The Valkyrie Read online

  "Aunt Karen’s birthday is coming up, and I thought you’d want to come and see her. You know how much she likes you," he said, in a low tone. His reason for calling would have sounded lame to anyone else, but to me it sounded legitimate. It was true Dillon’s aunt and I did enjoy seeing each other. Aunt Karen was one of the things I missed most about not dating Dillon. As much as I wanted to see her, I didn’t want to give Dillon the idea that he had any chance of getting me back. Women calling my home at all hours and wanting to know why Dillon ran out so suddenly had ruined his chances with me. Silly, I know.

  "I’ll make sure to call Karen and wish her a happy birthday."

  "Come on Valerie, don’t do this to me. I’ve apologized to you at least a hundred times, please don’t..."

  "No, you don’t! Don’t call me anymore, don’t email me, don’t send me letters, don’t drive past my house, and don’t park at my school. Don’t bother me anymore, Dillon." I closed Molly’s phone and handed it back to her. The Addams Family tune started again. She shut it off and put it in her purse.

  "Sorry," she said.

  "How many times has he called you?" I asked. She froze. It was plain to see that this wasn’t his first time. I don’t know why this surprised me. Going through Molly to get to me did seem like a good idea. Problem was, he’d had me and he’d blown it. I didn’t want him anymore. I was moving on.

  I got the car started and said a silent thank you prayer for it. Yeah, each time I started the car I was sure it would be its last. We headed on our way. Molly seemed tense. She was afraid that I was mad at her, and she had every reason to be, because I was. I couldn’t believe that my best friend would go behind my back like that.

  I stole a sideways glance at her as I drove. She was looking off into the distance.

  "Val, what do you want me to say?"

  "How about nothing? How about not talking to Dillon at all?"

  "I did ignore him at first. I was on the Dillon hating band wagon with you in the beginning," she said softly.

  "So, what made you change your mind?"

  "You did."

  I swerved off to the right. I managed to keep the car on the road, but not by much. I was suddenly very happy that the roads into the city were not heavily traveled. Most cars would be taking the highways. I liked the feel of the back roads. Molly’s hands held tight to her seatbelt. She was ready for my verbal assault, as she should be.

  "What the hell do you mean?"

  She shifted in her seat a little. "It’s just that, you were so happy when the two of you were together ... and ... and... I hear you now at night. I hear you crying in your room. I’ve noticed you pulling away from everyone. I just thought..."

  A sudden realization swept over me. "Christ Molly! This is why you’ve been pushing me to date so much isn’t it?"

  "Yes."

  Things were so much clearer now. Molly’s countless attempts at being a matchmaker were well beyond getting on my nerves. Now I understood her reasoning for it. I had no idea that she could hear me at night. As much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t. I had been sinking into an odd state of self-realization lately, and what I was seeing wasn’t exactly inspiring. It had less to do with Dillon, and more to do with disturbing, reoccurring dreams that had begun to plague me. I didn’t want to go into the details of them with Molly, so, allowing her to think it was loneliness was all right by me.

  I pulled up outside of the nightclub and looked at Molly. Her light blue eyes fell downward. She was ashamed of herself. As much as I wanted to let her feel bad about this all night, it wasn’t my nature. I reached out and patted her leg.

  "Don’t sweat it. I’ll be fine."

  "You’re not coming in are you?"

  "I’m not really in the mood to party tonight. Can you get a lift home?"

  "Sure, Vivian and Sherry are supposed to be here, and so is..." she stopped in mid-sentence. She didn’t need to go on any further. Dr. Sullivan ran up to the passenger window. Molly looked over at me, her eyes pleaded with me to forgive her. I smiled.

  I leaned over her and rolled the window down. The smell of expensive cologne filled the car. "Hey, Doc!"

  A set of white teeth greeted me. Dr. Sullivan had one of the best smiles. His tanned skin and light blond hair helped to make the package complete. He leaned in the window. I noticed his eyes gravitate to Molly’s cleavage, and then quickly pull away.

  "Umm ... er ... are you going to go park?" He asked.

