Authors: Kristi Jones
"I
always have. Jess, I've lived a long, long life, and there's nothing I want more
than to be with you. But if there's one thing I've learned watching battles and
mortals struggling through their short lives, it's this. Mortal life is worth
living. To live that
life, that
short wonderful burst
of life, in all its glory? I can't take that away from you. I won't."
Jess
nodded, staring down at his hands. When he met my gaze, his chin trembled.
“
I
’
m sorry about
Skuld
, Sabrina.
”
“
No,
don
’
t be,
”
I said, putting my arms around him. He held me close,
plunging his hands into my hair. I felt my body melt into his and resisted the
urge to wrap my legs around him.
If he didn
’
t release me, I might never let him go. I pulled back.
He sniffed,
tucking his hands into his pockets.
“
Will
I see you again?"
"Maybe.
All things are possible. You work on the battlefield; I
work on the battlefield. Who knows?"
"You're
lying," Jess said, a flicker of disappointment crossing his handsome
features.
"I'm
sorry," I said, feeling a flush of unexpected shame.
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. I lingered there,
breathing in the scent of him. That smell of man, strange and intoxicating,
made me feel hot and dizzy.
"Let's
go," I said.
"You're
coming with me?"
"I'll
see you safely through the street."
Another
smile.
"You know, I am a soldier, too.
I can probably manage to make it across the street alive."
"Right.
Sorry."
So I stood
in the shadow of the building and watched him go. He was leaving me. I wished
we could have had more time together. I wished that the Rules of Progeny did
not exist. I wished I could claim him as my mate and live on earth as a mortal.
I put a
hand to my heart and clenched my t-shirt, letting out a shaking breath. The
longing I felt for him was so intense, I had to fight to stay on my feet. I
wanted to fall on my knees and weep for him, for the loss of him, but I had to
stay strong. If he saw me fall apart, he would come back, and if he came back,
I was sure he would die.
He moved
out into the street, looking left, then right. A stray dog limped past him. A
mother and her two children rounded a corner on the opposite side of the
street. The mother held a plastic shopping bag in each hand, and her two
children struggled to keep up with her.
When the mother
reached into her shopping bag and pulled out a weapon, her children scattered.
"Jess!"
I shouted, my voice cracking like a shot.
He turned. "Sabrina?"
The mother
had Jess in her sights. I saw her smile.
The
mother.
It.
It
smiled. Death was pointing a weapon at Jess. Death was smiling.
I flew
toward him, but in my haste, my crazy heart rate roaring, pounding inside my
chest, I landed a foot too short.
Jess, in
his mortal foolishness, threw himself in front of me.
"Sabrina,
no!"
"Get
down, get down," I said, but it was too late. The first bullet caught him
in the shoulder. The second hit his thigh.
I dropped
to my knees and threw up my wings, shielding his prostrate body. I didn't care
who saw me.
"Jess,
no. Hold on."
His lips were
shaking. His body was shaking. The second bullet had clipped his femoral
artery. I tried to staunch the bleeding with my hands, but bright red blood pumped
through my fingers.
“
Hold
on, Jess, you
’
ll be okay.
”
I struggled to lift him into my arms. I was shaking, too,
my emotions overwhelming my physical strength for the first time in my long
life.
“
I
’
m not going to make it, Sabrina.
”
His voice
was like a caress.
“
You
will,
”
I said, falling to my knees under the weight of him.
“
You
’
re protected.
”
"Sabrina
...
are
you ok?"
Hot tears fell
down my face. "I'm always okay, Jess."
He grasped
my hand and pulled it to his mouth. "I think," he said, his voice a
hushed whisper, "I think this card is in my hands." And he pulled me
closer. He wanted me to take him, to mark him.
My mind
felt blank, wiped clean.
“
Jess,
are you sure?
”
He smiled
up at me, joy and relief flooding his face.
“
I
’
ve been sure since that first night.
”
“
Oh,
Jess.
”
I left myself fall to the ground, cradling his head in my
arms.
“
See
you on the other side?
”
His voice was soft, hushed, dying.
“
Yes,
Jess. I
’
ll be right here. I won
’
t
let you go.
”
With tears
flowing down my cheeks, I placed my lips on his and stole his last breath,
taking it deep into my lungs. I gave him a long, lingering kiss, drawing every
last bit of his breath into my body.
I felt his
chest fall for the last time.
He was
gone.
I sucked in
the last of him, marking him.
"You
didn't really think you'd succeed, did you?"
I looked
up.
Death stood
over us. It had shed the disguise of motherhood and was now in the uniform of
an
ISAF
Colonel.
