Chapter Eight
Kara
" H i," I whisper, craning my head back to look up at Stephan as he stops in front of me, casting a shadow over the table in the Mess Hall. Damp strands of hair fall across his forehead, and lines of exhaustion cut grooves around his mouth, but he's still the most gorgeous man I've ever seen.
"Hi yourself, princess." He grins at me, reaching out to brush his knuckles along the back of my cheek. "Did you behave yourself today?"
"No," I say, just to see what he says. "I spent the day in the forest, frolicking with ravens and rabbits."
His eyes immediately narrow, scanning across my face. And then he sighs, shaking his head as his lips twitch into a small grin. "I almost believe you, Valkyrie. No one tells you or your sisters what to do. Not even your mates."
"Especially not their mates," Dax mumbles from further down the table, and then grunts, shooting a hard stare at Rissa, who simply blinks innocent eyes at him. "Do you have to kick me in the same spot every time I displease you, elskan-ljós ?"
"Ja," she says sweetly.
I bite my lip, fighting a giggle.
"What did you do today?" Stephan asks, falling into the chair beside me with a groan.
"Spent the day in the woods with the rabbits and ravens," I repeat. I didn't actually lie the first time. That is what I did.
He narrows his eyes on me again, grunting.
"She wasn't alone, Stephan," Reaper says quietly. "Adriel and I were with her."
This mollifies Stephan…slightly. We both know he'd have preferred if he were the one out there with me. But he and the Fae spent the day hunting for the varulv, leaving Reaper and Adriel behind to guard me and my sisters.
We spent part of the day at the Bifrost, which was as fruitless as ever. When my sisters gave up for the day and headed back, I headed into the woods. If the Fae are going to risk their lives hunting the varulv, they should have whatever help we can give them. Since we can't go with them and be here to figure out the Portal, the only logical help left is the animals of Valhalla.
"What were you doing with your ravens and the rabbits, princess?" he asks before I can ask if they found anything today.
"They aren't my ravens and rabbits. They're Valhalla's ravens and rabbits, Stephan."
A smile tugs at his lips. "Ja, so they are," he murmurs. "What were you doing with them?"
"Asking them for help," I say quietly.
Everyone at the table turns to look at me. Well, everyone except Reaper and Adriel. They know what I was doing. I approached them with my plan before I convinced them to take me into the forest. It took a little convincing—mostly because they didn't want me to leave the safety of the village—but eventually, even they couldn't argue with my logic.
We need help, and there aren't nearly enough of us to cover all of Valhalla. But there are plenty of rabbits and ravens. They'll be able to hunt far more quickly than we can.
Convincing the animals to take the risk was another matter, however. They're afraid. Even the ravens who are usually as fearless as the wolves sense the growing Darkness and want no part of it.
"And did they agree?" Stephan asks, reaching for my hand. He lifts it to his lips, brushing a kiss across my knuckles, and heat unfurls inside me. Gods, I missed him today.
Spending the last few nights lost in his arms has been magical. By night, we're in heaven, some version of Valhalla where we're the only two who exist. Pleasure reigns there. And so does joy. But then the sun rises, and our little bubble pops. Reality intrudes, plunking us right back down in the middle of an impending war.
I prefer the nights.
"They did," I murmur, clearing my throat as if that'll clear my mind of images of him above me, thrusting into me. Of him below me, his hands on my hips and his eyes locked on me. Of him inside me, growling my name as he loves me to the brink of madness.
It doesn't. Gods, not even close. Even when he's no longer inside me, I feel him between my legs still, as if the delicious ache he left behind is a permanent reminder of the man who caused it.
I think he knows what I'm thinking because the look he shoots me is full of heat and promise, a silent vow of what's to come when we're alone again.
I shiver slightly, forcing my gaze away from him before I crawl into his lap right here at the table.
"Um…" I force my mind back to the matter at hand. War. The varulv. Our new allies. "The rabbits agreed to keep an eye out and report back if they see anything. That's all they're willing to do. They're afraid."
"Poor rabbits," Abigail whispers, her face falling.
