Page 156 of Valkyrie Unknown

Zeke stepped in front of Finn. “How long?” Zeke’s question, his entire posture, was somber.

“I fell for you the night I met you. I found out who you were, whoshewas, a few days later,” Finn said.

Zeke shook his head. “You don’t love me. You don’t know me.”

“I know you better than she does.” Finn’s refusal to say Azzie’s name, the sneer every time he saidshemade me dig my fingers into his forearm.

Zeke stepped away from Finn, closer to Azzie. “Do you sense an exit, Azzie?”

A soft glow shone around her, throwing long shadows up dimly lit walls. She looked like an angel.

“Here.” She pointed at a door with anXcarved into it.

Zeke glanced at me. “If Finn does anything stupid, do what you need to do.” He sounded resigned. Hurt.

My bear growled his approval, and clawed closer to the surface. Letting the beast peek out, to keep an eye on Finn, was better than pondering these revelations about Azzie. Better than admitting that she glowed when she lost herself in a fight. That she healed better than a pair of enchanted blades should allow. That her ability to sense fae doors and use them pushed the limits of plausibility.

I could ponder how much I’d ignored in favor of pretending destiny could be held at bay—wonder what she could truly do that only Finn knew—or I could unleash enough of my beast to keep the threat of Finn contained until we were free of this place.

Azzie twisted the knob with a lackluster effort and dropped her hand when it didn’t turn. “Like Zeke said. Locked.”

She knows, my bear growled in my thoughts.

She did. If that was the door she picked, she was right. I stepped up next to her, twisted the knob as far as it would go without resistance—a centimeter perhaps—then twisted harder.

The groan of brass responded. I pulled the knob toward me, and by extension, the edge of the door, and slammed my shoulder into the solid wood.

Creaking, splintering sounds filled the air. The destruction felt good. Delicious.

I yanked the knob and slammed into the structure again. Again and again. With each slam, I felt more of the structure give way.Stubborn illusion. I will break you.

Any creature who could play around in people’s minds should be avoided at all costs. Next time Azzie wanted to work with such a being, I was reminding her of this.

I gave one more push with my shoulder.

Instead of splintering on its frame, the door swung open, and I stumbled through at the abrupt loss of resistance.

“Azzie, I need you on recon.” Kirby’s command caught me off-guard.

The air smelled of ash and chaos and blood. My bear roared inside my skull, demanding to join a fray I hadn’t identified yet.

The hallway was gone, and we were in a room that ran at least one-hundred meters in each direction. The lighting was dim, and the windows that weren’t covered in grime or boards were broken.

An empty warehouse?

Not completely empty. Aside from Azzie, me, Zeke, and Finn, Kirby and Starkad were here. Another Berserker. Arnlaug? Along with a handful of women wearing armor like the ornate chain and scale Kirby was in, all of them with their wings extended.

Other Valkyries? That was impossible. They were all dead.

Here they were though—as fierce and strong as any Valkyrie I’d ever met.

“Davyn,” Kirby barked my name. “Why are you still here? Is there a problem?”

“I don’t take orders from you, Valkyrie.” My response was a growl. How dare this battle maiden commandme?

In response, Starkad growled and stepped forward. This wasn’t the man I ran into yesterday. This Starkad had one arm that was black and twisted, and he was as much wolf as human, but didn’t seem to be lacking control.

He could fight with me, or against me. I looked forward to it either way.

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