“Choice? There is no choice. I want my souls and I want them now! You will see to their delivery to Valhalla by sunrise.” Odin turned from her, stomping back towards the double doors without her submission.
You are a greedy, insolent child. “Or what?”
Odin paused in midstep, the anger radiating off him like a thick fog that threatened to contaminate the whole room, suffocating all within it. Freyja stood and took a deep breath, holding it in her lungs, feeling the burn come as she refused to exhale.
Odin turned around, inspecting her from head to foot, the wrinkling of his nose showing his disdain. “I have allowed you to take from my warriors to sustain Sessrumnir for eons in return for your Valkyries’ help. Have I given you too much that you feel the need for more? Perhaps I will choose to collect them all. And then where will you get your power?”
Freyja slowly stepped down from her dais, one step at a time, keeping her gaze leveled on Odin. She moved to stand before him, her hands on her hips, feet shoulder width apart. She held her ground, trying to show no weakness. “How will the warriors find Valhalla without my Valkyrie?”
“Woman, you will do your duty, and so will your Valkyrie.”
Freyja closed her eyes, knowing they were in a stalemate that the argument could go on forever if she allowed in. And stating the obvious answer to his challenge would equate to an out and out decree of war. Shifting to a new strategy, she walked to the nearest table, grasped a tankard of mead and swallowed half the liquid before dropping it to the scarred wooden top.
“The Nave is near.”
“And your point?”
“The veil thins. There is little difference between life, death.”
“Stop playing your games, woman, and spit it out. I grow older standing here awaiting your point.”
Freyja smiled at Odin, as the plans began to formulate in her head. Looking down to her feet, she saw invisible scales ripple across her skin in excitement before she was able to tamp down her glee. “Your warriors will be brought to you by sunrise.” And perhaps, I will just replenish my stores with your live warriors, and leave you to your dead.
Chapter Two
Click-click-click-click-click. The metal gears moved into place slowly, and then a silent, weighted pause. Screams reverberated as the descent began. A swooshing sound signaled the drop, as bodies were returned to the ground, the metal friction echoing through the field. Silence filled the air again as the task was completed. Click-click-click-click-click. More screams followed, with the clicking noise heralding the end was near. Karli looked up to see the next group of people about to be dropped from two hundred and thirty feet above her. Those screams were a joy to her ears, hearing them allowed her to know they were doing their jobs right.
No better sound on Earth than the screams of delight coming from a roller coaster.
Karli finished strapping on her radio, and plugged her earpiece into one ear before stepping from the staging area into the park. As an operations manager, she loved walking from area to area, watching families enjoy themselves, kids squealing in glee, parents running to keep up, and it was a necessity as well to ensure that her team was doing their job. And now was an even better time to be in the park, as their annual Halloween celebration, Scream Town, was nearing its culmination.
At dusk, the family friendly park became a maze of haunted houses, haunted hayrides, and goblins tucked into every corner, ready to spring out and scare, and the roller coasters kept on running, too. The screams from the coasters added to the ambiance of the Halloween festivities. Add in the light shows, kids in costume, traditional holiday goodies, as well as the nightly fireworks shows, and her job was just that much more fun than usual.
It was nearing dusk as Karli began her park tour, checking to ensure everything was in place for Scream Town.
One of her team supervisors, Angelica, stopped her as she approached one of the mazes to get an update on their status. “The entertainment group is behind schedule, as usual, but we are right on track from our side. The team is ready to go at the queue lines and exits, and as soon as we get a green light that entertainment is ready, we are good to go and can open the scare zones and haunted houses.”
Karli rolled her eyes. Entertainment was always throwing a wrench into their plans. Damned artistic types. “Great, come walk your area with me.”
Karli keyed her radio to check on the status of the entertainment department supervisor, and after being assured the characters would be in place within the next ten minutes, the pair set off to check their crew. She and Angelica toured the area, which held a double maze area and two roller coasters. They welcomed the team to work and took note of any issues or concerns and radioed the appropriate leadership to correct. Everything looked well in order, and Karli was about to move on to the next area as they stood to the side of one of the main thoroughfares, watching as people swarmed through the park, discussing the plan for the night.
Angelica grabbed Karli by the arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Whoo, Karli! Take a look at those guys over there! They are staring right over here. I saw them earlier by the Snarling Wolf, and talk about hotness.”
“Sshh! Be careful what you say within earshot of our guests!” Karli looked around to see if any guests had heard Angelica’s comment, and once she was sure they had been ignored, she smiled sneakily and asked Angelica, “Where?” She smiled at their shared conspiracy and looked around for the men Angelica was talking about, and her eyes locked with the most stunning set of silver eyes she had ever seen.
Invisible fingers wrapped around her, making her feel a pull in his direction. Locking her knees, she fought the instinct, shaking her head at the erotic thoughts swirling inside, all featuring the perfect stranger. Considering it was nearly dark at this point, there was no way she should have been able to see his eyes from the distance he was standing from her, but she did.
Heated need swirled within her, and her skin felt a size too small, as if he were invading her with his stare. Unable to look away, the longer she watched, the more frenzied her insides became, as if he had some kind of power to entrance her. She fought the gaze to no avail.
A slight hitch in his mouth seemed to reveal his enjoyment of her perusal.
Casting her eyes south, she noted wide shoulders, and a muscular chest leading down to narrow hips. Tall, blonde, and mysterious, her type exactly, and from what she could see from her vantage point, he was utter male perfection. Leaning his back against a brick wall, he openly watched her as he rubbed one hand along his chest and abdomen.
She itched for his hand to be her own instead, and felt heat in her own fingers.
Someone spoke to him, breaking the spell he had on her. As Karli’s glance pulled to the meddler, another man who could have been his twin whispered into his ear. The twin then turned to smile at her and lock his gaze with her as well. Karli felt the same pulling sensation, as if the man beckoned her with his eyes alone, slipping into her mind and taking over. Karli pinched herself, trying to hold on to reality and fight the insane impulse.
As the second released his hold on her eyes to look down her body, she noted the two men were not alone. There were three men to their right, but they were different, all darker haired with bright amber eyes, but they were all incredibly tall and fit, their bodies almost identical. All five were stunning male perfection, and she tingled all over from their combined gazes.