When I came up for breath, he laughed and his hands roamed my face. “Aerie. I’m happy too.”
Asgard had its new queen and Will eventually revealed to me what power it was he’d gained after accepting Yggdrasil’s fruit.
The power to read hearts.
It wasn’t like Paul who read literal thoughts. Will’s power went so much deeper, reading intent and truth that even someone couldn’t admit to themselves.
A truth such as a certain Valkyrie having always loved Tyler.
Will and I had been bonded by a supernatural magic designed to bring Valkyrie and Soul together, a trusting relationship that was necessary for the reaping. I’d seen that bond turn into love with the outcasts, but as much as Will and I cared for one another, he’d been right. Our bond was a mixture of friendship and duty. He’d never deserved the curse placed on him, and I hadn’t deserved the responsibility put on my shoulders. We’d managed to undo the hardships bound to us, but not without sacrifice and pain. He knew that my heart belonged to Tyr, and that it always would, which was why his sacrifice to push me away was the greatest one of all.
I watched him through one of Dalia’s telescopes from time to time. Perhaps that’s a bit creepy, but I wanted to make sure he was okay. I watched him grow, becoming a leader to the gifted men he’d saved with Yggdrasil’s fruit. Dalia’s Huldra also bonded with him, listened to him, and the vacuum left behind by the end of the Norse gods quickly filled with his charisma and candor.
Tonight he slipped away into Central Park as I’d seen him do a thousand times. There was a particular Huldra he’d been courting for some time now. It didn’t surprise me that the carefree creatures were the only ones who could get him to come out of his shell. When his lips lowered onto a girl with frosted green leaves forming a crown at her brow, I smiled, glad he could find happiness, and lowered my telescope as I returned to my own life on Asgard where we built our family—and a new army.
Baldr had disappeared that night Ragnarök had been vanquished. There’d been no sign of Dalia as well, and I wondered if they’d been sucked in by the massive sink Ragnarök had created during its departure, or if something more sinister was at play.
For Tyler’s sake, I hoped his mother had survived.
For now, I stood out on my balcony and spread my wings, allowing my feathers to catch the warm sun’s rays. Tyler’s hands wrapped around my waist and his lips went to my neck, sending new shivers down my spine.
“Is everything all right?” he asked, his voice low and scratchy from sleep.
I wrapped my arms over his and indulged in the mixture of heat and ice he always stirred inside of me. Separated, we were just two broken souls. Together, we were healed, our rough edges sealing together until we became one.
“Everything is absolutely perfect.”
Thank you for reading the third and final installment of Valkyrie Allegiance!
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A Note from the Author
First of all, thank you for reading Valkyrie Allegiance, one of my favorite trilogies to date. I had been playing with this idea of a Valkyrie sent on a mission to reap her first soul but had never quite gotten the guts to publish it. Now it’s out there in the world and that is such an incredible feeling!
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The questions that held me back included: No one reads about Valkyries, right? Will my wild imagination paired with Norse Mythology be too much? Will anyone be upset if I make Odin a cyborg and put Valkyries on spaceships?
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I think the answer is a resounding “No!” Even though my imagination can carry me away, I’m so grateful for readers like yourself who join me on this wild ride.
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I’ll admit, I really struggled with writing the finale. How on Valhalla was I going to choose between Tyler and Will? I struggled right along Val for a long time, until finally I gained the power to read Val’s heart—as well as Will’s. There was love there, yes, but it wasn’t the same as what Val has with Tyler. With Will it’s desperation, duty, and justice. However when it comes to Tyler, it’s natural, necessary, and sensational. I hope you approve of Val’s choice to give her heart to Tyler, because I know it wasn’t an easy choice to make.
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This is the end of Aerie and Tyr, but it’s not the end of the many stories I have to share. May you get lost in them right along side me.
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Celestial Downfall: The Complete Trilogy
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Angels have ruled the world for too long… It'll take one of their own to stop their reign.
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