Derek

Present Day

The moment Ever vanished into thin air, Derek unleashed a roar so loud the room almost shook. But then again, that could have been from the lightning storm that appeared out of nowhere. Why did Ever leave him? What the hell was going on?

“I can’t believe she just left like that. What was she thinking?”

Erika’s voice tugged on the anger that was beginning to bubble in his veins. She’d known all along what Ever was and had never bothered to say a bloody word. Erika had turned up and now his life had been rear-ended. Derek needed a focus point for his rage and Erika became his target.

Derek whirled on Erika and pinned her to the wall, his hand wrapping around her throat, lifting the woman off her feet. Admittedly, it might not have been the smartest thing to do, since apparently this woman was a fucking Valkyrie and could probably kick his ass seven ways from Sunday, but Erika let him manhandle her as Derek snapped his teeth at her and growled. “Where the fuck has my mate gone?”

“I don’t know,” Erika ground out, her expression grim. “Now that Ever knows how to shield herself, now that she remembers, not many will be able to find her if she doesn’t want to be found.”

His fingers tightened around Erika’s throat and he held her gaze. Guilt, remorse, sorrow, and fear all passed through her eyes before she slipped on the cool, collected mask that she wore most of the time. He slammed her harder into the wall, rage beating out reason as the Valkyrie groaned, her injuries from her kidnapping still not healed.

Derek felt like a bastard for adding to her pain.

But.

His mate was a fucking Valkyrie Queen and she’d left him.

“Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t she?” Derek demanded as he eased up on the pressure on Erika’s throat so she could answer him.

“I couldn’t say a goddamn word without forfeiting her life. Would you have preferred that, Derek? For me to tell you exactly who she used to be and for her to lose her head? I have watched her die many times, Derek. You might be lucky enough not to remember it, but some of us will be haunted by it until the end of our very long lives.”

“Tell me how to find her.”

“As I said, you won’t find her. Even those of us bound to her by blood might not be able to find her.”

The aura in the air changed, causing Derek to glance over his shoulder. Out of thin air, a man came away from the walls. Power and dominance leaked from every pore on the unfamiliar male. Tall and thin, with a surprising amount of muscle, the man appeared to be in his late twenties, with long black hair and angled features. Eyes that held the wisdom of time glared at him as he gave Derek a wolfish smile. Derek knew a predator when he saw one, and this man was as dangerous as Derek was.

“I suggest, dear wolf, that you take your hands off the general before I remove you by force. I would think Ever may like to have you with all your pieces attached when she sees sense and comes back.”

Releasing Erika, Derek whirled around, lunging for the man, teeth snapping. The stranger held up his hand, rendering Derek incapable of moving. Helpless to do anything but watch as the man sauntered across Ever’s bedroom to help Erika to her feet, Derek studied Erika as she pushed the man away and scowled.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“Come now, General. You know you’ve missed me.”

“Ya, like a fucking hole in the head.”

“You say the nicest things to me. Be still, my heart.”

A snarl rumbled in Derek’s chest, and both Erika and her friend looked at him. The man smiled and with a shrug said, “Whoops,” as he released Derek, who managed not to fall over his own feet as the magic that held him in place fell away.

Raising an eyebrow, Derek held out his hand. “So, is somebody going to tell me what the hell is going on, or do I have to beat it out of one of ye?”

A dismissive wave of hand. “As dramatic as always, wolf. I think this calls for something stronger to help you absorb the situation.” He strode from the room like he’d been there before as Derek turned his attention to Erika.

The woman shrugged, gritting her teeth as pain flickered across her face. “He does what he wants, when he wants…no one can control him.”

“Who the hell is he, Erika?”

A snort sounded as Erika began to limp out of the room. “He’s one of your brothers-in-law, Derek, so play nice.”

Blinking back surprise at the sort of introduction, Derek followed Erika out of the bedroom and into the living room where Ever’s brother lounged in one of the armchairs, a tumbler in his hand. A beer and a glass of water had been set down on the coffee table. When Erika sent a glare his way, the man just grinned.

“No alcohol for you, young lady. Not until you can breathe without my being able to hear a rattle in your lungs.”

Erika shook her head and leaned against the arm of the couch, while Derek folded his arms across his chest, simply waiting for someone to explain. Sipping from his tumbler, the being sighed and looked Derek directly in the eyes.

“First, let me introduce myself. I am Loki, blood son of the Allfather Odin, chosen brother of Kyria, the destined Queen of the Valkyrie, and sometimes loyal companion of Thor Odinson. I like walks on the beach, hundred-year-old whisky, and pretty Valkyries who refuse to succumb to my charms. I am as dangerous as the stories say.”

Derek stole a glance at Erika, who shrugged again, wincing slightly less than before. “He forgot to include conniving, slutty, and general pain in the ass. But he is who he claims to be.”