"But the ravens agreed to join you and scout ahead." My brows furrow as I glance down at Ing, who spent the day out with Stephan and the Fae, hunting. He's more interested in the deer steak we sat out for him than the conversation, however. "They said something about it having been that way before?"
"Ja," Malachi says, the beads of his braid clicking together as he nods. "Raven, wolf, and Fae have fought together many times. But not for millennia now. Not since Ragnarok."
"They belonged to Odin too," Damrion murmurs. "Geri and Freki walked beside him, while his ravens, Hugin and Munin, flew ahead."
I turn wide, worried eyes on him. "Are they vargúlfr, too?"
"Nei, Valkyrie. They cannot be turned," he promises.
I exhale a relieved breath.
"The ravens of Valhalla are as special as the wolves, but in their own way."
I nod thoughtfully. "Their speech is different."
"Ja. They knew our languages once. They were Odin's scouts, his spies, some say. They flew ahead, listened, and reported back. And, like the wolves, they have long memories. I imagine some of what they knew lingers still," Damrion says. "But they could never change form. They're in no danger of being turned against us."
"That's good," I whisper.
Damrion's gold eyes linger on my face. "Asking them for help was a smart plan. You did well, Valkyrie."
I blush, dropping my gaze to the table. "Thank you."
Stephan squeezes my fingers, leaning toward me. "Head up, warrior," he whispers so softly only I can hear him. "Take the praise with your head high. You're his equal. Wear it with pride, princess."
I square my shoulders and bravely lift my head. I still don't feel like much of an equal to these warriors. In ways, I still feel like the outcast I've been for most of my life. But when Stephan grins at me, pride in his eyes, and Damrion smiles as if he's proud too…I feel a little less like the weird friendless girl I was, and a little more like a Valkyrie worthy of the company I now keep.
"Are you finished eating?" Stephan asks a few minutes later, nodding his head at my empty bowl.
I nod, pushing it away from me.
He immediately rises to his feet, holding his hand out for me.
I take it without question, eager to be alone with him again. The nights aren't nearly long enough when the days are so full of things determined to keep us apart. Between the varulv, the Bifrost, fortifying the village, taking care of Ing, and the thousand other things wrestling for our time and attention…well, we snatch what time we can from the broken hands of a racing clock.
Stephan pulls me up from the table into his arms, glancing down at Ing. "Ing, come."
The wolf ignores him, his tail twitching as he gnaws on the few scraps of meat still clinging to the bone.
"Leave him," Marion murmurs. "I'll make sure he gets back to the house safely."
"Are you sure?" I ask, chewing on my bottom lip. Things between her and I have improved drastically since I confessed my guilt. I feel closer to her than ever—to each of my sisters, honestly. They've become my rocks, lending me strength when mine fails. Getting to do the same for them in return is beautiful in a way I never knew it could be. I appreciat it so much more than they know…appreciate them more than they can understand.
"I'm sure." She smiles up at me. "Go. He'll be fine with us."
I nod gratefully. My sisters have quickly fallen in love with Ing. The wolf will never admit it, but I think the feeling is mutual. He's ambivalent toward the warriors, but there's a…softness in his mind when he thinks about my sisters. He likes them.
I don't think he'll ever be truly wild again. He's one of ours now, a warrior of Valhalla. Perhaps that's the way it was always meant to play out. I don't know. I wish it'd gone differently for him and the cost hadn't been so high. But at least with us, he's safe from the varulv.
Stephan and I exit the Mess Hall hand in hand, not speaking. A soft wind blows through the village, the heady scent of poppies strong. He wraps an arm around me, pulling me up against his side.
"I missed you today, Valkyrie." His nose skims my crown as if he's breathing me in.
I smile, my heart skipping a beat. Does he know how much I love him? I haven't told him yet. I'm not sure I know the words to explain. "I missed you too, warrior."
"Many more days of hunting instead of stalking you around Valhalla, and I'm going to be a very cranky mate, princess."
"Did you guys find anything today?"
"Ja." He falls silent for a moment and then curses. "We killed four varulv. Rhistel was nearly bitten."
"Oh no," I whisper, my stomach sinking.
"He's fine, but it was close." He shoots me an appreciative glance. "Asking the animals to help us hunt was smart, Kara. It'll save us a lot of time."
