Page 111 of Valkyrie Unknown

“Can we move to someone else’s present, so we can stop acting like I brought a porno mag to the table? Please?” Enid asked meekly.

There was a wave of murmurs, protests, and agreements.

This was fun. The more potent than usual reminder of how tempting Azzie was could be an issue, but I did enjoy the closeness. I didn’t enjoy the reminder about my former pack. The Berserkers I’d calledfamilyin the past. This was a familiarity I missed, resented the gods for taking from me, and didn’t dare embrace again.

Azzie gave Enid an awkward hug. “I love it. Best porno ever. Give Zeke his present, so I can appreciate mine without other people’s input.” She glared at Finn.

Enid’s gift for Zeke was a leather book cover for his sketchbook that was enchanted to preserve whatever was between the pages. There wasn’t the same kind of fanfare as with the book for Azzie, but Zeke was appreciative.

“Me next.” Finn pulled a single, small box from his pocket, just as our waiter stopped by the table.

“Ooh, is it someone’s birthday?” he asked with a mischievous grin.

“No, definitely not,” Zeke said at the same time Azzie answered with, “Ours.” She pointed at herself and him.

Zeke shot her a glare, and she shrugged. “What?” Azzie asked.

“You each get a free dessert with the song.” The waiter looked more excited than I felt he should.

That sounded good. Azzie loved free cake. “They’ll take it.” I spoke before anyone else could.

Zeke groaned and sank lower in his chair, as the waiter waved over a few more colleagues.

Intriguing.

Then the staff started to sing. It was an out-of-tune rendition of something with the wordshappy birthdayrepeated again and again, to a rhythm that none of them seemed to agree on, based on the pacing. Throughout the entire thing, Enid and Zeke had smiles frozen on their faces, but Azzie’s delight was genuine.

It was an odd sort of torture, and I hadn’t realized this modern society still tested their warriors’ strength to celebrate another trip around the sun, but thirty seconds later, it was over. The waiter promised to bring the desserts out at the end of the meal, and the staff disbursed.

“That was fun.” Azzie was still grinning.

Enid gave her a puzzled look. “It was?”

“You didn’t like it?” Confusion bled into Azzie’s question.

Zeke studied her for a moment. “It was novel the first time, I guess. When I was ten. Have you… never seen that before?”

“We didn’t do stuff like this on birthdays.” Some of Azzie’s enthusiasm faded.

“I’ve never seen it before either.” I wasn’t sure I appreciated the same things about it that she did. However it was a new experience, and, it seemed, not one that was intended to be torture.

“Aren’t you glad I made you do this, then?” Finn nudged her.

Azzie’s grin was back. “I really am.”

It seemed she and I had both missed out on a lot of life, though I had a past to draw on. She only had a few decades, and they’d been a kind of sheltered most people could never understand. She was pushing to become a powerful being, and had no idea how so much of the world worked. True, a lot of gods were that way, but she deserved better.

She shouldn’t have to wind up like Gudrun, removed from the world before she’d truly lived, because those around her assumed it was time for her to be more.

“This is for both of you.” Finn handed the small box he held to Zeke. Red, silky lace was tied around it, but it didn’t look like a bow.

Zeke furrowed his brow.

Azzie reached over and tugged on the fabric, and pulled free the barely-there G-string. “Really?” She gave Finn a withering look without any heat behind it.

He shrugged. “I found a ruined pair in the laundry, and thought you might want a replacement.”

Enid’s blush was back, as stark as the panties.

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