  "No, I don’t think we’re going to be staying," Molly said. I looked over at her. She was going to come home with me. It wasn’t purely out of guilt; it was out of friendship. I gave her leg another pat and looked up at Dr. Sullivan.

  "What Molly means to say is, she’s staying, I’m not. I have a slight headache, and I think I’m going to find something a little quieter to do tonight." Molly opened her mouth to protest, I squeezed her knee hard.

  "Not in the mood to live it up, huh?" Dr. Sullivan leaned in further. I was convinced that he was going to crawl through the window soon if someone didn’t put a stop to it.

  "Yep, that’s the plan. You want to join me?"

  I was sure that the phrase ‘hearing a pin drop’ was coined during a moment similar to this. Molly looked over at me, and then to Dr. Sullivan. He was looking at her as well with wide eyes. They must have discussed my reluctance to accept his invitations before. I wondered how many other things they’d discussed.

  "I’d like that very much," he said.

  It took a few minutes to say good-bye to Molly. I waited to make sure that her coworkers were inside before I pulled away. Dr. Sullivan had gone around to get his car because I had no idea where I was heading. Anywhere was better than a nightclub tonight. I drove several blocks and took a right. I wasn’t too familiar with the city. I did know my way around the University section, but that was the extent of it. I brought the car to a stop outside a tiny green building. I’d passed it enough leaving class to know that it was one of those bookstore/coffeehouse places. I’d never actually stopped in before, and now seemed like as good a time as any. I snatched my purse off the seat and walked toward the entrance.

  I watched as Dr. Sullivan pulled his shiny black Lexis up behind my car. The extreme social class difference between us was not lost on either one of us. He clicked the button on his keys and his car beeped, indicating it had locked. He looked over at mine.

  "I guess it is its own burglar deterrent."

  "Well, maybe I’ll get lucky and snag a man who is loaded and then he can buy me a new one."

  "I don’t think you’ll have much trouble with that." He looked over at me and winked. His ocean blue eyes glistened. "So, this a favorite place of yours?"

  I looked up at the coffeehouse. "Nope, just looked quiet. Do you want to give it a try?"

  "I’d follow you to the depths of hell," he said in a low voice. He opened the door and made a sweeping motion with his arms. "After you, my lady."

  "Cute, Doc, does that win over all the ladies?"

  "I’ll let you know later tonight."

  Chapter 3

  "Well, looks like we’ll have the place to ourselves." I heard Dr. Sullivan’s voice close behind me. Normally, being on a first date with a man in a place this empty would have freaked me out, but Doc was trustworthy and the place was cozy. Bookshelves lined the walls, and two-person tables littered the center of the shop. Tiny handwritten signs adorned each bookcase. I took one look around and knew that the majority of the books on the shelves were used and quite old. I’d always had a thing for old books, and I couldn’t explain it.

  "What can I get for yins?" I looked up, startled to find an older woman standing at the edge of the room. Waves of silver framed her tiny face. She wore a long light-brown dress that hung to the floor. There didn’t appear to be any buttons or zippers on it. I had half a second to wonder how she got in and out of it, before she asked again if she could help us. I looked back at Dr. Sullivan.

  He smiled at her and walked around
me. "Yes ma’am, we’d like two cups of tea."

  Tea? I didn’t really drink tea. I was much more of a coffee drinker, or at least I thought I was. I couldn’t really ever remember drinking tea. Molly didn’t care for it, and I left shopping up to her, so we never had any at home. The woman looked at Dr. Sullivan, and then at me.

  "Hmm ... somethin’ is abrewin’ all right, and that wouldn’t be tea that I’m talkin’ ’bout." She turned and headed out through a small door.

  I walked over to a seat and pulled it out. A hand ran over mine and I looked down. Dr. Sullivan was trying to pull my chair out for me.

  "Doc, I think I can handle it." I said, no part of me wanting him to move his hand from mine.

  Thankfully, he didn’t let go. "I’m sure you can, but what kind of a date would I be if I let you wait on yourself."

  I didn’t respond. Chivalry was not dead in his world, so who was I to question it. I let go of the chair, and he slid it out for me. I took a seat and watched him carefully as he walked around to his side of the table.

