2. Reaper
2
Reaper
“ P ut some fucking clothes on.”
I glance over my shoulder and see Demo strutting into the Mess Hall. All I can do is shake my head at him because he’s naked as the day he was born. Viking, the president of Valhalla Rising MC, stands up from the long table and glares at our road captain.
“I’d like to keep my food down, if it’s all the same to you,” he snaps.
“That’s what she sa?—”
“Do not finish that sentence,” Mist, the Valkyrie assigned to Demo, says as she enters behind our brother.
“At least she has the decency to be covered up,” I grumble before shoving a large bite of boar into my mouth.
“It’s not like you haven’t seen it before,” Demo mutters as he turns on his heel and walks out of the Mess Hall.
“Just because we’ve seen it doesn’t mean we like it,” Inferno calls after him, laughter in his tone. “Dear Odin, you’d think we were asking him to shove a needle up his ass.”
Before the conversation continues, the air shimmers at the end of the table, and Herja, the oldest Valkyrie, appears. As is typical, she’s wearing a scowl.
“What is going on here?” she bites out.
“It’s called eating,” I reply sarcastically. “You should try it sometime.”
She turns her attention to Viking. “Makayla has been tasked with a new Warrior.”
Viking narrows his eyes. “Why are you telling me this?”
Herja sighs. It’s no secret that she doesn’t like Viking, but she’s come to respect his old lady and seems to look out for her. “Let’s just say that this particular Warrior is going to be her most difficult to date.”
My muscles tense. Makayla might not be my better half, but my president loves her, and that makes her family. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” Mist begins. “You should all probably head to Academy Hall.”
Like a well-oiled machine, Viking, Inferno, and I all jump to our feet and take off running to our bikes, which are parked outside the Mess Hall.
“I’ll send Demo!” Mist shouts as we mount up and take off.
Time is different in Valhalla. Sometimes, it passes so slowly that it feels like you’re drowning, and other times, like now, it passes in a blur. We reach the large ornate doors at the entrance of Academy Hall, and the second our bikes are parked, the sounds coming from beyond the doors make my blood run cold…
If I had any actual blood, that is.
“I’ll kill him,” Viking snarls as he shoves the doors open.
“Uh, little late for that,” Inferno says, but he presses his lips together when Viking only glares at him.
The three of us run down the central corridor, toward the noise, and we’re halfway to our destination when Demo and Acid appear out of nowhere, no doubt shimmered in by Mist.
“What the Fire Pits is going on?” Acid demands as he breaks out into a run.
“Makayla’s got a newbie,” I say matter-of-factly.
“Aw, shit,” Demo mutters.
We arrive at the end of the corridor where Academy Hall opens up into a large field of sorts. It’s where all new Warriors end up when they’re brought to Valhalla. The brightness of the field mimics what humans think of when they think of Heaven, or so I was told.
“Send me back!” the newbie shouts. “I don’t want to be here!”
My brothers and I halt to watch the scene play out. Viking will do anything to protect Makayla, but he’s already stepped in more than once and paid the price with Odin. I know it’s killing him to stand here though. Fortunately, after Odin’s last punishment, he talked to Makayla, and they came up with a signal she would give if she needed his help, our help.
“Dean, calm down,” Makayla coaxes, keeping a safe distance. “It’s going to be okay.”
The newbie—Dean— advances on her, stopping only when he’s inches from her face. “Bitch, I don’t give a flying fuck what you say, send me back.”
Viking takes a step forward, but Inferno grabs the back of his shirt to stop him. “She’s got this, Pres,” our VP states. “Trust her.”
“I do trust her,” Viking snarls. “It’s hi?—”
“Him you don’t trust,” I finish for him. “Yeah, brother, we know that. But we’re all here, and nothing is gonna happen.”
“Easy for you to say,” he counters. “You don’t know what it’s like to watch the love of your?—”
“I was married, Viking,” I remind him. “I know what it’s like.”
“Uh, Reap, you were divorced,” Acid comments.
I growl. “Like I need the reminder.”
Our conversation comes to a halt when Dean shoves past us. He doesn’t get far because Makayla shimmers to block his path.
“What the fuck?” Dean demands as he whirls around. “What kinda voodoo hoodoo is going on here?”
Makayla shimmers again. “Dean, you’re dead,” she says. “The sooner you accept that, the sooner I can proceed with you.”
He opens his mouth to protest, but she places her hand on his head, effectively putting an end to anything he’d been about to say. His eyes glaze over, and his face hardens. I know that look. It’s the look all newbies get when their Valkyrie shows them how they came to be in Valhalla.
She removes her hand, and Dean stumbles backward. His anger appears to be replaced by confusion and… sadness?
“Do you understand now?” Makayla asks him.
“N-no.” He shakes his head. “I mean…” Dean levels his gaze on her, his eyes gleaming in the bright white of the field. “What about Gina? What happened to her?”
“She’s banged up from the impact of the car when it hit the water, but you got her out just in time,” Makayla explains. “She and your baby are going to be just fine. And so are the others you dove back under to save.”
“But why me? Why did I have to die?”
“That’s just the way it has to be.”
He shifts his gaze from Makayla to us. “And… Are you…”
“We’re all dead, too,” I say.
“But it’s not so bad,” Demo states. “We’re royalty in Valhalla, and you can be, too.”
“If you get your head out of your ass and stop posing a threat to my woman,” Viking snaps.
Makayla turns to her husband and smiles softly. “Thank you, but I’ve got this.”
“Are you sure?” he asks.
She looks from him to Dean. “Are we good?”
Dean stiffens. “I’d never hurt you. I’m just…”
“Scared?” I offer.
“If you’re going to survive Valhalla,” Inferno begins. “There’s no room for fear.”
“I got this,” Makayla repeats, moving closer to Viking. She kisses him passionately, and I glance away. “It’s all good. Go.”
“I love you,” he tells her.
“I love you, too.”
I might be able to look away, but I can still hear them, and an unfamiliar feeling settles in my chest…
Jealousy.