Page 64 of Valkyrie Confused

Stupid way to think. I’m a grown-ass woman. I had fun. Even if last night was all we had together, I enjoyed it thoroughly and can move on.

To become a Valkyrie?

To fight someone else’s fight?

Because… fate?

If anything,thatfeels like being used. Not to mention that there’s no way I’ll be ready for any real fighting in the next couple weeks.

I’m halfway up the stairs, my legs heavy with the weight of the worldandlast night’s sexcapades, when a woman calls my name.

One of my fans from last night?

I could pretend not to have heard, but it would be rude. I halfheartedly turn, and my body tenses before I even register who I’m looking at.

It’s the woman from what Arnlaug called my Valkyrie dreams. The statuesque blonde with the kickass vibes.

My shoulders itch, and it takes everything I have, not to try to scratch them. I need to appear composed, even if I’m quaking inside.

“YouareScarlett, right?” She smiles, but her blue eyes are hard. No, cautious. She’s ready for war.

I nod as calmly as my jitters allow, while my mind races. She’s a Valkyrie. Does that make her a friend or a foe? Valkyries belong to Odin, but this woman doesn’t look like she’d ever belong to anyone.

“Are you here to take me to him sooner?” I ask. No reason to mince words. Not like I can escape her; I’m on a freaking staircase. And—shit—the keys to my room are still at Pan’s.

“Him?” She frowns. “I’m not here to take you anywhere. Not unless you want to go.”

Already a better option than Arnlaug. My stomach tightens, the yummy breakfast sitting in it like lead. “Are you here to fight Arnlaug?”

She lifts her chin defiantly. “Only if he forces me to.” She doesn’t move any closer, but her presence feels overwhelming.

“Then what?” I cling to the banister. Can I jump over it and outrun her?

I’ll probably break something.

Her smile is a little more relaxed now. It reaches her eyes. “How about I buy you coffee, and we talk?”

“How about I make both of you the bestfreddocappuccinoyou’ve ever had and join you?” Pan comes strolling toward us, big smile on his lips and palms outstretched.

The woman tenses. If I wasn’t used to people-watching, I might not notice her shoulders pushing back and her hands moving a fraction closer to her hips. She looks him up and down. “Pan, I presume?”

He gives a low bow, complete with sweeping his arms out. “At your service. Only most people here know me asPanos, and this may be a talk best had indoors.”

“I’m Kirby,” she says. “Starkad said you’re his friend, and he has very few of those, but this discussion is private.”

I clear my throat. “Pan is okay.” That was weak. I should have gone with something cooler, like,Anything you say to me, you can say in front of him.

“All right, then. Let’s go inside.”

Pan makes anafter yougesture, but she arches an eyebrow, so he heads toward the hotel. Kirby stands aside for me to climb down the stairs and go after him. I don’t want to turn my back to her, but Pan did, and I trust him to know a threat when he sees one.

He leads us to the kitchen and sets to making the coffees, while Kirby and I sit on opposite sides of the large table.

“You’re a Valkyrie,” I say. Showing her I know gives me the upper hand.

Right?

“I am,” she says. “What exactly do you know about Valkyries?”

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