Valhalla Page 14

  My hands fell away from my face and I looked up at him for the first time ever with fear in my eyes. He stumbled back from me and looked down at his hands. He shook his head and fell to his knees. "Linnea, what have I done?"

  I knew what had happened, Camille. She was like a poisonous snake, beautiful to look at, but deadly. The power she had developed was that of seduction and to cloud minds. Apparently, Lucha had fallen victim to both.

  "Linnea, I never meant to hurt you, and I did not mean to share a bed with her." He crawled towards me and I dropped back and moved away from him. Lucha had made his point, he was more powerful than me, I didn’t need a repeat performance.

  He lifted his arm towards me and I screamed out, afraid that he was going to send more of his power at me. The bedroom door opened. Kerr and Camille appeared in it. Kerr looked at me and I turned my head away from him. He rushed to my side and tried to turn my chin to him, but I refused to move.

  "Look at me, Linnea." I shook my head no. "What has happened to you?"

  "She got what she deserved. That whore used Lucha and refused to let him use his full powers," Camille said snidely.

  "Get out of my home, Camille, and never come back. You did this to me. You made me turn on Linnea."

  Camille let out a laugh. "Oh, do not fool yourself, lover, I am not fully to blame for this. You harbored much resentment for her, I just tapped into it. She is not the woman that you make her out to be. She is not perfect, and she will break your heart. Believe me, Lucha … you will come crawling back to me."

  I turned my face to Camille and let my magic loose on her. She screamed out as I pushed my power against her chest. I felt my magic seep through her body and wrap around her heart. I had the power to kill her with just a blink of my eye and I had to talk myself out of doing it.

  Neither Kerr nor Lucha tried to stop me. In fact they both seemed a little disappointed when I released her from my magic. She looked up at Lucha, her green eyes held fury. "How could you do nothing to help me, after what we just shared?"

  "Get out, you mean nothing to me," Lucha said, his voice cold.

  Camille, the unblemished one, staggered towards the door and screamed out that we would regret doing this to her. She was probably right, but I didn’t care. I was already second-guessing my decision not to end her life when I had the chance.

  Kerr leaned over and touched my face. He looked up at Lucha and I could feel his rage. "How could you harm our Linnea?"

  "No, Kerr," I said, softly. "Let’s just go."

  Lucha moved forward and Kerr stood tall. "Do not go, I beg you."

  "Linnea?" Kerr asked my permission to use force. I shook my head no.

  "Tell him," I said softly.

  "Tell me what?" Lucha asked.

  Kerr cleared his throat and started to speak. "Before I was brought over I was married and expecting a child. The child was murdered while still in my wife’s stomach, and I was sired, but my wife was safe, at least temporarily." Kerr took a step back towards me. I put my hand up and let him pull me into his arms. I buried my face in his chest, still unwilling to let either of them see me look this way. It would heal, but it would take a little time. Kerr wrapped his arm around me tight and stroked my hair. "I have walked next to that woman for over a hundred years now, watching her love others and not remember me, and now she has found her way back to me."

  "Kerr, this is wonderful news. Why do you look so somber?" Lucha asked.

  I turned my face to Lucha and he gasped. He tried to come to me, but I moved in closer to Kerr, and he stopped. "While I was away I met a man, he jarred my memory of when I was alive, and I remembered Kerr…."

  "You and Kerr were … you were his…?" Lucha stumbled over every word.

  Kerr pulled me to his neck. I bit down lightly and took a few sips of his powerful blood. I kissed the wound closed and he pulled me back from him. His eyes hardened when he saw my face. I felt it starting to heal and Kerr stopped looking like he wanted to kill Lucha—at least for the moment. "You didn’t tell me that a man jarred yer memory."

  I nodded. "Yes, the same man that tried to attack Lucha when I first met him. I ran into him a few villages over and was hungry, tired, and in need a bath. He took me in, in exchange for my help with his newly turned vampires."

  "Linnea, he is an evil man," Lucha said, sounding so disappointed in me.

  "My choices were limited, Lucha. I had no money with me, and being a woman, traveling alone I was subject to many advances and…."

