Rapture (31 page)

A
bolt of lightning landed three feet away from her, and she gave the resulting
scorch mark no more than a cursory glance as she passed it by. No doubt the
tree leaves that were on fire would burn themselves out without too much of a
problem. Just a normal day in the Valkyrie handbook. Her hut came into view,
and she sighed at the sight of it. She could finally lie down, could maybe even
push her thoughts from her mind. They had placed her in the hut she’d had her
entire life, the same two roommates sharing their dwelling. Her father and
sisters had thought of everything, and may have gotten away with it, had she
not still had her memories.

Just
before she reached her door, she spotted a box lying in her path. She picked it
up and carried it inside. Bree and Navvan weren’t home at the moment, a small
favor she thanked the gods for. That meant she could fall asleep in peace. She
hadn’t lied to her father earlier when she’d said that she was feeling under
the weather. And on top of that, she still didn’t know how to act around Bree.
Of all the Valkyries she had to be fully related to, it had to be that bitch.
She wasn’t sure if Bree’s telling her that was something she shouldn’t
technically remember, so thus far, she’d avoided it completely.

Setting
the box down on her bed, she popped the top off and peered inside, nearly
gasping at what she found.

A
beautiful bud, the color of the richest purple she’d ever seen, sat inside. The
edges and tips of the petals shimmered in the light as though fairies had
dusted the ends with their magic. An alexiolus. It was the most extraordinary
thing she’d ever seen, and looked exactly like the one Ferox had given her at
the tournament. None of the others throughout the years had looked exactly like
it, except this one.

And
it’s being here could only mean one thing: Ferox was here.

She
looked at the flower again, emotions warring. As she lifted the potted bud from
the box, a tiny wad of paper landed on her bed. She picked it up and unfolded
it before reading:

“To
my dearest Raine.

Meet me at our spot in two nights’ time when the first moon’s
light reaches the glen.

Yours, now and forever,

Ferox”

He
couldn’t be here. He didn’t even remember their past. But even as she peered
down at the bloom, she couldn’t help but hope it to be true. Raine set the note
and flower on her bed and crossed the tiny space as her stomach clenched and
cramped. She barely made it outside before she bent over and threw up.

****

Ferox
sat on the cold grass, listening to the insects sing their song as he watched
the water ripple in the moonlight.

It
was nearly time.

He
had returned every night—or every other as the case seemed to be in
Valhalla—scoping out the realm, watching and waiting for any sight of her. He’d
found her a few nights ago as he’d happened upon a grate that overlooked the
dungeon. Odette, Raven, and Caleen had been inside as well. He would have said
something and tried to get her attention, but didn’t since there was another
Valkyrie inside. Raine and said Valkyrie had been talking to each other, and
what he’d heard had caused a pit of unease to form in his stomach. And that had
only increased since that night. It was what he feared; his Raine was angry, no
longer showing signs of that carefree, passionate female he loved and
cherished.

He
could only hope that it was she that stumbled on the alexiolus. Even if she
had, her showing tonight was far-fetched. If her memory had been replaced, how
could she possibly remember where they used to meet? Only days ago, he hadn’t
remembered a thing, and had a damned hard time believing her when she’d tried
to convince him of the truth.

As
he listened to the sounds this realm made, he could hear nearing footsteps.
Whoever it was, she was rather silent other than a few missteps in the brush.
If it wasn’t Raine, well, he’d deal with it. If it was though, he wanted to
appear as relaxed as possible even though his heart was beating like a
godsdamned jackhammer. So many scenarios played out in his mind, and he wasn’t
sure which—if any—would come to pass when and if she came.

Ferox
turned his head as a Valkyrie broke through the tree line, a small gasp
reaching him.

“What
are you doing here?” she asked almost instantly, steal infusing her voice as
she held her sword in hand. It wasn’t her Hjörr.

“I
think the more important question is, do you know who I am?” he replied,
allowing his gaze to travel over her for only a second more before he peered up
at the sky.

She
stepped toward him, sliding the sword into the sheath at her waist. “Of course
I know who you are. Ferox, did you go back to Vampur?”

He
pushed to his feet, his jaw clenching at his instant relief in hearing the love
in her voice. In an instant, he was next to her, wrapping his arms around her
in a tight embrace. “I did.” At her curious expression he added, “It was good
to see it after so long.”

“Is
it still in ruins?”

“Yes.
No one is there anymore.” He wouldn’t mention that seeing his homeland made him
want to go back and rebuild it. It was the vampires’ home, the land that his
father and grandsires had ruled for all time.

“How
did you … well, I mean, how did you remember to reach Vampur, or how to get
here?”

“Let’s
just say that I got a little help in recovering my memory.”

“But
how?”

“He
said my memories weren’t gone, only locked away.” He paused, taking in her
scent.
 
His mate was the most beautiful
female in all of existence. No other could compare, not with her radiant blue
eyes and her thick brown curls that now reached the small of her back, or with
the way her leather halter top and skirt fitted her tight body. He’d never
desire another. “Did they make you hate me?”

She
shook her head, her hair tickling the skin on his neck. “They tried, but my
memories are my own. I could never hate you.”

He
pulled out of the embrace, narrowing his eyes on her. “But I heard you say—”

“No
matter what you’ve heard, you’ve heard me playing a part,” she interrupted.
“Father wants Draven and Ethan, but I don’t know what for. I think he’s sent
Valkyries to get them.”

“What
could he possibly want with them?”

“Whatever
it is, it can’t be good. He’s not happy that I was able to bear children, so
he’ll either use them to his benefit or….” Her voice faded away.

