Page 19 of Reaper

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“Our kids,” I correct.

Kyra smiles sweetly, resting her hand on my chest. “Yes, Reaper, our kids.”

“Should I keep going?”

Annoyance washes over me at Skuld’s interruption. I whirl around, but she’s nowhere to be found.

“Wake up!” my Valkyrie shouts.

I bolt upright, the last vestiges of my dream fading. Skuld stands at the foot of my bed, and I glare at her.

“Hello, Reaper,” she says.

“What in the Fire Pits was that?” I demand, kicking free of the blanket and swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.

“Surely you haven’t forgotten what a dream is.”

“Warriors don’t dream,” I remind her.

“You’re right, they don’t,” she agrees. “Unless, of course, their Valkyrie intervenes.”

I stare at her incredulously. How dare she manipulate me like that. Skuld scowls as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“How dare I?”

“Dammit, get outta my head.”

“If I could, I would.”

“Right,” I mutter. “Does Odin know you’re here?” Her shoulders stiffen, and that’s all the answer I need. “Whyareyou here?”

“Because I thought you needed a little reminder.”

“A reminder of what?”

“Of the good that love can bring,” she says simply as if that explains everything.

“And a dream was supposed to do that? One where Kyra and I are arguing no less.”

“A simple lovers quarrel.”

“And a glimpse into a life that’s impossible,” I snap.

“Afterlife,” she corrects.

“Exactly!”

Skuld sighs and moves to sit next to me on the mattress. “Have I ever steered you in the wrong direction?”

“Well, no.”

“And have I ever shown you anything in that dense head of yours that has been a lie?”

I swallow that growl that threatens. “No.”

“Then what makes you think I’d start now?”

Throwing my hands up, I stand and begin to pace. “I don’t know, Skuld. None of this makes sense.”