Part 4 (1/2)

”I'm going to offer you something that I've never offered anyone before-a choice. You can choose to come with me to Valhalla and fight on the side of good in a battle for mankind, or you may stay here.” I put my hand out and motioned to the battlefield.

”From what I know, you were to live through this and live to be an old age.” He looked around and then back at me. I heard someone coming and felt Gregorios draw on his power. He moved his body in front of mine.

I touched his arm, and felt my body react to being near him. I hadn't had the desire to be touched by a man since Kerr, and now I stood behind a man that was very much like me-a pract.i.tioner of magic. He possessed the gift of magic, the same gift that I had, and it would be rare to find that in someone I was attracted to again, and I knew it.

”Close your eyes, Valerie. I do not want to frighten you with the horrors that I am capable of,” he said.

I moved my hand up his arm and let my power build. I let the tiniest bit of it spill out and onto him. He spun around and grabbed hold of me. ”You have it as well!” He sounded a bit out breath, no doubt from shock.

I smiled at him and nodded my head. ”I've never had anyone to share it with, at least no one who understood it and recognized it for what it was.”

Gregorios looked around and then back down at me. ”I shall come with you. What do you need to do now?”

Normally, I would have taken only his soul back with me. He would become corporeal once he set foot on Valhalla's ground and he would never again age, but I didn't want to take only his soul, I wanted all of him. I wanted to bring Kerr back with me like this, and would have if things hadn't turned out the way they did.

”This also has to be your choice,” I pulled his mouth towards mine, and stopped just short of kissing him. ”With this kiss, we will forever be bound-linked. You will be considered my equal-my mate.”

Gregorios brought his lips down on mine and I let a piece of my very essence slip into him, and in return, I felt a piece of him move into me. I pulled away from him slowly, not wanting the moment to end. His green eyes closed and his face twisted. He let out a small moan, and tightened his grip on me.

”What just happened?” he asked.

”I bestowed upon you the gift of immortality, come, we have to hurry.” I could feel the threat of evil looming around us. Their foot soldiers would have sensed the portal opening by now and be searching for me. I wasn't worried about losing Gregorios as I had Kerr, because now he was an immortal, like myself and they couldn't turn him into a demon, at least I didn't think so, but I didn't want to throw more at him than he was ready to deal with.

”Come, let's go.”

I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the portal. He came with me willingly and moved his body into the portal. It wrapped around us both and yanked at our clothes and hair. I pulled Gregorios to me and held him close. His body wrapped around mine and I knew that he tried to protect me even though the portal posed no harm. The pressure on us increased, and Gregorios held me even tighter. With my ear pressed firmly to his chest, I could hear his heart beating fast-and him sighing.

The wind and pressure stopped and I felt the earth beneath my feet again. I opened my eyes and looked around at the beautiful tropical heaven that I called home. ”This is Valhalla,” I said, still holding onto him.

”It is beautiful.” His eyes moved to the waterfalls and he leaned out to have a better look. I pulled him back to me and laughed.

”You don't want to fall over that, at least not just yet. Who knows where you'd end up? You'll be able to navigate through the portals on your own, soon enough.” He didn't find it as funny as I did, but that was to be expected.

I laughed harder and turned to see Beau running towards us. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Gregorios standing with me. On all my other returns, including Beau's, I'd brought back their soul, in a soul-decanter, and once I reached Valhalla they would materialize-become corporeal-they were always nude, and Gregorios was not. Gregorios let go of me and tried to push me behind him. His red toga blew slightly in the wind and caught the attention of Beau.

Beau moved closer and gave me a puzzled look. ”You okay, Princess?”

Gregorios turned and looked at me. ”Princess?”

I shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't very impressed with my status, and didn't expect him to be either. Beau moved closer to us and Gregorios drew his sword. I put my hand out and touched his shoulder. ”It's okay, this is Beau. He's one of the Captains of the guard. He'll be a.s.sisting you with anything you'll need.” Beau made a coughing noise. I looked up at him. ”Care to add anything?”

”Yeah, don't you mean I'll be showing him to his quarters, and getting him acquainted with the others?”

”No, I said what I meant, and Gregorios will be staying with me.”

Beau took another look at Gregorios and then started to shake his head. ”You didn't ... no, you wouldn't.” He stepped forward and touched Gregorios lightly on the arm. ”s.h.i.+t, you did.”

Chapter 12.

I rolled my eyes and listened to Alodie go on and on about the decision I had made. Her blonde hair was pulled back so tight from her head in a bun, that it made her skin pull as well. Beau often called her Joan Rivers, but I wasn't sure why.

