Chapter Eleven

They landed on the cliff for the final time just before sundown. Violet was so exhausted, she could hardly stand. They shared the endless canteen and Violet silently listened as the other Valkyries bantered and gushed about the highlights of the training they’d completed that day.

They practiced strafing, hovering, dives, the best way to climb altitude quickly, the most efficient way to locate updrafts and downdrafts. Violet showed them the power she used when dispatching the would-be assassin. She took down a dead tree with the attack.

Lagertha spent quite a long session with Violet, teaching her aerial swordplay techniques. The veteran Valkyrie was an effective teacher and seemed to take an immediate liking to the fledgling. Violet found herself in constant awe of her. Her grace, her poise, her strength, her swift wit, and quickness to smile endeared her to Violet more.

“We’ll see you all back at home base,” Lagertha said as she hooked Violet’s arm and hauled her back to her feet. “This one has earned a quick return.”

Before Violet could protest, they did the teleportation travel thing that all of the Valkyries, with the exception of Violet, seemed to be able to do. They arrived what felt like a breath later in the middle of the living room of Desmond’s house. Peyton jumped up from the couch, shouting in alarm. Desmond dropped his bowl of popcorn and almost fell off the sofa. Thor laughed raucously from one of the recliners, thumping his knee with the flat of his hand at the other men’s reactions.

“They’re quite jumpy, aren’t they?” Lagertha girlishly giggled as she sauntered out to the kitchen.

She punched Thor in the shoulder as she walked past and he lifted his chin in acknowledgment.

“Fair warning, Lags,” Thor called after her, “Ol’ Shaggy is outside on guard.”

“Ugh,” Lagertha grunted, her face forming a grotesque grimace as she helped herself to a cold bottle of water from the fridge.

Peyton strode quickly up to Violet and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, drawing her forcefully to him.

“You’re awake. Finally,” he breathed.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you. It just—” Violet started, but he cut her off.

“I wasn’t frightened. Just worried. You slept a long time. How was flight training?” Peyton asked, his voice low and soft.

“Monstrously fun,” Violet gushed. “Oh my god, you should see how—how fast they all are!”

“Don’t let her fool you,” Lagertha said, re-entering the living room and sitting down in a huff next to Thor. She kicked his leg so that he wasn’t manspreading as much, adding, “She’s faster than all of us.”

“Really?” Thor asked, his brows lifting in surprise.

“No contest,” Lagertha replied, grinning at Violet.

“That’s damn impressive,” Thor said, also smiling at Violet.

Peyton pulled Violet down to the couch with him, loath to let go of her. She leaned against him, happy for the warmth his body offered.

“You’re cold,” he murmured, wrapping his arms more fully around her and tightening the embrace.

“We were way up north and the altitudes where we were flying were freezing,” Violet said, equally soft.

He nuzzled her hair and breathed deeply, chuckling softly as she shivered and gooseflesh appeared on her arms.

“You smell like pine needles,” he giggled against her neck after a second.

“Are they always like this?” Lagertha asked, snapping Peyton and Violet’s attention away from each other for the moment.

“I think it’s sweet,” Thor replied. “Better than the constant bickering between Freyja and Odin or any of the other Valkyries and their mates.”

Lagertha winked at Violet and brazenly stole the remote from Thor. He swatted childishly at her and groaned when she stopped the soccer game he’d been watching in favor of a rugby match. His chagrin didn’t last long, and within minutes, the two of them were shouting at the TV together. Desmond went out back to take a phone call, no doubt from his girlfriend Brie, when Lagertha and Thor started getting loud.

“Y’all had dinner yet?” Peyton asked when the game ceased for halftime.

Violet had been watching it with keen interest. She didn’t know anything about rugby, but it sure looked like a lot of fun. She turned to look at Lagertha and Thor as Peyton asked the question.

“No, and I know of some enroute Valkyries who are going to be starving when they return soon,” Lagertha earnestly replied.

“Good. We’ll be back with dinner in a little bit,” Peyton said, shifting to help Violet up off his lap.

He grabbed her hand as they stood and together, they went outside to his truck. He opened the door for her as he always did and trapped her against the seat before she could fully swing herself into the truck. His mouth was hot and insistent as it seized possession of hers. Violet responded in kind, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and meeting his fervor with ferocity of her own.