Loki raised his tumbler in a salute.

Derek ignored him, but found his lips moving. “What the hell is going on? I need answers, Erika. Ever told you to tell me everything.”

Erika snatched the tumbler out of Loki’s hand and drained the glass. When Loki gave her a pained look, Erika said, “You drink too much anyway.”

Erika motioned for Derek to sit. “This may take a while, boyband, so get comfy.”

When it became clear that Erika was not going to utter a single word until Derek complied, he grudgingly sank down into the armchair opposite Loki, never once taking his eyes off the man. There was not a sinner in the world who would believe that he, Derek Doyle, was sitting in his Valkyrie mate’s living room, with her trickster god sort of a brother.

“In order to prevent the Valkyrie from being taken over by Odin, who had gone a little crazy after the death of his wife, Frigg, Ever and Odin made a deal. Ever would have seven lives to try and defeat Odin; to claim her throne. If on the seventh life Ever was not successful in beating Odin, Ever’s life would be forfeit and the Valkyrie would go back to being soul-thieves and whipping gals of the gods.”

“And who the fuck allowed her to make such a deal? Did no one try and stop her?”

“She is my queen,” Erika stated with pride in her voice. “It is my place to advise and carry out my orders. Ever makes her own decisions. Like a queen should.”

“And how do we break this deal or curse or whatever it is?” Derek grunted.

“Deals made by the trickster god cannot be broken. They can only be played out.”

At Erika’s words, Derek turned his glare on Loki. “You did this to her? You set your sister on a collision course with death.”

Loki’s expression turned sinister. “I do not have to explain my actions to you, wolf. But what I did, this collision course I set her on, saved her life. If Odin had struck her down that day on the sands, then the future would have been a very different place. I did what I did to protect her.”

Leaning forward, Derek rubbed his temples with the palm of his hand. “This has to be a joke, right? Why couldn’t Ever tell me all this herself? I don’t understand what she thought I would say or do.”

“Derek,” Loki began, a softer tone in his voice. “Your Ever has always carried the weight of those she cares for on her shoulders. She bears the brunt, so that others needn’t. For her to take on this quest, Ever would never remember her previous lives, snatching snippets of memories until she spoke the words out loud. Then she would remember each drop of blood spilled for her, each life lost for her, and every single sacrifice we have all made for her to ascend the throne.”

Continuing, Loki sighed. “Six times she has died at the hands of her maddened father. Six times she has failed to be what she was destined to be. Six times, the life of her champion has been slain along with her. Six times you have died because of her. My Kyria, what I call Ever, carries that with her now, and I fear she fled to save us all from watching her die one final time.”

The words sank in as Derek understood what Loki explained to him. Derek, or at least, his previous selves, had died six times with Ever, and seven times they had found each other. That was why his reaction to her had been so visceral, so demanding. His soul was bound to hers. And he didn’t care.

“That doesn’t matter to me. I love Ever as she is now. I may not remember all those supposed past lives, but I know that right now, my mate is out there alone and scared, and we have to find her.”

Erika shook her head and laughed. “Ever might be many things, but scared is not one of them. She is fearless, powerful, and as dangerous as you can get. Now that she has her powers, Odin’s spies will be able to trace her magic. If I could track down a Berserker, I could make him track her for me.”

Loki reached over, poking Erika in the ribs, and she hissed. “Merely making my point, General. You may heal fast, but you still need time.”

Derek rose. “Tell me where to find a Berserker and I will find Ever.”

Erika shook her head. “In order to win the war that’s coming, you and Ever need to stand side by side. The Norn have predicted this many, many moons ago and if you get your skull crushed by a Berserker, then we are all screwed. The prophesises are all crystal clear. The champion and the queen must march as one.”

“And what makes me a champion?” Derek scoffed.

“Your soul was the one chosen by the queen as her consort. Her champion. Basically, in order for Ever to become queen, she had to choose a husband to make babies with and create the future warriors and Valkyrie.”

“Basically, you were a pretty show pony, boyband. A trophy husband who would give Ever pretty babies,” Erika stated, a small smile playing on her lips. However, that smile didn’t quite reach her eyes as Derek read the worry in them.

“We didn’t like each other much, did we?” he questioned Erika, astonished at how well he was taking this.

“Nope, but since it has been my job to run you through when Ever has died, I’m not surprised.”

His jaw almost hit the floor. “You killed me?”

“Only four times. Odin killed you twice.”

The words were so matter-of-fact that Derek was lost for words. Like Erika running him through with a blade was no big deal. Any time now he was going to wake up from the trippy dream and find Ever waiting for him. But, having closed his eyes and opening them again, Loki and Erika still sat where they were.

