Valhalla Page 4

  I reached down and wrapped my hands around the sword. I concentrated on the cool metal and cried the word "abire"--out. The sword shook for a moment before moving up and out of my body of its own free will. I looked over at the vampire standing next to Corbin and I flicked my wrist in his general direction. The sword flew into the vamp’s chest and pierced its heart. I sat up slowly and looked at Corbin. His eyes widened.

  "What are you?"

  "Im-mor-tal, and a Val-ky-rie" I said, slowly just to be sure he got my point.

  I waited for him to attack me again. He didn’t, instead he turned to his men and in an instant, they were fleeing. I knew that they’d be reporting back to whatever evildoer gave them their orders this week. I also knew that they’d be back with reinforcements soon. Now that they knew that our side had one here, they’d show no mercy.

  I made my way to the rivers edge and tried to clean the wound in my stomach. It wouldn’t kill me, but it would come close if infection set in. I needed to clean it and get somewhere safe to rest, or I’d pass out and be left to the elements. It wouldn’t matter how immortal I was if I was eaten alive by wild animals or froze to death.

  I did my best to clean it out, but the wound went all the way through me. Being immortal didn’t give me any less pain than mortals—it only gave me a better chance of surviving injuries. Every step I took felt like someone jabbed me with metal prongs. I made it a mile or so before I realized that I’d gone in the wrong direction. I fell down onto my knees and looked around at the darkened countryside. I could go no further, I had to rest. I did a silent prayer to the elders that I’d awaken whole and laid my head down onto the hard ground.

  Chapter 7

  "You’ve got to quiet down now, William, you’ll wake the dead with that voice."

  I opened my eyes to the sound of a high-pitched female voice and wanted to beg to differ with her, she had a voice that could wake the dead, not William. I turned my head, expecting to see the river, and found myself staring into the face of a pudgy woman who didn’t look much older than twenty. A head of unruly blonde curls framed her round face. She looked down and saw me looking at her and let out a shriek. "She’s alive! Quick, William, go get your father, and uncle Kerr."

  She moved closer to me and reached out for my hand. "There now, don’t ya’ go worryin’ none, I’m Darcy, yer sister-in-law."

  The confusion must have shown on my face because Darcy smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, not officially yet, but I will be. I never thought Kerr would take a wife, he was always goin’ on about some woman who’d fall from the sky, Val-halia—said she was the one meant to be his wife, and no other. He’s been goin’ on about that since he was a young lad. I don’t think ye fell from the sky, but I’m happy all the same that Kerr’s found someone."

  My eyes widened. Kerr had known that I’d come, and he’d known how, and from where? It was glaringly apparent that reading minds wasn’t the only supernatural gift that he possessed. The door to the room opened and I saw Kerr’s head of red hair come rushing in. His blue eyes fixed on me and he ran to my side. Darcy stepped out of his way and barked orders at everyone in the house to give us some privacy.

  Kerr grabbed my hand and dropped to his knees. He put his head down on my shoulder and began to cry. I reached up and stroked his cheek. He turned his face so that I wouldn’t see his tears.

  "It’s okay, I’m okay," I panted.

  He regained his composure and looked at me. His blue eyes looked even more vibrant now that his eyes were red from crying. "I did not mean to look like less than a man in front of ye, I just thought that … I wasn’t sure ye’d make it. What in hell happened to ye? I left ye to say my good-byes to Cian and Darcy, and when I returned I found ye bleedin’ to death on the ground, miles from where I’d left ye." He looked like he was on the verge of losing it again. I hated to see a man as strong as Kerr in this much pain. I kissed his forehead lightly.

  "Kerr, I’m immortal. It takes a hell of a lot more to kill me then just running a sword through my gut."

  His head popped up. "Who ran a sword through you?"

  "I’m fine Kerr, I promise." I reached down and lifted the fabric of a white night gown that I now wore and sat up to look at my stomach. A large pink scar covered my lower abdomen. I wasn’t worried about it—it would be gone in a week, tops. I reached for Kerr’s hand and ran his fingers over it. "See, I’m alive, this couldn’t kill me."

