One Night With The Valkyrie

Chapter 2

Maja knew she was putting off the inevitable. Sooner or later, she would have to return to Asgard, the home of the gods. Once there she would have to confess all to Brynhild. Not only had she failed to find the American Lion, she had interacted with a mortal. Worse than that, she had committed one of the worst possible sins known to a Valkyrie. She had saved a man from death. A man who had likely been about to die in the performance of an act of great bravery.

This man had been a prime candidate for Valhalla. While he didn’t seem to be a warrior, the courage he had demonstrated when he rescued Tarek had been remarkable. Maja was sure many of the so-called heroes of Valhalla would have abandoned the boy to his fate. Her heart had lifted with an emotion she didn’t recognize as she watched him cradle the child in his arms and break into a run.

She didn’t know what had prompted her to go to this stranger’s aid when he was shot. Maybe it was the wild streak in her nature that Brynhild had always deplored. Maybe it was those intriguing dark eyes of his. Whatever it was, she had acted without thinking. Thoughtlessness was not a trait that was encouraged in the Valkyrie.

The consequence of that action was that she was sitting in this box-like room, with its cracked plaster and concrete floor. The only pleasant thing to look at within its four walls was the man himself. Maja had never seen a man as handsome as this one. From his dark, wavy hair to his chiseled features and muscular body, everything about him was perfection. But it was those eyes that drew her attention over and over. Darker than the storm clouds that surrounded Asgard, they could appear soulful one second, then lighten with humor the next. Maja felt herself being drawn into their depths. Which was an unforeseen circumstance. She had been told humans couldn’t weave spells, yet he seemed to be working a strange and powerful magic on her.

“I don’t understand.” The man’s voice forced her to focus on what he was saying instead of the melting darkness of his gaze. “How could you be punished for helping me?”

“Because I am a Valkyrie.” Why was he finding this so difficult to understand? Surely everyone knew what a Valkyrie was? “My mission is to take the souls of the dead back to Valhalla. By saving you, I have deprived Odin of a warrior for his army.”

“Maja.” Those incredible eyes fastened on her face.

What now? She had spoken to him, saved his life. According to the Valkyrie Code, the only thing she could do now to make things worse would be to have sex with him. If he asked her to do that... Maja felt a blush burn her cheeks. Was he going to ask her that? Surely not. She didn’t know much about these things, but she’d have expected some sort of preliminaries. And just because she had broken part of the Valkyrie Code, that didn’t mean she was likely to further, and forget her vow of purity. Not even for a man whose gaze did strange things to her insides.

“Yes?” She hoped the slight squeak in her voice hadn’t betrayed the unchaste trend of her thoughts.

“Why do you seem so real? Am I going mad?”

Before Maja could answer, the door opened and the woman who had operated on the man’s shoulder to remove the bullet entered. Maja promptly faded into invisibility. She was aware of the man looking around him in surprise at her disappearance, but he said nothing. Apparently, mortals were smarter than she’d been led to believe. Maja wanted to hug him to express her gratitude. Maybe even kiss those perfectly carved lips. The problem with that idea was that she would have to tell Brynhild about it on her return to Valhalla. Honesty was high on the list of Valkyrie values. Lying, or hiding the truth, never occurred to Maja. Somehow, she didn’t imagine her sister would approve if she discovered kissing a human had been added to the growing list of crimes.

Maja had only ever heard of one case of a Valkyrie breaking the Code. On her first mission, Silja had become separated from the group and had asked a mortal man for directions. On her return to Valhalla, Odin had ordered her execution, but Brynhild had intervened. Silja was now locked away in a tower in Valhalla, forced to spend the rest of her life in isolation. Maja wasn’t sure her own future held anything as lenient.

“Ah, you’re awake.” The surgeon had a hearty, clipped manner of talking. “You passed out while I was removing the bullet. Since we don’t have access to anesthetic here, it’s often a relief when that happens.”

“Is this a hospital?” the man asked.

“No, although I am a doctor.” The woman held out her hand. “Edith Blair.”

Maja watched as he took the hand and shook it. “I’m Adam Lyon. Thank you. You saved my life.”

