Page 154 of Valkyrie Unknown

“I had to.” Finn bit off the words.

“Then he said that. He also said something about Lugh being wrong about me, the test, and implied he knows more than he’s letting on,” Azzie said. “Oh, and he threatened to torture me.”

“IfZeke dies so you can ascend.” Finn’s voice grew louder with every word. “I just relived the death of someone who meant the world to me. Iwon’tlose him too.”

To be fair, I’d rip Finn apart in a heartbeat if he was responsible for me losing Azzie, and given this information, she was the only reason I wasn’t doing so now. However, I wouldn’t resort to sneaking around or lying or consorting with gods. I’d just do it. “I have an easy solution. Azzie, release each other from the blood oath, and let me kill Finn. Then we can leave.”

It would make sense to take out Zeke as well, but the only threat he presented was that Azzie trusted him, and she’d learn otherwise.

“Nokilling. Right?” Zeke stared at Azzie.

Her shrug was non-committal.

“This is atest.” Zeke slammed the side of his fist against the nearest wall. “Regardless of why we’re here, passing is the way out.”

“The test isn’t trusting each other.” Azzie rested her hand on the hip where her invisible scabbard hid. The sword didn’t appear though. Instead, an impression of an ax flickered into view and then out again. “It’s a bit late to promiseno killinggiven that Finn didn’t hesitate to slit Davyn’s throat.”

Finn let out a long growl. “Because I knew. It. Wasn’t. Real. I don’t see anyone talking about the fact that Azzie mentioned Loki. He wasn’t here unless Davyn told him where we were.”

“I wouldnever—” My rage surged in, and I lunged at Finn. Azzie couldn’t stop me this time.

“Why would you assume anything she saw was real?” Zeke’s question made me pull up short. “Why was it clear she was with a fake Davyn you could kill, but that a Loki only Azzie talked to was actually there?”

Finn opened his mouth, then frowned.

Watching him talk his way out of this might be a fun torture, before I killed him.

Azzie raised her eyebrows. “Why would I see people I haven’t met before?”

“I did,” Zeke said. “Not at first. I was in the attic of my old house, reliving snippets of my past, but I was only an observer. When I made it down here, the images changed. I saw people and places I’ve never seen before, and none of them were interactive until…” He pursed his lips.

“Until what?” Azzie asked.

Zeke leveled a gaze at Finn. “If she talked to a real Loki, if I saw other events that were real, then was it real when I saw you talking to Lugh in a bar about a siren’s test? When I watched him hand you our birthday gift, and tell you Azzie and I both had to use it for it to work?”

“That wasn’t?—”

“Careful.” I cut Finn off. “What you say next determines if he ever considers you redeemable.” I might not be the quickest at picking up on subtleties and nuance, but Finn admitted he loved Zeke, who was honest to a fault.

I didn’t worry about Azzie trusting Zeke because Zeke wouldn’t betray her—that stopped being a concern after knowing him for only a few weeks—but Finn was proof that Zeke wouldn’t always put his faith in the right people.

“That was almost certainly Loki who Azzie talked to, because he rarely loses sight of her.” There was a heavy sneer in Finn’s tone. “He does a good job of making everyone believe otherwise, but he’s known she was in Shamrock Lakes for almost as long as I have.”

Because Finn told him. I clenched a fist, but held back from using it until we had the full story. Not because that would save Finn from me, but I wanted to hear as much as he was willing to spill.

“Loki wants you to suffer before you die, Azzie,” Finn said. “And Lugh wants you for his own reasons. I keep them both at bay, and I’d rather not see you die, as long as you get the fuck out of our lives eventually. I’m theonlyreason you’re safe.”

Azzie scoffed, and I pushed out a low growl.

“Yes, I set this up, but I didn’t trap myself in here. Lugh must’ve done that.”

“Imagine that—one of your friends lied to you. That must suck.” Sarcasm dripped from Zeke’s taunt.

Pain flashed across Finn’s face, before the twisted distortion of anger replaced it. “Because Azzie is far more powerful than she recognizes, and”—he focused a hard gaze on her—“if you pull your head out of your ass and admit that before someone puts a leash on you, you’ll destroy Zeke. I won’t let that happen.”

“I won’t.” Azzie shook her head.

Zeke huffed in disbelief. “That’s what you think of me?”

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