was the second, but now she’s gone and your mother needs you more than she will ever admit. The least you could do is take Sam’s place and be by your mother’s side to see this thing through.” He stepped away from me and raised his chin at Will. “And you, newborn Valiant, need to learn, and fast. Baldr has a terrifying army that is infiltrating exiled ships and planets as we speak. We need to fight him off. If we can keep Baldr’s forces distracted and away from Muspelheim, then Freya might have enough time to move her people into hiding.” His light dimmed. “However, if Baldr defeats Freya, he will take the core of her power and no one can stand in his way then. The universe will be brought to its knees.”
Tyler was trying to paint a picture that would make us buckle out of fear. My fingers curled into fists, not appreciating the tactic. “I very much doubt I will make the difference in relocating an entire planet. My mother is a goddess, right? She can do that without me. And Odin, well, he doesn’t need another Valiant. He has plenty of soldiers from the sound of it.” I took Will’s hand and squeezed, standing with him in a united front. “Will’s right. You’re telling us about a war that doesn’t concern us. When and if Baldr ever comes after Earth, then I will fight him, but I’m not going to fight someone else’s war. My mother wiped my memories, and that was her choice. My father wants to use me and those I care about, and I don’t mean to let him take advantage of us. If Will and I join this fight, untrained and conflicted as we are, we will die. I’m not going to be a martyr for an Immortal’s cause.”
Rage glowed through Tyler with fresh brilliance as if he were about to go supernova. “I can’t believe you,” he spat. “After everything I’ve done to keep you alive and keep your mind in one piece, you decide to be stupid and stubborn. If you defy the gods, they’ll come after you and I won’t be able to protect you anymore.”
“It sounds like they have enough things to worry about,” I countered. “If they have time and energy to come after me, then things aren’t as dire as you say.” I straightened. “I’m calling your bluff, Tyler. You can either help us, or you can fight us. Your call.”
Training
I watched Tyler from the window as he sat hunched over at the dock with his back to me. Looking out over the stillness of the lake betrayed the grief that ran rampant in this place. So much had been lost here. Tyler held some deep-seated grief that I couldn’t even begin to understand.
Jules flitted around him like a firefly. With him going off-world, she’d reverted to her supernatural form. Now that he was back, mortality crept over her like a shadow. She’d lost her flower crown, so that was a start. But as she giggled behind her hand, I solidified my theory that her personality morphed to change the role she needed to play to ease her target’s pain. Apparently Tyler needed a blonde dimwit who fawned over him.
Tyler ignored her and even from where I stood, I could sense his conflicted heart. He was doing his best and my heart panged for him, but it didn’t matter, I had to stand my ground.
“You did the right thing,” Will said, echoing my thoughts. I turned and curled into the warmth of his chest. His arms wrapped around me as if out of instinct. His throaty tone settled into my core and assured me that Tyler’s suffering was necessary. “He’ll just have to tell Odin I’m not going to help him,” Will said. “I belong at your side, and you belong at mine.”
My eyes stinging, I pulled away. “How can you say that?” I asked, my voice cracking with emotion. “After everything I’ve done to you, you should hate me.”
He gave me a weary smile. “My mother is the one who got me into this world, remember? Not you. If anything, you’re my guardian angel.” His fingers trailed down my spine. “You have wings in there, somewhere. I’ve seen them.”
I smirked. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m a Valkyrie, warrior bender of time and destructor of souls.”
He swept me off my feet, his strength surprising me and I squeaked. He carried me away from the window—away from Tyler—and into my bedroom. My insides curled with anticipation. I’d held myself away from him for so long, but he was being stubborn. He wanted me to accept that we belonged together. What held me back was knowing there were memories that would eventually resurface. What if I remembered something terrible? What if I’d broken the first law of the Valkyrie not with Will… but with Tyler?
Will settled me onto the sheets and pulled away, his touch chaste but his eyes swarming with desire. “I’m not going to push you into anything you don’t want to do,” he assured me. He smirked. “Actually, I’m afraid of hurting you. This body is even a bit much for me to handle.” He flexed and if he’d been a jock, I would have rolled my eyes. But he was Will and the muscles that rippled over him were made for a warrior—muscles that only a Valkyrie could handle.
