Page 42 of Daddy's Justice

“For starters. It is a timed race. Are you two ready?”

I wasn’t sure. I loved games and I had always had a competitive nature, but the unknown sent a stab of unease I felt in the pit of my stomach.

Forseti counted down and we were off. At first, we just ran at a sprint straight down the field. I hit three bullseyes in a row, no problem. The fourth time, I was beginning to feel a bit winded, but Forseti wanted us to go again.

I took off running, sure he was testing my endurance. Something flew by my ear, a bug perhaps. Then something else. The hairs on my arms stood up, I turned toward the next one. It was an arrow! Edda was shooting arrows at us. I looked over at Kara and saw her running, not in a straight line anymore but in zig-zag motion. I followed her example. We reached the end of the field, and Edda fired at us as we both shot our targets. Kara hit a bullseye; I was off by just a hair. My heart was racing so incredibly fast, it was pounding in my ears. The adrenaline was flowing, like hot liquid through my veins.

“Again,” Forseti called.

I didn’t want to. I wanted to quit. This was insanity. Why would I want to run back and forth across a field on a hot day while arrows zipped past me? What was the point of all of this? I looked back at him, planning on telling him no. The fire in his eyes had me pausing. I remembered last night, the spanking I had received for not listening to his orders and the promise of more to come if it happened again. His warning about not pausing, not disobeying, for that could cost someone their life had been truly impressed upon me.

I took off running. This time, the arrows came closer and closer. I found myself dodging, ducking and trying to outmaneuver them. They were relatively silent, just a swish here or there as they flew by, barely missing my body. As I ran and they came whizzing at me, I began to get angry. It fueled my desire to win. I outran Kara and found myself at the target again.

“More!” I heard Forseti’s command to Edda and the arrows came then, a barrage of them, flying down on me like a horde of steel-tipped mosquitoes. I moved then, like I had never moved before. Acting completely on instinct, I dropped down onto one knee, slid across the dirt and shot my arrow. Bullseye. Turning, still on my knee, I rose to my feet and ran across the field, still being shot at. I made it back to Forseti, out of breath, mere seconds before Kara did.

“Very good. Kara and Edda trained their entire childhoods learning to do this. It takes a valkyrie years to get as good as you are,” Forseti praised.

“That was insane!” Kara said, huffing and puffing, trying to catch her breath. “With a little training, she will best every valkyrie on Asgard.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Edda said.

“I would. I would bet on it. Have you ever seen that level of natural talent?” Kara asked.

Edda shook her head.

“I’m starving; that worked up an appetite. Are you done with us for now, boss? May we go prepare lunch?” Edda asked and Forseti nodded his agreement. As they turned and walked away, I turned to him.

“Was that necessary?” I was angry. I could have been hurt, killed even. This went beyond games.

“Yes, Morrigan. Everything I have you do is necessary.”

“Why? Why was this necessary?”

“Morrigan.” The warning was clear in his tone, I was overstepping. “Come here, little goddess.”

He opened his arms expecting me to run into them. I couldn’t. While I had tempered my tongue, my anger still flowed through my veins.

“Little goddess, come here.”

I shook my head and half expected him to come to me.

He didn’t. “Listen to your Daddy.”

His tone washed over me, soothed me. Damn him and damn his powers. I ran into the strong, open arms of the man of my dreams. No, my dreams could never be this magnificent.

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