Chapter Six

Brenna was caught between being mortified and enraged. She pushed Erik away from her and scrambled to her feet. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach grew as she spotted who had attacked them.

The woman stood in a battle stance, gripping the lance with both hands. Her Valkyrie armor and wings were gone, replaced with a long black leather trench coat over a T-shirt and jeans. Her blonde hair was long, pulled back in a loose braid over her shoulder.

Kara.

Before Brenna could speak, the woman shook her head. “Step away, sister. Now it’s my turn to finish the job.” She leaped forward, targeting Erik who was still on the ground, his eyes wide as he took in the scene.

Brenna charged in and grabbed the spear, stopping the assault as she tried to pull it out of her sister’s hands. “What are you doing? This is my mission.”

Erik scrambled to his feet and moved out of range, warily eyeing the pair.

“It was your mission. Again, you refuse to complete it. Now it falls to me to correct your mistake.” She spat out the last word as she stepped back, yanking the weapon free from Brenna’s grip. “What is wrong with you? Did living among these people turn you soft? Have you forgotten your true home?”

Brenna raised her chin, glaring at her. “I’ve hunted this man since our Mother sent me here to look for him. Now he’s within my grasp. Why are you here?”

Kara gestured at Erik, who was watching them intently. “Is it that hard to figure out? Because he’s still alive. I watched you hunt him, witnessed you waiting out here for him. I saw your shameful attempt, hardly worthy to be called an attack.” She shook her head. “You not only failed to kill him, but you allowed yourself to be disarmed and dominated.”

Brenna swallowed hard, unable to dispute the charges.

“What’s wrong with you? How did you lose your way?” Kara’s voice softened, and for a second, Brenna was back at her barracks, talking sister-to-sister as they worked and trained together.

“I didn’t.” She grabbed the lance out of Kara’s hands again. “I can kill him, and I will.”

She spun and pointed the rod at him. He stood there, staring at her.

A short jab, that was all it would take. Straight to the heart, through the remains of the T-shirt hanging off his shoulders. Fast and deadly.

The spear vibrated in her hands.

Brenna realized with shock her fingers were trembling.

“Enough.” Kara shook her head. “This is what our Mother feared, why she sent me to carry out her orders if you failed.” She yanked the weapon out of Brenna’s hands.

Brenna let out a yell as the sharp tip dragged along her forearm, slicing through the leather jacket and the thin blouse underneath.

The burning, shocking pain ran through her arm, startling her. She slapped her hand over the cut, numbness seeping through her mind.

No.

Kara saw it, too. She took a step back, using one hand to point the spear at Brenna. “You have been forsaken by Freyja while I remain blessed.” She glared at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll take his soul to Valhalla, as is his honor and duty. You, you will go to Helheim to spend eternity separated from us for your misdeeds.” Her voice softened. “Don’t fight me, sister—I promise I’ll make this fast for you.”

Brenna couldn’t breathe. She stared at Kara, frozen in fear and anger at hearing her own words tossed back at her.

Erik sprang into action, charging at them with an angry roar that startled the two women.

He slammed his shoulder into Kara, sending her flying. The Valkyrie’s head bounced off the concrete as she skidded to a stop, a good distance from the pair. The lance broke free to roll under a nearby car—out of reach. Her eyelids fluttered as she levered herself up to her knees and glared at them, wavering in a struggle to stay upright.

Erik staggered to his feet. He let out a low whistle, seeing Kara’s rapid recovery.

“Fuck.” He looked at Brenna. “Is she alone?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.” She spun around, expecting the Fenris Wolf to leap out of the darkness at them. “I honestly don’t know.”

“Fuck,” he repeated. “I’m not staying around to find out if she brought backup. I’m in no shape, and neither are you.”

He grabbed his duffel bag, offering his free hand to her. “I’m not leaving you here. We’ll figure this out someplace else, where no one’s trying to stab either of us.”

She didn’t hesitate, taking hold and following him to a nearby car.

Her world had shifted in a matter of seconds, the hard facts punching her consciousness with an almost audible thud.

Kara was here. Kara had tried to kill her. Neither of which would have happened without approval by their Mother. Who had obviously been watching her fumble her attempt to take Erik’s soul.

Again.

Erik dropped the bag and dug in his pocket, pulling out a set of keys. “Damn it. I thought all the fighting was going to be inside the ring.” He turned his head to one side and spat out blood before glancing toward the still-dazed Kara. “Your friend plays rough. What’s her problem?”

“She’s another…” Brenna hesitated, not sure what to say. If he didn’t believe her before, he sure wouldn’t believe her now.

“Another Valkyrie? Are you kidding me?” Erik yanked the door open. “We can talk later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of here before she gets her act together and comes after us again. I’m in no mood or shape to deal with this.”

“She’s…” Brenna let the sentence trail off, trying to figure out what to say.

“Whatever.” The car engine roared to life. Erik flung open the passenger door. “I’m not going to drag you along if you don’t want to come, but I think it’s a damned good idea.”

She glanced back and spotted Kara propping herself against the side of a car, spear in hand.

She slid in over the dark green leather seats. “Let’s go.”

