Page 40 of Valkyrie Unknown

She and I were in a new clearing, with packed and frozen mud. She’d shed her coat, and we were trading kicks.

One of the unexpected things about the past months was I found myself learning from Azzie. She had an approach and an adaptability that few were capable of, especially immortals who had lived this long because what they did worked. Most figuredwhy change?

The matches with her were frequently as much dance as fight. Where the point wasn’t to do the most damage, but to see which of us could push the other to a limit. In my case, she nudged and shoved, to get me to fight harder, and I worked to find new ways to make her respond.

The biggest struggle was with the beast inside, who didn’t like the idea of restraint. However, my bear liked a challenge, and this was definitely that.

I swung at her, at head level, and she ducked, as expected. Instead of rolling to her left, she evaded to the right, forcing her to use her non-dominant hand to slice my leg.

The cut was superficial, healing before she pulled the blade away, but it was meant to distract me. I knew this trick, and I was ready when she landed on her feet. Using my body and her surprise to box her in, I stepped in hard and fast.

Azzie retreated, eyes flitting as she assessed and searched for her retaliation. I didn’t have to be in her head to know that was the case. Her back collided with a large tree, and she let out a soft grunt.

I stopped, and the brush of her heat, the hint of fear before she tucked it away, sparked inside me. She couldn’t hide her arousal the same way, didn’t know she needed to, or didn’t want to.

It didn’t matter, because when she looked up at me with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, the edges of my control cracked.

My bear was always close to the surface when we did this, looking for a way to get out.

The woman in front of me—skilled, strong, and so much fun—was a beacon. Her chest heaved with each breath, and her hair was wild as it escaped her ponytail. On top of it all, she reeked of exertion and defiance.

Fuck, it was almost as hard to ignore her teasing as to not draw blood in our fights.

And she wasn’t trying to get away from me. She looked frozen. Captivated.

I should take a step back. Continue the fight, or better, call it a day. Instead, I pressed a hand to her throat.

Rather than breaking away, she fisted my shirt with both hands.

This was a bad idea, and I couldn’t think about anything else. When she licked her lips, I crushed my mouth to hers. She whimpered and growled. Or I did. Then she was kissing back and fighting me.

Only Azzie could make both work at the same time.

She dragged her palms up my chest and draped her arms around my neck, while our tongues danced. Even this was a sparring match of hands and lips and teeth, and it was incredible.

More. The roar came from inside, and I was happy to indulge it. I needed to be closer. To be a part of her. I slid my hands down her back, to cup her ass, and she wrapped her legs around my waist.

Her body was warm, and the fingers digging into my back were demanding. I felt every bit of her, which made my cock hard as a rock.

Darkness licked the edge of my vision. Was this that intense? The sky was growing black. Were we doing that? Drawing the light from the world with the sparks between us?

“Hold on.” Azzie’s voice was strained, as she broke away.

Come back. I shoved the insistence down, because she was looking around, not at me.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Her question penetrated deeper into my thoughts, calling to reason. My bear grumbled in protest. The sky was literally black, and I’d been so lost in the moment, I was willing to ignore it.

Unforgivable.

I let go of her, and she landed deftly on her feet. The inky darkness extended around us, with shadows growing out of the ground and taking on a vaguely humanoid shape.

Fight. The beast in my head was happier about this than I was.

Azzie slid into a combat stance, and her hand fell to her hip and her hidden sword.

The first Sceadugenga—shadow monster—charged, and I sliced through it with a clawed hand. It evaporated in a wispy cloud. The others followed, letting out a silent roar that shouted in my soul with an icy blast.

---