“Tarek tells me of your own heroism. He said he would have died in a ditch if it wasn’t for you. He has been talking of superheroes ever since.”

Even though she was invisible, Maja held her breath. Would Adam—she wrinkled her nose at the strangeness of the name—give her away?

“Maybe Tarek has been reading too many comic books?” he said.

The frown on Edith’s face eased slightly. “Maybe. It’s very hard to provide a rounded education for these children. Even harder for Tarek, who has learning difficulties.”

Briefly, a flash of pain crossed Adam’s features. Edith appeared not to notice it, and it was gone as fast as it appeared. Maja wondered why those words had provoked such a strong reaction in him. Learning difficulties? What did that mean?

Edith shook her head. “I warned Tarek not to go out today, but that dratted dog of his escaped and he insisted on going out to find it.” She pursed her lips as she studied Adam. “I would normally suggest rest, but these are not normal circumstances. I’m surprised no one warned you about the dangers of this region for an American, Mr. Lyon.”

“They did.” Adam’s face was expressionless. “I’m looking for someone and it’s likely he’s in this area.” With his good hand, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and withdrew a photograph, which he held out to Edith. “This is my brother, Danny Lyon. Have you seen him?”

She studied the picture carefully before shaking her head. “I’m sorry.” Her manner became brisk as she rose to her feet. “I’ll have someone drive you to the border with Lebanon in the morning. The worst of the fighting seems to be over, so you should be safe tonight. You’ve had a lucky escape, Mr. Lyon.”

Maja made sure Edith was gone before she reappeared.

“Invisibility is one of your more unsettling habits.” Adam’s expression was unreadable as he observed her.

“You said that was your brother.” Maja pointed to the photograph. “Is he the American Lion?” Adam had said his own surname was Lyon. It was close enough. Perhaps all was not lost. It seemed safe to assume there was a connection.

Adam regarded her through narrowed eyes. “Maja, even if you are a figment of my imagination, I am not going to help you steal my brother’s soul.”

“I am not a figment of your imagination, and I do not steal souls,” she protested angrily. Leaning over the bed, she prodded him in the chest with one finger. “I escort the fallen to their next destination.”

Adam appeared to find her anger amusing, a fact that stoked her fury even further. Grasping her wrist, he pulled her closer. “I don’t care what you do. Let’s leave my brother out of whatever the hell is going on in my screwed-up head.”

Squirming to break free of his hold, she was conscious of his superior strength. Despite his injury and the pain he must be in, he held her easily.

His nearness was having the strangest effect on her. Although she was still struggling to escape, she was no longer sure getting away from him was what she wanted. A strange sensation was sweeping through her, a combination of lassitude and excitement. The warmth of his touch seemed to seep into her bones. As Adam drew her toward him, she faced a decision: keep fighting, or give in to the promptings of her body. His lips were inches from hers, the smile that flitted across them too tempting to resist. Slowly, enjoying the flare of surprise in his eyes, she lowered her head and kissed him.

* * *

Adam decided that, at some point, he must have floated out of his own body and into a trance. His theory wasn’t finely tuned, but he had conjured up Maja back in the office building. Maybe out of shock or terror? A desire to escape the situation? Then, when the bullet was being extracted from his shoulder, it seemed he had developed the fantasy even further. He didn’t care how it had happened. There was no point trying to make sense of it. As dreams went, this was the sort he needed right now. Even a truckful of painkillers couldn’t have numbed the ache in his shoulder the way Maja’s kisses did. Her lips met his with shy, sweet promise. He’d forgotten what this sort of kiss was like. First-time kisses. Nervous kisses. Not-quite-perfect kisses.

“I’ve never done this before.” She raised her head, a blush staining the creamy perfection of her cheeks. “Am I doing it right?”

In response, he pulled her back down and took over. Adam had kissed many women in his life. As his lips met Maja’s he realized with a pang of sadness that this had become a meaningless activity to him. It served a purpose only as a lead-in to sex. But kissing Maja took him on a whole new adventure. Possibly it was the circumstances, the danger, almost dying, the fact that she couldn’t possibly be real...but this was the most erotic experience of his life. When he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, he sensed a moment’s hesitation before she tentatively returned his caress. A soft groan escaped him as he tangled his good hand in the silken mass of her hair. Liquid fire throbbed through his veins, sending a hit of heat straight to his groin. He had never wanted anyone the way he wanted this woman, this woman who was a fictional character from his fevered imagination.

