Chapter One

Malachi

" W e're going to die today," I announce grimly, eyeing the throng of Forsaken milling inside the walls of Eitr. Until recently, those walls and this town, hidden deep in the mountains in Washington, were home to every Fae warrior in this realm.

The Forsaken drove us from the safety of her walls weeks ago. The bastards and their hellhounds have made themselves at home in the time since. There have to be two hundred of them down there, at least.

And the Gods-damned bastards are holding Reaper's mate hostage somewhere in the mess they've made of the town we built with our bare hands. They intended us to trade Abigail, our seer, for her, but we don't trade hostages. And we can't afford for them to get their hands on Abigail, no matter the cost.

If we must all die here to keep her out of their hands, then we all die here. There is no other choice. They cannot be allowed to gain control of Abigail's visions.

"Ja," Adriel agrees from beside me. "But at least we'll take a good number of the fucking Forsaken with us."

I sigh, scrubbing a hand down my face as we size up the situation below. We aren't going to take nearly as many with us as we need to take. Until every last one of the bastards are wiped from existence, we can't afford to throw Fae lives away on suicide missions like these.

We can't leave a Valkyrie in their hands, either. Valhalla may have fallen millennia ago, but our oath still holds. Our lives for the Valkyrie. That's what we swore. That oath means more now than it ever did.

The Valkyrie we swore to defend fell with Valhalla, but their daughters are even more powerful than they were, and they're the only things standing between the Forsaken and the end of everything.

If they fall, so does every realm in existence.

I shrug my shoulders, rolling my neck. My skin feels tight over my bones. I'm unsettled in a way I've never been before a battle.

Is this what it feels like to stare death in the face?

Nei, it doesn't feel this way.

I've stared death in the face. I've walked right up to his doorway and laughed in his face. This is not that. It's something else. Something…new.

There's something down there, something waiting. I feel it like a breath on my neck. I just don't know what it is.

"We're getting her back," Reaper growls, his voice a painful rasp. "No one is dying today."

Damrion and Adriel share a look, finally on the same page about something after 2500 years at war with one another. Too damned bad they're in agreement about the odds of our survival being slim to none here. It would have been nice if they could have agreed on anything else in that time.

Nei, that's not a fair assessment. They do agree on at least one other thing—their love for Abigail. The mate bond between the three of them is complex and fragile, but it's there nonetheless. They love her beyond all reason. If they let themselves, they may learn to love one another the same way again.

If we live that long.

"Of course no one is dying today," Dax says, clasping Reaper on the shoulder.

Dax's mate pats him on the arm.

Reaper shakes them both off, pacing restlessly. The torment in his eyes is painful to see. If this is what it is to belong to a Valkyrie… Gods, no wonder the Warriors never survived it. No wonder the Gods themselves forbade the Fae from bonding to one of the women of Valhalla.

A bond like this wasn't meant to survive the Valkyrie who holds it. Reaper has been in torment since the moment Tori was taken. He won't breathe easy until she's back in his arms. A Fae warrior's place is at his mate's side, protecting her above all things. It is who we are. It's our very nature. Every instinct we have demands we protect our mates.

And his is down there somewhere, surrounded by the very monsters who want to use her for evil.

"We should go," Damrion murmurs, nodding to a group of Forsaken heading toward the east wall. "If they spot us before we get in…"

He doesn't have to finish the statement. We all know the risks. We knew them when we agreed to come on this mission. We're outnumbered thirty to one.

"Stay behind me, elskan-ljós," Dax orders Rissa.

"Nei, Dax," the young Valkyrie says, her brows furrowing. "You need me in front. You need my Light."

Dax opens his mouth to protest, but his mate places her fingers over his lips, her expression soft. "You need my Light," she repeats, resting her forehead against his. "You can't take them out from a distance. I can."

Dax grumbles, his eyes narrowing.

"She's right, Dax," Damrion agrees softly.

" Faen ," her mate snarls, dragging her into his arms to kiss her hard on the lips. "If anything happens to you, I'll destroy this realm myself, Rissa."

"Then we won't allow anything to happen to me." Her smile wobbles dangerously as he cups her cheeks.

I avert my gaze, glancing back down at Eitr, my heart pounding. Whatever is down there…it's massive. Life-changing.

Faen .

"Let's move," Damrion orders.

One by one, we reach for Magn, and our lystst?l blaze to life in our hands. Beside us, Rissa reaches for her Light, the golden glow of the Valkyrie enveloping her.

Don't let us die , I pray silently, though I'm pretty certain whatever Gods are still out there stopped listening to us long, long ago.

A concussive blast of Light erupts from Rissa's hands, slamming into the Forsaken ranks. Their screams pierce the air as they erupt, burning away in moments. The varulv howl in agony, their fur igniting like dry kindling. Their flesh sizzles and smolders, the stench of burning meat assaulting my nostrils.

"Malachi, get down!" Dax roars from behind me, his voice booming over the chaos.

I immediately drop to my knees in the trampled grass, the damp earth cool against my left palm. A Forsaken warrior shrieks as he topples beside me, his skin blistering and peeling away to reveal the blackened bones beneath. Within seconds, he's nothing more than a charred, smoking ruin.

