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My sword blade slid smoothly against the whetstone. I lifted the blade and tested the sharpness before dripping more water on the stone and repeating the motions. I may not use my sword often these days, but I made it a point to keep it ready in case. Plus, it helped settle my mind.
The last few days had been difficult. I’d made my intentions known with Astrid sooner than I planned. I wanted to take time to get to know this new her. I wanted to be sure I wasn’t comparing her two lives, and that I wasn’t only in love with a woman who didn’t exist anymore. She didn’t deserve to be treated that way.
Especially after she told me the horrifying truth of her mother. How could someone be so cruel to someone they should love? Randi had been the true mother Astrid deserved. After everything she’d gone through, she deserved another mother like that.And to know that bitch is the reason I almost lost her again…
Shink.
I let the sound of metal grinding draw out the negative feelings raging inside me. Astrid didn’t need me treating her like someone else. She may share the same name and similar appearance, but she was her own person. She had different likes, and likely had different dislikes. Sure, some might overlap, but she would never be a one-for-one, and I accepted that.Though, I can’t stop calling her Valkyrie like in the past. I don’t know if I can call her anything else…
Spending that day with her, it felt so right. I got to see the unguarded side of her, and I had no complaints. She was an amazing woman in this life. One I wanted to be with more and more.
I couldn’t lie to myself, however. I struggled against the hope that she’d remember who I was and what we had. Though, I didn’t know what remembering would do to her. I couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t harm her in some way. And I didn’t want that. Even if it meant her never knowing.
My mind wandered to that moment in the workshop. When the chance came, I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her. I knew I shouldn’t—that it was too soon. But that need to taste her for even a moment was so damned strong.
I sucked in a deep breath, and my cock twitched. It was better than I’d imagined—better than I remembered.And the fact that she didn’t push me away…
These last few days after, though, had been up and down. Sometimes she acted as normal before the workshop moment, like when we had open conversation before the search and rescue, and others it felt like she was avoiding me, if she wasn’t tossing me odd, indecipherable looks.
It wasn’t just me she was doing that with, either. I’d noticed the same behavior with her around Diego. Something happened, and I was at a loss what it was and how I could fix it.
I paused my task when hurried footsteps crunched on the dirt path leading to my cabin. They were heavy, but not as heavy as I’d expect from a male individual.Female… emotional… Astrid.
I jerked my head up, and my pulse elevated. She stormed my way, fiery hair flowing behind her, adding the fierce expression on her face. It was similar to the one back then, but also different. Admittedly, this one may be slightly more of a turn on. My cock was already straining against my trousers.
Astrid came to a halt in front of me. Her face said she was furious, while her eyes gave way to confusion. “I want the truth.”
My brow rose. “The truth?”
“Yes.” Her hands clenched and unclenched. “Who are you, really?”
“I told you, my name is Tyr.” I wasn’t sure where this questioning would go, but something was off. Something had her distressed.
She sucked in a tight breath through her nose. “That’s not what I mean!”
I set my sword down and turned to give her my full attention. This was the first time since arriving here that I’d seen her so distraught. I had heard the worst of the breakdown she’d had the second day I was here, but even that had been short-lived and hadn’t happened again. If Astrid didn’t lose her cool often, this meant that whatever was causing her distress was not to be taken lightly.
“Valkyrie,” I said, the name I loved calling her tingling my tongue as it rolled from it. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean. I’m not sure what has you upset, but I’ll help you as I can.”
She ran her hands roughly through her hair, tangling her fingers in the red tresses. Her eyes clamped shut, and it appeared as though something was harming her mind. “The dreams came back. That vicious dog I banished from my mind came back—all snapping teeth and menacing golden eyes. I haven’t had them for years. Then other weird shit happens. And it all started when you got here!”
My fingers curled. Her distress pained me, but I knew I had to let her get this all out to understand fully—even though I was getting a good picture of what was going on.
“And then I have even more dreams that don’t make sense, but do. A blonde-haired woman with wings who knows my name, and I swear I know her, too. Then just now, some chaotic battle. You were there, but you were different. I was there. A wolf with Aya’s brother’s name was there.”
My pulse picked up. Aya and I suspected Astrid had dreamt about Kirby when she’d mentioned the dream. We’d talked about it later. Aya admitted to her attempts to slowly get Astrid to tap into those previous memories, with no seeming success. She’d think there were moments, but then Astrid acted like nothing had happened later.
But now, between dreaming of Kirby, and what I believed was a past moment of our history from what Astrid was ranting about, Aya may have been more successful than she realized. Astrid had just convinced herself she’d made those moments up.
Her hand clutched her neck. “I felt it—his teeth on my throat. I saw the rage in his gleaming eyes.”
All the muscles in my body locked and my lungs squeezed.She saw her death?
“Who are you really, and what the hell is going on?” Astrid demanded, her voice raising and quaking at the same time.
I stared at her for a good, long moment. Astrid was remembering, and in the most distressing way possible. I didn’t know how to tell her the truth without making this worse. This wasn’t how I wanted her to learn everything. But I had to tell her. I had to be honest.
“My name is Tyr. I did not lie about that.” I reached for my sword, and when I grasped the hilt, I willed it to vanish.
