Becoming Valkyrie (Pyralis Book 1)

by Brandy L. Cunningham

  “Nor would I expect you to. The clothes in that dresser were bought specifically for you. We had no idea what you would like.”

  I opened my mouth to speak but found it slightly difficult to form words. Finally, I squeaked out, “Oh. Sorry.”

  The smile that graced his cool composure was…almost kind. “Do not apologize. What man does not enjoy seeing a woman’s breasts so easily displayed through her clothes?”

  I’m pretty sure if I could manage to blush, I would have. “You said earlier you were not the least bit interested in me.”

  Turning his gaze back toward the window, he shrugged. “I am not. However, you are still a woman, and a very attractive one. You have nothing to fear from me.”

  Wondering what he stared at, I stepped up beside him to peer out into the sun. I could see beautiful hills scattered with trees. A long road ran from the house to the hills and beyond sight. In the distance, I could see large birds circling overhead.

  “What are those birds doing?” I glanced at him as I awaited his answer.

  He glanced at me, seemed to consider me, and said, “Ever since they brought you here, your Gargoyles have refused to leave. I told them if they planned to be here and bother me, they had better make themselves useful. Apparently, their idea of useful is hounding any who come to my home.”

  I smiled a little. I couldn’t help it. When I moved my eyes back to his, he was watching me intently. Having those multi-colored eyes drilling into my own was incredibly unnerving. My mind wavered, as though on the edge of a memory, but I shoved it aside. I’d had enough surprise memories lately.

  When he lifted a brow, I shrugged. “Sorry? They’re not my Gargoyles, you know.”

  A genuine smile touched his mouth. The effect was quite dazzling. “They are now, Valkyrie, just as they were long ago. Funny how some things come full circle without being led there, isn’t it?”

  Regarding him with confusion, I shook my head. Why did I get the feeling there was an underlying message or statement in his sentence? “Excuse me? Anytime you, like, want to drop the hidden meanings, that’d be great.”

  Aeron mimicked my movement and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. The action looked a little out of place on the large, intimidating man. “There is much you do not know about yourself.”

  I opened my mouth to speak as my gaze moved toward the driveway outside. The figure I saw stepping from the car rendered me speechless. My eyes snapped back to Aeron’s face. “You invited him here! I only just got rid of that annoying…whatever he is!”

  Fuming, I didn’t pay enough attention to my anger and my control. Stomping away from the window, I headed toward the direction I hoped would lead me to the front door, because I had a serious bone to pick with this ‘guest’. Finding the giant wooden door, I yanked it open, stepping out onto the marble steps. Desmond stood there, with an expression of utter surprise on his attractive face.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Desmond? Didn’t you get the message before? I don’t care who or what you were to me in another life! I’m not that same woman, and you don’t own me! Why can’t you leave me alone?”

  The moment the words had left my mouth, I erupted into a bright ball of burning flames. They hissed around me, scorching my clothes, and leaving me once again, naked. I groaned in annoyance. This was growing old.

  Desmond’s lips twitched into a smile. “Well, talk about a flaming welcome. It’s wonderful to see you again as well, my dear.” His eyes skimmed along my naked body, lingering on my breasts before they quickly darted away to where Aeron stood.

  When I turned to look at Aeron, his face looked feral, for just a moment, before it changed. Was that interest I had seen in his unusual eyes? Whatever it had been, he concealed it quickly.

  Looking down at me, he said, “Learn to control that temper of yours. If you burn anything in this house, I will hose you off every time you so much as release a puff of smoke. Go get dressed.”

  Tempering my flaming storm, I stomped naked up the stairs. In a moment of rebellion at being ordered about, I put a little extra jiggle in my ass for the two of them to watch since I had no doubt they were both perusing my naked body as I made my way up the endlessly long staircase.

  I guess it was a good thing I could no longer blush. If I had been able, I was certain my entire body would be stained red from the feel of those two men staring at my naked backside.

  The moment my door was closed, I heard Desmond erupt into an angry diatribe. Taking cooling breaths, I tried to control my emotions. Rifling through the wardrobe in the dresser, I pulled out a long white silk dress.