  He put his hand up. "I am sorry. I did not think of that before I spoke. You are well now and that is all that matters."

  I nodded and put my head against Kerr’s shoulder. "I’m tired, and haven’t been able to sleep sound in days. I need a bath and some rest."

  Lucha nodded. "Of course, I will prepare a bath for you … if Kerr does not mind." He added the last bit, just to keep Kerr from snapping, I think.

  "Linnea has made it clear to me that she may remember me now, but she will not stop loving you," Kerr said sounding less than thrilled with the thought.

  "Linnea," Lucha said and walked towards me.

  I put my hand up. "No, Lucha, I’m hurt by what you did. Not only did you sleep with Camille, you turned on me. We can blame Camille for that all we want, but she’s right you know, a little piece of you must hate me to do what you did, and to have allowed yourself to be so easily manipulated by her."

  Kerr tried to hug me, but I moved away. I looked them both in the face and let my feelings out. "You lied to me for too many years, Kerr." I looked at Lucha. "I have no desire to be comforted by a man who blames me for his father’s death. When you come to terms with what I did for Contro then and only then will things be fine. If you aren’t able to understand why I helped him, then there’s no reason for us to be together. I will leave tomorrow night. I will require a small amount of money to see me safely away from here."

  "Linnea, we just found each other again," Kerr said, looking hurt.

  "No, Kerr, I found you the day I died and became what I am now. You chose to keep this from me. I had a right to know. Instead, you left me loving you and never once feeling like the love was returned. I slept with hundreds upon hundreds of men because you refused to help me. You don’t do that to someone you claim to love, Kerr. How many men did I have to kill to keep from being injured myself? Do you remember, or do you like to pretend that never happened? Yes, I found Lucha because of your resistance to me, but look at what Lucha is now. He’s dead, as are we! So don’t stand there and make me feel bad for this. You had over a hundred years to tell me the truth and it took the demon who stole the lives from my womb to open my eyes."

  Kerr perked up and grabbed my arm. "Linnea, you didn’t sleep with the man who did this to us, did you?"

  I smiled. "As if it matters to you, you passed me around to so many men that I’ve lost count of them. At least once I found Lucha he never asked me to do that. He loved me too much to force me out to feed my hunger on strangers … at least he did until I…."

  Lucha moved towards me. "Linnea, I know that you did what had to be done—with my father. He was in so much pain, and I could not end it for him, I know that…."

  "I hear you saying that you forgive me and that you understand, but I heard you mutter those same words on the night I ended his suffering. You said them right before you cast me out of your life, and went to Camille for support." I stormed out of the room and headed down to one of the extra bedrooms.

  Chapter 33

  I ran a brush through my long wet hair and stared at my reflection in the mirror. My turquoise eyes looked as tired as I felt. My face was smooth and held no signs of Lucha’s outburst, but I’d carry the pain of it in my heart always. I loved his father too, and that’s why I’d helped him.

  There was a knock on the door and I tried to ignore it. The door opened and Kerr poked his head in. I shot him a nasty look, but he entered all the same. "What do you want?"

  He shut the door behind him. "I�
�ve come to tell you that Lucha’s not takin’ the news of yer leavin’ very well. He just left."

  "Humph, looks like Camille’s gotten her wish."

  "Oh, Linnea, you don’t know where he’s gone off to. You can’t go makin’ him guilty of somethin’ he may not be doin’."

  "Well, aren’t you suddenly the voice of reason." I spat my words out, and turned back to the mirror.

  "You wait one minute, woman. I’ll take yer abuse when I know it’s warranted, but yer not about to get away with what yer pullin’." Kerr stormed across the room at me and snatched me up by my waist. He spun me around in his arms and brought his lips down on mine.

  I fought back at first, but when his tongue found mine, I was lost in him. His large hands ran up my back, pushing my nightgown up along the way. He walked our bodies towards the bed, and crawled with me still attached to him. Our mouths never separated as we went. Every bit of my body was tight with the anticipation of Kerr’s touch.