Ferox
tightened his hold on her as anger flared to life in his stomach. “He wouldn’t
murder his own grandsons.”

“I
think he would,” she said, a saddened expression on her face. “He isn’t the man
I used to know. He was always hungry for power, but I’ve never seen
this
.”

Ferox
softened a little at seeing Raine’s distress over Odin, but even still, a pit
of fury had welled inside of him at the mere thought that the god would
consider murdering his sons in cold blood. Yes, he’d more or less come to terms
that his sons risked their lives nightly the same way that he did, but he drew
a line at this. “Come on, let’s go. We need to leave and prep the boys. If Odin
has sent Valkyries after them, they could be in danger already.”

Raine’s
eyes flashed with horror, and Ferox turned away, holding her hand as he walked
toward the portal. “No,” she said, tugging on his hand. “I can’t go yet.”

He
stopped, peering at her over his shoulder. “What do you mean?”

“I
have to get the others out of here. Father has Odette, Caleen, and Raven in the
dungeon.”

He
nodded. He’d seen them there as well.

“You
have to go back and warn the boys. And I have to stay here and help my sisters.
They risked their lives to save me, and I could do no less for them.”

He
looked at his female, recognizing the strength that had always been within her.
He couldn’t help but smile. “Well, you’d better hurry and find a way to get
them out.”

“Oh,
don’t worry, I’m working on someth…. Wait, how come?” Her brows lowered.

“I
overheard two of your sisters talking about using some of the others as
examples. It could be Raven, Odette, and Caleen, and who knows when they’re
planning to carry it out or what they’ll do.”

She
nodded. “Have you heard anything from Savannah?”

“No.”
He shook his head. “I thought maybe she was here.”

“No,
she’s not. At least not that I’ve seen, and the others haven’t said anything
about her.”

“Do
they know that you’re going to break them out?”

Now
it was Raine’s turn to shake her head. “No, they don’t even know that I know
what’s going on. I figured it was easier if no one knew the truth but me.”

“Makes
sense. Alright, so you’ll break the others out, and I’ll go back so the boys
know what could be coming our way. If you can get them out, bring them here.
I’ll be back in two nights.” He bent and pulled her into another embrace,
nuzzling her neck as he did. “Be careful,
Caalia
.”

****

Raine
slid into her bed covers, blinking up at the rafters above her head and knowing
full well that she should rest. But, sleep wouldn’t come soon. Ferox remembered
her, remembered
everything
. She
didn’t know how he did it, or how he found someone who could help him, but he’d
somehow actually done it.

Before
he’d left, Ferox had shown her the location of the new portal, in case the need
arose for her and her sisters to make a hasty escape. He’d tried to explain
what they would walk into, and told her to stay in the first room they came to
until he returned for them.

It
wasn’t until he’d showed her the portal that escape felt possible. She wouldn’t
have to lead her sisters to the other portal and have to hop from realm to
realm in the hopes of finding portals that could get her home. Ferox had
provided the answer. Her savior. Her hero. He’d always been that, from day one.
And still, over six centuries later, he continued to prove it.

His
stepping through the portal couldn’t have come at a better time though. She’d
heard steps through the brush and hastily shucked her clothes and dove into the
lake, somehow recovering from the bitter chill enough that she could float on
her back as though she’d been in there for a while. When Navvan had come into
the clearing, Raine waved and smiled at her in greeting, all while hoping that
the Valkyrie hadn’t heard any of the preceding conversation.

“What
are you doing?” Navvan had asked, stunned.

“I
couldn’t sleep,” she’d replied. “The hut was too hot, so I went for a walk. A
dip sounded good, so I jumped in.” She had stepped out of the lake then,
shivering from the cold as she yanked on her skirt and top. The two had walked
back to the hut with only a few muttered comments between them. And now here
she was, lying in her bed as Bree snored away and Navvan made tiny sounds as
they both slept. She wondered just how she would break her sisters free when it
seemed that she was under lock and key herself. And even as she thought that,
memories of her past flooded her, in renewed hope that she had her mate once
more.

****

Valhalla

Over six centuries ago

Ferox peered at her with such a pained expression that it caused
her heart to ache. Not that it hadn’t been doing so since her catastrophe with
Damion the night before. “Are you well?”

“I am, though it is not me that I have been worried about. How do
you fare?”

He dropped his gaze from hers and shrugged. “I could be better. I
didn’t think you would come.”

“I considered not coming,” Raine replied honestly. At Ferox’s
reaction, she hastened, “Not because I did not want to see you, but because I
did not think you would come back.”

Ferox stepped toward her before stopping himself. His fists
tightened, and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Raine, I am so embarrassed and
angered that my brother could do that to you. And seeing your face like that …
everything is my fault.”

“Don’t say that.” She closed the distance between them, placing
her hands on his shoulders. “None of this was your doing, Ferox. Things
happened, for reasons neither of us may understand, but they happened all the
same. I do not blame you for what your brother has done any more than I could
blame the sun for the moons’ disappearance from the sky.”

“But your face…”

“Will heal. I’ve already healed much. In a few days’ time the
marks should be gone.”

Ferox lifted his hands, tenderly running his fingertips over her
face. “I can never forgive myself for what my brother has done.”

“It would be impossible to do so,” she said, meeting his eyes,
“since you’re not at fault for what happened.”

His eyes were sad, and she could feel the emotions warring inside
him: affection, embarrassment, horror. “I love you,” he said suddenly. “I never
want you to be in that position again.”