"I hope so."
"If there are any wolves left in Valhalla, we haven't found them."
My heart sinks. "Ing says there were dozens when we arrived, Stephan. Maybe even hundreds."
"Ja, I know. And in a matter of days, they've all fallen to the Dark." He sighs quietly. "Damrion pulled the warriors out of Asgard, Kara. It's overrun."
"Varulv?" I glance up at him, fear shooting through me.
"And Forsaken." They're amassing an army."
A shiver rips through me, chilling me to the bone.
"We're running out of time."
"Ja," he whispers. "I think we are."
The Bifrost is flickering again. There's no denying it as my sisters and I stand before it, sending flows of Light beaming across its reflective surface. As usual, we get nothing in response. Well, nothing save more flickers.
"I don't understand," Tori huffs, releasing her Light as her hands drop to her sides in defeat. "We're doing everything right."
Except…clearly, we aren't.
Ever since Damrion pulled the warriors from Asgard, we've redoubled our efforts to learn how to operate the Portal. It's been two days, and we've learned nothing. But the flickers are growing more insistent by the day, as if the Bifrost is in distress.
Or, perhaps, it merely senses that we are. And there's no denying that we are. Every day, Stephan, Ing, and the warriors fan out across Valhalla, searching for the varulv. They've killed no less than a dozen, but the shadow only seems to grow over Valhalla a little more every day.
The one bright spot has been the twelve unharmed vargúlfr Stephan, Ing, and the Fae have found. They're all that remain of Odin's wolves now. The rest belong to the Dark, turned while we were oblivious.
But for the first time in millennia, raven, wolf, and Fae hunt together, all that stands between Valhalla and the Dark. For the second time in memory, Asgard has fallen. We're cut off, completely on our own. The Portal is our only hope. And we're no closer to figuring out how to use it than we were weeks ago.
If that weren't bad enough…the Forsaken have taken to tormenting Abigail at every turn. She wakes screaming in the middle of the night from horrible nightmares, unsure if what she's seen is truth or simply another false trail laid by our enemies. It's wearing on her. And because it's wearing on her, it's wearing on the rest of us too.
Our backs are against a wall. And our only way out is forward.
But the damn Bifrost refuses to give up its secrets.
We're failing.
I'm sure the Forsaken are cackling in their cowls and hoods, reveling in their impending victory.
I glance at my sisters, see the defeat and anxiety stamped across their faces…and frustration boils through me.
The Forsaken can't win. I won't let them. They've taken enough from us. They've taken enough from the Fae and from the vargúlfr.
Valhalla is ours.
The souls on the other side of the Veils belong to the Light.
I stride closer to the Portal, purpose in my steps.
"Where are you going, Kara?" Rissa asks.
I ignore her, striding right up to the only remaining piece of the Bifrost still left.
"Careful, Valkyrie," Reaper cautions, shifting nervously, as if he'd prefer that I fall back in line with my sisters behind the line of warriors sent to keep us safe should the varulv and Forsaken on the other side of the Portal decide today is the day they attack.
I reach deep into the well of Light in my soul, letting it pour through me, but I don't send it out toward the Bifrost. Instead, I simply let it flow through me as I reach out with my hand, placing it right up against the shining surface. Energy crackles and hums against my palm, the magic of the Bifrost tingling.
"I know you're listening," I murmur to it. "I know you hear us."
The Bifrost flickers, the hum beneath my hand growing.
"What is she doing?" Abigail whispers behind me.
"Shh," Tori whispers back. "Let her."
"The Forsaken have overtaken Asgard. Soon, they'll pour into Valhalla, and it'll fall to the Dark forever," I murmur to the Bifrost. "We'll fall to the Dark, and so will every soul we're meant to free."
The Bifrost flickers rapidly, a distressed pattern.
"I know you don't want that," I whisper. "The Gods didn't create you to let you be corrupted and used for evil. Help us stop it."
The tingling beneath my palm intensifies. I'm too afraid to hope, but I ask anyway…
"How do we use your power to save the realms?"
For long moments, nothing happens. I receive the same answer we've received every time we've come here. Silence.
So I let more Light flood through me, let it fill every space inside of me.