Maybe if I keep kissing her none of that will matter.

The weight of her body pressing down on his was perfection. He never wanted to return to reality. He inhaled her scent. She smelled like spring meadows. As out of place in a Syrian war zone as...well, as a kiss with a Valkyrie. And she tasted like honey. He wanted to lick every part of her to find out if the rest of her body tasted as sweet. As he slid a hand over her shoulders and dipped lower into the back of her corset, tracking her spine, he marveled at the satin feeling of her flesh.

Sometime later, he was never sure how it happened—to be honest, he didn’t really care—she nestled into the crook of his good arm on the bed next to him, her tempting Valkyrie curves pressed up against him as the kisses continued. He marveled at the way his brain was feverishly finding release from the nightmare he had endured.

Since arriving in Syria he had witnessed the horror of shattered lives. This was a land of blood, pain and tears. And now he had come close to death himself. Was his resourceful mind creating this image of feminine loveliness to compensate for the hell of this place? Okay, if he was going to make her absolutely perfect, he might not have gone for the whole warrior-on-horseback theme. That was a kick in his psyche he hadn’t seen coming. But as fantasies went, Maja was more than adequate. If she was here to compensate for the horror of the day just gone, she was doing a damn good job.

He had reached a point where the pain in his shoulder was nothing compared to the throbbing of his erection. The heat of Maja’s body was driving him crazy with desire. How could a dream feel so deliciously warm?

“Maja, I need...” As he spoke, he fumbled to undo his jeans with his right hand.

Her eyes widened as she leaned on her elbow. “I have never seen a naked man before.” Her voice was a husky murmur as she watched him free his rock-hard cock from the confines of his briefs. “Can I touch you?”

Not only was his horse-riding apparition a gorgeous, blue-eyed blonde, she was also a virgin. That was another unexplored side to his fantasies he hadn’t anticipated. Reaching out a hand, she stroked it downward in a long, slow movement, tracing the long, thick length of his shaft. Any pang of conscience Adam may have had, any thoughts of discussing the implications of losing her virginity with her even though she was a figment of his imagination...all of those mixed-up thoughts flew out of his head.

He hissed in a breath as her other hand moved inside his clothing to cup the heavy sac between his thighs. Pure sensation ricocheted through him.

“So strong,” she whispered, color staining her cheeks as she drew in a ragged breath. “So much power right here in my hand.”

Adam used his good hand to tug her corset and the chemise beneath it roughly down. Her breasts were creamy and firm, tipped with delicate pink nipples. As his lips moved down her neck, she arched her back, squirming against him. Her hands continued to caress him, driving him into a frenzy. Moving lower, his lips covered her nipple, sucking her as she gasped. Pleasure threatened to overwhelm him. His cock hardened and throbbed with an urgency he had never before experienced.

What was it that made her so different—apart from the fact that she wasn’t real? It was in her response to him. The way she quivered at his touch, her expression when she looked at him and the tiny sounds of appreciation she made. Adam wasn’t a vain man, but he knew he was considered handsome. Cynically, he sometimes wondered if it was him or his bank balance his partners found most attractive. Those doubts didn’t arise with Maja. It was clear she couldn’t get enough of him and that, in turn, increased his own desire to furnace levels. His hand moved lower, finding the heat at the apex of her thighs. This corset hadn’t been designed for a one-armed man to remove with ease. His creativity had deserted him when it came to the costume department. Luckily, Maja herself came to his aid, wriggling out of the offending article until she was lying naked in his arms. And as his fingers skimmed the soft curls between her thighs, the fantasy was back on track.

Maja wound her arms tightly around his neck, pressing her face against his uninjured shoulder as her legs parted to allow access to his probing fingers. She gave a soft moan as his thumb brushed her clit, and the sound was so incredibly erotic that Adam almost came there and then. He slid one finger inside her and she rocked against him, welcoming the intrusion. Adding another finger, he kept up the pressure with his thumb, circling the tiny, hard bud until he felt her shudder as her internal muscles clenched tightly around his fingers.

