Valkyrie's Kiss Read Free

the quickly healed
wounds and miraculous escapes.
    Either that, or I tell them about Valhalla and mark them.
    But this
man wasn't ready for Valhalla. He wasn't dead yet, for one thing.
    I sucked in
a breath, tasting, smelling for any sign of Death, but the only scent I caught
was the ash from the fire, the sand, and the man crouching opposite me with
wary, fear-filled eyes.
    "You
took a hit from an AK-47 at point blank range. You should be dead." He
stumbled backward. "Why aren't you dead?"
    I stood up
slowly and put out a hand, hoping to stall his retreat. "This will be
difficult for you to believe, but I am not like you."
    "Yeah,"
he said, giving a jittery laugh. "I already got that."
    There was
no easy way to tell him, so I blurted it out. "I am a Valkyrie."
    "A
what?" Confusion crinkled his forehead. He
shuffled left. I moved right. We were dancing around the fire. He moved with
bent knees, arms wide, as if trying to corral a tiger. I kept my hands at my
sides, my head high.
    "A
Valkyrie. I am a servant of Odin."
    "Who's
that?"
    "Odin
is a powerful god. He has, I admit, fallen into obscurity in these modern times,
but he still reigns over a substantial number of immortals."
    "Immortals? You're telling me that you're immortal."
    I clasped
my hands, drew myself up to my full, and rather intimidating, height and caught
his gaze. "You said it yourself. How many soldiers have you seen survive a
hit from an AK-47 at close range?"
    I let the
question hang between us in the sand-saturated air.
    The man
dropped his hands, his shoulders sagging. "Head injury," he muttered
to himself. "Has to be." He reached up, running
his fingers through his cropped hair, searching for a wound.
    "You
are not injured."
    He looked
so confused, so frightened. I stepped forward, unable to resist the urge to
envelope him in my arms, to try to allay his fears.
    His head
snapped up, his eyes suddenly alert, guarded.
    “ I
can explain. ”
    “ No, ” he said, then turned and ran, sending up clouds of sand
with each step.
    I should
have expected it.
    It was time
to show him who I was, to show him there was no escape. I took one running
leap. It was only a small show of power. I aimed my landing perfectly, coming
to rest not more than two feet in front of him, blocking his escape.
    He locked
his legs and fell forward to keep from running into me full force.
    "I'm
sorry," I said, speaking in sepulchral tones. "I don't want to
frighten you. But you must not leave. It isn't safe."
    He shook
his head, but he met my gaze. "Are you real? I mean, am I losing my
mind?"
    I moved
toward him, one careful step at a time.
    His body
went rigid, but he held his ground. I reached up and touched his cheek. He
flinched against my caress, then stilled. His skin was hot to the touch and
oh-so-very-soft. He had smooth skin peppered with grains of sand, and the feel
of him, the vulnerable strength of his soft, mortal flesh, the tense muscles, the ephemeral physicality of him stilled my beating heart.
He wet his lips, full parted lips that called to something deep inside my
ancient soul, and for the first time in my long, long life, I wished I was a
simple mortal. I wished that I could press my lips against his, taste his
breath and take it into mine. I wished, against all reason, that I was not a
Valkyrie.
    "What
is your name?"
    "Jess. Sergeant Jesse Moran."
    "Jess,"
I said, dropping my voice, adopting the same gestures I'd seen him use with the
girl. "My name is Sabrina. I'm not going to hurt you. If you'll just sit
down, I'll try to explain."

Chapter Three
     
    Sergeant
Jesse Moran was silent and avoided making eye contact. He had a wary, hunted
look, as if I might be Medusa and one glance could suddenly turn him to stone.
    We sat
opposite each other, the small fire crackling between us. The temperature had
dropped. It would be a cold night after all.
    "So,"
Jess said. "Assuming for a moment that I'm not crazy or suffering a
traumatic brain injury, why don't you go ahead