Page 150 of Valkyrie Unknown

And fear?

Finn was afraid of Davyn?

Duh. Why didn’t I see it sooner?

"A battle with no other bodies?" Davyn’s words were getting more difficult to understand. "With no blood but hers?"

Finn adjusted his grip. He was preparing to swing first. "Because we’re trapped in a siren’s house of illusions, bear. Have you not realized that yet? What sort of fears were you witness to?"

Davyn let out a long growl and his posture shifted as he grew about a foot.

As tempting as it was to watch, given I’d learned about Finn’s motivations, theStop, surged up my throat. When I swallowed the words, they seared my insides like hot coals. “St—” I bit back the command. The pain was worse than the wound in my shoulder, as I forced myself to not step between Berserker and god.

The blood oath to Zeke. I’d promised not only to keep from harming him, but to keep Davyn from harming him or Finn.

“Davyn.Stop.” The words tore from me. Some of the agony faded.

Davyn hesitated, but didn’t let Finn go.

If I didn’t do anything else to end this, I could say I tried.

The pain was back. Trying to push the words out again. Davyn would stop if he knew I meant it. What was happening to me that I was willing to suffer to let him destroy Finn?

He may be ready to destroy me, but I wouldn’t change on his behalf. “Davyn.He’s telling—” but Finn wasn’t. “Finn’s right about the battle. It was here, and then it was gone. Let him go.” I climbed to my feet.

Finn’s gaze was focused on the half-man, half bear in front of him. "See? She backs me up."

“I didn’t say that.” I had so much to tell Davyn, but one thing was critical. “We can’t trust him. He meant for me to die in here.”

“You’re learning.” That was the same voice from the drawing room. The siren?

No.

Why was I so certain?

Davyn bared his teeth, and stared down Finn. This was when I should be terrified. He could slice through me in the best of conditions, and with me wounded…

He wouldn’t hurt me. I knew that at my core.

I would never show Finn my back again, though.

“Not true,” Finn said. “I don’t care if you die; I just want you gone.”

“It’s about time you said it out loud.” Davyn’s height returned to normal, and the fur on his arms and face receded, becoming what it had been before. Yellow still tinged his eyes and his teeth were longer than they should be. "What happened to your arm?" He asked with a frown.

"There actually was a fight here. A war, and a woman…"

Finn clenched his fist.

Davyn raised a human hand with claw-like nails, and squeezed my injured shoulder.

I braced myself for a shock of pain.

He retracted his claws, and poked a thumb through my torn shirt, to meet my bare flesh. Not an open wound, but skin that was intact enough that the contact sent a whisper of comfort through me.

"Not what happened before. Where’s the injury?" Davyn’s voice was almost normal again.

Where was the pain? I glanced down where there should be a gaping wound. There was still blood everywhere, but my wound was gone.

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