“Oh!” She tilted her head back, staring at him with a question in her eyes. “What just happened to me?”

He gave a soft laugh. “It’s called an orgasm. Didn’t they teach you that at Valkyrie school?”

The blush deepened further. “We are not taught anything about our bodies, and definitely not about sex. Since it will never happen to us, we have no need to know.”

Although the words struck him as strange, Adam couldn’t wait any longer. His injury meant there was no way he could do this conventionally, or gracefully. Using his good arm to lift Maja across his body so she could straddle him, Adam claimed her lips in a kiss and pulled her down onto his steel-hard cock. Even in the grip of a fantasy a brief, bizarre thought about protection flashed through his mind. He dismissed it. This was his imagination; the responsibilities of reality were not going to derail it.

No matter how much pain or danger he was in, his body was demanding more from this woman than he had ever believed it was possible to crave. Maja gave a little cry as he entered her.

“Is this okay?” A condom might be a detail too far, ensuring his partner’s well-being wasn’t. He was still the same person, even in a dream.

“It feels so good. Pleasure and pain at the same time. We were taught this is wrong...” Her voice was hesitant at first, then, biting her lip, she ground her pelvis against his. “But nothing ever felt so right.”

Running his good hand over the luscious curves of her ass, he released a groan of male exultation. Nothing had ever approached the surging, blistering heat of desire that flamed through him. Would he ever be able to cope with reality again after such an incredible dream?

Stop overthinking. Your body is compensating for the trauma it’s been through. Just enjoy it.

His lips found the hard, pointed tip of a nipple again and drew it into his mouth. Maja’s soft, feminine cries filled the air as her hands moved to his head, holding him tightly to her. As he sucked her sweet flesh—tasted her, branded her—he felt his desire spiral out of control.

Above him, Maja writhed with pleasure, moving in time to his rhythm. Encased in the satin confines of her tight muscles, Adam thrust his pelvis up, and she met his movements with perfect timing. They were both poised on a knife edge, ready to tip over. Adam felt his body tighten and wished he could make the feeling last forever. To keep these wild, searing sensations crashing through him, knowing he would never be able to recapture such perfection.

“God, Maja. I’m not going to last long.” The words were a hoarse groan.

Each movement was like a white-hot surge of ecstasy building, tightening his sac and moving like lightning up his spine. Maja gasped, her muscles clenching and unclenching around him as she panted her way through another orgasm. Pure rapture hit him, firing its way along his nerve endings in a series of ever wilder explosions. Never like this. This was the storybook orgasm to complete his perfect fantasy.

Maja lay very still on top of him, and when he had recovered his breath, Adam smoothed a hand down the length of her hair. “I’m sorry. That was over way too soon.” Was he seriously apologizing to the star of his erotic dream?

She lifted her head, a hint of mischief in her smile. “I might not know much about these things, but I don’t know why you are saying sorry. That was very nice.”

He laughed. “Maja, if I wasn’t injured, and if this wasn’t some sort of crazy delusion, I’d show you that we can do a hell of a lot better than nice.”

The smile disappeared and a frown appeared in its place. “This can’t happen again.”

Since this was going on inside his head, surely he should be the one to make those decisions? Adam was too tired to ask the question out loud. Instead, he drew Maja back into the crook of his uninjured arm and closed his eyes. She felt good there. Warm and comforting. Almost immediately, he felt sleep begin to tug the edges of his consciousness. He needed to rest, but he wondered if slumber would drive away this wonderful, wakeful dream. It was a disappointing thought. He doubted if he would ever again conjure up an image as powerful and realistic as Maja.

Chapter 3

Warda was eerily quiet as Maja made her way back to the place where she had left her horse, Magtfuld. Most of the buildings were reduced to mere shells after the bombings, although some still smoldered in the predawn light. Several cars were blazing, and she guessed they would soon join the graveyard of abandoned vehicles that littered the side of the road.