“
But,
”
I said, tears streaming down my face, my heart hammering,
“
you don
’
t get him.
”
Death
shrugged.
“
Doesn
’
t matter.
Neither do
you. You wanted to save him, and I forced your hand. After what you did with
that girl, there was no way I was going to let him live.
”
“
But
Skuld
protected him,
”
I said, my voice breaking. I didn
’
t
understand it.
Skuld
’
s
gold ring, coated in blood, lay dark against Jess
’
s
tanned skin.
“
It
was stupid to come back to the same place,
”
It said, shrugging.
“
I knew it was only a matter of time. It
’
s true I couldn
’
t
see him. But I could see you. I knew he must be close.
”
I looked
down at my hero. His lips were parted, his eyes still open. I put a hand out to
close them and felt an icy weight across my shoulders.
Death
reached for me. It wrapped a hand around my throat. The hand felt inhuman, as
if it were made of rubber. There was no life in it and no death. I realized
that Death was more than death. It was nothing. It was non-existence.
“
Do
not cross me again, Valkyrie,
”
It said. Its mouth was inches from my own, but there was
no force of breath emanating from It.
“
Next
time, I will do more than take revenge for one soul. I will find a way to
destroy you.
”
A strong
wind rushed past us, and when Death released me,
It
spun away into the desert. Sand stung my eyes, and I dropped to my knees,
covering Jess.
Finally the
storm subsided, and
Gustel
descended from the sky.
"I
thought I got rid of him. I'm so sorry, Sabrina."
Gustel
stood over us, her features clouded in sympathy and
sorrow.
“
I
had to mark him,
”
I said, my voice cracking.
“
I
know,
”
she said, dropping down beside me.
“
You did the right thing, Sabrina.
”
“
I killed him.
”
“
No. The war killed him. You gave him another chance.
”
“
I
promised him.
”
Gustel
pulled me to my feet.
“
You
did your best, Sabrina. We aren
’
t angels. We can only do so much for them. You did your
duty. Jess will be happy in Valhalla.
”
I rubbed
away my tears and sniffed back the angry retort forming on my lips. It wasn
’
t
Gustel
’
s
fault I
’
d lost him.
“
What
am I supposed to do now? Go back to the streets of Kandahar or the villages in
Kunar
Province? Go back to watching little girls kill
honorable men?
”
“
You
do your duty, that
’
s what you do. Take another assignment. Get out of Afghanistan.
”
She tried
to steer me away from Jess
’
s body, but I held my ground.
“
Maybe
take a cushy job in the West Bank or Somalia.
”
“
I
should have protected him. It was my job.
”
“
Dammit,
Sabrina,
”
Gustel
said, grabbing me by the
shoulders and giving me a push.
“
No,
it wasn't
.
You did your job. You found a hero; you
marked him.
”
“
I
sent him to his death.
”
“
You
sent him to Valhalla,
”
Gustel
said, giving me a knowing
look,
“
and I know what will make you feel better about that.
”
“
What?
”
Gustel
looked at Jess
’
s
prone body and arched an eyebrow.
“
Gustel
,
no.
”
“
Come
on. You know you want to. It's way past time anyway.
”
“
But
the Rules of Progeny
—”
“
Will
always be there.
We can't avoid it forever. At least
you'll get to be with someone you can't seem to keep your hands off.
”
I dropped my eyes.
“Yeah, I know,”
Gustel
said, her voice softening, “it’s more than that.”
“I love him.”
“Yep.”
“But,
Gustel
, I can’t ask
him. What if he…”
It was yet another cruel twist of fate that once
your chosen warrior was dead, a Valkyrie had no way of asking her hero what he
wanted. Would Jess want to spend the next thirty to forty years with me? Or
would he be happier in Valhalla?
“Oh, for Odin’s sakes, Sabrina, you don’t have to
ask him. The guy was obviously gaga over you. You know he’ll be happier with
you. I don’t know why you’re even thinking about it.”
Swallowing back my fear and doubt, I went to Jess. I
took the necklace, the Wings of Valkyrie, and placed it on his lips.
I sang for him. I sang about our happiness and the
life we would lead together. I sang for the child I was someday condemning to
the Death Duty or something much worse. I sang with tears in my eyes and love
in my heart.
Jess’s eyelids fluttered, and his chest heaved. Life
returned.
“Jess.”
“
Sabrina.
Where am I?”
“Here.
With me.”
“I’m alive.”
“Yes,” I said, smiling down at him. “I chose you.
Odin help me, I had to claim you.”