Page 5 of Viking

“But we talked about it!”

“Yeah, we did. And if you take your head out of your ass for a minute, you’d probably remember that I never agreed to anything.”

“But we can’t use the same topic,” he insists hotly.

Leaning forward, I set my half-eaten leftovers on the coffee table. “Why not?”

“How will I stand out if we both use Valhalla?”

“Jeff, I can’t worry about your thesis when I have my own to do.” I grab the remote and turn on the TV. “Besides, it’s not a competition. Now, was there anything else you needed? Because I’ve got shit to do.”

“You’re such a bitch,” he snarls before disconnecting the call.

I grin as I toss my cell onto the cushion next to me.

At least he didn’t call me Mak.

2

Viking

“C’mon, old man. Gimme all ya got.”

In the fighting arena, I bounce around the cage on the balls of my feet, making sure to keep Inferno in my line of sight. As the VP of Valhalla Rising MC, he’s proven to be an invaluable asset to me. He’s also my best friend and a giant pain in my ass.

“Who you calling old?” I counter.

Inferno smirks as he lifts his hand and orange flames flicker to life in his palm. “You’ve got a few hundred years on me.”

Lifting my ax above my head, I chuckle. “A few hundred years and numerous lifetimes of experience.” With a roar, I swing my weapon down as hard as I can, slicing the iron through the fire and Inferno’s hand, severing three of his fingers. “How’s that for old?” I ask when his eyes blaze with fury.

“Dammit, Viking,” he fumes as he lunges for me, his one good hand going around my throat.

Pushing me against the edge of the cage, he squeezes, and all I do is grin. “You know I’m already dead, right?”

Inferno’s hardened features contort in pain, and my grin slips. I know that look.

The fingers I severed are regenerating, and the agony it causes rivals that of death. Or, at least, I imagine it does. I don’t remember the pain of my demise.

Many, many years ago, I asked Odin why we don’t experience pain when

wounded but we do as our bodies heal themselves. He laughed at me and explained that it’s his way of making sure his warriors stay humble.

“Fuck Odin for this,” Inferno grumbles and pushes away from me.

“Don’t let him hear you say that.”

“Too late.”

Inferno and I spin around and see the God himself standing just beyond the bars of the cage. Odin has his arms crossed over his chest, and if looks could kill, we’d both be dead… again.

“Inferno, one of these days, you’ll learn that there is a method to my madness,” he says to my VP, and then he turns to me. “And next time I’m disrespected like that, the punishment will come out of your hide. Understood?”

I nod curtly. “Understood.”

If I had blood flowing in my veins, it’d be boiling. Odin may have chosen me to serve him, saving me from whatever fate my death would bring, but the one thing he hasn’t done is kept his word.

And from what I remember, a man’s word is all he has.

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