"Thanks," I mutter to Dax as he yanks me back to my feet, his grip like iron around my arm.

We turn to keep running, but another wave of blinding Light blazes to life in the center of Eitr, brighter than any I've ever seen before now. I stumble to a stop, shielding my eyes.

"Is that…?"

"Tori," Rissa whispers from beside me.

The shockwave of her Light knocks us off our feet. I hit the ground hard, the breath rushing from my lungs. Spots dance in my vision as I struggle to sit up, my ears ringing.

All around us, Forsaken warriors and varulv light up in a blaze. As soon as the fiery Light touches them, their screams of horror end in deathly silence, their bodies disintegrating on contact.

Within seconds, every Forsaken and varulv in Eitr is gone, burned to ash.

" Faen ," Dax breathes, his eyes locked on the tiny Valkyrie standing at the center of the carnage, blazing as bright as the sun. Her hair whips around her face, crackling with power. She is a Goddess of vengeance, beautiful and fierce.

"Remind me never to piss her off," I mutter, rubbing my aching ribs as I climb to my feet once more.

Dax barks out a laugh, clapping me on the shoulder. "You and me both, brother. She is fierce."

"Cowards," Rissa sniffs, already hurrying toward her sister.

Dax and I advance more cautiously, Damrion and Adriel at our heels.

"Tori!" Reaper cries, racing toward his mate as her Light winks out, and she collapses to her knees. He lands on his knees beside her, scooping her into his arms.

"I thought you were going to die," Tori whispers, placing her palm against his cheek.

The warrior chokes on a cry, pressing his face to his mate's throat. His massive body trembles with the weight of his emotions. "I told you, solsken . I'm never leaving you. Never."

"I thought I was going to die too."

" Never ," he growls, his tone black. "You are not allowed."

"I thought we were all going to die," I mutter wryly, but no one is listening to me as Tori and Reaper cling to one another.

"Thank you for coming for me," she whispers a moment later, pulling back to look at Damrion.

"You doubted us?"

"You need her."

"Ja, but we need you too, Valkyrie," Adriel says. "The prophecy calls for five Valkyrie, not four. Not three. Five."

Tori gasps, her eyes wide. "There's one here. In the cabin." She points at the cabin behind her. "She was never at the church. She's been here the whole time."

" Helvete ," I growl, already running that way, blood roaring in my ears.

Dax and Rissa race after me.

Another Valkyrie…

Faen . The Forsaken have the blood of at least three now. Two more, and they can restore the portal they destroyed in ignorance millennia ago, granting them access to the souls of the dead. We can no more allow that to happen than we can allow them to get their hands on Abigail.

But fate hasn't been on our side thus far. At every turn, the Forsaken have been one step ahead of us. Even with Abigail's visions, they're beating us.

We need a miracle.

I've never believed in those. I've spent too damned long in battle to believe in them. But right now, we need one.

I kick open the door to the cabin, rushing inside. Murderous fury courses through me as I whip around, taking stock of the chair toppled in the middle of the floor, with ropes looped around it.

They tied a Valkyrie to a fucking chair?

An unholy roar rips from my lips as my eyes fall on the woman handcuffed to the bed. Even asleep, pain etches grooves between her brows. She's pale and still, bruises marring her porcelain skin. Wild flame-red hair curls wildly around her face.

Beautiful. So beautiful.

Blood rushes in my ears in a torrent of sound as I stomp toward her. I can't think. I can't breathe. It's like the entire world is shifting beneath my feet, contorting wildly. All I see is her.

I feel her. Every breath she takes brushes against my subconscious like a caress, commanding me closer. Closer. Closer.

Mine.

"Oh, Dax," Rissa whispers.

I wheel around, snarling as I place myself between my mate and the rest of the world, crouched and ready to defend her. No one is getting close. No one is touching her.

"Peace, Malachi," Dax says, leaping in front of Rissa with his hands extended to show he doesn't mean any harm. "Peace, brother. We aren't going to take her from you."

"Stay over there," I growl, trying to fight through…whatever this is. The bond. Madness. I don't know. All I know is that this Valkyrie is mine—mine to protect, mine to defend. Mine.

"Of course," Dax agrees with a nod. "Just let Rissa help you get her uncuffed from the bed."

I ignore his offer, not sure I can allow the Valkyrie close yet. Not sure I trust myself enough to allow her close. Instead, I quickly examine the bed, noting where the cuffs are looped around the metal posts.

"Easy, Valkyrie," I murmur, running a hand down her round cheek. She's soft and warm, more alive and real than anything I've felt in…ever, actually. I've never felt anything as vital as her skin against my fingertips.

My cock turns to stone, straining against the fly of my pants. Ah, Gods. It hurts and doesn't hurt enough at the same time.

She stirs beneath me, sighing softly.

I plant my hands on the bars, yanking. They loosen with a loud squeal, allowing me to slip her free of her prison. As soon as her arms fall to her sides, she's in mine, held to my chest.

I feel her heart thrumming against mine. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. Strong and steady.

"Valkyrie," I breathe, pressing my face into her hair. " Ljúfr ."

I was right. I did die today, only to be reborn as hers—her Fae. Her mate. Hers.