by Renee Jordan
Love's Choice
(A Valkyrie/Shifter Romance)
The Valkyrie's Passion Book 1
by
Renee Jordan
Copyright © 2015 by Renee Jordan
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Published in the United States of America, 2015
All characters depicted in this work of fiction are over the age of eighteen (18).
Cover Photo © Artgo-biz | curaphotography | Depositphotos.com
Cover Art created by Madison Silver
Naughty Ladies Publications
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Table of Contents
Love's Choice
Sultry Excerpt from “Love's Choice”
Other Steamy Romances
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Hot Preview of “Night's Beauty (The Valkyrie's Passion 0)”
Hot Preview of “Howling Passion (Passion Moon 1)”
Other Romances by Renee Jordan
About Renee Jordan
Sultry Excerpt from “Love's Choice”
We reached the top of the stairs and he threw open the first door we came to, revealing the master bedroom. A cream comforter covered a king-sized bed, the frame made of dark-stained wood, which dominated the center of the room. A matching dresser and makeup table lined the walls besides the louvered doors of a closet.
“Watching you stand with that flaming sword facing the monster was amazing,” he growled, setting me down on my feet. “You were beautiful and powerful. A warrior. My Valkyrie with a sword of fire, burning with all her passion. You were fearless.” He grinned. “You were the Warrior-Queen Boudica facing the Romans unafraid.”
I had no idea who Boudica was, but his words stirred me. His blue eyes shone with passion. “And you were...” I struggled to find a comparison. Jacob, from Twilight? No, that was insulting to this strong man. “I don't know. Amazing. Powerful. Strong. Wonderful, Magnus. You were wonderful.”
His hands grabbed the hem of my wet polo shirt, ripping it off my body. My white bra was also soaked, my breasts bleeding through the material, my nipples dark shadows. His hand slid up my stomach to my breasts, gripping them through the material as he seized my lips in another kiss.
My body quivered. His kisses sent such waves of fire burning through my body. My hands found his hard, rippling stomach. I slid higher, dipping beneath his leather vest to caress his strength. I pushed the vest off as we kissed, my fingers tracing down his arms and back up to his neck. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close.
His fingers were deft. My bra came undone. He had a lot of practice at that.
Magnus pulled my bra off of my shoulders and down my arms. My naked breasts pressed against his chest. My nipples rubbed on his pecs. Wonderful tingles shot down between my thighs. I moaned into his kiss, pressing my body against his muscular strength.
His hands roamed down my body to my wet pants. I kicked off my tennis shoes as he unsnapped my slacks. His strong hands pushed the soaked pants off my hips. They clung to my thighs, not wanting to fall.
In irritation, I broke the kiss and shoved my pants down my thighs and calves. I peeled them off with my wet socks, throwing them across the bedroom. I rose, my breasts swaying. I was naked save for my panties. They were wet, too, and not just from the melted snow.
To find out what happens next, read on!
Other Steamy Romances
Night's Beauty (The Valkyrie's Passion Prologue)
Howling Passion (Passion Moon 1)
Passion's Fire (Passion Moon 2)
Love's Protection (Passion Moon 3)
Feathery Discipline (Curvy Maids 1)
Love's Leash (Curvy Maids 2)
Lacy Bonds (Curvy Maids 3)
Chapter One
The Blind God sobbed over the corpse of his brother, killed by his own hands. Hother had been tricked. The stranger had placed a javelin in his hands, boasting that with it Hother could hit his target even though the god was blind. The weapon shouldn't have hurt Baldur. Nothing could hurt his brother.
And yet the javelin had pierced Baldur's side. The God of Light had stumbled away, crying in pain, and died at the bottom of a ravine. Hother's hand stroked his brother's fair face. Everyone said no man or woman was more beautiful than Baldur. His beauty was so great, all of creation had sworn to do Baldur no harm.
The javelin should not have harmed the dead god.
Baldur's widow, Nanna, wept for the slain god. Hother had always envied Baldur and Nanna's close love. His brother received everything and Hother had to contend with the scraps, but he had never hated his brother. He had never wished him dead.
“I didn't know,” Hother wailed. “It shouldn't have hurt him. How many times have the gods hurled all manner of weapons at my brother only for them to bounce off and leave his skin unmarred?”
“Who gave you the javelin?” Hother's father asked. The One-Eyed God's voice was a deep rumble.
“I know not,” Hother answered, tears rolling down his cheeks from unseeing eyes. “He has to be avenged, Father. The man who tricked me has to pay for this crime.”
Nanna wailed louder, begging for her husband to be returned from Hel's bony clutches.
“He will be,” Odin, the One-Eyed god answered. A pair of crows cawed. “My Valkyrie shall avenge him.”
~ ~ ~
Raven
The waitress still had the knowing smile on her face when she set the cup of coffee before me as I sat in a booth in the small diner. “There you go. Anything else?”