"Kara…" Marion murmurs nervously.
I tune her out. Tune out everyone. And throw everything at the Portal. Not Light, but memory. Emotion. Images of my sisters and the Fae. Of my mother and little sister, Kaydence, and my grandmother. Of Rand and Simek. Of Ing and Rider. Of the rabbits cowering in their nests, too afraid to venture out.
Mostly, I share Stephan, the fierce, fearsome, beautiful human warrior willing to die for me and Valhalla, the one who tied his soul to mine, confident that my sisters and I would win this war. Dozens of memories of him pour out of me—him stalking me through the woods. His smile and laughter. The quite wisdom he always imparts and the way he teaches me what it means to be brave and lead. The way he loves me without reservation, giving every piece of himself to me. He holds nothing back.
That's what the Light loses if we fail—Stephan and his courage. Stephan and his heart. And he isn't the only one. Every ounce of Light shining in warriors just like him—those worthy of calling this place home—will be extinguished forever.
For the first time in weeks, the Bifrost responds. A mournful note brush against the edges of my mind as the surface flickers rapidly in a prism of dazzling color. I'm not entirely sure exactly what happens or how. But I feel it…reaching out to me, whispering without words. Probing my mind.
It delves deep, pillaging through my memories of Stephan, pulling every single one to the surface. And in a blink, it wrests them away, leaving me reeling in darkness. Pain stabs deep into my heart, as if my soul is being ripped apart.
I cry out, stumbling to my knees as the bond between Stephan and I stretches thin, to the point of breaking.
"No, please," I sob. "Please!"
The surface of the Portal blazes bright as the sun, a rainbow of color radiating out. But the pain…stops. The bond between me and Stephan flares back to life. I feel him surging into my mind in a hot rush.
I fall forward, catching myself on my hands and knees, gasping for breath. "Please," I whisper. "Help us."
The surface of the Bifrost dims, the hum fading to silence.
"Kara!" Rissa cries, rushing forward. She lands on her knees beside me with Marion, Abigail, and Tori right behind her.
I sob as they wrap their arms around me, clinging to me.
"What just happened?" Abigail whispers.
But I don't have an answer for her. At least, not one I'm willing to voice. Because if that's my answer—if losing Stephan is how we win…then perhaps I was never meant to be a Valkyrie at all because that's a price I can't pay.
I won't pay it.
By the time Stephan and the warriors get back to the village, it's well after dark, and I'm a bundle of raw nerves. My mind is restless. I feel unsteady and unmoored in a way I haven't in a long time, like I'm adrift in a world with no anchor.
Stephan finds me in my room, pacing. Waiting for him.
As soon as the door closes behind him, I'm in his arms, sobbing his name. He lifts me against his chest, his lips coming down on mine in a savage, sustaining kiss, as if he's trying to reassure himself that I'm still here, too.
"Princess," he breathes, his hand twisted up in my hair to hold me to him. "For a minute today, a piece of my soul died, and I wanted to die with it."
"Stephan." Tears roll down my cheeks. I press myself closer to him, trying to embed myself in his skin. "It was the Bifrost. I…I don't know what happened."
"Tell me," he murmurs, carrying me to the bed. He lays us down facing one another, his arms still around me, our faces inches apart. Like this, it's as if he's the only thing that exists in my world. The only thing I see. "What happened, Valkyrie?"
"I don't…" I shake my head slightly, still not entirely sure. "I don't know," I whisper. "I showed the Bifrost what would be lost if we failed and asked it how to stop that from happening. And then it just…" I exhale a shuddering breath. "It's like it tried to rip you away from me."
"It punished you?" His eyes narrow, the question coming in a predatory growl.
"No." I quickly shake my head. "It wasn't like that. It felt almost…sad?" I huff out a breath. "I don't know how to explain it, really. But I don't think it was trying to punish me. Just…show me what's going to happen?" My bottom lip quivers.
Stephan is quiet for a moment, his gaze running across my face. "Nothing is going to take me from you, Kara. If that's what you think the Portal tried to show you, you're wrong."
