Page 9 of Reaper
I narrow my eyes at our newest brother. “Just because you’re one of us now, doesn’t me?—”
“Go,” Viking snaps.
Grumbling, I do as I’m told. Rebelling against Odin is one thing, but I can’t ignore a direct order from my Pres. Shit, I shouldn’t ignore one from Odin either, but the god pisses me off.
“What are you doing here?” I ask when I spot Skuld waiting outside Odin’s office.
She smiles. “Figured you could use a friendly face.”
“That bad?”
“Depends on how you look at it.”
Heaving a sigh, I put one foot in front of the other and enter Odin’s office. “Let’s just get this over with.”
The next hour passes in a blur. I try to convince Odin that I’m not the right Warrior for the job, but he’s a stubborn old goat and doesn’t budge an inch. Apparently, heknows what’s best.
When I’m dismissed, rage builds in my system. I don’t want to return to the human world, and I certainly don’t want to play hero to some chick who’s as bitter as I am.
I have every intention of telling all of this to Viking when I return to the fighting arena, but I don’t get the chance because I’m transported out of Valhalla faster than I can say ‘fuck Odin’.
“Welcome back.”
I sit up on the mattress and take in my surroundings. The first thing I notice is Ms. Steinbeck, the Valkyrie in charge of the transition house in the human world.
“What the Fire Pits?” I mumble.
Inferno walks into the room and stands next to the woman. “Must’ve been some meeting with Odin.”
Viking, Demo, Acid, and Grump are sitting on the edge of the bed against the opposite wall.
“Can someone please tell me why I feel like I’m gonna puke up anything I’ve ever eaten since the second I came out of my mama?” Grump complains, his face looking a little green.
“You’ll get used to it,” Acid says dryly.
“I’m more interested in what the assignment is,” Inferno adds.
“And I’ll fill you all in over a meal,” Ms. Steinbeck says as she whirls on her heel and walks out of the room.
“I want nothing to do with this,” I snap. “I told him that.”
“And you thought he’d listen?” Demo shakes his head. “He never listens.”
“Let’s just go get our marching orders,” Viking barks. “The sooner we get moving on this, the sooner I can get back to Makayla.”
The five of them traipse out of the room, leaving me alone to process my thoughts. Odin’s last words to me play on a loop in my mind.
Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you have to stop living.
6
Kyra
“I’m sorry, but I can’t stay late.”
I sigh as I watch Jenny walk away. The day after Megan let me know she was moving, I held a staff meeting at Night and Day to discuss schedules. Jenny is a great waitress and told me that her schedule was flexible and that she didn’t mind having longer hours.
Problem is, she hasn’t been the least bit flexible in the week since that meeting.