The waitress's brown eyes were curious. She had watched me walk across the street from the seedy motel, my hair mused, wearing a spaghetti-strapped, black cocktail dress wrinkled from last night's activities. My cheeks burned. I wasn't the type of girl that had a one-night stand. I also wasn't very good at the relationship thing. Mine never lasted longer than a few weeks, and despite being twenty-one, I had only been with two guys.
Now, I couldn't say that anymore. Not after last night with Magnus.
“I'm fine,” I told the waitress as I squirmed, trying to forget last night. It had been a mistake.
A wonderful, passionate, exciting, toe-curling mistake. Magnus had put my last two lovers to shame. He knew how to please a woman. A hot itch grew in my panties just remembering the wild ride and passionate love-making I had experienced last night. Part of me wanted to go back across the street and be there when Magnus awoke. My heart sped up as I pictured his piercing blue eyes and dirty-blond hair flowing about his shoulders. He was a big man, muscled not like a body-builder with over-exaggerated bulges, but chiseled like a statue of perfect, masculine strength. He was wild and dangerous, a Viking warrior transplanted into the modern world.
That was the prob
lem. He was a biker. “Stop thinking about him, Raven,” I whispered to myself. “It was a fun fling, but it's time to forget about him.”
I sipped my coffee—it was terrible, the beans burned, but I needed the caffeine—and refused to let my eyes gaze at the Maple Valley Best Western across the road. It was hard. Why did this amazing guy have to be a biker? Why couldn't he have been an accountant?
Because an accountant wouldn't have taken you for that ride last night, Raven.
I sighed, setting down my coffee and pushing back my black hair off my shoulders. I preferred it in a ponytail. My hair could get wild if I didn't keep it tamed. I stretched for a moment, then froze as a grizzled man in faded jeans and a flannel shirt ogled my breasts stretching the front of my low-cut dress.
I stopped stretching and shifted, hunching over, my hands grasping the coffee cup and holding it before me. It wasn't the best shield. I took another sip of the bitter coffee and almost glanced out the window at the motel. I hoped my friend would get here soon.
I forced myself to drink the entire cup. The waitress brought my breakfast, her eyes still curious about my obvious one-night stand. Well, it was none of her business. I gave her a polite smile as my stomach rumbled.
Most young women probably would have ordered the fruit bowl, or maybe oatmeal. But not me. I loved a big plate of sausage, bacon, eggs, and hash browns. My mom used to cock big, hearty breakfasts when I was a kid, her black hair in a tight braid down her back as she sang while cooking. My father would come in from outside, carrying a load of freshly chopped wood for the fire, and I would sit at the table eager for our breakfast.
That was before the bear killed my parents when I was a child.
I dug into my breakfast. Last night had been...exhilarating. I needed my energy back.
“How can you eat so much and still look so skinny, Raven?”
I looked up and grinned at Haleigh walking through the Denny's to my booth. Her red hair was in a loose ponytail. She wore one of her boyfriend's shirts that fell down to her knees, and a pair of old jeans. She yawned as she sat down at the booth.
“Thanks for coming, Haleigh,” I smiled.
“So you had a one-night stand?” Haleigh grinned, her green eyes flashing. “What happened after you left our place last night?”
My cheeks burned, but I could tell Haleigh what happened. She was my best friend. Not too long ago, we were roommates in Seattle, but she fell in love with Kris and moved out to Covington to her boyfriend's house. It was in the middle of nowhere, in the foothills of the Cascades, and an hour's drive—without traffic—back to Seattle. They had a dinner party last night, hence why I was wearing a cocktail dress instead of my usual jeans and a more conservative top.
I took a bite of my eggs before I told her what happened. “It was weird. The fog came rolling in and then...” I hesitated. I hadn't really dwelt on the strange event. A glowing figure had stumbled through my car dressed all in furs. It must have been my imagination. I found no body when I looked. “My car just died. Like...everything. No battery, no charge. Even my cell phone was dead.” I pointed to it lying on the table plugged in and charging.
“Weird,” Haleigh said. “And then did your mysterious lover come to your rescue?” Her smile grew. I knew her thoughts. She was a hopeless romantic. “Was he cute? No, of course he was. You had a one-night stand.”
“He was more than cute,” I said in a breathy sigh. “I don't know why my car died.” Aliens? Had I hallucinated the glowing man? But my car was dead, and so was my cell phone and watch. Something happened last night. “My car died and I rolled onto the shoulder. In the fog I could see this bar, the Bear and Eagle.”
Haleigh gasped. “That's a biker bar. You didn't go in there?”
“I did.” Magnus had warned me off when he first spotted me on the side of the road. “I wanted to use their phone.”
I explained what happened inside the bar. An asshole named Talon had tried to assault me. He wanted to take me upstairs and have his way with me. I was scared. I struggled and fought, but the man was bigger than me.
“That's horrible,” Haleigh gasped.
“And then Magnus strode in.”
My smile grew as I remembered how strong and handsome he was. He had no fear. He punched the asshole in the mouth, grabbed me, and we ran out the bar's back door. I hopped on his bike and held on tight to his strong frame as we were chased through the foggy night.