He's wrong though. I felt it, and so did he. And I'm terrified that what happened today was the Bifrost's way of showing me that we're the reason it's not responding. I bonded with a human, someone alive. Someone who never should have been let into Valhalla as is. And now…now what? I have to let him go in order to balance the scales? To restore order?
Defiance wells up from the depths of my soul. I know Stephan feels it because his brows furrow, concern flickering across his face. But I can't tell him my fears. I don't want to speak them into existence. I don't want to discuss them at all. I just want to forget—pretend today never happened and that the path before us didn't just become mired in shadows threatening to overwhelm me.
"Kiss me," I plead, twisting my hands up in his shirt. "Please, Stephan. I'm so cold. Kiss me and let me burn."
"Nei," he growls, pressing against my shoulder to force me onto my back. He rises up over me on his knees, his eyes twin pools of gray flame. "We burn together, Valkyrie."
"Ja," I breathe, reaching for him. "Together."
His lips come down on mine in a savage, adoring kiss that sets me ablaze. His hands run over me, seeking out every dip and curve as he quickly strips me, throwing my clothing off the side of the bed. By the time I'm naked, I'm already quivering in his arms, a bundle of competing desire and raw need.
But I rise up beneath him, pushing him backward. He leans back with a grin, heat in his eyes as I set to work on his clothes, stripping him with shaking hands.
His grin fades, his expression turning dark as I rake my nails down his chest and then lower. "Gods, princess," he growls, his head kicked back as my lips follow the same searing trail. "You have no idea what you do to me, do you?"
"I know, Stephan." I flick my gaze up to his, wrapping my hand around his erection. "I feel it."
His eyes lock with mine as I suck him into my mouth, plunging down.
"Fuck!" His hips arch from the bed, his hand sinking into my hair. His growls and curses spur me on as I lick and suck, pleasuring him in a way that has power singing through my veins.
But he doesn't let me please him for long. I may be Valkyrie outside of this bed, someone to be obeyed and feared. But in this bed, Stephan rules. I'm his to command.
He tips me over backward, snarling softly. "My turn, princess."
"Come and get me then, warrior."
He falls on me as if I just gave him the keys to heaven, kissing and touching everywhere he can reach. I cry out beneath him, not even trying to be quiet. Let everyone hear. Let the Norns know that this man is mine and I am his. The Bifrost may demand we sacrifice our bond for the greater good, but I'll spit defiance and scream down the heavens before I let him go willingly.
His name leaves my lips in a shout as he hauls my legs up over his shoulders, his tongue spearing through my folds. He groans, eating me like an unruly, wild beast. I cling to his shoulders, rocking against his face as waves of pleasure roil through me in a tornado of bliss.
They rip me asunder and scatter me to the winds, sending my Light spilling across the room in a blast of fiery sparks. As soon as Stephan feels it, he's on top of me, flattening me to the bed as he surges inside of me.
"No one is taking me from you," he growls against my lips. "I'll shatter kingdoms and destroy time myself, Valkyrie, do you hear me?" His hips slam against mine again and again, each strike a vow as meaningful as the words spilling from his lips in a litany. "You belong to me. My mate. My soul. Mine ."
I sob his name and choke on hope, clawing at his back, trying to keep him as close as possible. So close nothing can rip us apart—not the Bifrost, not fate, not the Gods themselves. This warrior is mine. If the Norns demand a sacrifice to part the Veil, it can't be him.
I won't allow it.
"Kiss me," I beg. "Kiss me until you're the only thing that exists."
"Kara, princess," he breathes, immediately brushing his lips against mine. "For you, I am the only thing that exists. Ek elska tik . I love you."
I shatter apart, falling to his Light, to his love, with his name echoing from the rafters around us.
He groans my name, burying his face in my throat as my pleasure sends him spiraling over the edge with me. "I love you," he chants over and over, as if he's trying to brand his adoration on my soul. "I love you, Valkyrie."
I cling to him, wrecked and ruined…and whole in a way I've never been.
"I love you too, Stephan."
And, perhaps, that's what makes the bitter edge of fear so sharp. I love him…but I don't know how to save him. I don't know how to keep him. And I'm absolutely certain the Bifrost wasn't wrong today.
His life is the sacrifice fate demands.
And I'm not nearly strong enough to make it.