  I wanted to be strong and stand my ground. I made an effort to push him off me, and he countered with pulling my nightgown up and running my nipples between his fingertips. He wasn’t playing fair. He knew that I’d wanted him to touch me for over a century, and he knew that once he started I wouldn’t be able to resist him.

  I pulled on his shirt. He leaned up and took it off. His large, muscular chest was now exposed to me. I ran my fingers up and through the tiny red hairs on his body. He reached down and pulled my nightgown over my head. My hair twisted in it and Kerr laughed softly as he unwound it. It fell in long waves around us.

  He took a deep breath in and moved down my body, planting kisses as he went. He opened my legs, and moved his face down. I felt his cool breath blow out on the patch of dark hair between my legs. His fingers opened me to him and his long tongue slid into me. I cried out and reached for him, grabbing his long hair, and holding him to me. He inched his tongue in and out of me and varied little licks over my clit. I had to make an effort not to pull too hard on his head as my legs tightened and my orgasm moved through me. Kerr continued to lick and move his tongue in and out of me, causing my legs to shake uncontrollably, before finally closing on his head—like a vice.

  He pulled back from me and laughed as he wiped his chin off on his shirt. He tossed it aside and started to undo his pants. I crawled to my knees and eased my hands down the front of his pants. I’d waited for so long for him to let me do this, that now my hands shook from excitement. His hands cupped my head gently as I brought him out and placed the head of his cock in my mouth. We both made strange noises; his, a sound of relief, and mine a sound of triumph for finally having my Kerr.

  He tasted so good, so earthy and alive, even though he’d been dead longer than me. I ran my mouth over him and took all of him in that I could. I moved my head faster and Kerr pulled me back from him. I looked up and saw his face. I knew that he wouldn’t last long this way, especially not after abstaining for so many years.

  I lay back on the bed and opened myself wide to him. He moved over me and hovered above me for just a moment before sliding into me. Lucha was long and wide, but Kerr was unbelievably large. I bit down on my lower lip hard to try and balance the mix of pleasure and pain. Kerr’s blue eyes found me and he leaned down and licked the blood from my lip.

  His body slammed down on me harder. He thrusts were so great that he moved me up the bed with each one. I pulled up on his shoulders and lifted my head as his body hit mine. Animal noises came from the both of us and my eyes rolled back in my head each time another orgasm hit me. It felt so good to have Kerr in me. We were one now—as it was meant to be.

  The air around us grew cool and I opened my eyes to find Lucha standing at the foot of the bed, his eyes wide, and the hurt evident on his face. Kerr continued to slam his body deeper into mine. I clutched at his shoulders and whispered in his ear. "Kerr … Lucha is … here…." Each word was hard to get out between the burning, pleasurable sensations he gave me between my legs.

  Kerr slammed harder into me and his back arched as I felt him releasing within me. His eyes were closed and his face was slack. He now wore a look of sheer abandonment. His release was long, and his body shook as he finished. He tried to move, but his arms were stiff from pleasure, as was the rest of his body.

  "Ah, Valkyrie, I’ve never stopped loving you," Kerr said softly as he rolled to the side.

  He tried to pull me into his arms, but I didn’t move. My eyes went to Lucha. He hadn’t moved a muscle. He seemed planted there. I wasn’t sure if it was shock or anger, but whatever it was made my chest hurt.

  Cold air rushed up and around us. I put my hand out. "Lucha, don’t!"

  Lucha turned his head to side and I saw the incredible restraint he had. He turned and stormed out of the room. I tried to run after him, but Kerr pulled me back to him. "Let him go, Linnea. Our time is short, and I want to hold ye longer before ye go."

  "Kerr, you can come with me. I was angry and said hurtful things. I’m not sure if Lucha will still want me here, but I don’t really want to go."

  "I know you don’t, but whether Lucha or I like it or not, you’ll be leavin’ us soon, for a very long time, and I do not know if you will ever see us the same way again."

  I turned to Kerr and tried to understand what he said. He’d always had a way of seeing the future, but he rarely let any of us in on it. I tried to pull away from him, but he put his body over mine and pinned me to the bed.

