It ... surprised him. "Where is she? Where are the Radiant Ones located?"
"She's long dead. They all are. I'm the last one of my kind."
"How did they die?"
"Like I said, hers was an ancient race, and they were mortal. Time gives and time takes," she said with a shrug, but her eyes flickered, belying her casual air.
"Berserkers, Valhal a, and Norse gods. I suppose you met Aidan over a horn ful of mead."
She stood, sauntering to one of the windows with that hip-swinging swagger that riveted his gaze and ratcheted up his pulse. Knowing she could hear his heartbeat, he tried to control it.
"Actual y, I'd just left Valhal a when we met. And I didn't drink mead. I was only twelve."
"Where is Valhal a?"
Over her shoulder, she answered, "It's a different dimension. A godplane."
"So why would you leave? Wouldn't that be like leaving heaven?"
"Yeah, but my sister Lucia was in trouble. So out I went into this strange and harsh world thinking to save her. I was attacked by vampires directly. Barely escaped them."
"Is that why you hate them so much?"
"Partly. The Horde has been hard on the Valkyrie. all of the Pravus army has been. Do you know who they are?"
"I'm aware of your subjective delineations." Their leagues. The Valkyrie, Wiccae, fey, and Lykae belonged to an all iance cal ed the Vertas. The Horde vampires, some demons, and most of the more beastlike beings aligned with the Pravus.
"Just remember that the Vertas are the ones you want to pul for in the Accession." She cocked her head. "You do know what the Accession is, don't you?"
"Of course. It's a war between all the factions in the Lore, occurring every five hundred years. We just don't know when exactly or where it will play out." When she chuckled, he grated, "What?"
"It's not a single battle. It's a force that pits factions against one another. The Accession drags us into conflict, keeping our numbers in check."
Yet more intel. One of the things he'd hated most about detrus was how they spread uncontrol ably, unchecked by disease, injury, or old age. Now she was tell ing him there existed an inherent mechanism to make them kil off one another? "Then why not resist that force?"
"Because it also seeds all iances and brings mates together. Plus, fighting is fun."
"And now humankind will be dragged into your fun."
At that, she burst out laughing. "Mortals in the Accession? I think you kids should ride the pine in this one."
Christ, she got him riled. "Both the Vertas and Pravus have taken out specific human targets recently and aggressed against the Order itself. As in the past, we've had no choice but to defend ourselves against the threat both sides pose."
She headed back to the couch. "I hate to correct you, but we just don't know about you. I'd never heard of your little dot-org until you told me about it. No one I know has."
"A war between immortals and humans is on the horizon."
"Humans aren't going to war against us-they have no clue we exist. The idea's laughable."
"One thing you all have in common? Arrogance. What's laughable is for your kind to believe we aren't aware of you. Part of our mission is to conceal your existence-an impossible task when you flaunt your- selves? You yourself brazenly go out in public with your skin glowing!"
She slapped her palms to her cheeks and cried, "My skin glows?" Then she grinned. "Should I be banished from public simply because I touched a radioactive alien c**k once? Now you're just being silly, Chase."
Fuckin' hate her! She was a foulmouthed, conscience-less kil er, unfeeling at best and vicious at worst.
And now she was assessing him with those uncanny eyes, her ears twitching.
His own eyes narrowed with realization. She was saying these things to provoke a rise out of him, to gauge his reactions. Before, he'd thought her flighty and heedless. Now he recognized that she'd been systematical y uncovering chinks in his armor.
"Lookit, I didn't come here to fight. I was tell ing you all about your being a berserker. Though you don't believe a word of it."
"My parents were normal mortals."
"You must have inherited a recessive gene of something," she said. "It's not unheard of."
"No, but it's convenient."
"I thought I saw recognition on your face when I spoke Old Norse to you."
"Then you were mistaken," he lied. Going mad. He'd looked up the language in the Order's databases, but he'd comprehended none of it.
Though he'd understood her perfectly.
"Tel me, Chase, 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 real y 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 Nix set this up. She made sure you were caught by me, and that you'd been informed of any unusual skil s 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 kil 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 bul shite tales."