Page 66 of The Last Valkyrie

Salos Torfen was a fake. I didn’t trust him one bit. Now that he was here, I was inclined to snap his neck to prevent him frommoving ahead on whatever “shift” he was talking about. Sven was of the same opinion, and he would have done something too if I hadn’t been here to rein him in.

My coming here was a good idea after all, I suppose.

As we left the shore and headed into the heart of the Isle through Delaveer Forest, the four of us stayed far back from Salos and his kinsmen. We shared looks of concern but said nothing, knowing that Sven’s father would have preternatural hearing just like his son did.

Vikingrune Academy waited in the distance, sitting atop Academy Hill like a shining beacon in the rainy, grisly-gray morning.

I feared the school had no idea what was coming.

Neither did I, truth be told.

We didn’t see Salos Torfen again for days. He and his men disappeared into Fort Woden where Gothi Sigmund stayed, and I imagined they housed there as well.

Sven and I returned to Ravinica, cherishing her warmth and holding her close night in and night out as we waited for the others to come back. The only thing we could do to keep the worry from our minds—especially hers—was fuck like wild animals, so we made sure to do plenty of that.

We had no idea when we’d be able to again.

Before we knew it, nearly a week had passed. It was almost time for her trek to Selby Village, to find out what was going on with her mother’s sickness.

Why Gothi Sigmund wanted to join her to her homeland was certainly concerning. He was another man none of us trusted,Ravinica least of all. We kept playing over the notion that he knew she was a dragonkin.

“If that’s the case, why would he make the effort of hauling you away from Vikingrune Academy?” I asked one afternoon, four days into our weeklong standstill. “Surely he has assassins that could try to take you out in your sleep, here, where he’s strongest.”

Sven grumbled from the bed where he lay naked, propped up on an elbow, cock draped across his thigh. Ravinica, pacing, kept glancing his way, and I had to admit the statuesque young man was hard not to look at.

“Maybe he’s planning something where there will be fewer witnesses,” Sven posed.

“In Selby Village? Vini’s own damned mother will be there, not to mention the other villagers.” I was leaning up against a wall, shirtless, arms crossed. “Here, he could have zero witnesses if he wished.”

“Yes, yes, if he stuck a knife in her while she slept. You keep saying that.”

We were both growing frustrated, but it was nothing compared to Ravinica’s nervous silence. I had to know her mind, what she was thinking.

“Is there a chance he doesn’t know what I am?” Ravinica stopped pacing to ask the question. “I mean, he didn’tseeme shift. He has to know for himself, for sure, no matter the case, right?”

I glanced at Sven, our eyes locking, wondering if we were thinking the same thing.

He said, “There were countless witnesses, little menace. Besides your brothers, there were their friends and the other cadets we gathered along the way in the forest. If evenoneof them said something . . .”

“Plus,” I added when he trailed off, “I don’t trust your brothers, sadly.”

“Well maybe we have to,” Ravinica pushed back with frustration in her tone. “They both said they told Sigmund nothing. Maybe we have to take them at their word.”

“Even if we managed to get through to Eirik, which I’m not certain we did,” Sven said, “Damon was filled with vitriol. He hates you, Rav, and there’s no way around that.”

She bowed her head, saddened. It was no big surprise what Sven had said, but it seemed to fold her, and I glared at Sven for opening his stupid mouth so carelessly.

“Wherever you go, we go, love,” I told her, putting a hand on her shoulder, hoping to soothe her. It usually worked, but right now it had little effect. When she smiled sadly at me, I added, “If you choose to believe your brothers, then we will too. Won’t we, wolf?”

My scowl brooked no argument, and Sven rolled his eyes, flopped onto his back, and nodded. “Yeah, okay. Maybe you’re right.”

That afternoon, Arne returned to the academy. He fell into Ravinica’s arms, and we gave them an hour alone in her longhouse, Sven and I stationed outside as guards. If anyonewasgoing to try to harm Ravinica while we left, they’d have to get through us first.

That hour was filled with shaking walls, wet moans, and the thudding of flesh. I was jealous of how eagerly Ravinica jumped Arne’s bones at his return, though Sven kept smiling impishly.

“What?” he said. “It’s not like we haven’t gotten our fair share of her while he was gone. Be happy for the dandy.”

“I’m just surprised to see you growing so fond of him,” I coaxed.

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