  "Kerr, Lucha’s dangerous when he loses his temper."

  Kerr nodded. "I know, but I’ll ask you this only once, and if you still want to go, I’ll not try and stop you, but what if I told you that this would be the last time you and I see each other for a very long time?"

  "Are you leaving me?" I asked, suddenly feeling like my entire world crumbled around me.

  Kerr opened my legs with his knee and started to ease himself into me. "No, Linnea, it’s not me who’s goin’ away, and for the first time in my life, I can’t see what will be. I just know that I’ll see you again, only you won’t be a creature of the night, and I’m askin’ you to give me this night, because it may very well be the last I ever have with you."

  "Kerr…?"

  He pushed into me, and silenced me. "I ask that you trust me, Valkyrie."

  "I do," I said, as he continued our lovemaking.

  Chapter 34

  I paced near the living room windows, waiting for signs of Lucha. He hadn’t returned home last night and I was worried about him. I needed to see him, touch him, and know that he was okay. I would never stop loving him, Kerr or no Kerr.

  Kerr had gone looking for him as soon as the sun set. He acted strange before he left, hugging me tight, and repeating over and over how much he loved me and always would. His odd behavior had left me a bit on edge, and having no idea where Lucha was didn’t help.

  There was a knock on the door and I ran to it, not caring if it was death himself waiting with a stake, so long as he had word on Lucha. I flung the door open and was shocked to see Camille standing there. Her blonde hair was a mess and her green eyes were wide.

  "Linnea, come quick, it’s Lucha. He’s gone mad and is slaughtering innocents in the village."

  I dropped our past issues and ran behind her towards her horse. We mounted and I held tight to her waist, not caring that I hated her. My thoughts were on Lucha, and on the innocent people whose lives were now lost because of his anger with me. We rode hard and fast all the way to the tiny village.

  I dismounted, followed closely behind by Camille, and looked around at the burning village. I tried to make sense of what I saw. How could Lucha do this? How could he burn humans alive? I heard the faint cries of a baby and I turned to Camille. "I will go for the child, you try and stop Lucha. I’ll be right there."

  She smiled up at me, and I found that odd. I left her standing by her horse and ran in the direction of the cries. I kicked the broken front door down and ran into the small home. There was no sign of any adults, but I did fin
d a tiny child, around the age of six, and already gone. I felt sick to my stomach when I saw what had been done. I never knew Lucha was capable of this kind of rage.

  The baby cried again and I ran towards the back of the house. I pushed through the smoke that came in the window and found the tiny infant in the bottom dresser drawer. I lifted him into my arms and brought his tiny face to mine, trying to comfort him.

  "Put the child down," a male voice said from behind me.

  I could feel his power pushing all around me and feared that if he struck out at me, he’d kill the baby too. I kissed its tiny head and set it back down. I tried to turn around, but something cold pierced through my body. I looked down and saw the end of a sword sticking out of my chest. I fell forward and onto my knees. I put my hands over the end of the sword and held it tight.

  Strong hands turned me around and the room seemed to spin for a minute before I was able to make out the tall, blonde, magic-man, Gregory. I tried to think, but my head felt light, almost like it could float away at any moment.

  "Valerie, I didn’t know it was you." he said. He looked around the tiny house and his eyes went to the dead girl. "What have you done? How could you do this? How could you hurt the innocent?"

  I looked around. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. I hadn’t done anything. "I came … I came to stop Lucha." I knew that my time here had ended and I could feel the tiny baby’s life slipping away. The smoke filled his lungs. I touched the ground and called upon mother earth to help me. I pulled on every bit of power that I had and I pushed it out with the thought of breathing life into all that surrounded me. The room shook and the smoke cleared. I screamed out as my pierced heart started to beat.

  I looked up, and summoned the wind to me. I pushed it against myself and the sword started to shake as it pulled back through me. The magic-man grabbed it, trying to stop it. "No, Valerie, once it’s out, you die!" He cried out as the blade pulled through his hands and sliced them open. His blood mixed with mine and I used his power to cast the sword free of my body.