Even in this scene of utter devastation, there were signs of life returning to normal. An old man drove a herd of goats down the center of the street, seemingly not noticing the strangely clad woman who passed the other way. A family huddled in what was left of a bullet-riddled house, pulling blankets around themselves as they watched Maja, who hadn’t used her power of invisibility, with listless eyes.

I should do something. Try to help them. Even as thoughts of anonymous rescues that would remain hidden from Odin and Brynhild entered her mind, she dismissed them. You have already done enough to secure your death sentence.

How had this happened? How had she gone from being the ice-cool shield maiden carrying out her mission as Odin’s representative here in the mortal realm, to a quivering mass of raw emotion? Adam Lyon. That was how.

The thought of him almost stopped her in her tracks. Instead of continuing in her determined stride, she wanted to find somewhere to hide away, to curl up tight and examine the whirlwind of feelings that were buffeting her body. The memory of his touch was almost too much to bear. Too intense. Too perfect. Just the thought of him made her internal muscles clench with remembered longing.

No one told me how much I would enjoy breaking the Valkyrie Code!

She had been taught only that sex was forbidden, not that it was pleasurable. Maja choked back a laugh. Pleasurable? Try magical. No one told me how much I would want to do it again...and again. But even in her dazed state, she knew this was not a reaction to the physical act itself. This was about Adam. He had changed her life. Changed her. But now she had to face the consequences.

Indulging in daydreams about her handsome mortal lover wasn’t an option. After the storm of their lovemaking, she had allowed herself the brief indulgence of lying in Adam’s arms and watching him as he slept. But she had done so knowing that she must leave him. It was time to go back to Valhalla and confess both her failure and her crimes. Her failure was bad enough. If the true American Lion had been in Warda during the latest outbreak of fighting, Maja had found no trace of him. But her crimes? They must surely be the worst ever committed by a Valkyrie. The only words they were permitted to exchange with their target must be relevant to the mission. The penalty for a Valkyrie who was found to have spoken unnecessarily with a warrior was imprisonment.

But Maja had done so much more. Not only had she spoken to Adam, she had saved his life. And then, as if driven by some inner madness, she had violated the Code in the worst way imaginable. I lay with him in his bed. I took him into my body. All the things I have been warned against... Yet I cannot find it in me to feel shame. Even though I will admit my transgressions, I will do it with my head held high.

There was no place in Asgard for a Valkyrie who had lost her virginity. On her return, Maja should expect her execution date to be set immediately.

With her usual disregard for convention, she had once asked Brynhild about the reasoning behind the rule about Valkyrie purity.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense if, instead of recruiting stepdaughters, it was the descendants of the true Valkyries who enlarged our force? Our daughters and granddaughters could learn the shield maiden way from an early age.”

Once Brynhild had recovered from the shock that Maja had dared to speak of such a topic, she had taken her sister’s hand. Her expression had been the half-resigned, half-bemused one she reserved only for Maja. “You must never speak of this matter again. It is unseemly and unwise. The decree about virginity dates back to the very first Valkyrie ride. There was an incident that took place after the fighters were brought to the great hall—” Brynhild had shuddered as though the memory was still distasteful to her. “The warriors felt that the duties of the Valkyries included meeting their carnal needs. Sadly, some of our older sisters did not refuse their demands, and the result resembled an orgy. It was so shocking that Odin was forced to introduce the death penalty to ensure there would be no repeat. The distance between the men of Valhalla and the Valkyries must be maintained.” She shook her head. “We will not dwell on the past, but these things are decided for good reasons.”

The Valkyries lived a separate existence from the gods, but Maja had caught glimpses now and then of pregnant women. In addition to the scandal Brynhild had alluded to, she supposed sex, childbirth and babies would interfere with the smooth running of Valhalla.

Now she had joined the ranks of those who brought that look of horror to Brynhild’s face.

I have no defense. If I met Adam once more, I would do it all over again.

It was something she could never explain to Brynhild, Odin or to anyone else, partly because she couldn’t understand it herself. The magic of that all-too-brief time she had spent in Adam’s arms lingered in the thrill that trembled through her body. It really had felt like magic. As if an incredible, heart-stopping spell had been cast upon her. She would die as a punishment and as an example to other Valkyries who might be tempted to stray from the path of purity, but the brief life that was left to her had been changed forever by the touch of a mortal.