  "You know," he said looking at me hard. "I have a first name. It’s Payton."

  I smiled and tipped my head to the side. "I know your name, but I like calling you Doc."

  "Ah, well, if you like it, then so do I."

  The silver-haired woman reappeared with our tea. She set them down before us and walked over to busy herself behind her counter.

  Doc looked down at his cup of tea and wrinkled his nose. "Do you smell that?"

  I smiled. "Yes."

  "What is it?"

  "If I had to take a guess, I’d say Lovage."

  He looked at me quizzically. "Lovage? Why the hell would someone put that in tea?"

  I looked over at the woman. She tried to look busy, but I knew she was listening to us. "It’s used in love spells. Some believe it’s an aphrodisiac."

  "How the hell do you know that?"

  I opened my mouth to answer him, but closed it quickly. I didn’t know how I knew that, I just did. He touched my hand. "Valerie, it will come back slowly. I’m sure of it." I knew that he was referring to my past. Sometimes, I wondered what my life was like before. One thing was for sure, I knew what Lovage was.

  "Well, if it’s an aphrodisiac then bottoms up." He put his cup to his lips and reached his hand out to gesture for me to drink as well. I laughed so hard that my cup shook. I spilled a few drops onto the white tablecloth, then onto my lap.

  "Shit," I said. Payton looked over at me and it was his turn to laugh.

  "Here I was, worried about slipping up and saying something wrong. Guess I have to watch out for you, you’ve got a bad mouth." He winked at me.

  The silver-haired woman appeared next to me with a towel. She dabbed up the mess on the table and handed me the towel to clean up my lap. I reached my hand out to take the towel and brushed against hers. A jolt of energy passed between us. She went to yank her hand away, but I held tight.

  I closed my eyes and felt a wind start to tickle the back of my neck. It tugged at my shirt and at my arm. I thought, at first, that someone had entered through the shop door behind us, but the air was warm and full of life, not cool like the night. I tipped my head and listened, I heard the faintest of sounds. I listened closer. It was a mix of howls, drums, and women chanting. I tried to make out what the voices were saying, it sounded a bit like my name.

  "Valerie?"

  My eyes snapped open. I sat there with my hand still on the women’s. Payton was looking at me like I’d grown a third eyeball. I let go of the woman’s hand and looked up to apologize to her.

  "Sorry ma’am I..."

  "There’s no need to apologize." She leaned down to pat my shoulder. "I know what you are, valkyrja. Blessings, follower of Odin," she whispered in my ear.

  I jerked back from her. She turned and walked away. I watched her head toward the back door. She stopped and looked back at me before she left. She smiled brightly and moved her hand in a circular motion. A tiny gust of wind shot out from near her, and she turned and walked away. I jumped to my feet.

  "Valerie, what’s wrong?" Payton asked.

  "Didn’t you see it? Didn’t you see the wind, the..." I struggled for the words to describe it. He shook his head and stood up.

  "I think that we should probably get you home." He pulled his wallet out and tossed a twenty-dollar bill onto the table. That was way more than our bill would be, but I didn’t argue. I let him lead me out of that place and took in a big breath of fresh air when we hit the sidewalk.

  "Care to tell me what that was about?"

  I turned and looked at Payton, and said "No." He looked less than pleased. I turned and walked. I had no destination in mind, just the need to be moving. Driving in my car right now would not cut it. I knew that I needed the fresh air.

  "Hey, wait up." I heard Payton call out behind me.

  He caught up with me and matched my fast pace. We’d walked at least two blocks before he finally got up the courage to ask where we were going. Since I didn’t know myself, I just growled at him and kept walking. He made no effort to talk to me. He just walked next to me.

  I knew that he was physically fit. Molly had told me about his interest in running marathons. That had never sounded like fun to me. I didn’t mind running, but I seemed more drawn to dangerous sports. Molly was always talking me out of doing something stupid.

  The cool air on my face, the stillness of night, and Payton’s silence gave me a much-needed chance to think. I’d been avoiding doing that lately. I wasn’t really sleeping anymore. The dreams were getting worse and it was to the point I avoided sleep altogether if I could. The last one I’d had had been by far the worst. I had leaned my head back on the sofa to rest my eyes.