“I’ve been craving that for three days,” he hoarsely whispered once he pulled away, tucking flyaways of her hair behind her ears with both hands.

“Mr. Ashley, when I have to go to that conference in a couple days, how will you manage?” Violet teased, nipping his bottom lip playfully.

He groaned and rolled his eyes, planted a solid, thwacking kiss to her forehead, and tucked her legs into the cab of the truck. She pulled the door closed as he ran around to the driver’s side of the truck and hopped nimbly in.

“That’s this week? Already?”

“Yes. My flight is early Wednesday morning to LA and I’ll be back late Saturday afternoon, in time for Dezzy’s title defense,” Violet replied.

“Who’s going with you?” Peyton asked as he guided the truck through the late evening traffic.

“Manny and Tay, Mike Garcia, and I think Gorski,” Violet said.

“So, Lagertha seems to be pretty impressed with you,” Peyton commented, smiling at her.

“Oh my god, you should see her in action! That woman is a born fighter,” Violet gushed.

“Learn anything new?” Peyton chuckled.

“So, so much,” she laughed in response. “She’s monstrously strong and it’s damn near impossible to block any attack she launches. She just—she just smashes through everything.”

“But you’re faster,” he said, snatching up her hand and bringing it to his lips.

“Speed isn’t everything,” she quietly replied.

“No, but it sure can help.”

“You’re not wrong,” Violet laughed.

*****

Violet loved flying. Not just with her own wings, but she loved the big jets. The thrilling inertia, being thrown back in her seat at takeoff, the roar of the of engines, that first weightless feeling as the wheels left the ground. She absolutely loved it.

And because she was flying with Manuel and Taylor, they were in first class. Even better.

The Valkyries took seats throughout the cabin, evenly dispersed. Except Lagertha—she made it a point to sit next to Violet.

“So,” Lagertha grunted, stretching and reclining her seat as the plane leveled off at cruising altitude. “Is Shaggy Britches behaving himself around you?”

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“Who’s that?” Taylor asked from Violet’s other side as she looped her arm through Violet’s.

“One of the bodyguards Manny hired,” Violet replied. “And Thor has been doing a good job at keeping distance between us.”

Lagertha turned her head and grinned at Violet, folding her arms behind her head and lacing her fingers together as she did.

“He’s never recovered from the slight of your rejection,” Lagertha quipped. “And let me tell you, I am here for it.”

“He wasn’t ever seriously interested in me anyway. He just wanted the title and the favors,” Violet bitterly replied, lowering her voice.

“Okay, hold up,” Taylor interjected. “This is juicy sounding gossip and you didn’t tell me?”

Manuel chuckled from where he sat on the other side of his little spitfire fiancé but said nothing else as he donned his headphones. It was an intelligent move. Hear no evil, have immunity from the consequences. Violet glared at him, then turned her attention to Taylor.

“It’s ancient history,” Violet said. “Stuff from a past life that I don’t care enough about to fight over.”

Seeing a chance to good-naturedly goad the fledgling, Lagertha decided to provide more detail to Taylor, who also wasn’t keen on letting the subject drop.

“When she was in Valhalla, she was betrothed to Ragnar Lodbrok. She didn’t agree to it and had already promised herself to Sif,” Lagertha quietly stated.

“Ohhhh,” Taylor drawled, understanding dawning in her eyes. “I knew that part. Poor Sif. But which one is Ragnar? Have I seen him?”

“He’s currently in business class, third row from the front, aisle seat,” Lagertha replied with a smirk.

“He’s here?” Taylor crowed. “Now I have to see what he looks like.”

“He’s gorgeous and he knows it and that’s all he’s got going for him. Otherwise he’s a social climbing, backstabbing, adulterous piece of shit,” Violet found herself softly saying, but her voice also sounded in her head.

Behind her, Violet heard a couple of the other Valkyries giggling in agreement. Ragnar was not well liked among the Queensguard because of his treatment of Lagertha. The indomitable shield maiden commanded as much loyalty as Gondul herself and was highly revered in Asgard as a whole.

“That sounded suspiciously like Gersemi,” Lagertha purred.

“That’s because it was,” Violet replied, feeling the same odd synergy again as she spoke.

“And Erik? Has he been behaving as well?” Lagertha continued.

“What little we’ve interacted, yes,” Violet replied, confident it was just her speaking.

