Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 150(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Desire engulfs me in a fiery inferno.
"You're right. It is impossible," he rasps. "But it's going to happen anyway, princess. Get used to it."
I whimper, unable to utter a single protest as he peels himself off me, touches his thumb to my bottom lip and then turns and strides out.
Chapter Four
Stephan
"We caught two more Forsaken near the Portal," Garrison says, dropping his ímun-laukr on the table beside me. "Goddamn things don't die easy, do they?"
I grunt, shoveling stew into my mouth. Nothing that deserves killing ever does die easy. But Garrison knows that just as well as I do. He spent just as long in the military as I did.
He plops down in the chair beside me, groaning. "Jesus. I ache like a motherfucker."
"That's because your old ass should be in bed still," I mutter. Not long ago, he was nearly killed by the Forsaken. He spent weeks in the hospital before he finally said to hell with it and checked himself out. He's still walking with a limp most days, but the grizzled old bastard refuses to take it easy. He's up with the sun every day, barking orders at the Blooded like a drill sergeant.
He narrows his eyes at me, scratching his beard with his middle finger.
I chuckle and go back to my stew, flicking my gaze around the Mess Hall in search of Kara. If she came to dinner tonight, I haven't seen her yet. She's been avoiding me since I kissed her in the hall the day before yesterday. If she sees me coming, she immediately heads in the opposite direction. It's starting to piss me off.
Unfortunately, there's been too much to do to track her stubborn ass down and fix it. Every few hours, another Forsaken scout shows up. We've been scouring Asgard, trying to catch them before they make it to the Bifröst. It'd help if we had the Valkyrie backing us up, but we're not that desperate. Or that stupid. The last thing we need to do is risk sending them back through the Portal. They're safest here.
So we pick the Forsaken off in ones and twos, and then wait for the next one or two to show up. It's a helluva way to fight a war. I'm not entirely sure what they're after, but they've wasted a full two dozen trying to get it at this point.
They have to know they aren't getting through the Bifröst. We've got warriors guarding both sides. We've got them stationed all over Asgard and Valhalla. Hell, we still have them back in Eitr, as an extra measure of precaution.
And still, the Forsaken keep sending their scouts into Asgard.
It's been an irritating couple of days.
For the Valkyrie, too. They spent most of yesterday and today at the Portal, sending flows of Light into it, trying to work out how their ancestors used it to move beyond the Veil. Judging by the defeat in their gazes when they left today, they're no closer than they were.
The Fae are no help on that front. The Valkyrie guarded that secret so closely no one but the Valkyrie knew how it worked. To keep the knowledge from the Forsaken, they guarded their secrets with their lives. And what they knew died with them. All the Fae can tell the sisters is that only the Valkyrie were able to travel beyond the Veil, and they used the Bifröst to get there.
I drop my spoon into my empty bowl, pushing it away from me, and glance around the Mess Hall again. Kara still hasn't shown up. Tori, Abigail, and their mates are at the next table. Reaper cuddles his pregnant mate and glowers at anyone who gets near her.
I'm not sure exactly when she told him the truth, but he definitely knows. He's been pricklier than ever about her safety the last couple of days. So has Damrion. Neither of them wants her working with her sisters, but they were quickly overruled by the other Valkyrie. Reaper isn't happy about it, but the Valkyrie rule around here. No one tells them no, particularly when all five of them are united on the same side of an issue. They need Tori. As much as Reaper and Damrion would prefer to keep her out of harm's way for the sake of the Fae child she carries…none of us have that luxury right now, her least of all.
This war can't be won with four Valkyrie. It can't be won with three. It'll take all five, exactly like the Prophecy demanded. They were sent for a reason. Each has a role to play. Every day, those roles become a little clearer, a little more defined, even if the path forward doesn't.
Rissa is their heart. She nurtures and guides the other Valkyrie. Marion is their blade, the greatest weapon they have. Abigail is their soul, able to See more clearly than anyone ever has. Tori is the Guardian, able to Heal wounds that were previously fatal. And Kara, sweet little Kara, is balance. She walks between worlds, able to communicate with animals in a way no one has in millennia.