  "Aye, I see that, I don’t really believe it, but I see, but Valkyrie, it did manage to kill someone else."

  "Kerr…."

  He interrupted me. "The sword killed the child you were carryin’, my child, our child." I looked down at my stomach and thought about what he’d said to me after we had first made love. He’d said that he’d given me a gift and I’d return it to him soon. A baby, he knew that his seed had been planted in me and that he’d be a father soon. I brought my hand to my mouth and fought back the vomit that threatened to surface. Kerr moved up and onto the bed with me. He wrapped his large arms around me and held me tight as I took my turn crying. I touched him softly.

  "Oh God, the boy by the river, he called me mother, and the blood came up … it was a sign, of what was to come."

  "Aye," Kerr said.

  "I didn’t know that I carried a child, our child. I would have never fought back, I would have just run."

  Kerr’s body tightened and pulled me closer to him. "Tell me who did this to you, to us."

  I instantly blocked my mind of any thoughts of how I’d come to be impaled by Corbin’s sword. I could feel the hate burning through Kerr’s veins and I knew that he’d stop at nothing to have revenge. I also knew that these weren’t the types of things that he needed to be chasing down. "Don’t protect him, Valkyrie."

  "I’m not protecting him, Kerr, I’m protecting you."

  He pulled away, but I held tight to him. "Don’t go, please don’t leave me."

  Kerr’s leg moved over mine, and left my body fully engulfed by his own and I loved it. "I will kill the person who did this, mark my words, Valkyrie." I knew that he would most likely die trying and I couldn’t let that happen.

  "Kerr, leave with me tonight … come back to Valhalla with me."

  "Not until whoever has done this to you pays."

  I couldn’t let anything happen to him. I was desperate because I knew that I couldn’t live without him. "Kerr, come with me and I’ll marry you." I shocked even myself with that one.

  He moved his head back and looked into my eyes. "Tell me again, I want to see into yer jeweled eyes and know that yer serious, Valkyrie." Each time he called me this, it sounded more and more like Valerie. I smiled and looked at him. "Tell me, Valkyrie, tell me that you love me and mean it."

  I didn’t have to try to believe in loving him, I did. Somehow, I’d fallen for him the moment I’d seen him. "Bhreac Kerr Laochailan, of the clan MacLachlainn, I love you and I’ll marry you."

  Kerr’s lips met mine and I found myself lost in a sea of his warmth. He took great care not to bump my stomach. I told him I was fine, but he still refused to on the grounds that he didn’t want to cause me any more pain. I moved my body over his and laid on top of him. I planted kisses all along his jaw and worked my way down to where his shirt started. His hands inched my nightgown up slowly. His fingers moved to my upper thighs, and he stopped.

  "I can’t, Valkyrie, I don’t want to cause you any pain. It’s not been but two days since you lost the…." He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. I knew that the child was gone, and I also knew that my immortal body had repaired within minutes of losing the baby. I didn’t want to think of that now, I couldn’t.

  I moved my hands down his body and shifted my weight to lift his kilt. I looked down and found his cock hard and ready for me. His mouth told me no, but by the looks of it, his cock said yes. I slid my body down and over his thick shaft, slowly at first, unsure if it really would cause me any pain, and then when I felt only the pleasure of having K
err deep within me I continued. I rode his body until we were sweat soaked and screaming out for one another as our bodies climaxed together.

  I collapsed on his chest and let him hold me in his arms. I thought he’d fall asleep. Instead, he moved my body to his side and began spooning me. His hand moved down and over the already fading scar. He caressed it and moved his hand up to cup my breast. He tweaked my nipple lightly as he whispered in my ear. "I will be sharing these soon I see."

  I turned my face to meet his. "What?"

  "The lil’ one will be wantin’ these and I’ll have to share ‘em."

  "But, you said that…."

  He kissed my lips. "Yer body has accepted my seed again. We are a perfect match, Valkyrie."

