Valkyrie's Kiss Read Online Free PDF Page B

from this height. Not
that I would let him hit the ground. Valkyries are fast, our movements
sometimes barely perceptible to the naked human eye. We have to be fast. We
have to outrun howitzers, RPGs, machine gun fire. We've had to outfly biplanes,
bombers, and jets.
    I took a
lazy arc, flying past our makeshift camp, giving him time to calm down and myself time to figure out how I was going to convince him of
the seriousness of his situation. I couldn't let him get himself killed. Not
after everything I'd risked.
    I spotted a
sand dune that would shield us from sight. Not that it would fool Gustel . She would find us if she wanted to, but I expected
she would give me the time I needed.
    We landed,
and Jess stumbled away from me. He watched me retract my wings, his face filled
with awe, and yes, a touch of fear. I felt unaccountably self-conscious under
his penetrating gaze and magicked a fresh t-shirt to
cover my naked breasts.
    A trickle
of sweat was making its way down his suntanned cheek. I had a completely
irrational desire to taste that trickle, to lick him, to drink of his salty
skin.
    "Jess,
I wish I could say I'm sorry that I pulled you into this, but if I hadn't,
you'd be dead now. I have a chance to save you, I think. Gustel's here, and maybe she can help. She's willing to, and
that has to mean something. But if you run off, if you try to go back to your
unit, Death will find you. It ’ s picked up your scent now, and It ’ s angry with me for
taking you. It thinks I've cheated him, so as much as you may hate it, you need to stay with me. I'm the only one who can give
you a chance to live. That is what you want, isn't it? To
live?"
    He wiped
the tantalizing sweat from the side of his face and looked back toward our
camp. "Of course I do."
    Our eyes
met, and I felt a sudden lump in my throat. Did he want me as much as I wanted
him? Did he want more than my body? No, of course not. He wanted to live, and I was his only hope. I swallowed back the useless
disappointment I felt and offered him a smile.
    "Good.
That's good. We should go back now."
    "Wait."
His muscles bulging beneath his shirt were distracting me again, and I had to
drag my eyes to meet his. "What does that ... the other one... "
    "She's
my sister. Gustel ."
    "Is
she right? Is that what you plan to do with me? Mark me? ”
    “ No,
Jess. I told you. I ’ m going to do whatever it takes to get Death off your
trail. ”
    "I can ’ t believe this is happening."
    I moved
close and brought his hands to my lips. I kissed each knuckle, lingering over
his scent. "Trust me, Jess. I'm going to do everything I can to undo this.
I'll keep you safe. I promise."
    "What
about you? Who will keep you safe?"
    I gave him
a small smile. "I've gotten pretty good at taking care of myself."
    "From
what I see, you're pretty good at getting yourself into trouble."
    "Just
this once," I admitted.
    His eyes
turned serious. "I'm sorry about that."
    "I'm
not," I said, swallowing back the sudden lump in my throat, "I'll
never be sorry I met you."
    ****
    When we got
back, Gustel was pacing the desert, kicking up the
sand in frustration.
    "I was
just about to come get you, ” she said, striding toward us. She yanked my arm hard and
pulled me aside. “ What took you so long? ”
    "Sorry,"
I said, meeting her gaze. "We needed a chance to talk."
    "Talk?" She looked from me to Jess, her full, sensuous mouth
curled at the ends. "Oh, right. Talk. Got it."
    I didn't
dare look at Jess. I hoped he couldn ’ t
hear us. He stood a few hundred yards away, hands on his hips, combat boots
splayed, looking every bit the hero he was. "No, really, Gustel ."
    "What is the big deal with this guy?"
    "I don't know how to explain it, Gustel .
You should have seen him. He..."
    "He what?"
    "He was standing in front of a young girl aiming an AK-47 at
his head, and he laid his weapon down. He's the bravest — no, he's the only truly brave warrior I've ever seen."
    "So all the more
reason to mark him."
    "