Reaper (Valhalla Rising MC #3)

24. Odin

24

Odin

“ H ow could you be so reckless?”

Reaper downs the shot Grump poured him and slams the glass onto the table. Viking glares at his enforcer from his perch on the counter, waiting for Reaper to answer him. But Reaper doesn’t answer.

“The man asked you a question.”

All eyes turn to me, wide and wary.

“Odin,” Reaper says unnecessarily.

“Yes. I’m curious as to how you’ll respond to your president,” I say. “How could you be so reckless?”

He takes a deep breath. “I lost control. It’s that simple and that complicated.”

“You’re lucky I don’t send you straight to the Fire Pits.”

Viking stiffens at my admonishment. “I’ll handle the discipline of my men,” he tells me.

“Your men are my men, Viking. You’ll do well to remember that.”

“What are you doing here?” Reaper asks me, no doubt rescuing his brother from what could become a nasty argument.

“It seems my presence is necessary.” I walk toward them. “Skuld paid Kyra a visit after you left. You’re about to have company, by the way.”

Reaper opens his mouth but doesn’t get a word out before there’s pounding on the door.

“Reaper!” Kyra shouts. “I know you’re in there!”

Reaper’s eyes widen comically, and he rushes to open the door and let her in.

“We need to talk,” she snaps.

“Welcome, Kyra,” I say, drawing her attention. “I hear you’ve had an eventful night.”

She glares at me, and I have to admit, I like her spunk. “Who are you?”

“Kyra, that’s, uh…” Reaper runs a hand over his head. “That’s Odin. He rules?—”

“Valhalla,” she finishes for him. “Yeah, Skuld told me. Lovely woman.”

Sarcasm drips from her tone, and I laugh which is something I rarely do these days.

“I chose well. Makayla and Emmy weren’t near the handful this one is.”

Reaper’s gaze cuts to mine, and I can practically feel him chastising me. He’ll pay for that.

“I’ll get out of your way in a minute,” I tell him before focusing on Kyra. “It’s actually you I came to talk to.”

“Me?” she asks.

“Yes, you. Give us the room,” I command my men, and they do but not without griping about it. Well, all but Reaper leaves. I stare pointedly at him. “You, too, Reaper. I promise, I won’t scare her off.”

“Gettin’ perilously close to that already,” she mutters.

“If you do anything to hurt her,” Reaper growls.

“You’ll what?” I taunt. “Throw me into the Fire Pits?”

“Damn straight,” he snarls.

The thing is, I believe him.

“Not a hair on her head will be harmed,” I assure him. What I don’t say is I wouldn’t dream of hurting her, not when she’s so close to healing him.

Reaper finally nods and stalks away, leaving me with the love of his afterlife.

“So, what do you want with me?” Kyra asks.

“Everything Skuld told you, everything she showed you, is true.”

“Okay.”

“But I can show you more.”

“More?”

“So much more.”

Without moving, I project my thoughts onto hers and show her a world of possibilities. The difference is, I don’t sugarcoat it. I show Kyra everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly that Valhalla has to offer.

When I’m done, she stumbles, her body weak, but doesn’t fall. “Was that supposed to help Reaper’s case?”

“It’s supposed to give you all the facts. Skuld loves Reaper and wants what’s best for him. I do too for that matter. But what’s best for Reaper is a woman who can handle what the afterlife is really like. It’s not all white lights and roads paved in gold. That being said, Valhalla is heaven, just a different one than you’re used to hearing about.”

“Again, how does that help him?”

“Do you love him?”

“I…” She presses her lips into a thin line. “I don’t know.”

“You sure about that?”

“I think that’s a conversation I should be having with him,” she counters.

“Fair point. I’ll leave you with this then, however, I’ll deny ever having said it, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Reaper is one of the finest Warriors I’ve had the pleasure of ruling. He’s loyal, protective, and has a good heart, still as it is without its beat. But he’s also a hard man in that he doesn’t allow himself to feel anything good. That is, until he met you. You , Kyra Thomas, are the other half to his Warrior soul. And he’s the other half of yours. You just have to accept something that defies everything you thought you knew about the world.”

And with that, I remove myself from the equation, returning to Valhalla.

It’s up to Reaper now.