  Chapter 8

  I dismounted the horse with Kerr trying to help me the entire way down and started over to sit down on a large rock. We’d been traveling for days and I was tired. I was tired all the time as of late. It wasn’t safe to try and take Kerr through the portal near his home, the one I’d come through. Corbin and his men knew that I wasn’t human now and they’d been scouring the area looking for me. I’d been forced to use a back up portal that was in Inverness. It was really the one I first thought I’d come through, but since Kerr wasn’t near there, I got dropped off closer to him. The Inverness portal was a big one and I’d made several trips through it already. The battle of Culloden in 1746 was always good for new recruits. I looked into Kerr’s face, he’d be there within a year if he stayed here, and he would most likely perish. His clan was supporters of the rising and that battle ended poorly for them.

  I reached down and touched my stomach. I shuddered to think of anything happening to Kerr. He saw me and ran to my side. "Ye alright?"

  "Stop worrying. I’m fine, but you’re driving me nuts with the constant obsessing. I’m fine."

  "I’m allowed to worry about my wife," he said, kissing my lips softly.

  It felt so strange to be called that. Kerr had found a priest, a friend of his family’s, and he’d performed a small handfasting ceremony in the kitchen of Kerr’s cousin’s house. It wasn’t a wedding outright, but it was close enough. We promised to love one another for life—that wouldn’t be terribly hard to keep.

  The setting and the circumstances of the ceremony weren’t what I had dreamed they’d be, but it felt right. I touched Kerr’s face and let my finger trace the edge of the tiny white scar on his chin. "Well, husband of mine, stop worrying so much, I’m fine."

  "I’ll stop worrying when I know yer safe on Valhalla," he said, wrapping his arms around me.

  "You mean when we’re safe on Valhalla, don’t you?"

  He nodded slightly, but avoided answering my question. "Are you ready to tell me who attacked you yet? That’d make me feel better too."

  "Please, not this again, Kerr."

  He winked at me and I knew that was more of a promise to leave it alone just for the moment than a promise to drop it for good, but I took it. I tried to lie back on the large rock, but Kerr pulled me to him. "Come on now, ye said it’s up over the second ridge, didn’t ye?"

  I nodded. The portal back to Valhalla was just ahead a bit. I had wanted to get there just before dark to increase our chances of leaving without interference on the part of Corbin’s men, but we’d gotten held up when a passing group of real British guards patrolled the area. Now the moon was high and the night was on us. We just had a little bit more to go before we’d be safe from Corbin’s men, and under the watchful eye of the elders.

  Kerr put his hand around mine and started to walk. He stopped and closed his eyes. He turned his head to the side and looked like he was in pain for a moment before letting out a gasp and grabbing me tight. "Come, we need to get you home."

  "You mean we need to get us home, right?"

  He didn’t answer me. I pulled on him to stop moving. "Kerr, what did you see?"

  He turned around quickly and kissed my lips. He put his hand on my stomach and pulled me close to him. "Promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll go back to Valhalla. We’ll have another chance at happiness, I’m sure of it. Do not mourn yer losses, for we will meet again."

  "Kerr?"

  He scared me. I went to reach up for him and heard a rustle in the bushes off to our right. Kerr grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the second ridge. Two men jumped out in front of us. In a matter of seconds, their faces were twisted and fangs were showing. They let out ear piercing screams and focused their eyes on Kerr. "You’re the one we’ve been looking for."

  Kerr tried to move me behind him, but I gave him a hard time about going. "It doesn’t matter what you turn me into, I’ll never fight on yer side, demon or not. I will walk in the light of day and perish before I aid you in hurtin’ the innocent."

  I turned and looked at him. That’s what he’d seen! He knew what was going to happen—they were going to try to turn him! I had to stop it. I couldn’t let them turn Kerr into a vampire. I called upon my power, the same power that set me apart from the other Valkyries and I concentrated it in their direction. I sent a force of wind so great at them that it sent their bodies hurtling backwards and into the trees. One stopped moving when a branch went straight through his heart—the other looked like he’d just had the wind knocked out of him.

  "Kill her and turn him." I heard Corbin’s cold voice say from behind me.

  I spun around to find at least twenty other demon-guards waiting for us. Kerr turned to me. "Go, run, go home. We will meet again, Valkyrie, I promise."

