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Chapter One
“Icall this Senior Managers’ meeting to order.”
ShawBengala glanced around the large empty conference room. Except for Shaw and herboss, there was no one else present. Under normal circumstances, Shaw mighthave made a joke. Or at the very least a sarcastic comment regarding theplethora of vacant chairs. Fear, however, kept her lips firmly clamped shut.
Fear!Her? A Valkyrie?
Itwas galling to be at the mercy of such a weak emotion. But Shaw tamped downhard upon her automatic go-to reaction, which was to call her magical halberdsand start swinging at the threat.
Instead,today’s plan involved refraining from any sudden movements and keeping hermouth tightly shut. Due mainly to the worrisome concern that if Shaw didinitiate an attack, there was no guarantee she would emerge triumphant. Allthanks to her beyond irksome tricky right knee. That might choose any moment togive out on her without warning, regardless of the situation, whether duringbattle or just merely strolling down a corridor.
Thenthere was the second reason Shaw was currently biting her tongue. Her boss,Stephanie. A respected battle-hardened Valkyrie who had taken on the CEO mantleabout a year ago. Basically making her the top dog when it came to the ValkyrieCorporate Empire.
Managingpretty much single-handedly to speedily drive through a raft of much neededchanges. Revamping numerous antiquated practises, and streamlining a multitudeof outdated traditions. Achieving those goals with an annoying bounce in herstep and a steel clipboard clutched firmly in her hands.
Stephaniemight look like a blonde bimbo in her mid-twenties; with her streaming whiteblonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail, lush full lips, and a gravitydefying double D rack. But at heart she was pure Valkyrie. With over twohundred years of fighting on the Fjornfall Planes under her belt. Renown forher grace in battle. Along with the speed and sharpness of her war axes.
Andat this exact moment, Shaw found Stephanie to be the scariest person on this orany other Plane she had ever fought on.
Goingon ten and a half months pregnant with twins, Stephanie was a walking cocktailof hormones, exhaustion and trepidation. A combination which had turned herinto an unstable timebomb. One moment relentlessly cheerful and determined. Thenext, tearful, overly emotional, touchy feely and maternal. Then on a dime,Stephanie would switch to psychotic balls out rage. Axes swinging. Peopleducking. Too often there would be screaming, followed by the sound of peoplerunning away.
Unfortunatelyfor everyone at Headquarters, this had been going on for about a month now.
Theonly thing keeping the executive floor from being bathed in blood was the factthat Stephanie loathed the idea of spending any more money, given how recentlyshe’d had thick luxurious cream carpeting laid down. One of her very firstsweeping changes after settling into the CEO position had been to redecorateHeadquarters. Rather tastefully too, with an undercurrent of luxury that wasintended to impress potential clients.
Shawcould have dealt with the whole Stephanie situation if it had just been themood swings. It was the never ending bouncing that had started the moment sheofficially hit the nine month mark that… go on, admit it, had her discoveringwhat true fear felt like when it settled in the pit of your stomach, refusingto disperse.
“Sitdown.” Shit, that had come out way harsher than Shaw had intended. “Please.”
“I’mfine.” Still standing, Stephanie’s attention was locked on Shaw’s gleaming goldbreastplate. “I know I keep asking this, but wouldn’t you be more comfortablein something a little more… casual?”
“No.”
“But-”
“Ifwe had a Head of Valkyrie Resource Management, I’d put in a complaint about howoften you harass me in regards to my choice of workwear. For the umpteenthtime, I’m a battle Valkyrie, what I’m wearing is totally appropriate.” Absentlysmoothing down her gold knife pleated skirt, and momentarily admiring herpristine knee high gold boots. A pang of loss shooting through Shaw. When wasthe last time she’d kicked someone in the head? It felt like forever ago.
Issuinga sigh over what was obviously a lost cause, Stephanie redirected her attentionto the clipboard, currently balanced precariously on top of her huge belly soshe could see it. Freyja, when were these babies going to make their big move?Stephanie didn’t think she could take another day of this, let alone severalmore months if Galen’s supernatural side of the gene pool was holding themback. Out. Out. Out. It had become her new mantra.
Bounce.Bounce. Bounce.
Bythe Sword, Shaw bit her lip, her gut roiling with unfamiliar nerves. Consumedby the sudden idea thatshe might have to perform a quick slidingcatch if anything baby related dropped out of Stephanie. And wouldn’t that doher bum knee a world of good.
Stupid trick kneewas how she`d gotten pulled into this nightmare in the first place. She shouldbe out on the Fjornfall battle Planes fighting, tearing through enemy forceswith her trusty halberds, not here, at Corporate Headquarters, appointed Headof the Legal Department.
What a joke thatwas, she knew nothing about the law.
Shaw had visitedtheir inhouse medical team over a hundred times since the accident over a yearago and they still couldn’t figure out how to fix her knee. She’d met withShamans, Wiccans, Voodoo Priestesses, Elven Mages, Psychics, Healers, and evenundergone the dubious laying on of hands by an Evangelist, with bouffant hairand way too many gleaming white teeth. Of course he had a lot less teeth in hismouth after he’d allowed one of thosehealinghands of his to wander.
Though if someoneput Shaw in a chokehold and forced her to admit the truth, she was kind ofgrateful to Stephanie. Who’d pretty much strong-armed her into the Head ofLegal role. Otherwise, she’d be home, moping, labelled useless, officiallydesignated as being on sick leave, how embarrassing.
No, at least beingHead of the Legal Department meant Shaw had somewhere to be each day. Even ifit was just her office, where, okay, yes, she did a lot of moping. But when shestalked through her Department on her way to harass Medical, or grab a sandwichfrom the canteen, she totally motivated those lazy heifers with her merepassing presence.
That, or it mighthave been the threat of her halberds splitting their asses in two, if shecaught the merest flicker of a screen depicting Fortnite or any other onlinebattle game.
“So… um, theminutes from our last meeting.” Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Stephanie startedrattling off bullet points but Shaw couldn’t concentrate on anything but thehuge bouncing belly covered by a raspberry top and white capri maternity pants.Bounce. Bounce.
Stephanie haltingabruptly in mid word as the door to the conference room slammed open,Helgastein Gerwitz stomping in like a thunder cloud of doom. The older Valkyriea study in greys, from her boots, to the tweed suit that encased her largedumpy frame, to her hair; up in two plaits pinned on either side of her head.Helgastein scowled dourly at Shaw and then at Stephanie, before dumping severalfiles down on the table. “Here. The files you demanded.”