  Eyeing it, I wondered if it was see through. I had never been especially brave, but I was so angry at that moment, I wanted to get even with Desmond for showing up here, and I wanted to annoy the hell out of Aeron for not telling me he was coming. Pulling the dress on, I studied myself in the mirror. Nope. The dress was just thick enough to conceal everything. So, I decided to go commando again.

  For a long moment, I studied myself. The fire may have cooled, but my veins still flowed with the color of fire. Standing in the white silk dress that hugged my body, I felt like an ugly duckling trying to play princess. In my mind, I wasn’t very pretty, certainly not like Belladona was. I looked like a teenage girl, not like a beautiful curvaceous woman like her. My body may have changed, I may have developed curves with my recent change, but I still felt like a country bumpkin trying to walk with super models. Walking back downstairs, I told myself I was going to keep a cool mind and refrain from burning my clothing again. Nearing the dining hall, I paused at the sound of raised voices. Their conversation drifted out to me.

  “Why the hell didn’t you tell me she was here when you summoned me, Aeron?” Desmond sounded annoyed.

  “Desmond, you didn’t exactly bother to let me know you had sent her looking for The Fiddler, now did you?” Contrary to Desmond’s ever-passionate personality, Aeron was cool and controlled, as always.

  “Aeron, I did what I had to do. I could see she didn’t know who I really was, and its best that I try and avoid her as much as possible until she regains all of her memories. I’m sure you agree. You are the one always spouting off about letting others follow their own paths without influence from us.”

  I heard Aeron’s chuckle. “If she had followed her own path, she would have died over four hundred years ago and stayed that way. Instead, the girl is scared, confused, and alone. She knows not who she really is nor what she is. We do not truly know all that she is. And clearly, this isn’t the first time she has come across you. What did you do to get her so riled up already, Desmond?”

  “I did what I had to do. I couldn’t let her die that day. Perhaps it was rash, but I think you agree that casting that spell that day was not a mistake. We need her. The world needs her. What has happened between us is of none of your concern.”

  Aeron sighed. “If you want me to take her to The Fiddler, it is my concern. He will want to know everything, anything that has already influenced her may be crucial.” There was a pause. I heard Aeron’s voice rise a decimal. “Valkyrie, it is not polite to eavesdrop.”

  I narrowed my eyes. What a tyrant. Did he truly know I was there? I hesitated. He could probably hear the rapid beat of my heart. Straightening, I walked to the corner. Plastering a smile on my face, I turned into the doorway. I watched Desmond from the corner of my eyes as I entered. His gaze roved over me like a starved animal. What was it about me he found so alluring? I kept my gaze locked with Aeron as though I didn’t notice Desmond was even there.

  Aeron scrutinized me, lifting his brow in question. I had a pretty good idea what that question was pertaining to. I kept the fake smile plastered on my face and remained silent. He seemed amused. Turning away from me, he walked toward the very large, ornate dining table.

  I noticed three place settings waiting there, with a silver goblet and napkin. Aeron held the chair out for me to the left of the head. Sitting, I eyed the goblet but refused to
allow myself to look into it. Aeron took the seat at the head of the table, while Desmond sat directly across from me. I did everything in my power to keep my attention focused solely on Aeron.

  “We have much to discuss the three of us.” Making eye contact with me, he continued, “Whether you like it or not, Desmond is a key player in this game. He is the reason you live again, and so, he must maintain a certain responsibility for you. If you doom the world, he will be partially responsible.”

  I stared at Aeron. “Really? You just have to throw that out there? Why does everyone say I will doom the world when bloodsuckers and other supernatural beings have been roaming the earth for hundreds of years?” To say I was getting pissed was an understatement.

  I watched Aeron’s face for any sign of emotion. The only thing I saw was a slight tick in his jaw muscle. He brought his eerie stare back around to me. “Valkyrie, there is no other out there who can burst into flames at a second’s notice. The gates of hell were forged from fire for a reason. I suspect the secrets surrounding you go back much farther than this past All Hallows’ Eve.”

  Turning back toward Desmond, Aeron said, “We need to compile a list of possible reasons for her father to have burned her alive the way he did.”