  "NO! I’m not leaving you here with them." I brought more power up and sent another blast of gale force wind towards the vampires. I managed to knock a few out of commission but the rest came swarming at us. Kerr sent one flying backwards with his bare hand. He caught another by the neck and twisted it quickly.

  Three came at me. Two with their swords drawn and one with a pistol pointed at me. I tried to bring more power up, I’d never attempted to use so much in such a short period of time before and wasn’t sure I could. The pistol went off and I tried to move out of the line of fire, but felt the bullet rip through my lower abdomen. Kerr screamed out for me, and I fell forward clutching the dying dreams of having a family with him.

  I looked up at Kerr and saw his blue eyes fill with water, then turn to rage. He twisted around and sent another vampire flying away from him. I pushed to my feet to help him. I struck out and managed to hit one in the neck. I felt my fingers crush its windpipe and was disappointed that I didn’t take its head off. I pulled upon what power I had left and waited for the next one to come at me. As soon as it did, I cried out "core," and felt my hand pass right through its chest. I seized hold of its heart and brought my foot up to push it backwards. I kept hold of its beating heart and then tossed it aside. I turned to try and repeat my performance on another one and heard the sound of another pistol going off. A hot searing pain ripped through my upper back. I screamed out and found it cut short by the quick coughing up of blood.

  I fell forward and felt someone grab a hold of my hair. My head was pulled back and I found myself looking into the very pissed off face of Corbin. I smiled and spit blood at him. His tongue flickered out and he retrieved all of it. I felt the vomit rising up in me and had to fight to keep it down. He pushed me to the ground and kicked me hard in the gut. His boot came at me again and again. I screamed out and tried to grab his foot. I wanted to rip his leg and beat him with it—did that make me a monster too?

  Corbin’s body was ripped away from mine, and tossed aside. Kerr dropped down in front of me. "Oh God, Valkyrie, yer bleedin’ all over."

  A cramp in my stomach made me cry out again and I reached for Kerr’s hand. "The baby…." I gagged on my own blood. It would take the care of other Valkyries to piece me together again, but I knew that the baby was lost.

  Kerr leaned down to pick me up. "No worries about that now, lass, we need to get you home."

  "But, the…." I tried to talk again.

  "I love you no matter what
, Valkyrie," he said before his body was suddenly pulled away from mine. I looked up to see Kerr being dragged backwards by four vampires and Corbin standing over him—looking ominous, like a cloud before the storm.

  "Hold his head still, I have never seen a human with this much strength, imagine how powerful he will be soon when our blood runs through his veins."

  The vampires bared Kerr’s neck to Corbin and I fought to stand up. Kerr never made a sound as Corbin sunk his fangs deep into him. I staggered and fell backwards, and felt the air around me change. The portal opened. I must have fallen into its path. I tried to walk forward to go to Kerr, but strong arms grabbed me from behind.

  "Linnea, oh my God, what happened…?" I heard Beau’s voice stop dead when he saw the swarm of vampires on Kerr.

  "Help him…." I coughed and went limp.

  Beau picked me up and looked towards Kerr—Kerr’s eyes locked on mine and I saw them start to swirl to black. He was dying and the change was taking place. I reached out for him.

  "Take her and GO!" Kerr cried out through gritted teeth.

  Beau backed up into the portal and tried to calm me down as I cried out for Kerr.

  Chapter 9

  "Won’t you at least see him for just a few minutes?" My mother asked.

  I folded my arms in the chair and turned my face away from her. She tossed her hands in the air. "Beau doesn’t deserve this treatment. The man went against the elders for you. He found his way to you through a portal and brought you back to us safe. Freezing him out for a year isn’t right, you should be thanking him. They’re talking about allowing him a say on the board now, you know."

  That made me turn my head and look at her. Getting a say on the board was a huge deal and it wasn’t given to just anyone, especially not a man. My mother looked out towards the field. No men were training there today, no, today they were out learning the art of firearms and that was much too noisy to have near the homes. "Linnea, you’ve been working yourself too hard. You should take a break. Bringing in six new recruits a week is insane. You can’t keep going like this, it will…."