Page 12 of Valkyrie Song

I swallow hard, squeezing her hand. "They were so proud of you, Marion. Even if you didn't see them, they were there, watching over you."

"I know." Tears shine in her eyes as she nods. "For a long time, I thought I was abandoned as a kid, but I used to see her in the shadows. I think she wanted me to see her, wanted me to know that she was still watching over me." Her breath shakes as she exhales. "They never forgot me."

"Of course they didn't," Abigail chimes in, wrapping an arm around Marion's shoulders. "They could never forget you."

I wipe my watery eyes, exhaling as I glance at Rissa. She flashes me a tiny smile and nods as if to say she's proud of me.I'm not really surprised to realize that she knew. Rissa is smart. She's also incredibly perceptive. Marion and Tori weren't wrong when they said she was the least likely of us to be corrupted. She leads with her heart.

"Does anyone else have anything to share?" she asks, glancing at our sisters. "Anything we should know?"

Tori quickly shakes her head, but a flash of…something…goes through her eyes. It's not quite guilt, but almost. She's hiding something. Something she doesn't want us to know.

I open my mouth to call her on it, but she places a hand over her stomach. The words die on my lips, shock rushing through me.

Is she…?

A wave of fierceness rolls through her expression.

Holy crap.

"Then we're all in agreement that there are no secrets between us anymore," Rissa says as I'm still gaping at Tori, my mind reeling. "If we're going to figure this out, we have to be open and honest with each other. We have to rely on each other. It's the only way we're going to find the strength to do what we need to do."

"So…what are we doing?" Abigail asks. "Nothing we've tried so far has worked."

"We're going to try again," Rissa says, crossing her arms. "And we're going to keep trying until we get it right." She glances at Tori. "You've got to figure out how to communicate with the Portal. Take Marion with you as soon as the scouts are finished ensuring there are no more Forsaken hiding in Asgard. Surely with her power and your connection to it, the two of you can get it to tell you something."

Tori slides her hand away from her stomach, nodding.

I watch her for a long moment, worried. If she's pregnant…maybe this is the last thing she should be doing.

But I don't say that.

I wait until Rissa calls an end to our meeting and her, Abigail, and Marion go in search of their mates.

"Tori?" I call quietly before she can slip out with our sisters.

She glances over her shoulder at me, her brows furrowed.

"I found an injured rabbit in the forest," I murmur. It's not entirely a lie. One of the rabbits has an injured paw. "I was wondering…"

Our sisters slip out as Tori reverses course, heading back toward me. "What do you need?" she asks.

I bite my lip, feeling guilty for tricking her. But I don't say anything until the door closes behind Rissa, Abigail, and Marion, and then I exhale a breath. "Don't be mad," I say. "But this isn't really about the rabbit."

"Oh." She frowns, confusion swirling through her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Um…it's not really my business, but…" I huff out a breath. This is harder than I thought. "Are you sure you should be the one trying to work out what the Bifröst knows when you might be…?"

She gasps, her eyes flying wide open. "You know?"

"I saw you," I explain. "At the table, I mean. I didn't say anything because it's not my place, but if you are, then we need to be protecting you too."

"I don't know," she whispers, sinking into a chair. "I mean, I don't know if I am. I think so, but…" She places her palms against her cheeks, staring up at me with wide, worried eyes. "I don't want to hide it, but Reaper will never let me out of his sight again, Kara. And you guys need me."

I sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You're right," I say softly. "We do need you. But we need you to be okay more than we need anything. And if you're pregnant andsomething happens to your baby because you weren't careful enough, I don't think you'll be okay, Tori."

I'm pretty sure she'd never be able to forgive herself. And Reaper would never forgive himself, either. They don't need to live with that kind of grief and pain on top of everything else we're dealing with. A baby should bring joy. It's a reason to celebrate. Even in the midst of war—especiallyin the midst of war—life is worth celebrating.

I want that for her. So will our sisters and the Fae. But she has to give us a chance to celebrate with her. She has to let us help her.

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