AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He chuckled. “They’re words of protection, strength, and mental fortitude.”
On his shoulder, he had an intricate dragon tattoo that looked much like a boat. In the center was a vegvisir symbol.
“Do you like them?” Tyr asked.
I nodded. “I like tattoos. My dad has two full sleeves. He would let me color them when I was a kid.”
“Sounds like a great dad.”
I smiled. “You’ll like him. Everyone does.” I squinted and pursed my lips. “Well, maybe not when he gets into his pranking moods. He can be a bit relentless.”
Tyr grunted. “I’ll keep it in mind to make sure I’m ready to retaliate.”
“Do you mind showing me the one on your back?”
He turned, exposing his bare back to me. I took in the intricate tattoo of an enormous tree taking up most of his back. A wolf and dragon were designed on either side of it, and tangled within the tree’s roots was a helm of awe. An intricate weave hung from the tree branches and hooked into the roots, phases of the moon overlaying the sun designed into the weave.
I reached to touch his back and then pulled away, biting my lip. Heat pooled in my core, thoughts of running my fingers along his skin plaguing my thoughts.Not appropriate.And yet, the desire to touch him didn’t diminish.
My desires won out, and my fingers traced one of the tree branches. His muscles twitched reflexively under my touch. My fingers tingled from the contact with his warm skin. “Is this Yggdrasil?”
“Yes,” he said.Is his voice deeper?I shook the thought from my head. I was imagining things.
“This is so stunning. Whoever you hired did a fantastic job.”
“I’m happy with how it came out. But they didn’t do the best one I have.”
I blinked.He has an even better tattoo?
Tyr turned more, showing me his right side. On his bicep, in even more detailed ink, was a woman. Armor, a fantastical interpretation with skulls and feathers that didn’t look practical for battle but was no less stunning, covered her lean, muscular body. She carried a shield, and a sword and an axe hung at her sides. In her free hand, magic coalesced. Translucent black wings sprouted from her back, adding striking power to her already intense presence. But what stood out to me most was her face and hair.
Long red hair flowed behind her, in motion with her fighting stance. Her fierce look was enhanced by gleaming green eyes and—my pulse slowed—a face-crossing scar that looked eerily like mine.
She looks like me.
My heart thumped in my ears as I reached out to touch his ink. It was a coincidence. I was seeing things—trying to make sense of the similarities. My finger traced the woman’s face, those intense eyes staring at me, looking into me, as if she were real and able to see directly into my soul.
And yet, something deep inside me screamed this was me. “A Valkyrie.”
“That’s right,” Tyr said, his words cutting through the fog of my mind. “And an important one where I’m from.”
I lifted my gaze to meet his, his intense blue eyes snaring me. My heart thumped harder in my chest. “How so?”
“The story told says she was a powerful mortal volva who was so beloved by the gods, they turned her into a Valkyrie.”
His words slowly sunk in and something deep inside me pulsed. I licked my lips to wet them. “Volva… a seer, right?”
Tyr nodded. “Seer, witch, sorceress. To the people back then, it was all the same.”
I looked at the tattoo again, to find my fingers tracing the weapons at her side and taking in their runic inscriptions. I couldn’t quite shake the feeling I’d seen them somewhere before.
“I’ll admit, when I first saw you, I thought maybe the stories were true, and I’d driven right into Fólkvangr.”
My head jerked up to find him smiling. “Fólkvangr?”
“It is a special place for the most honorable warriors overseen by Freya.”
“Better than Valhalla?”
