Dreams of a Dark Warrior

how’d you feel after capturing me in New Orleans? All petered out after your burst of strength?”
    “Does anyone
not
feel fatigue after exertion, Valkyrie?”
    “I’ll bet your senses are really acute. You can see and hear better than anyone you know, can’t you?”
    He merely shrugged.
    “I figured you’d deny your abilities.”
    “I don’t deny them. I deny that I’m a berserker.”
    “How can you admit to one but not the other?”
    “I suspect your oracle Nïx set this up. She made sure you were caught by me, and that you’d been informed of any unusual skills I possess. A mortal berserker would match me most closely. This is all a scam.”
    “Funny. You weren’t stupid in your other rein-carnations.”
    Can’t throttle her again …
    “I saw you’ve got another berserker here. Didn’t he feel familiar to you?”
    “He’s in on this too. You two obviously know each other and crafted this plan. I checked on his capture—he all but lay down to be taken. As if he’d known you would be captured as well.”
    The Valkyrie nodded. “He wanted in here so he could be near me. He’s my … protector.”
    Protector.
So they
were
lovers. Why did the idea make him want to beat the berserker into the ground?
    Brandr’s hands on her glowing skin.
Declan couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted to kill this badly. His thoughts grew dim, primitive.
    —
Mine by right! Meant only for me.—
    “Chase, your eyes are ablaze right now. Just go look in the mirror.”
    He abruptly stood, crossing to the other window. “And give credence to your lies?”
    She moved behind him. In a soothing voice, she murmured, “Be at ease.”
    At once, he felt his lids growing heavy, his muscles relaxing.
What hold does she have over me?
    “What’s got you like this?”
    His response to her only angered him more. “Your bullshite tales.”
    “This is all true.”
    He turned to her. “Then how do you explain what Nïx said to me? I was at Val Hall earlier on the night I captured you. When you drove by, she stared me directly in the face and mouthed,
You’re late
.”
    “I’m going to kill her!” Lightning flashed just outside the window. “You’re right about one thing—Nïx did set this up. But I vow that I’m as much of a pawn as you are.”
    “To what end?”
    “She knew how much I missed Aidan. This would strike her as a perfect solution, forced intimacy and all that. She’s probably cackling with her creepy little bat right now.”
    “Missed
Aidan
? Valkyrie, get your story straight. You just said you were with Brandr.”
    She gave a laugh. “With Brandr? Please.” Another snicker. “No, I said he’s my protector. As in, he tries to look out for me.”
    Declan’s relief disgusted him, making his ire escalate again. He moved away from her, back to his desk.
    “Why would he sacrifice himself?”
    “He was your best friend,” she said. “You made him vow that he’d earn ohalla and watch over me.”
    “Ohalla?”
    “If you won two hundred battles while bearing Wóden’s mark, he’d grant you immortal life and strength.”
    True or not, this was fascinating. “What was his mark?”
    “Two ravens.”
    Declan just stifled the urge to touch the charm at his neck. The one imprinted with two birds in flight.
    He cast his mind back to the day he’d gotten it. He’d been six, and the nightmares had just started. His da had been worried about him, and though their family could ill afford it, he’d taken Declan and Colm to a fair. A fortune-teller had given Declan the charm, telling him to keep it close to his heart for luck. …
    “Chase?”
    He quickly said, “That’s why Brandr is deathless?”
    “Yeah, against all odds, he earned ohalla. Now he’s as strong as most vamps and demons. Fast, too. When he hits a rage, he could take on even a Lykae.”
    “He kept his vow this long?” So Aidan had enjoyed Regin as his woman and a loyal friend as well.
    “For the first two hundred years, he followed me and Lucia everywhere, ready to step in with the rescuing. We ditched him at every opportunity. Finally Nïx felt sorry for him and told him she’d let him know if I was in danger—or if you were returning.”
    “Why didn’t Aidan earn ohalla?”
    “You were working on it, intending to marry me once you became immortal.” She sat on the floor with her knees to her chest, her head resting against the window. “You asked me to stay with you while you fought your battles. To me, you