Valkyrie's Kiss Read Free Page A

and explain?"
    "What
do you want to know?"
    He laughed, a harsh, cynical laugh that didn't match the
compassion I'd seen earlier.
    "I'm
sorry. What do you want to know first ?"
    "Well,
for starters, what exactly is a Valkyrie?"
    I pulled the
pins from my hair and ran my fingers through the long strands, grateful to be
back to familiar territory, for while I had never rescued a soldier before, I had marked them and explained their fate. Of
course, usually I was on my way to Valhalla and not breaking rules and hiding
out in the desert with my contraband.
    "Valkyries
haunt the battlefield. Our mission is to find the heroic, courageous warrior,
to mark him and bring him to Valhalla."
    “ Mark
him? What does that mean? ”
    “ It
means we claim that warrior. ”
    “ Claim
him for what? ”
    “ Well,
for Valhalla. ”
    "What's
that? Valhalla. I've heard that word before."
    "It's
a great hall, a castle if you will. It lies between worlds and so offers the
best of both." In theory, that is. From all accounts, Valhalla wasn't what
it used to be.
    "What
do you mean, the best of both worlds?"
    "A
chosen warrior is granted the gift of everlasting life. He is still human and
yet immortal. As a reward for bravery, the marked warrior receives everlasting
life as a young man. Like us, he will have his five senses and so enjoy the
taste of mead, the sound of music, the smell of fresh bread, the sight and
touch of beautiful women."
    "Wait
a minute," he said, stopping my litany of rewards. "Between
worlds? Where is that?"
    "Beyond. Beyond this world that you know."
    "And
you? You live between worlds?"
    "Yes,"
I said, surprised by the question. No warrior had asked me that before.
    "So
you go out and pick up men from the battlefields," Jess said, a note of
sarcasm lacing his words, "take them back to Valhalla, wine and dine them,
then head out to the battlefield again... what, when you get bored?"
    I laughed,
pulling my hair over my shoulder. "Not exactly. To tell you the truth, Valkyries tend to avoid Valhalla."
    "Why
is that?"
    "You
ask a lot of questions for a mortal."
    "Most
of the men you capture aren't curious?"
    “ I
didn't capture you," I said, feeling a sudden sense of foreboding.
"I'm trying to keep you safe."
    Jess
nodded, twisting his lips. "Feels more like capture, but hey, it's your
party."
    "Well,
most men are dazed and confused, rarely inquisitive. And
dead."
    I didn't
mean for the words to sound like a lecture, an accusation, and I regretted them
the moment the fear leapt back into his eyes.
    "I'm
sorry, Sergeant. I just ... I've never been in this position before."
    "What
position is that?"
    "Violating
the rules of engagement."
    "How
did you do that? What rules?"
    "I'm
not supposed to interact with mortals. Not unless I'm marking them for
Valhalla."
    "So,
you interacted. So what? Thanks for saving my life and all, but I have to get
back to my unit."
    "I'm
afraid you can't do that. Not yet."
    "And
I'm afraid I don't have a choice. I can't go AWOL, no matter what violations
you've committed."
    I didn't
want to tell him about Death. I didn't want to push his mental state too far.
Of course, I could keep him by sheer force, but I didn't want to do that
either. I realized with a blushing sort of embarrassment that I wanted him to
like me. To trust me. I was left with no choice but to
tell the truth. At least, as much truth as I thought he could handle.
    "When
you saved the girl..."
    "I
didn't save the girl. If anyone saved the girl, it was you."
    A heavy
silence fell between us. The fire crackled and snapped, gleaming off Jess ’ s enticing skin.
    I cleared
my throat and started again. “ When the girl drew her weapon, she must have known she was
inviting Death. ”
    “ What
does that mean? Inviting death? ”
    “ It ’ s hard for me to explain to you, a mortal, but Death keeps
an eye out for situations that will give It a soul. It
wanted the girl. ”
    “ You ’ re talking about death like he was a person. ”
    “ Not
a