  A coppery smell filled my nose. Soft laughter filled my ears, and smooth hands ran over my skin. I opened my eyes to find myself in bed with a man. Our naked bodies pulled tight against each other. His touch was warm, and I craved warmth. My skin had cooled years ago, and I longed for the touch of life again.

  I pulled on his back as he drove the hard length of his shaft into me. His body was solid under my touch. He was a strong man, but I knew myself to be stronger. It was no fault of his. I knew that my strength was otherworldly.

  I could smell others near. They had no business here. I had taken great pains to keep my lover a secret from them. I slid my hands around my lover’s back, and used my legs to flip him over. This left our bodies still pressed tightly together, but with me now on top. He pulled my hips to him, harder and harder. Driving his hard cock deep within the recesses of my body, my silken channel convulsed around him, begging him to release. My orgasm was swift and I raked my hands down the bed so as to not cause him undo pain.

  "Amore eternal," he whispered over and over again. His heart beat fast. His blood pumped hard through his body. His body tightened and he bucked hard against me, filling me with his hot come. I wanted nothing more than to please him again and again, but I knew that danger was near. Part of me wanted to taste him, wanted to drink him in, the other part wanted to protect him. My love for him was strong. The protective part won out. I leapt off him and flew into the air. The feeling of weightlessness seemed natural to me in the dream. I didn’t look back at my lover. I knew that I couldn’t bear to see the look of scorn on his face. He would never understand my reasoning for leaving him.

  I hit the night sky and flew naked, soaked in the juices of our lovemaking. I knew not my destination, only that I was drawing the attentions of my pursuers. When I’d covered enough ground, I slowed. I knew this would allow them to catch me, and that’s what I wanted.

  A massive force struck me from behind and entangled itself with me. We plummeted to the ground. I turned my body in mid flight, putting my attacker in the position of striking the ground before me. He struggled and snarled, trying to outmaneuver me. It was useless. I was stronger and older than him, and I knew it.

  The ground came upon us fast. I closed my eyes at impact. Immediately, I fou
nd myself covered in wet sticky goo. I opened my eyes and found that my opponent’s head was shattered. I lifted what little was left with my hand and found that a large rock had been what greeted him upon impact.

  I didn’t struggle to get to my feet. Instead, I leaned forward and used his shirt to wipe the skin tissue from my eyes. When I was satisfied that most of it was gone I rose to my feet. I listened as the sound of the night shifted. I knew that four of them were coming toward me. I lifted my head and smiled. Now they knew I was ready.

  They came at me and tried to pull me with them. I fought hard and sent them propelling away. The shifting of the weight made us all tumble down. We were only slightly off the ground, but when we were airborne, they had had the upper hand. As the dream ended, I knew that I had won, at least this time.

  As I walked, I listened to the night as I had in my dream. At first I heard nothing but the crickets and the low hums of cars. Then I heard it, the sound of something not human. I knew that I was letting my imagination run wild. Something touched my shoulder, I screamed, and turned ready to fight.

  Payton’s eyes widened at the sight of me. "Valerie, what’s wrong?" He moved closer to me. I put my hands down and hunched my shoulders. I thought at first that I was going to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but I didn’t. Tears welled up and I had nowhere to go with them but out. I reached out for Payton, and he wrapped his arms around me tight.

  "I’m here ... it’s okay sweetie. I’m here ... Doc’s here." Hearing him refer to himself as Doc made me smile. I leaned in close to him. His chin came to a rest on the top of my head. I held my cheek tight to his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. I closed my eyes and ran my hand up and over the source of the noise.

  I ran my fingers over his hard chest and lifted my head slowly. His face held nothing but concern for me, and that warmed my heart. The draw of his mouth was overwhelming. I stood on my tiptoes in an attempt to be near it. Payton stooped down a bit and our lips touched, soft at first, then feverously. I’m not sure how long we kissed, pulled, drank at each other’s mouths, but when I pulled away, I felt safe.