Prologue

She always looked so peaceful in the morning, curled up in her blankets, the wind from the little fan on the bedside table rustling her hair as she slept. His eyes shifted to her belly, landing on the small bulge in the otherwise flat expanse. Evidence of their soon-to-be family together. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her forehead before he exited the bed.

The young man proceeded through his normal pre-dawn routine: Three-mile jog around the neighborhood, shower and shave, get dressed. He ate his usual breakfast; hard boiled eggs seasoned with oregano and pepper, a bowl of mixed fruit, a cup of coffee, as he listened to the 6 o’clock news.

It was no different than any other weekday morning. He whistled as he walked out to the garage, grinning broadly as the garage door lifted, allowing the early morning light to pour in. He admired the car for a moment, freshly waxed by his beautiful, loving wife the day prior. She often joked that he loved the car more than he loved her, but he knew that if he so much as got a water spot on the fresh wax, it would mean the loss of his rear end.

With a happy sigh, he opened the driver’s side door, shouldered his backpack into the passenger seat, and proceeded to back out of the garage. He cranked the volume on the car’s radio as he accelerated into traffic, smiling even broader when one of his favorite rock songs blasted. His fingers thrummed on the steering wheel in time with the drumline as he made his way toward work. Traffic moved slowly in both directions once he entered the four-lane main drag into the city, but it was always slow that time of day. Soccer moms taking the brood to school. Business folks heading into the office. Delivery trucks full of online shopping orders.

The traffic started moving more quickly and he happily accelerated while he contemplated the day’s work schedule. A moment later, he reacted instinctively as an oncoming truck suddenly came into his lane. He swerved to avoid it…

Too late.

A woman dressed in a suit of brilliant white medieval-type armor appeared, white-blond hair in old-world braids, a cherubic face set with jewel-like turquoise eyes, and strange, huge white wings that billowed behind her like an angel, but fiercer somehow. She wore a simple silver tiara set with iridescent, opaque white stones, the largest one in the center. She held out her hand and offered him a choice: Become one of the Einherjar or perish. He’d always wanted to be a Viking.

He placed his hand in hers.

*****

The world below glittered fantastically with flashing lights of every shade imaginable and tired eyes regarded the scene with subdued wonder. Several grand buildings of varying heights and orientation lined the terrain beneath. Headlights and taillights tracked in and out of the city like worker ants moving to and from the nest. The city hustled and bustled, even in the wee hours of the morning. Those lights grew ever larger and brighter as the plane rapidly descended. The pilot announced their arrival in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Sin City. Land of dreams and debauchery.

That was what she’d been told by her brother when she bought tickets to his first live broadcast fight as a professional mixed martial artist. It was an undercard fight, but he’d won in a first round knockout and with that win, he’d found a new home.

He now hailed from “the land of dreams and debauchery”. It was where his dreams became his reality. By extension, it became her reality.

She’d dedicated every day of the past three years to her little brother’s promotion; helping him get in shape, managing his diet, generally overseeing his health. She employed every contact she’d ever made to put his fighting career on the fast track to success and she’d done so with unrivaled tenacity. Their combined efforts landed him a rock-solid gig with a class A fighting camp. He was a star.

She arrived not only to watch him fight for the third time as a bonafide professional, but also to take up a job offered to her by the co-founder of Team Phenom, Manuel Christopher. One of their physical therapy specialists had quit suddenly and they needed a new one, stat. Her brother nominated her as the next candidate for the job and her soon-to-be new boss contacted her with an offer she couldn’t refuse.

Manuel Christopher was a mover and shaker in the sport, on his way to a title shot himself. However, it was his fiancé who clinched her acceptance of the deal. Taylor Jin was one of the most vibrant, genuine, and truly beautiful people she’d ever met. The little sprite had convinced her that she belonged out there, that there was so much more opportunity than where she had been. So without much hesitation, she accepted the position. It wasn’t like she had anything else to do with her life.

She’d already lost everything.

The nightlife didn’t attract her, nor the opportunities. No, what she had so desperately needed was a breath of fresh air and an escape. It was tabula rasa time. Wipe the slate clean and start over somewhere else.

New job. New house. New friends. Nothing to remind her that life wasn’t worth living anymore. She could throw herself into forging her brother into the champion she knew he could be and forget everything else.

A tall, tanned, dark-haired young man waited at the end of the terminal where she exited the plane and she grinned as their eyes met. Her brother scooped her up and spun her around, then hugged her tightly.

“Manuel Christopher, Phenom co-founder. You can call me Manny. Glad you could finally make it!” the imposing man behind her brother said as she regained her footing.

He extended his hand. She took it, adjusting the firmness in her grip to match his as their gazes met and held.

“Violet Anderson,” she genially replied.

“And this is Taylor Jin, but I’m pretty sure you’ve met before,” Manuel said, gesturing to the petite woman beside them.

Violet offered Taylor a smile. Taylor was the public relations specialist for Phenom, a fitness model, and had been Violet’s main contact when she’d been promoting her brother’s career. It also helped that Taylor and Violet had been college roommates their first semesters at college. Taylor had been a business major. Violet was in the pre-med program.

“C’mere you,” Taylor gushed, pulling Violet into her embrace.

“It’s good to see you again, Tay,” Violet quietly said as they broke the hug.

“Let’s get your luggage and get out of here, huh?” Desmond, Violet’s brother, said.

Violet followed them through the airport to the baggage claim, exhaustion getting the better of her small talk skills. She was content instead to listen to their excited chatter.

“She looks like a ghost,” she heard Taylor whisper sadly to Desmond.

Violet didn’t think they knew she could still hear them, but she kept her eyes up and surveyed her surroundings as they continued walking.

“With your help, she’ll get some color and her smile back,” her brother whispered in reply.

Violet certainly hoped they were right.