She saw him with new eyes. Really saw him for the kind and caring man he was. She’d been utterly and completely wrong about him. And all because she’d let her past color her view of him.
That understanding was such a revelation that it caught her off guard and sent a shiver through her, which was exacerbated by the wet clothes she still wore.
Without hesitation, he put his arm around her and pulled her close. She leaned in. “I’m really sorry,” she whispered.
“I forgive you. I promise.”
“Thank you. But I’m also really sorry things didn’t work out between you and Zoe.”
A moment of silence passed. “Thanks. I was sorry, too, for a long time. Still am, most days. But I think it’s time I got past that.” He squeezed her shoulder where his hand was resting. “I’m sorry about what Eric did to you.”
“Thanks.”
“Did you kill him?”
His startling question caused a laugh to bubble out of her from deep down inside and burst out with such force that her whole body rocked back. “What? No! But he probably deserved it.”
Titus grinned. “Don’t you kill anyone who crosses you?”
The mischief in his eyes told her he was joking. She decided to go along with it. “I do, actually. Does that frighten you?”
“Me? Frightened? I think the real question here is…” Magic danced over his features, transforming them just slightly so that when he smiled at her, his eyes glowed and his canines were wolf-sized. “Aren’t you afraid of the big, bad wolf?”
She let out a playful shriek and jumped off the steps. “Don’t you dare bite me.” But even as the words left her mouth, the idea didn’t seem that bad.
He stood and came down the steps toward her with the kind of slow, predatory stride that sent another shiver through her. “You do smell awfully good. The only problem is, I don’t know if you’re Little Red Riding Hood or the huntswoman.”
“My sword’s not drawn yet.” Freya help her, she wanted him. It was definitely the spell. The magic was thick in her blood and clouding her brain. But deep inside, she knew that wasn’t the only reason.
His grin widened. “Can I see it?”
“My sword?”
He nodded. “You’ve seen me as a wolf. Only seems fair.”
To her, what seemed fair was kissing him again. She squeezed her eyes shut at the idea but didn’t force it away like she had the last time. Maybe showing him her sword would distract her brain. Fill it with thoughts of battle and fighting and kissing—nope, that wasn’t helping. She smiled back at him, eyes wide. “Sure.”
She untucked the towel still wrapped around her body and dropped it to the floor beside her so that he could see her back. Then she turned around. “Watch now. You should be able to see it despite the straps of my sports bra.”
She thought about her sword, about the magic that hid it from all non-valkyrie and non-berserker eyes and then about opening that magic so he could see it too.
A ripple of sensation went down her spine where Helgrind resided like a magical tattoo, waiting for her touch to bring her to life. “Can you see it?”
“Wow,” he breathed. “I can. It just came into view. Pretty cool how you can do that.”
“Generally, our swords aren’t visible unless you’re a valkyrie or berserker. Or a vampire. Basically, if you’re not a valkyrie or a berserker, you have to be dead to see our weapons. Pretty sure that’s all tied into how souls on the battlefield recognize us.”
“That’s pretty interesting. Cool that you can show it to me, though. It’s the most realistic ink I’ve ever seen. I swear the metal is actually gleaming in the light as you move.”
“It is. Because it’s not ink.” She glanced over her shoulder at him, loving the curiosity in his eyes. “It’s…hard to explain. Better I just show you, I guess.”
Just talking about the weapon made it vibrate with anticipation, its bladesong dancing through Jenna with a happy trill.
“How old were you when you got it?”
“I was born with it. We all are.”
He pondered that a moment. “Then you didn’t have a choice in being a valkyrie. Just like I didn’t have a choice in being a werewolf.”
She nodded. “In that, we are alike.”
“We’re alike in a lot of ways.”
So she’d been told. She just smiled. “Do you want to see it, then?”
He nodded. “I do.”
She reached back and felt the hilt solidify in her hand. An electric current zipped over her skin. The sensation wasn’t something she’d felt in a while. It was Helgrind’s anticipation at being unsheathed.
On the job, her service weapon was the only thing she used. Wasn’t like she could go around brandishing a sword, despite her proficiency with the blade. Sad, really, that Helgrind didn’t get to come out for more than practice.
Jenna liked that Titus seemed so interested. “Step back a little.”
He did as she asked, still looking very eager.
She tightened her grip on the hilt. Then pulled the sword free.
Titus had never known the hiss of metal could have such a sweet, melodious sound to it, but that’s exactly what he heard as Jenna unsheathed her sword.
It was bigger than he’d expected, gleaming bright with an almost blue-white light that made it seem like a living thing. Set in the pommel was a blue-green stone that seemed to have a beam of light deep within its smooth-polished heart. Other than that, the sword was unadorned. But it didn’t need anything more.
“Wow,” he breathed again. “It’s a work of art. What’s the stone in the handle?”
“Just glass,” she said.
“It’s beautiful all the same. But I guess that makes sense, considering who owns it.”
A look of disbelief filled Jenna’s eyes for a moment. “You think my sword is beautiful because…”
“You’re beautiful. Yes. I do.” He was done resisting the spell, done pretending he didn’t like her. That he wasn’t attracted to her. Done with anything close to lying. Especially after