…

His ribs and his head hurt. He wanted nothing more than to spend an hour in bed with the pain reliever of his choice and a bottle of whiskey to wash away the nightmares.

Except the woman who he’d dreamed about a thousand times over the past year was sitting right here beside him, her fingernails digging into the dashboard.

He glanced over at her at the first stoplight, readying himself if she bolted. He was in no shape to chase her.

She stared out at the night sky, making no move to flee.

It was the best news he’d had lately.

“Are you okay?” Erik asked. “She didn’t hurt you, did she?”

“No. No,” the blonde woman repeated, running a hand through her hair. “She wouldn’t do that.”

“She damned well just attempted to stab you through the chest. Whatever you think you know about her, you might want to revise it,” he replied. “Do you have anyone nearby we can go to? A clinic, a doctor, a family member…”

“I’m not ill,” she snarled. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Well, I’m not.” He tried to take a deep breath and failed, seeing spots behind his eyes as the stabbing pain shot through his left rib cage. “I took one hell of a beating in the cage. Then I come out to the parking lot and you jump me…” He paused, first wanting to regret his choice of words and then deciding not to. “You jump me, talking wild stuff about having to kill me, and then the other woman tries to take us both out with a damned spear. This is crazy, beyond crazy.”

She said nothing, prompting him to look over. Her eyes were closed, her head resting against the window as she let out a long, painful sigh.

He reached out and touched her arm. “Hey. Hey. We’re going to be fine.”

“I don’t see how,” she whispered. “If I don’t kill you, Kara will.”

He didn’t know what to say to that.

Erik cleared his throat. “Right. Here’s the plan. We’re stopping at the first hotel we see once we get out of town and get a room for the remainder of the night. I need to rest, and we have to talk.” He kept glancing at her. “No more mysteries, no half-lies. Tell me the truth.”

She crossed her arms and stared out the window as he sped up and switched lanes.

Erik wiped his forehead. A few hours ago, his biggest concern had been how to spend his winnings and looking forward to newfound fame on the circuit.

Now he was running from an unknown attacker with his mystery woman who had tried to kill him.

“Let’s start with the basics. I’m Erik Harrison. What’s your name?”

“Brenna. My identification cards say Brenna Lund.”

“That’s something.” He studied the road. “What unit were you with?”

She frowned.

“Right. I forgot. You’re a Valkyrie.” He mentally flipped through his therapy sessions, trying to figure out what to say, what phrasing to avoid for fear of setting her off. “Sounds like a special job.”

“It is.” She tugged at the sleeves of her leather jacket. “We’re among the Chosen Few, the ones sent to gather souls for Valhalla.” Her gaze fell. “Kara’s one as well.”

“I see.” He didn’t, but it wasn’t the time or place to confuse the issue with facts. “And your orders were to kill me?”

“Yes, and no. It was to reap you.” She shook her head, the blonde hair falling about her shoulders. “To take your soul to Valhalla, as I should have done a year ago.”

He had no idea what to say to that, so he stayed silent and studied the speedometer. The last thing he needed was to be pulled over and having to explain why he looked like someone’s punching bag.

He snuck glances at her, his heart racing as he realized his greatest fear, that he had been losing his mind, was false. Brenna might be a troubled woman, someone in desperate need of therapy, but she was flesh and blood. Who had just attempted to stab him but that was another whole discussion.

…

Brenna stared out into the darkness, praying to Freyja for guidance, for some sort of sign she hadn’t been forsaken. She felt the hollowness in her heart and knew there’d be no reply.

Kara.

Her sister, her fellow Valkyrie. Sent to watch her, to finish the job if she failed. With Freyja’s permission and blessing.

And to send Brenna to Helheim.

She glanced at the man beside her. If she killed him, she might still be able to regain her status, her glory…

The line of reasoning broke with a loud snap in her mind.

She couldn’t kill Erik Harrison.

The revelation drew a jagged gash across her consciousness. After all this time, after all this searching, imagining taking his life and reclaiming her old position…all for nothing. Now she was outcast and condemned because something held her back, keeping her from finishing her mission.

But before Kara sent her to Helheim, she’d figure out why not.

She dug her nails into her palms.

What have you done to me?

Her arm burned, reminding her of the light injury.

That was another issue she didn’t want to think about this moment.

Erik pulled off the highway, sending them down an off ramp.

“Sign over there advertising a hotel,” he offered in way of explanation.

She stayed silent as he took the exit and turned down another road, bringing them through a small town. A gas station lay on the outskirts, already closed for the night.

They pulled into the motel parking lot, Erik expertly sliding the car between a pair of tractor-trailers.

He got out, shouldering the duffel bag. “I don’t know about you, but I’m tired and sweaty and more than a little sore between fighting Matty and then you and that other woman. We’re going to only stay until morning, long enough to get cleaned up and plan our next move.” He moved off, the long-measured strides carrying him away from the vehicle.

She fell into step beside him, trying to gather her thoughts.

He glanced at her. “What are the odds your buddy’s going to be able to track us? Does she have access to a car, to guns…what’s her skillset?”

“I don’t know,” Brenna confessed. “And she’s not my buddy. She’s my sister.”

Erik let out a sharp laugh. “Your mother must be so proud of you.”

“Probably not,” she admitted.