Page 65 of Between Broomsticks and Beating Wings
As I ran, my muscles felt so weak, I moved at an unbearably slow speed. I didn’t need to cast to know my seidr was gone. My title wasn’t the only thing the Allfather stripped from me, but I could live with it, as long as what I truly needed was right where I left her.
When I busted into the cavern, the skald rose to their feet with a feline grace I would never have again. Kari spun in her chair, catching her sleeve on the wooden arm and cursing as she tried to free herself.
“Leave us!” I called out, and the skald’s eyes widened in fear as they hurried out.
“Rune…” Kari said as she slowly rose from her seat. “What’s wrong?”
I rushed over and pushed her chair out of the way so I could stand before her without any obstacles in my way.
She’s here.
An overwhelming feeling of relief flooded me, and the next thing I knew, I was grabbing the back of Kari’s head and winding my fingers through her hair. She yelped in surprise, then nestled into my hand, her eyes locked on mine. Kari grabbed my wrist to take some measure of control, but she didn’t pull my hand away from her.
Leaning in, I ran my lips over hers in a teasing kiss, craving nothing more than taking her right here against the stone table. For now, tasting her on my lips would have to do, and oh, did it do everything for me, becauseshewas everything.
Kari pulled her head back to look at me, a frown playing on the lips I’d just claimed.
My stomach tightened, and I blurted out, “I…I’m so sor?—”
Kari interrupted my apologies with her mouth as she kissed me back far fiercer than I ever would have dared. I wound my fingers tighter in her stunning strawberry hair, pulling a gasp from her, but she only kissed me again harder this time.
The woman of my dreams was in my arms, and I vowed to myself right then that I would continue to protect her until the last sun had set. No god, not even Odin, could have her.
Kari placed her palm flat against my chest, lightly pushing me back. “What was that for?” she asked breathlessly. She still gripped onto my wrist, seeming unsure if she was going to let go yet, and nine realms, I hoped she didn’t.
I stared deep into her beautiful eyes, pulling her slightly closer as I said, “I’m so relieved to see you’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Were you worried the skald was going to beat me with a scroll?” she laughed, and I wished I could join inon her humor. Alas, I had no laughs to give. I took in her facial features intently, memorizing the curl of her lips and the way her eyes fluttered mid laugh. A big part of me had feared I wouldn’t see them again.
Kari’s brows pulled together in concern when I didn’t laugh with her. The truth was, she had every right to be concerned, because I sure as Hel was.
“I just spoke with the Allfather,” I whispered so no lingering skald could hear.
“What?” Kari shrieked, a little too loudly. “How? How did he find you? How are you still here?”
“He let me go. He won’t kill me, but…I’m banished from the House of Wings. He stripped me of my title as a valkyrie, took my armor and sword,” I said with my teeth scraping my lower lip. The back of my throat was burning, but I wouldn’t cry. I couldn’t. Kari stepped back just enough to take in my bare leathers, as if she couldn’t believe what I was saying. “He melted them down right in front of me.”
“Melted? Oh my gods, that fucking bas?—”
I covered her mouth, whispering into her ear, “He could still be here, listening. You’re lucky he’s not hunting you too. I don’t want to have to make any drastic decisions if he changes his mind.”
Kari nodded, her eyes widening. She kissed my palm when I tried to pull it from her mouth, and then she gripped my hand. “What about Apple?”
“He can’t take Epli from me. She won’t fly with anyone else, so she’s useless to him. But he stripped her of her immortality too, so she’s no longer his attendant.”
“And neither are you,” she said with a sharp inhale. “Fuck. You’re over six hundred years old. Are you about to turn into a shriveled old woman and die?”
My chest swelled as I realized she was horrified by that prospect. “No, I still have a lifetime ahead of me, but not as a valkyrie. My human years won’t catch up with me all at once. I will age like a mortal once more.”
Kari’s throat bobbed as she reached forward and ran her fingers through my hair. She pulled a strand away, showing me a single brown hair. My heart plummeted, and I yanked it from my head, though I knew it would change nothing. My new fate was woven by the Norns, completely sealed.
“We need to get to Fólkvangr. You are Rune fucking Dragomir, and Freyja would be lucky to have you as her attendant. Sure, her sect may be less shiny, but she’s also not a fugly ass old?—”
“Do I need to cover your mouth again?”
She blew out an angry sigh. “What I’m trying to say is, this isn’t over. He’s not the one and only god, and he doesn’t have the power to ruin your life like this. You were miserable in his sect anyway. Maybe this is the biggest blessing he ever gave you. You’re free of him. You can make your own decisions now. If you want to grow old, then grow old. Live a life, Rune. It’s yours again.”
Kari’s arms were held out to her sides, her fingers twitching with power as she began casting two spells, one in each hand.