The office building in which she had first met Adam had not fared well. Only one wall remained in place and that was leaning precariously outward. Twisted iron girders pointed skyward like gnarled, accusing fingers and the entrance doors hung on damaged hinges. Maja, probably the only individual in Syria who could not be harmed by any of the warring factions, stepped into the deserted foyer and felt a chill finger of dread track its way down her spine.

Magtfuld was gone.

* * *

When Adam woke some hours later, it was to the discovery that he had been right. Maja had disappeared and the room was in semidarkness. The light told him it was early morning. He lay still, wondering what, apart from her absence, had changed. Then he realized the bombing and gunfire that had continued intermittently throughout the previous day seemed to have finally stopped.

His shoulder throbbed unbearably; his whole body was tense and weary, yet at the same time he was experiencing a curious sense of peace. Aware that his zipper was undone, he attempted to fasten himself up one-handed. Feeling the evidence of his release on his body, he grimaced. What sort of fantasy had that been? While the imaginary sex had been better than anything he had ever experienced in reality, it had been over too soon. Shouldn’t a man be the superhuman, lasts-for-hours star of his own dreams?

Just as well it was a dream, since I didn’t give a thought to protection.

He spent a few minutes wishing he could summon her again. It was a foolish hope. Dreams like that came along once in a lifetime, and he supposed Maja had answered a deep-seated need inside him during a combination of terror and trauma. For someone who had always been rigorously in command of every aspect of his life, it was a strange sensation. I lost control. A smile touched his lips. And I liked it.

It was just as well that the corporate world would never discover that the bad boy of the boardroom had a weakness. Finding the time to leave the helm of his vast media conglomerate of newspapers, magazines, TV and internet news publishers, and publishing houses had been difficult enough. If it had been for anyone other than Danny it wouldn’t have happened. Getting shot was an added complication. Hopefully, his injury wouldn’t put him out of action for too long once he got home. Adam had built a global brand on the strength of his personal charisma. He couldn’t spare even a minute to let that slide.

Struggling to his feet, he made his way to the curtained-off commode. With normality restored, he returned to the bed and propped himself against pillows that were as hard as bags of cement. It was impossible to get comfortable, so he settled for the best he could do...which was somewhere between discomfort and agony.

He would be leaving Syria today. For the sake of his battered body and his damaged psyche—anyone who needed the sort of illusion he had created for himself in the form of Maja had a few unresolved issues—it was time to go. He thought of the beautiful countryside he had seen on his travels, with its rolling hills full of olive and lemon trees. Everyone he encountered had been warmhearted and helpful. This was a heartbreaking land and he would leave it with regret. For the first time ever, he felt the need to do something with his life other than make money. Although he had no idea what it would mean in practice, being here had unleashed a need within him that he intended to explore on his return home. The worst thing about leaving Syria was that he would be going without having accomplished what he had come here for. He still hadn’t found any information about Danny.

Danny had battled with learning difficulties all his life. It infuriated Adam that some people couldn’t figure out that didn’t mean Danny was dumb. He was a whole lot smarter than Adam in so many ways; it just took him longer to learn things. Their father had died when Danny was a baby and their mother had remarried almost immediately. Although their lifestyle was privileged, their stepfather was not a warm man, and despite their age difference, the two brothers had grown closer than ever. When their mother died, Adam had been twenty-one. He hadn’t needed her deathbed reminder to care for Danny. His eleven-year-old brother had moved in with him. Adam had found a school that specialized in helping students with Danny’s needs. Even though the diagnosis of severe dyslexia had come late, the teachers had supported him well and Danny had thrived. He had graduated high school and, refusing Adam’s offers of help, had found himself a job in a charitable foundation working with refugees.

Adam had done his best to talk him out of coming to Syria, but Danny had a stubborn streak a mile wide. Adam smiled. It was a Lyon trait. His own was several miles wider. His mind conjured up an image of his brother in the days before he’d left. So sure of what he was doing, so dedicated, so determined.

“That’s where we differ, Danny. You have strong principles, and are prepared to stand up for them.” Adam remembered his own words just before Danny left.