I watched her sitting at the elders' table with her hands folded, making comments to the others like I wasn't even there. She was good at that. She hated the fact that I was a Princess and she wasn't. I couldn't help that. It wasn't a birthright so much as a show of power. Only the finest Valkyries were given Princess status. The greatest of us all was named Queen. Valhalla had been without a Queen since before I was born. My mother had been appointed Queen, but had refused to accept the throne. This shocked and angered some of the elders.

Alodie looked down the table to her twin sister, Annice, and then back at me. ”What prompted your decision to make him an equal?” she asked, sounding every bit as condescending as she looked.

”I've already been over this with you a thousand times. I'm hungry, tired, and I'm leaving now.”

”Linnea....”

I spun around. ”You will address me as Valerie and Valerie only. Do you understand? And, if one of you dares to question my decision again.... ”I let hot fire build in my hand. I spun my hand around it and formed a blazing ball. It wasn't really hot, nor was it fire. It was an illusion. I learned to do that when I was young and it still scared the others. It was a parlor trick-smoke and mirrors. Yet, they were still afraid. I could create real fire, but I don't think I could control it as well.

I glanced down at the bluish-orange ball in my hand. I smiled softly and then looked up. I watched the table of elder Valkyrie women, who all looked to be no more than thirty, sit back in their seats-scared. Bronte, one of my mother's biggest supporters stood up and clapped. The others looked at her like she'd just grown a second head.

”I think we may have a new candidate for Queen in our presence.”

The silence in the room was deafening. Alodie was the first one to make a sound of protest. I looked up at her and then down at the ball of fire in my hand. I winked and she shut her mouth. I didn't want to be appointed Queen. I just didn't want to hear her mouth run anymore. I let the fire dissipate and rounded on my heels. I stormed out of the hall, and down the path to the training fields.

I was halfway to the training grounds when I heard shouts. My pace increased when I recognized Gregorios' voice as one of them. I cut through the bamboo that grew wild along the edges of the path, and regretted it almost immediately. I came out on the other side battered and bruised to find Beau and Gregorios engaged in a sword fight.Beau wore a pair of camouflage army pants and a black tee s.h.i.+rt. Gregorios hadn't taken to wearing modern clothes yet, and still wore his tunic. They looked so odd-the modern man versus the gladiator.

Beau's sword was above his right shoulder, drawn back with his arm, as he circled Gregorios. I moved in closer, but wasn't sure what to do. If I yelled out and distracted either of them, someone could get hurt. Immortality meant little if you lost your head or heart in a sword fight. I moved in closer and watched as Beau's facial expression hardened.

”You've no business here, in the form you're in. She'll never love you. You're just a pet, something she brought home to try and patch up an ugly incident. You're a band-aid. She'll discard you soon, like the trash you are.”

Gregorios didn't accept the bait. He just kept his eye on Beau and his sword out in front of him. Beau struck out at him, and Gregorios deflected it with ease. Beau tried again, and again he deflected it. Their swords locked and their faces pressed close together. The hate in Beau's eyes shocked me. He had no reason to hate Gregorios, they weren't from the same time period, and had never met prior to Valhalla. As far as I knew, Americans had no problems with ancient Romans.

”She'll never love you,” Beau spit his words out as he went.

Gregorios spun around and brought Beau's feet out from under him. He thrust his sword down, and stopped just short of ramming it through Beau's neck. I stood in horror as the tip of the sword pushed lightly on Beau's skin. ”Are you worried for her, or are you jealous that she did not choose you? She may never love me, and that's fine, but I will follow her anywhere and give my life for her and her happiness. Would you do the same?”

Beau kicked out and caught Gregorios' stomach. He sprung to his feet and went at Gregorios with an intensity I'd never seen before. I decided that this had gone way too far and ran towards them. Gregorios saw me coming and it broke his concentration, giving Beau the upper hand and leaving Gregorios now dangerously close to being beheaded.

”You deserve to die. You don't deserve her, neither did that filthy Scot. I know she let him touch her ... at least he got what was coming to him ... as if he ever had a chance with the Princess.”

My blood boiled and I screamed out Beau's name while I ran at him. He spun around just in time for me to pummel him to the ground. I slapped his face so hard that my hand stung, and then I balled my hands into fists and began beating on his chest and face. I felt someone pulling me off of Beau. I kicked out, and managed to catch Beau several more times before I was moved too far away to reach him.

”It's okay, Valerie,” Gregorios said softly in my ear.

Beau sat up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. ”Her name isn't Valerie, it's....”

”Don't ... don't ever let me hear you utter my name again, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

Beau looked up at me. ”Princess, I didn't mean to offend you, I was just.... ”He turned to spit blood out. ”I know you've had a hard go of it since you lost that Scot, and I....”

I kicked out frantically, but Gregorios held tight to my waist. ”If you ever utter one word about him again, I'll kill you, do you understand, Beau? I will cut your head off and put it on a stake in the center of the grounds for all to see.” I glared at him.