Riders Of Tyr 4: Absolution

MAGDALENE

I’m on the brink of passing out from the pain, but I refuse to give in. Runner is right there, his breath whispering against my ear, his body holding me up, his large hands wrapped around mine. His scent, a mix of leather and something warm and resinous, wraps me up like a comforting blanket.

There’s no way I’m going to faint and miss this moment.

“Doc, I need my maid of honor back on her feet,” Lysa pleads, kneeling beside me.

“I can promise she’ll be upright, but running might be off the table for a while. Understood?” Doc pulls the bullet out and holds it up for me to see.

I fight to stay conscious, releasing my grip on the leather belt. Lysa gives me a reassuring smile and I nod in response, letting her know I’m still with them. She pats my shoulder before sharing a silent exchange with Runner, who hasn’t left my side.

“Lysa?” Daniel rushes in, heading straight for his daughter.

The warmth I was basking in fades as I witness the love Daniel has for Lysa. It’s the kind of pure, unconditional love a father should have for his child. I’ve never experienced that.

I don’t know what it feels like. Daniel checks Lysa over before turning his attention to me.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Daniel snaps. “Did you do this?”

Runner’s grip around me tightens instinctively, pulling me closer to him. This raw display of possessiveness sends a shiver of unexpected pleasure through me. The sensation of his body against mine stirs up desires that are quickly silenced when Runner growls.

“Shut up, bror.”

“Dad,” Lysa interjects, taking her father’s hand. “Magdalene took a bullet for me.”

Daniel looks at me in disbelief, then at Lysa, who nods in confirmation. He glances at the bullet on the floor and the blood staining the carpet before looking back at me and nodding to himself.

“You did this? Saved my girl? Last I heard, you were ready to beat her to a pulp.”

“Well.” I attempt to lighten the mood. “I am her maid of honor now. It’s part of the job description—keep her calm, hold the bouquet, make sure she doesn’t get shot. You know, the usual.”

Runner is the first to react. His laughter shakes both of us as he pulls me even closer, as if he wants us to become one. And for a fleeting moment, I want that too.

“Damn, Magdalene.” Daniel shakes his head. “I’ve heard of mood swings, but this is something else. You were the reason Lysa got shot the first time—and now…”

He’s right. I got Lysa shot. I got him shot. Salome is dead. “Father” is dead. What the hell am I doing here? Who am I trying to fool?

My body stiffens, and it has nothing to do with Doc stitching up my wound. I’m a mess, a complete disaster. I don’t belong here. I need to leave, hit the road, disappear. But then Daniel leans in, a smile playing on his lips.

“I like this new Magdalene,” he says. “Thank you.”

That’s all he says before standing up. Lysa strokes my cheek and follows her father. And Runner? Runner wraps his arms around my waist and breathes on my neck. He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to.

“All done,” Doc announces. “You’ll need to change and clean the wound for a few days, but between Bjorn, Rage, and Vik, you’ll have plenty of experts to help.”

“I’ll do it,” Runner declares.

“Right, I forgot.” Doc packs up his things. “But seriously, this Valkyrie initiation needs to stop.”

Valkyrie. More than a girlfriend, more than a wife. Valkyries are bound to Riders for life, a bond that goes beyond a few words before an altar or a signature on a piece of paper. Doc thinks I’m Runner’s Valkyrie, but I don’t have what it takes to be one.

It requires a whole soul and then some to be bound to a man like Runner, and I barely have enough to keep myself going.

“Declan Brothers and Co!” Ava emerges from the office with Stig. “Known bank robbers. They must’ve thought we’d be an easy target. Which means they were either watching us or they had inside information.”

“Their intel didn’t tell them our women are fierce.” Vik lifts Lysa into his arms.

“You should’ve waited.” Bjorn confronts Ava.

“I can handle myself, Bjorn.”

“You should’ve fucking waited, Ava.” His voice trembles with agitation. “We could’ve handled it.”

“I know, big guy, but Ariadne was upstairs.” Ava soothes her daughter.

Bjorn doesn’t say anything. He just pulls Ava into his arms, wraps his arm around her and their baby, and kisses her. His kiss is hard, intense, filled with fear and dread. But it doesn’t scare Ava, who moans as she relaxes against him.

I want a kiss like that—a kiss that will make me forget everything.

“The best part is”—Ava grins at me, still in Bjorn’s arms—“these assholes are wanted. We need to think this through, but three of them are worth a hundred thousand dollars. The big guy alone is worth fifty thousand! Sure, we used excessive force, but they were trespassing and we have footage to prove it. I think we can collect.”

