Read Online Truth's Heart (The Valkyrie's Passion Book 3): A Valkyrie/Shifter Romance by Renee Jordan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Renee Jordan
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me.
“Yes.”
She looked up at me. “You didn't even hesitate.”
“When it comes to our life, I won't let anything take it from us. We have a right to live. We have a right to defend ourselves. That's why we're going to Muspellheim and getting what we need from the dwarves. We'll kill Loki and prove his villainy. Loki deserves to suffer. He deserves to die. And you, Raven, you deserve to live.”
“Our lives are more important than Thor's?” Her voice was a whimper.
“All lives are equally important, but when someone makes a decision to violate your right to live, then you have the right to take theirs to prevent it. Killing Thor wasn't a good thing. It was a necessary thing. And it is one more death Loki has to pay for.”
“I hate him,” Raven whispered. “I despise him. He is such a loathsome piece of filth. He's dung, the kind you step in and have to scrape off your shoe.”
I nodded my head. “Focus that anger on him. We are going to kill him and get our lives back.”
~ ~ ~
Raven
The blood diffused into the hot spring's water, drifting away from my hands. I watched the crimson clouds fade away as the water absorbed the pollution and cleansed me. My ruined shirt lay beside me. I stared at my face in the water's reflection.
I looked so normal. Young and pretty. Without my makeup on I had the girl-next-door sort of look. Wholesome. You would never know I had so much blood on my hands. Blood no hot spring could wash away.
“Here,” Magnus said, handing me a fresh shirt. It was one of the t-shirts we had bought at a gas station in Oregon. It was a tied-dyed mess, a swirl of clashing colors. I pulled it on.
Magnus turned away, a wince crossing his face.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Just a few broken ribs.” His voice was tight.
I flushed. “Did I...hurt you when I hugged you?”
“Don't worry about it. I'm already healing.” He pulled the Eldhrimnir out of the ruins of his bike. The gold cookpot was undamaged by Thor's hammer.
“I'm sorry for your bike.”
Magnus nodded his head as he looked down at the shattered wreckage. “We had a lot of good rides. She took me places. Gave me freedom.”
Freedom I took away. I looked away and pulled on the hideous shirt before more tears spilled.
“Well, Muspellheim awaits.” Magnus sounded so matter-a-fact, hiding the pain at loosing his bike. I knew he loved the motorcycle. He put such care and attention into maintaining the bike and customizing it. The bike was an extension of him.
But he wouldn't cry. He had to be a man, he had to be strong. One of us had to be.
I had never felt weaker. I was helpless. Loki was winning, and I was doing all the work for him. He didn't have to do anything. He just had to watch me struggle and suffer. Magnus was right. We didn't have a choice. It was us or Thor, and I didn't want my wolf to die.
I didn't want to die. I wanted to live.
The blood had faded into the water. It looked clean again. I sighed and stood. Weariness gripped my body. I had a restful night sleep and yet I felt worn down. “Let's go.”
Magnus frowned at me. He lifted my chin. “Don't let the world crush your soul and snuff out your beauty.”
“I won't,” I lied. I didn't know how to keep the world from crushing my soul. So far, it had done a great job at it. “Those horny dwarves await.”
A smile crossed his lips. “If you're not careful, you might have to satisfy those horny dwarves.”
Indignation flared up in me. I smacked his arm. “That is disgusting, Magnus. Eww, how can you even joke about that?” Four dwarves, one after the other. I shuddered again. “You better have been joking.”
“I just wanted to make sure your fires still burned. So long as you care about your dignity, the world hasn't broken you.”
“Still,” I said, smacking his solid arm again. My hand hurt, but I refused to show it. “That is a terrible thing to joke about. I'm your girlfriend, Magnus. Your Valkyrie. I feel so dirty. I've
“Yes.”
She looked up at me. “You didn't even hesitate.”
“When it comes to our life, I won't let anything take it from us. We have a right to live. We have a right to defend ourselves. That's why we're going to Muspellheim and getting what we need from the dwarves. We'll kill Loki and prove his villainy. Loki deserves to suffer. He deserves to die. And you, Raven, you deserve to live.”
“Our lives are more important than Thor's?” Her voice was a whimper.
“All lives are equally important, but when someone makes a decision to violate your right to live, then you have the right to take theirs to prevent it. Killing Thor wasn't a good thing. It was a necessary thing. And it is one more death Loki has to pay for.”
“I hate him,” Raven whispered. “I despise him. He is such a loathsome piece of filth. He's dung, the kind you step in and have to scrape off your shoe.”
I nodded my head. “Focus that anger on him. We are going to kill him and get our lives back.”
~ ~ ~
Raven
The blood diffused into the hot spring's water, drifting away from my hands. I watched the crimson clouds fade away as the water absorbed the pollution and cleansed me. My ruined shirt lay beside me. I stared at my face in the water's reflection.
I looked so normal. Young and pretty. Without my makeup on I had the girl-next-door sort of look. Wholesome. You would never know I had so much blood on my hands. Blood no hot spring could wash away.
“Here,” Magnus said, handing me a fresh shirt. It was one of the t-shirts we had bought at a gas station in Oregon. It was a tied-dyed mess, a swirl of clashing colors. I pulled it on.
Magnus turned away, a wince crossing his face.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Just a few broken ribs.” His voice was tight.
I flushed. “Did I...hurt you when I hugged you?”
“Don't worry about it. I'm already healing.” He pulled the Eldhrimnir out of the ruins of his bike. The gold cookpot was undamaged by Thor's hammer.
“I'm sorry for your bike.”
Magnus nodded his head as he looked down at the shattered wreckage. “We had a lot of good rides. She took me places. Gave me freedom.”
Freedom I took away. I looked away and pulled on the hideous shirt before more tears spilled.
“Well, Muspellheim awaits.” Magnus sounded so matter-a-fact, hiding the pain at loosing his bike. I knew he loved the motorcycle. He put such care and attention into maintaining the bike and customizing it. The bike was an extension of him.
But he wouldn't cry. He had to be a man, he had to be strong. One of us had to be.
I had never felt weaker. I was helpless. Loki was winning, and I was doing all the work for him. He didn't have to do anything. He just had to watch me struggle and suffer. Magnus was right. We didn't have a choice. It was us or Thor, and I didn't want my wolf to die.
I didn't want to die. I wanted to live.
The blood had faded into the water. It looked clean again. I sighed and stood. Weariness gripped my body. I had a restful night sleep and yet I felt worn down. “Let's go.”
Magnus frowned at me. He lifted my chin. “Don't let the world crush your soul and snuff out your beauty.”
“I won't,” I lied. I didn't know how to keep the world from crushing my soul. So far, it had done a great job at it. “Those horny dwarves await.”
A smile crossed his lips. “If you're not careful, you might have to satisfy those horny dwarves.”
Indignation flared up in me. I smacked his arm. “That is disgusting, Magnus. Eww, how can you even joke about that?” Four dwarves, one after the other. I shuddered again. “You better have been joking.”
“I just wanted to make sure your fires still burned. So long as you care about your dignity, the world hasn't broken you.”
“Still,” I said, smacking his solid arm again. My hand hurt, but I refused to show it. “That is a terrible thing to joke about. I'm your girlfriend, Magnus. Your Valkyrie. I feel so dirty. I've
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