Page 13 of Valkyrie Song

"I'm freaking terrified," she whispers. "I want his babies so bad. But I didn't think it'd be in the middle of all of this."

"Are you happy?"

"So happy," she breathes before a shadow of fear passes through her eyes. "And worried. What if…?"

"You know we won't let anything happen to you or your baby," I whisper fiercely, squeezing her tight. "Aside from Marion, it's been what? Centuries since the last Fae child was born? Every Fae out there will die to protect you and your baby if you're pregnant because that baby is hope for them. It's proof that everything they've fought and sacrificed for is real, and that there is a future for the Fae."

"You're right," she whispers, inhaling a deep breath. "I'm just scared, Kara. Really freaking scared." She places a hand over her belly. "I want this so bad."

"Then let us help make sure you get it," I murmur, resting my head against hers. "Tell Reaper. And if you need help telling our sisters, you have me. You know they'll be happy for you, too."

"I just don't want to add to the stress level around here," she admits. "Everyone has so much to deal with already. I don't want this to be one more thing for everyone to worry about."

I arch a brow at her, laughing quietly. "Um, I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure the Fae were born stressed out and worried. It's like their thing. Make war, argue with Valkyries, and worry."

Tori's body vibrates with laughter. "Yeah, you're probably right about that." She rests her head against mine. "Thanks, Kara." She pauses. "And thanks for not calling me out."

"It's not my news. It's yours. You should be the one to share it." I glance over at her. "Just…please share it?"

She smiles at me, her eyes light with promise. "I will."

I exhale a relieved breath, glad I don't have to carry this secret. Who knows? Maybe this is why the Portal has been flickering. If it senses our emotions and Tori is connected to it…well, it stands to reason that it may very well realize that she's been a ball of anxiety lately. "Hey."

She glances over at me.

"Rhistel mentioned something today," I murmur. "He said the Bifröst has been flickering lately."

Her brows furrow and the nods. "That's why Reaper and I were out there. I thought maybe if it was flickering, it was talking again, but it was as silent as ever." She huffs a sigh. "The Fae think it's because we're stressed out."

"Do you think it's possible?"

She hesitates for a moment and then shrugs. "Maybe? When we were Healing the Bifröst and it was singing to us, it felt almost like it recognized us, didn't it? We're connected to it in some way, maybe forged from the same magic. I'm not entirely sure," she says. "But the connection is there. It's why we're able to use the Bifröst in a way no one else in creation can. So yeah, maybe it does sense and react to our emotions, too."

I nod thoughtfully. Maybe allowing ourselves to lean on one another and trust one another with our secrets will strengthenour connection to the Bifröst, then. It certainly can't hurt anything.

But…for some reason, I just don't think that's the answer to moving beyond the Veil. At least, it's not the entire answer. We need to be united. We need to rely on one another. But there's something we're missing. Something important.

Tori climbs to her feet and then reaches down to hug me while I'm trying to figure it out. "I'm glad we found you," she whispers. "And I'm really glad you're here now."

A lump swells in my throat, choking me. But she doesn't give me a chance to respond before she hurries toward the door to go find Reaper. I sit there for a long moment, just staring at the floor.

I'm glad they found me too.

"You handled that well, princess."

"Jesus Christ!" I squeak, jolting as Stephan's deep voice sounds behind me. I spin around, shooting a dark glare at him. "You scared the crap out of me."

He smirks, his gray eyes light with humor. "I can see that," he murmurs, circling around the table toward me.

"Were you spying on us?"

"No, of course not. But Rissa said you were talking to Tori about an injured rabbit we saw today," he says, his eyes locked on my face. "Since there was no injured rabbit, I got curious."

"That's called spying, Stephan."

"I knocked, princess."

"But you didn't let us know you were here."

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