Page 23 of Valkyrie Unknown

“You reek of power and you’re looking for a fight even if you didn’t say so,” Ulf said. “If that’s not why you’re here— Can we take this inside? I’d rather not continue this conversation in the open.”

There was no one around to eavesdrop. “We’re staying out here.”

“As much as I’d love to defy the big bossy bear and say,Sure, let’s go inside, you did drug me last night,” Azzie said.

Ulf growled. “If you want my help, you need to hear me out. Otherwise, you can leave.”

Azzie pursed her lips. “Convince us it’s safe to stay.”

“I can’t—” He worked his jaw and looked at me. “I offer a blood oath.”

That wasn’t something to be thrown around lightly. “Why? What do you get out of this?”

Ulf smirked. “I won’t tell you out here.”

My curiosity wasn’t enough to make a promise that couldn’t be broken. A blood oath worked both ways, so I would be required to offer something in return.

“I’m not swearing a blood oath.” Azzie took a step back.

“You want answers, don’t you?” Ulf called, and she paused with her foot in mid-air above a step. “The oath is with him,” he said, “not you. On my grandfather’s name.”

Swearing on an ancestor’s name meant a great deal, and my curiosity won out. “What do you swear?”

“That I will not harm her.”

I’d known Loki far too long to ignore the loopholes in Ulf’s words. “Not good enough,” I said.

“She came to find her strength, and here, that involves fighting. She’s going to get hurt.”

“He’s got a point.” Azzie was fully on the landing again. “How am I supposed to learn from him if he can’t hurt me?”

His smirk was back. “I’ll explain that once we’re done with this.”

Thisrequired a more specific promise. “What do you swear?” I repeated.

Ulf met my stare. “My word and intent are that I will do her no harm. Any hurt that befalls her will be in the course of training and delivered to provide the strength and training she asked for.”

“All right.” I still didn’t like it, but Azzie also still had the choice to leave. “I offer the same promise of your safety in return.”Please don’t let this be a considerable mistake.

Eight

Azzie

“Berserkers really will takeany opportunity to spill blood.” I let out a noisy breath at the wholeblood oathdisplay and holstered my knives. “Can we do this now?” Despite the exasperation I let show, I was grateful Davyn was here. What he did for me, from containing Ulf to the promise? I liked it more than I should if I wanted to walk away from him when this was all over.

“It’s your funeral, Ginger Kitty.” Ulf held the door open.

I didn’t like how many rings he wore. Not because I had an issue with men and jewelry, but after last night’s encounter I was wary of what the accessories did. I’d also learned that fighters who wore those kinds of adornments were either bluffing or using the metal to cause extra harm.

Davyn growled. “You first. We’ll follow.”

If this was a trap, I doubted it mattered if Ulf entered before or after us, but there had to be a reason he was putting up with all of blood oaths and Davyn hurting him, to work with me.Iwould’ve walked away the moment I sawhimif I weren’t grasping for answers.

Ulf shrugged and walked in, with Davyn next and me last. Fine with me—Davyn was as great a view from behind as from every other angle.

“Is your grandfather here, or has Ulfgaroar moved on?” Davyn asked.

Ulf led us through a dimly lit hallway, the scents of rubber and grime radiating from the heated aluminum around us. “He’s not with us anymore.”

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