Lagertha smiled softly and a slight flush took her cheeks.

“Good. You can trust him. And he’s good at knocking Shaggy down a few pegs when he needs it. Which is required all too often,” Lagertha softly stated.

“Ah!” Taylor chirped. “You’ve got it bad for him, then.”

“I won’t deny it,” Lagertha replied, offering Taylor a broad, happy grin.

Taylor began rambling about shopping on Rodeo when they got to LA that morning. Violet was thankfully spared as it appeared that Lagertha and Taylor shared the same fashion sense and shopping habits. While it was surprising, Violet was grateful for the reprieve. She knew she’d be dragged to all the expensive shops, but at least Lagertha could do the heavy lifting of keeping Taylor entertained.

Violet followed Manuel and Taylor through the terminal to the rental car kiosk. The opening event for the conference wasn’t until later that evening and Violet wasn’t too keen to drive in LA traffic. Lagertha and Freydis stayed close to her while the others remained at a distance, blending in with the crowds of people that bustled through LAX so they could observe more than the immediate area.

“I’m surprised you didn’t bring Peyton with you,” Lagertha said as she thumbed through one of the duty-free magazines she’d nicked from the plane.

“He didn’t need to come and he’s helping prep Dezzy for the title shot Saturday night,” Violet absently answered, scanning the crowds around her nervously.

Lagertha set the magazine on a nearby rack and hooked her arm through Violet’s. She leaned down slightly so that she could speak closely to Violet’s ear.

“We have seen no dangers, Erik has the spirit tracker and it’s showing Loki is not even on the planet at the moment, and the Einherjar have the area contained. Relax, Princess. You’re safe,” Lagertha murmured.

Violet nodded, allowing Lagertha to pull her toward the counter. The clerk handed Manuel the key fob for the large SUV they’d be driving for the next few days. They followed Manuel and Taylor out to the lot and located the vehicle. The other Valkyries and the Einherjar worked on finding their own vehicles as Lagertha and Violet climbed into the second row of Manuel’s SUV.

They waited until their guards could get out of the complex and to their posts, then made their way toward one of Taylor’s favorite shopping haunts. Manuel took off with Gorski to join some friends they had in the city, leaving the women to their own devices.

Lagertha stayed close to Violet the whole time. It became apparent that the Valkyrie had taken Sif’s place as her bodyguard and while she immensely enjoyed the elder warrioress’s company, she found herself missing the fairy. Sif had been a constant since Violet first had been cursed with the Valkyrie role and everything felt wrong in her absence.

“What happened to Sif? Really?” Violet quietly asked as they waited for Taylor to try on a new cocktail dress at some extremely swanky upscale dress shop.

Lagertha’s sharp aquamarine eyes surveyed their immediate surroundings surreptitiously before she deigned to answer the question. Satisfied they would not be overheard, she spoke.

“Sif requested a temporary reprieve and Gondul thought it wise to allow it,” Lagertha breathed, barely loud enough for Violet to discern the words.

“From me?” Violet queried, unable to keep the hurt from her tone.

“From the situation,” Lagertha gently corrected. “It isn’t personal, at least not against you.”

Violet nodded and whispered, “When is she coming back?”

Lagertha grinned and tenderly patted Violet’s shoulder.

“When she’s ready. She loved Gersemi. Gersemi would have done anything for her. She did everything she could for Sif. Losing that—only to get it back but to have to watch someone else take what you had?”

Violet winced. Sif had been getting surlier with Peyton. She decided she’d have a word with him when she got back. Set some ground rules for when Sif was around. Make it easier for Sif to stand their presence.

As if the elder Valkyrie read her thoughts, she spoke.

“She doesn’t want you to change or hide anything. Nor should you have to. You are not Gersemi. Not entirely. These things… Unfortunately, they happen sometimes. It happens to all of us, in some way or another. One cannot be immortal and avoid the acquisition of at least a few deep emotional scars along the way. Unless of course you happen to be Ragnar. That man permanently does not give a damn.”

Violet found herself giggling and Lagertha joined her, if only briefly.

“I must say that I feel personally responsible for what’s happened to you,” Lagertha finally said after a comfortable silence lapsed between them.

“Why?” Violet asked, watching as three young, obviously wealthy ladies, barely in their twenties if they were even out of their teens, entered the shop.