  Desmond laughed. To my utter annoyance, the sound once again slid over my skin, raising gooseflesh, and pooling in the pit of my stomach like I had been slathered with delicious, warm honey. Worse, he was watching me. I knew my face must betray something of what I experienced, because he forgot what he was about to say as he stared at me.

  Aeron was growing aggravated with us. His eyes darkened, and took on a dangerous expression as he glared at Desmond, whose gaze was fixated on me. “Are the two of you quite through with the eye fucking?”

  My mouth dropped open, and I gaped at him. Had Aeron just yelled? Had he really just said a curse word? He seemed too sophisticated for that. My eye contact with Desmond broke and I looked at Aeron. To my surprise, he was watching me, not Desmond. I blinked. He looked at me possessively. I wasn’t sure what this was about, but I was rapidly growing uncomfortable with this situation.

  Across the table from me, Desmond laughed again. “We already know why Byron crucified his own daughter so harshly. Do you really want her to know the reason, old friend?”

  For a long moment, the two powerful men sitting near me stared each other down. They seemed to be having a wordless conversation, more like a showdown, really. I had the chills. If they tried to kill one another, who would win? I felt there was much more going on here than I wanted to know about.

  Aeron’s voice was quiet, and deadly when he finally spoke. “It’s better that she know now than find out later.” He turned toward me, and his eyes roved over me in a sensual appraisal that made me quite squirm.

  “Once, long ago, you were destined to be mine.” He allowed his words to ring in the air and infiltrate my mind. I stared back at him. Was he the blond man I had seen with my brother? I didn’t want to hear this story, but the dangerous glint I saw in his eyes told me I would have no choice.

  “Your father chose me to marry his daughter, to combine the two most powerful families. At the time, I was known as Alistair La Croix. The wealthy, powerful heir of the La Croix. What your father didn’t know was that I had been adopted by the family, not born into it. Fortunately for me, your father was still young then. Vampires didn’t know that a Vampire of pure blood will only have blue eyes.

  So, he brought me here to America to meet his daughter at a gala he was hosting. I met his daughter, Belladona. She was the one your father had told me of. She was beautiful but, as I stood there speaking to her, another entered my view. She laughed with a man who resembled her in an intense way, a man I had already met. When she turned toward me, I knew she was the one I wanted.

  When that woman was introduced to me as the youngest Walker daughter, I knew I had to have her. So, I struck a deal with your father. At first, he was hesitant. Fortunately for me, he wanted the connection to my family enough to acquiesce. We were to be married that November.”

  Desmond, seeing the stricken look on my face, stood. Pacing the room, he said, “All right, it’s my turn.” Making eye contact with me, he spoke as though I were the only one in the room.

  “I met you in the spring when your father had sent Belladona and Valkyrian away while he went to France. I saw you, for the first time in a meadow. You had never been allowed to leave that damned fortress where your father had kept you locked away.

  I had seen you from afar many times, but always you stood behind those iron gates. When I happened upon you alone, I could not believe my lucky stars. I watched you, as you sniffed the wildflowers around you in wonder. I could not believe how beautiful you were. There had been whispers in the village about the strange family that lived in the castle. Whispers about the two lovely Walker daughters. One with scarlet hair and sky-blue eyes, and the other, with hair like a raven and eyes like spun gold.

  They did you no justice, those whispers. I had never seen a woman so breathtaking, so stunning. I worked up the nerve to speak to you. At first, you were weary, but slowly, over the next few days, you began to open up. You spoke of traveling, of seeing the world. You were so full of light and love. Over that summer, you and I, we fell in love. I was the first to ever touch you. We made love, over and over throughout that memorable time.” Aeron slammed his fist down on the table as Desmond trailed off.

  “You can skip those parts, Desmond. She doesn’t need details.” Aeron’s jaw ticked. I could see he didn’t really want to hear this.

  Desmond’s only response was a wickedly seductive smile cast my way. “We loved each other, Valkyrie. We wanted to run away together. I will never forget the day you met me, and you wept in my arms as you told me your father had given you away to another. You begged me to take you, to run away with you. I should have, but by then, I knew what you were, and I knew they would hunt us until our dying day.”