“Luckily, we lost the bikers,” I continued. I burned with the excitement of the chase and the very romantic thrill of being rescued by a hunk as I retold the events. “I didn't fight my desires when we stopped at the motel. I was eager for the passion.”
“Wow,” Haleigh sighed. “So romantic.”
But it was just far more passion than I counted on. I wanted more. But Magnus was a biker. He was too dangerous and wrong for me. I couldn't be with a man like him. It was impossible. I had to stay away from him. He didn't hesitate to hit Talon. And all those bikers knew Magnus. They were rival motorcycle clubs.
But those eyes, his strong arms, and the words he whispered. “You walk with the beauty of the night,” I repeated to Haleigh. “He said it right when we entered the motel.”
“Wow,” she whispered. “Strong and poetic?”
“Then he said something like 'beauty can stir even a beast's heart.'”
Haleigh squealed, “What are you doing here? Why aren't you over at the motel?”
“Because I have a life. I need to get to work in a few hours. And he's a biker.”
“I know,” Haleigh sighed. “Strong and willing to fight for you. He didn't know you. He had only a passing glimpse of you, and yet he walked into the Blood Eagles' bar and fought for you.”
“Exactly,” I groaned. She was off in her fantasy world of motorcycle club romances. “He's a biker. He's dangerous. The man had scars on his body.”
“Sexy scars?”
My cheeks blushed. “Yes, sexy scars. Everything about him was sexy. That's the problem. I want to go back across the street and see him.”
“Do it! Oh, don't be afraid. Embrace this.”
I shook my head. “But it can't end well. This...this will only get me hurt. Those Blood Eagles will be out for, well, blood. I bet his club, the Black Wolves, will be fighting them. He could get hurt. I could get hurt. No. I don't need to be involved in this.”
Haleigh looked at me. “Is that really what scares you? Or is it just the fact that you finally let loose and were wild last night?”
I blinked in shock. “No. It's what I said.”
Right? I never wanted to be wild. I liked my simple life. I had a nice apartment, an okay car, and a job I enjoyed. I lived in Seattle with all its culture and excitement. I had friends, a community I belonged to. Sure, I didn't have a boyfriend right now, but he was out there, a nice guy, maybe with glasses, who would make me laugh and who I could share things with. He would be smart, well-read, always quoting poetry.
Magnus quoted poetry, a traitorous voice whispered.
“I like my simple life. And I'm eager to get back to it.”
“Fine,” Haleigh said, shaking her head, her face hurt, like I had betrayed her by not letting her live out her romantic fantasies through my life. “Be boring.”
I shook my head at her as I finished my breakfast. She was boring. Kris was just the sort of guy I would love to date, and Haleigh was happy with him. So happy, she moved out to the middle of nowhere to live with him. I wouldn't be surprised to hear they were engaged in a few months.
“Let's go rescue your car,” Haleigh said. “I should have brought Kris, but he was still sleeping.” She yawned. “We were up for hours cleaning the house last night.”
“He helped you clean?”
Haleigh nodded. “My man likes a tidier house than me. He's been rubbing off on me.” A smile crossed her lips.
“I know how to jump-start a car,” I said. “And if it needs more than that, then I am in trouble. I do not have the money to f
ix it.”
Haleigh patted my hand. “Well, either way we'll get you back to civilization.”
I snorted a laugh.
After I paid for breakfast, Haleigh drove me to my car. I didn't know this part of Washington and was surprised how close Maple Valley was to Covington. Last night's chase had been a blur. I felt like Magnus and I had driven for miles and miles as we wound through streets. I figured it meant we were miles and miles away, except where we ended up was only a five minute drive from where we started. We passed The Bear and Eagle, the bar closed this early, and no bikers were around. My car was broken down a few hundred feet past the rundown tavern, still sitting on the shoulder of the road.
I looked for the glowing man when I climbed out. I saw no one lying on the shoulder and there still was no physical damage to my car. I must have...hallucinated him. It was so foggy, maybe it was just an oncoming car's headlights. I did lose consciousness for a few minutes.
And how had that happened? I didn't crash into anything.
“Okay, so how do we jump-start a car?” Haleigh asked as she pulled her car in front of mine.
“Pop your hood,” I said as I walked around my car, ostensibly to check my trunk, but really I was trying to spot...something. This stretch of the road was surrounded by forest and thick brush. We were on the outskirts of Covington. The bar where Magnus had rescued me was nearby, the first building on the edge of town.
“Done!” Haleigh called.
“And keep your engine running,” I added, walking down the road. There had to be some clue left behind.
Gravel made up the road's shoulder, and my car's tires left clear tracks from the street to where I had rolled to a stop. I went a good distance from my car and paused. My heart tightened. I had been unconscious the entire time my car rolled to a stop. I was lucky I wasn't hurt or killed.
“Raven?” Haleigh called, jogging up. “What's going on?”
“I'm just...trying to figure out what happened,” I told her. “I...blacked out and rolled off the road.”