“I chose Tommy for the Einherjar.”

Violet’s head whipped toward her, eyes flying wide.

“You? You’re the one took Tommy?”

Lagertha nodded solemnly then said, “He was a perfect addition and it was what he wanted. The Raven called and I answered. It was also how we finally located Gersemi. How we found you.”

“Did you know Gersemi well?”

“Yes. And no. I was closer to Thor. We had more in common. Gersemi—she tried to avoid befriending any of the Valkyries. Especially the Queensguard. She saw us as a symbol of the loss of independence,” Lagertha ruefully stated. “She hated being controlled or commanded.”

“I can’t say as I blame her, given all that happened to her,” Violet murmured.

“Nor I,” Lagertha agreed. “Did you see Tommy when you were in Valhalla?”

“He didn’t remember me,” Violet softly said, turning again to watch as the girls made their way through the store.

“No,” Lagertha sadly replied. “And he won’t.”

“Is he—is he happy there? In Valhalla?”

“Yes. I believe he is.”

“Has he—has he found someone new?”

Lagertha turned to regard her with a gently reproachful expression.

“What does it matter?” she challenged quietly. “You have and you’re happier for it.”

“I just want him to be happy, too,” Violet candidly stated.

“And that, Valkyrie, is how you know the love is real. Even if they aren’t with you, you still want them to be happy,” Lagertha murmured.

“Is that what happened between you and Ragnar?”

Violet regretted the question as soon as she asked it, but she couldn’t retrieve it once it was spoken.

Lagertha gave a bitter laugh and simply replied, “Love and hate are separated by the thinnest line of circumstance. He chose someone else over me, while he was supposed to be with me. No man gets away with that twice.”

Taylor strutted out of the fitting room then, wearing the new dress. She did her best version of a catwalk show, winking at them as she spun and lifted her arms.

“What do we think about this for the gala at the end of the conference?” Taylor asked, jutting one hip out as she smacked it with her hand. “Manny is gonna flip!”

“Over the dress or the price tag?” Violet snorted, catching a glimpse of how much the dress cost.

She could have bought another car, and a nice one at that, for the same amount as that single dress. Taylor stuck her tongue out at Violet and turned to Lagertha.

“Hmmm,” Lagertha said, thoughtfully drumming her fingertips against her lips as she circled Taylor. “Does it come in a cooler color? I think a blue or teal would fit your skin tone better than this sherbet color.”

Taylor pointedly looked at Violet, then pointed at Lagertha before saying, “This. This is the kind of advice I’m looking for. Yes,” she spun to face Lagertha, continuing, “It comes in a medium cobalt blue as well. I’ll grab one and try it on.”

As Taylor sauntered away to find the clerk, Lagertha sat back down next to Violet.

“It wouldn’t kill you to enjoy some of the perks your life can offer,” Lagertha chided, regarding Violet with one brow lifted for effect.

Violet rolled her eyes and said, “It’s hopeless. I’m just not girly. I also hate spending money on single use items.”

“I’m not saying you have to,” Lagertha chuckled. “I’m saying cherish your friends and make allowances for their little quirks. Don’t be a snob just because it isn’t what you like. Tay is a fashionista. Let her be a runway model sometimes. She’ll love you all the more for it and you might find that you get some worthwhile entertainment out of it yourself.”

The reprimand was given gently but it stung all the same. While it was never Violet’s intent to actively harm another person, she felt suddenly guilty at how she had treated Taylor. The woman never hesitated to help and all she wanted was someone to go dress shopping with her once in a while. Violet had been too haughty and indifferent to be bothered; without a fuss at least. Her cheeks colored with the thought and Lagertha gently squeezed her shoulder, her green-blue gaze wisely knowing as it met Violet’s jade one.

Violet vowed, if only to herself, that she’d be a better friend. After all, she did owe the living she made almost exclusively to Taylor. It had been her influence that landed Violet the job with Phenom.

“I’ll do better,” Violet found herself saying.

“Good. We must all strive for progress, not perfection,” Lagertha cryptically replied, wrapping her arm around Violet’s shoulders and squeezing for a brief moment.

When Taylor returned with the blue version of the dress, Violet made it a point to fawn over her friend and offer thoughtful commentary. Her reward was an instant lift in her friend’s spirits and surprisingly, a lift in her own as well.