Epilogue
A few minutes later…
“Welcome to Valhalla.”
I know that voice, but my surroundings are completely foreign to me. Slowly, I turn around, and Makayla is standing amidst the vast beauty of what can only be described as another world.
“Did you say…”
She smiles. “I did.”
“I died?”
“Yes.”
“But now I’m not dead?”
“No.”
“Jesus, why is this so complicated?” I complain.
“It’s Odin, here,” she says kindly. “Not Jesus.”
“Okay, Odin then.”
My patience is running thin. One minute I’m facing my stalker, and the next, the world goes black. Now, I’m standing in a shimmery field with Makayla, who I know is dead, and she tells me I’m in Valhalla.
Forgive me if I’m struggling to keep up.
“I will teach you everything you need to know. But first, I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
A female figure appears next to Makayla, and I stumble back a few steps.
“Hello, Emmaline,” the woman says. “I’m Eir.”
“Eir, as in Inferno’s Valkyrie, Eir?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, um, it’s nice to meet you.”
Both women chuckle, and the sound is melodic.
“We’re very happy to have you here in Valhalla,” Eir says. “As Inferno’s soulmate, you will be treated with the utmost care and respect, and you will be trained to become a Valkyrie, like Makayla, me, and the others.”
“Others?”
Eir nods. “There are many of us. But don’t worry, as a soulmate, you’ll have a much higher ranking than most.”
“I, uh… okay.”
I glance at Makayla, certain that she’s going to be unhappy about what she’s hearing, but that’s not what I see. She’s smiling, and her expression is serene.
“As the wife of the Valhalla Rising MC president, Makayla has the same ranking as you,” Eir explains. She must sense my confusion because she continues. “Valkyries can read thoughts. You must learn to protect those at all costs.”
“That’s definitely something Inferno left out.”
“I’m sure he did.”
“Speaking of Inferno, where is he?”
“Before I take you to him, I have a question,” Eir states.
“And I have an answer.”
I hope.
“Do you love him?”
“Yes,” I reply without hesitation.
“And do you accept your new home, your new afterlife?”
Again, I don’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
If I get to be with Inferno for eternity, sign me up. I thought for sure Josh Greene was going to be the end of me, the end of us. Turns out, he was the beginning we both needed.
“Follow us,” Makayla and Eir say simultaneously.
Inferno
“You’ll see her again.”
I lunge at Odin, desperate to rip him limb from limb, but Viking grabs a hold of me and yanks me back.
“She’s dead,” I rasp. “You sent me to her, fed me a line of bullshit about soulmates, and then you let her die.”
“And you’ll see her again, Inferno,” Odin says calmly. “All will work out as it should.”
Seconds after the life burned from Josh Greene’s body, the rest of us shimmered and landed back home. I didn’t even get to make sure Emmy’s body was properly cared for. Hell, I didn’t get to make sure it was even found.
It’s been an hour since we arrived in Valhalla, and I’ve been on a rampage, shooting fire at anything in my path, and shouting to the heavens that Odin will die for what he did.
When Odin caught up with me, I fully expected him to banish me to the pits so the fact that Viking and I are standing in his quarters is a miracle in and of itself.
Though the pits would feel better than the emptiness I feel right now.
“Quit being so damn cryptic,” I bite out. “How will things work out if I can’t be wi?—”
“Inferno!”
That’s it. I’m losing my mind. I’m hearing ghosts.
“You live with nothing but ghosts,” Eir says from behind me, reminding me that my thoughts can be read.
“Oh, wow. I thought he said that out loud.”
I whirl around and drop to my knees when I see Emmy standing several feet away, Makayla and Eir on either side of her.
“She’ll get used to the whole mind-reading thing,” Makayla teases. “It’ll take a little time though.”
A hand settles on my shoulder, and I glance back. Odin smiles down at me. “I told you that you’d see her again. Never doubt your god, Inferno.”
The world begins to shimmer, and I brace myself to be launched to another place, another time.
“It’s tears,” Emmy says, crouching down in front of me. “You’re not going anywhere, Inferno. You’re crying.”
I haven’t cried since?—
“It wasn’t all that long ago,” Eir states. “You bawled like an infant when you realized Emmy died.”
“You cried for me?” Emmy asks.
I nod. “I love you. Of course, I cried for you.”
She wipes away my tears and wraps her arms around my neck. “No more crying,” she whispers in my ear. “Nothing but smiles for the rest of eternity.”
“And you’re okay with all of this?” I ask, concerned that she wasn’t given a choice in the matter.
“I am.” She sits back on her heels. “Back in that house, when the flames were burning me alive, my only thought was anger at myself because I hadn’t told you that I loved you.”
“You two are gonna be a trip,” Viking says with a chuckle. “He said the same about you, Emmy.”
“I’m not gonna lie and say this will be an easy transition because it won’t,” she says. “But I know I’ll get through it with you by my side.”
“I”ll always carry you through the flames, through the fire. I’ll never leave your side.”
“Unless I send him on another mission,” Odin adds.
“But I’ll always return to you,” I remind her.
“Because we’re soulmates?” she asks.
I grin and nod.
“Soulmates.”