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"No. You take only the souls of those mired in darkness, those who have committed heinous crimes and failed to seek redemption." Dax told me those souls spend eternity in Helheim in torment, paying for their crimes. If they're going to pay anyway, they can pay once and be done. And, for once in their existence, they can be good for something. They can help stave off the dark until we find a way to defeat it once and for all.
"Roaming souls are fair game."
"Then the Forsaken aren't to claim a soul until a Valkyrie has been given an opportunity to ferry it across the Veil."
"And the Fae?"
"Touch the soul of a Fae and every Forsaken I find will be burned out of existence," I hiss. "The same goes for anyone with Valkyrie blood. They belong to me."
Something moves deeper in the house. Another Forsaken? I'm not sure. With this one blocking the door, it's hard to tell. But they're up to something. I don't think they have any intention of taking this deal.
Crap.
Maybe it is time to fight, after all. I kind of hoped we could avoid that, at least for now. At least for a little while longer. But I can't force them to accept my terms. I can't force them to cooperate. All I can do is try. For the Fae. For Abigail. And for the nameless Valkyrie still yet to be called.
"Any other demands, Valkyrie?"
"Just a few," I say, trying to keep him distracted long enough to figure out what's going on behind him. "Free Genevieve and Jessa and agree to leave the living out of this. Humans have no place in this fight."
"And yet you're so willing to offer up their souls. Including your father's."
"He damned his own soul."
The Forsaken laughs again, that same rasping laugh that makes my soul quiver. God, it's a terrifying, emotionless sound.
I glance over his head again, watching as shadows move back and forth. What are they doing?
"I also want you to leave Abigail and Eitr alone."
"Is that everything?"
"That about covers it," I say reluctantly, still not sure what they're doing in there. But I'm out of time to figure it out. I brace myself for whatever they're about to spring on me, prepared to burn this Forsaken and his friends out of existence.
"Good."
Even though I know it's coming, I'm still caught off guard when he moves, throwing himself to the side. I release a blaze of Light, expecting to see a room full of Forsaken behind him, waiting to grab me.
Instead, the Light flows harmlessly over Genevieve and Jessa as they come flying out of the door. They crash into me, knocking me to the ground. My head cracks against the cement, a burst of pain ripping through me.
The power I was holding slips from my grasp, flowing back into the well in my soul. I rip through the barrier I erected to keep Dax at bay, flinging open the doors of my soul as the Forsaken grab me, dragging me into the house.
The last thing I see is my father, slumped against the floor in a pool of blood.
Chapter Thirteen
Dax
Waves of pain andfear hit me out of nowhere, so intense they freeze the blood in my veins. Rissa. Ah, Gods. Rissa.
"Faster," I growl at Malachi. I want to peel the skin from my bones and howl in rage. My mate, the keeper of my soul, the Valkyrie I love, is in danger, and there isn't a damn thing I cando. I've never felt more helpless. I've never felt more like killing. "Drive faster!"
"I'm already doing ninety, Dax."
"They have her," I groan, raking my hands down my face. "She's hurting!"
I don't have to say anything else. Malachi hits the gas, and the speedometer shoots upward.
I start praying to every God I can name.