“Not before we find out why they targeted us today.” Tor glares at the prisoners. “Rage?”

The Hellhound growls and steps forward at his King’s command. The two conscious prisoners whimper in fear.

“Ask them a few questions for me, Rage,” Tor orders with a smile.

Rage grins a terrifying grin and turns to Iris.

“Which one tried to get you?”

Iris exhales but doesn’t say anything. Rage drops his menacing demeanor and pulls her into his arms. They whisper to each other, looking so adorable it makes my heart ache. After a long, deep kiss, Iris points at the man she hit. Rage picks him up and drags him downstairs.

I doubt we’ll see that guy again.

Their conversation distracts me from my own thoughts, but it doesn’t last long. Runner lifts me into his arms and sets me down on a couch before sitting next to me. His touch is gentle as he looks into my eyes, and his hand travels up my leg, stopping just before my thigh.

“It’s going to hurt for a while. I’ll have Tar bring you some crutches. Where are you staying?”

Staying. That word again. He wants me to stay. Even after all this time. I know he means until the wedding, but I can see in his eyes what he truly means.

“Probably a motel,” I manage to say. “I just got here.”

“Absolutely not!” Runner protests, his face contorting into a frown. “You can bunk in the clubhouse. We have rooms. I swear, this time you’ll have windows. I can keep an eye on you and help you adjust.”

I can feel my breaths coming in short, rapid bursts. I know I’m hyperventilating. After everything I’ve been through, this is what shakes me—being near him, having him look after me.

There’s a war waging within me. A part of me craves his proximity, the part that relished the feel of his strong arms around me. The part that gets chills every time he speaks, that yearns to feel his lips on mine, to thread my fingers through his curls.

But there’s a larger part of me—a frightened part that wants to erect taller, sturdier walls and keep everyone at bay.

Just when I need it, Ava comes to my rescue.

“Magdalene, that was impressive.” She gestures toward the men being hauled away.

“Impressive?”

“In my opinion, yes. Listen, I have a proposition. Stick around and we can talk about it after the wedding.”

“Hold on, I haven’t agreed to anything yet,” Tor confronts Ava.

“I wasn’t seeking your approval, Tor. I was merely informing you,” Ava retorts, matching his gaze.

“Your plan to start a bounty hunter agency is going to stir up trouble. I need to mull this over.”

“With what, exactly?” Ava narrows her eyes.

“My damn brain. Something you seem to lack—you know, mutilating all these guys and being here without an escort.”

“There’s one more guy I’d like to mutilate right now!”

“Bjorn! Control your woman!”

“Babe,” Bjorn says in a stern voice. “After the wedding and after we figure out what the hell this was all about.”

“Fine!”

Ava shoots one last venomous look at Tor and heads toward Iris, who is holding her baby. Tor and Bjorn exchange puzzled glances.

“How the hell did you manage that?” Tor asks.

“I have no clue. There was a fifty-fifty chance she would have my head for intervening like that. I guess motherhood has mellowed her.”

Tor glances at the man with the severed heels being carried out. “Mellowed. Sure. You’re driving me crazy with the Valkyries you’ve chosen, man. Couldn’t they all be a nice, gentle, mind-my-own-business, I-am-a-brilliant-mechanic-on-top-of-it girl like Iris over there?”

“When it’s your turn, choose a nice, quiet girl, jerk,” Bjorn retorts and walks over to his woman.

“I am not getting involved in this mess!” Tor hurls at him.

Then he suddenly swivels toward me, his intelligent eyes darting between me and Runner a few times. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head before exiting. There are quite a few people here who seem to think that Runner and I…

“Come on, Magdalene,” Lysa extends her hand to me. “You’re coming with me. Vik is staying in the clubhouse till the wedding, so it’ll be just us.”

“She’s coming to the clubhouse.” Runner stands up and extends his hand as well.

Lysa’s mouth drops open, but she remains silent. She just smiles at me.

No, no, not her too. I can’t be near him. A little longer and he’ll break through my defenses. If he keeps standing closer, speaking to me in that voice, and walking around shirtless, I’ll give in. If he calls me angel one more time, I’ll start to believe him. And I’d want more. I can’t have more. I barely have the skin on my bones. I can’t drag him down into my mess.

“I’ll go with you, Lysa,” I respond coldly and rise.

“Magdalene, I said you’re coming with me,” Runner insists.

I don’t even glance at him. Lysa assists me, but she keeps looking back at Runner. I don’t. I just walk out on him in front of everyone.