My gaze fell over his majestic form. His strong arms, his Immortal leathers fitting to a defined ribcage, but then I noticed the glow at his fingers. It betrayed an ebbing light that was the spirit of his sword threatening to spring forth, and even now Will had trouble controlling it. He flinched away when he followed my gaze. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I’m being stupid. I’m dangerous to you right now.”
Tyler was right about one thing. Will was growing into his powers and without training, they could consume him.
Will sighed and retreated to the doorway, leaning on the wood and ignoring the scrawling smoke marks that drifted from his heat as he damaged the frame by just existing. “I’m going to go talk to him.” The corner of his lips lifted in a smirk. “You know, Valiant-to-Valiant. Maybe I can see if there’s some compromise we can come to.”
My fingers curled into the softness of the sheets. I wanted to keep Will far away from Tyler, but I had to trust him. This was Will’s life and I couldn’t stand over him like the oppressive force my mother was to me. His gaze said that he needed to do this alone.
I found the strength to nod in agreement. “Fine, but if I wake up in the morning and find this house empty, I’ll scour the universe to find you. Don’t you let Tyler take you away. This is not your war to fight.”
He laughed. “I promise I’m not going anywhere.” He eased the door closed, leaving a crack as he peered through. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I might trust Will, but if he thought I was going to allow him to talk to Tyler alone, he was insane.
I climbed through the window and eased around the corner of the house, peering until I spotted Will and Tyler sitting at the dock together as if they were just two dudes about to go fishing. It would have looked normal had they both not been glowing with Odin’s unnatural power, their bodies garbed in golden leathers and swords steaming on the cracked wood, ready to be picked up at moment’s notice.
I bit my lip as I strained against the glare to watch them. It seemed that Will had been holding his nature in. My chest stung as I realized that Will was having to control his new powers around me. With Tyler, he could just be himself—an Immortal that glowed with the power of the sun. He burned with such pure, unadulterated brilliance. If I didn’t find a way to get him his mortality back, he’d be forced to learn to use the darkness like Tyler did to keep Odin’s powers from consuming him. I knew that would break him. He could never embrace the same darkness that had turned his mother into the monster she’d become.
I had to get closer. Their voices drifted over the empty calm of the lake, but even my Valkyrie hearing couldn’t pick up their words. My muscles tensed as I readied myself to hurry to the next tree, t
hen I remembered Jules. Would she give me away if she spotted me?
After a quick scan, I couldn’t find any hint of her. Perhaps Tyler had said something that finally got rid of her, at least for now. The trees creaked and wind curled through the pine needles just like any other night. Autumn had come and gone and now the evergreens towered in all their glory over the stark branches of trees that hibernated in winter. I was grateful for the pines that gave me enough cover to sneak through the brush and get just close enough to make out the words.
“Give me enough time to find out what my mother is up to,” Will said. “If she’s allied with Baldr, then that’s just as much Odin’s problem as anything else. You can help me do my training here and in the meantime, we can keep my mother from doing more harm. She might not have gotten to feed off of my sacrifice, but she took the Norn instead.” His fingers twitched for the blade at his side. “I can’t just leave her here. She’s my responsibility now. I have to stop her from whatever plans she has in mind.”
“I’ll need proof,” Tyler said, his words a growl. “And even if Odin concedes that you be trained here, that doesn’t resolve Freya’s demands. Aerie is her daughter. She wants her back.”
“Then maybe she should have thought of that before she wiped her memories,” Will countered. “And stop calling her Aerie. That’s a girl that Freya destroyed. She’s just Valerie now. She’s just a teenage girl, no matter what she was before. She’s in pain and she blames herself for everything. Freya needs to give her time to heal.” Will gripped the sides of the dock and leaned as if restraining himself from grabbing his blade. “She needs to stay with me. You might be trying to protect her, but you’re only making things worse.”
Valkyrie Rebellion: Valkyrie Allegiance Book 2 Page 4