“How do I find Ever?” Derek said as he began to pace. He only stopped his pacing when Loki clicked his fingers, a fresh tumbler appearing in his hand. Loki clicked his fingers again and a lit cigar appeared in his mouth. The god took the cigar from his mouth and held it in his hand.

“Follow the lightning.”

“Excuse me?” Derek said.

“Follow the lightning.” Loki peered over at Erika. “Was he this simple when you first met him? I mean, I thought in this life he was a cop.” Loki grinned at Derek. “Where she flashes, there will be a sudden surge of lightning. She cannot vanish or trace like Erika can. She does not have that skill. But when she travels from one destination to another, she will leave imprints of it.”

“So, what you’re saying is to follow weather reports, see where freak spikes of lightning appear, and that’s where she should be.”

“Exactly.”

Erika got to her feet. “I’ll get the rest of the Valkyrie on the hunt for her. We can track her through the blood bond if she forgets to shield herself. If that goddamn bracelet doesn’t mute it as well.”

Derek headed for the door. “I’ll get the team on this as well. We will find her.”

“Derek.”

Derek pivoted to look at Loki.

“You cannot involve your team right now. This is something we have to do by ourselves. Tell them, of course, but destiny comes to haunt everyone. This is not their battle to fight. Other entities are at play and have no repercussions on our current predicament.”

A haunted look came over Loki’s features as those eyes that held the universe snuck a peak at Erika. Derek glanced away as he tried to figure out how he could find Ever on his own.

“Wolf.”

Derek turned his attention back to Loki, surprised to see Erika gone from the room.

“Kyria is the person I care for most in this world. I do not wish to see her stumble at the final hurdle. The fate of the world rests in her hands and I am not sure she can withstand the storm alone.”

“I’ll find her. She belongs to me.”

“Now you sound like the Viking who trounced through the sand and told the future Queen of the Valkyrie that he would be her champion. I can see how much she means to you, Derek, and I know she loves you more than she loves herself. She will die by the blade in order to save you from Odin.”

“I won’t let that happen.” It was a promise. “A Viking? Really?” Derek couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes, a vicious one at that. I hope that hasn’t changed.”

Erika popped back into the room, startling Derek as he nearly jumped out of his skin. “Danae has the girls spread out searching for her. Marya picked up a trace of her in Morocco, but lost it again. Seems like she’s bouncing from place to place trying to put us off the scent.”

“Fear not.” Loki grinned. “Kyria will burn herself out, will then have to spend a significant amount of time in once place, and then we will swoop.”

Erika cracked her neck so hard Derek could hear the crunch of bone. “Perhaps we should ask Thor to help find her? They were pretty close.”

“Oh, leave the Neanderthal alone for a while, please, General. We do not need him storming around, grunting orders. Thor will show up in his own time, believe me.”

Derek was beginning to get a headache. But he was also beginning to get blindsided by anger. Ever should be the one telling him all of this. How dare she run off even if it was under some misguided attempt to shield him from it? When he had tried the same bullshit with her over Neville Morris and the things his former alpha had made him do, Ever had called him out over it. She had not allowed him to hide his past from her, but then Ever had a complete one-eighty and did the exact same thing he had.

He growled, heading for the door as Erika came after him. “Derek, I know you’re angry with her, with me. Hell, being around Loki for any period would make you angry, but we need Ever to survive this, and like it or not, you have the best chance to survive it all if you stick together. You’ve both lasted the longest when you’ve been together.”

Pausing in the doorway, Derek pinned Erika with his stare. “You find her first, you call me. You catch sight of her, you call me. Any of your family find her, you call me…you even get a sniff of her perfume—”

“I call you. Message received, loud and clear. She won’t make it easy, Derek. She’ll bolt as soon as you breathe down her neck.”

Derek gave her his most feral grin. “I like to hunt. And always find my prey.”

He galloped out the door and kept running until he stopped at a small cottage deep in the woods. He banged on the door and when it opened, Sarge took one look at him and said, “What’s wrong, Derek?”

“Did you know she was a Valkyrie? Did you know that Ever was the daughter of a god?”

Derek only had to read the expression on his mentor’s face to know he didn’t.

Sarge’s skin paled and the older man braced himself against the doorframe. “What the hell is going on?”

“Ever is a goddamn Valkyrie, and she ran from me. She disappeared before my eyes. I’m going to find her. And I’m going to make her realize that running from me was a big mistake.”

Derek yowled up at the moon as she shimmered above them. Clothes ripped as his bones broke. His skin shredded, turning to fur, his teeth becoming fangs in a brutal combination of pain and pleasure. Derek’s bones knitted back together, and his legs trembled as his new form took shape. The wolf with the amber eyes looked up at the bear and sneezed.

“Go find her, Derek, and bring our girl home.”

The wolf bayed at the moon and turned on his tail and ran.

He ran, and ran, and ran…

He was hunting…

And his pretty little mate was his prey.