Page 19 of Reaper
“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.”
