Page 42 of Inferno

“You’ll have to forgive these jackasses. They know nothing about women.”

All eyes turn toward the hallway, and Makayla walks across the room. Viking recovers from his shock and rushes forward, lifting his old lady in his arms. The kiss he plants on her is enough to make me feel like a creep for watching.

Her anger forgotten, Emmy shifts closer to me. “Who’s that?” she whispers.

“Makayla, Viking’s wife.”

“He’s married?”

“Yep.”

“How’d they meet? Was she his Valkyrie or something?”

Over the last few days, I’ve explained as much about Valhalla as I could to Emmy so it’s not surprising that that is the assumption she makes.

“Uh…” I rub the side of my nose. “No, she wasn’t his Valkyrie. She’s a Valkyrie now, but she wasn’t when they met.”

“Then how’d they meet? I thought you said only the dead can live in Valhalla.”

“I did say that,” I agree. “Makayla was dead when she transitioned there.”

Emmy’s eyes widen. “Are you saying she wasn’t when they met? She was like me?”

“She was alive and kickin’, yes.”

“Oh.” She glances at them and smiles sadly. “It’s a shame they had to wait so long to be together.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you said most warriors are recruited young, right? And if Viking had to wait for Makayla to die of old age then it mu?—”

“She didn’t die of old age.”

Emmy stares at me. “Oh.” I can tell the moment my words sink in because her jaw drops. “Oh, I um…”

“It was her decision,” I rush to tell her. “She chose to be with him and understood what that meant.”

“Is that what you expect me to do?”

“No.” I cup her cheeks. “If you want to live out your life here in the human world, I’ll wait for you. We’re soulmates, remember?”

That seems to cheer her up because she grins widely. “Yeah, we are.”

“Now that my husband has taken his hands off me,” Makayla says as she steps up next to Emmy. “It’s time you and I get to know each other. Our men have business to attend to, and we’re not invited.”

Emmy looks at me as if asking permission. “Go ahead. But don’t leave the clubhouse.” I point at Makayla. “I’m talking to you, too. She’s got a stalker, and we don’t know who it is yet. I need her here so she’s safe.”

Makayla mock salutes me, and I roll my eyes. “Yes, sir.”

Viking steps up behind her and lifts her off her feet. “Woman, I’m the only ‘sir’ in your life.”

“Dear Odin,” I grumble. “Put her down so we can get to work.”

He sets her on her feet and swats her ass. “Be back soon.”

I watch as Makayla leads Emmy down the hall toward Viking’s room and send up a silent prayer that they don’t cause any trouble.

“Church, now!” Viking shouts.

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