  Removing his gaze from my face, he turned toward Aeron. “He followed you one day. He saw us…together. He was jealous, filled with rage, he became an animal…”

  Aeron swept his chair back so quickly I nearly missed the action. A splintering sound filled the room as the chair crashed to the floor in several pieces, causing me to gasp. Before I knew what happened, Aeron had Desmond pressed against the wall, a silver blade at his throat.

  “Shut your mouth! I will kill you!” His voice was so low I almost didn’t hear his words.

  I had thought Aeron so well controlled, I didn’t know how to react to this wild angry side of him. There was a feral quality to the man, as though a wild animal lurked just beneath the surface of his usually cool demeanor.

  Desmond laughed softly. “Oh, but you already did that, didn’t you, my friend. Because of your actions, I will be here to haunt your every living day.”

  Aeron stepped away from Desmond, sheathing his blade. I watched him try to gain control of his anger. His body trembled with uncontrolled rage, his muscles taut and his eyes dark. In that moment, he struck me as an incredibly powerful and attractive man. I blinked, trying to reel my thoughts back in.

  Turning toward me, Aeron held eye contact with me for a long minute. Finally, he closed his eyes. “He is right. I lost control when I saw you, naked in his arms. You could have had me, a powerful wealthy Vampire, and I would have given you the world. Instead, you gave yourself up to a Witch’s apprentice. A boy really. But then, you were still very young as well.” His eyes drifted downward, as though he felt guilt.

  He looked up at me, holding eye contact. “I killed him. I tore you from his arms, and I killed him. I was so angry, I didn’t stop to think. Of course, you became enraged. You attacked me. Then, you turned him. To save the life of the man you loved, you made him what we were. I saw then, that you truly loved him. So, I left you there.

  Your father found out, of course. I still do not know how he found out, but he did. He was incensed. He shattered furniture and broke windows. Kil
led several maids just for being too near. He swore no daughter of his would defile herself with a Witch. He became so maddened, he mumbled about your mother, calling both of you whores. I couldn’t make sense of it. Belladona begged him to forgive you.

  When it was clear he would not let this go, that you would be punished, she begged me to find Valkyrian. I searched everywhere, and when I finally found him, it was too late. We got there just as your father was preparing to burn you.”

  I held up my hand. I had heard enough. “I have seen what happens from there. The Tree of Ashes showed me.”

  Anger swelled within me. I was angry that these men had so influenced my life, angry that I felt torn between sadness for our past, and frustration with them for refusing to see that I was not the woman they both loved four hundred years ago. Perhaps it was wrong of me to be angry at the feelings they brought to me, but it was all I seemed capable of feeling. Their inability to accept that I might not be the same, drove me mad. Deep within me, I felt like a puppet being pulled between two masters, and this only fueled my anger. I did not want to be controlled. I hated that they were trying to force my hand, to make me accept what they said I was.

  I was not the Valkyrie they loved. In freshman year of high school, the girls in my English class had whispered in my ear that one of the boys was watching me, crushing on me. They had nudged and prodded me to ask him out, but I hadn’t wanted to. I had felt nothing for the boy, and it angered me that these girls were pushing me to do what they said. In the end, I had lost my temper, throwing my book at them, and busting one girl’s nose. I still remember the way I felt, watching blood pour down her face, and hearing her shriek. I felt satisfied. She had tried to control me, and I hadn’t liked it. Now, two men, Vampires, were trying to control me, trying to force me to accept that I was this same person.

  I was not. I didn’t like it. I was damn tired of always being pushed around, lead toward the goal someone else wished to see achieved. I refused to be a puppet any longer. I slammed my palms down on the table, creating a loud crack. Looking up at their faces as they stared at me, I noticed Desmond’s eyes. Had I not noticed the ring of violet around his pupil before? No, I was certain it hadn’t been there. In a flash, it was gone, leaving me to ponder about it. Moving my gaze toward the ominous Aeron, I studied the flutter at the base of his throat, watching the increasing tempo of the pulse in the artery there.