Beast of Burden Read Online Free

scarred into his skin. “We’re mated. I didn’t mean to. It just…happened.”
    Hall didn’t seem angry. Instead, he looked thoughtful. “All these years, we’ve been waiting for Eira—waiting for us, too.” He nodded. “We had to be one before we could become two—part of a whole. Freya’s family.” The valkyries considered themselves Freya’s children as well as Odin’s.
    “We’re already her family.”
    “In love, yes. Not by lineage. Battle-cats serve other gods, not like Freya’s shapeshifters and valkyries. If we take Eira to mate, then we join our blood to our goddess. Part of her in all ways.” Hall watched Avarr with what looked like worry. “Tell me true. Do you really want Eira, or is your acceptance of the valkyrie to make me happy?”
    Avarr scowled. “Oh no. You don’t get to have Eira all to yourself. She’s ours .” To his relief, Hall seemed pleased.
    “Good. You’re mine. Soon, she’ll be mine, too. Ours.” Hall grinned. “I can’t wait.” Then he glanced down at himself and grimaced. “Now how about we clean up? Because I have an assload of cum and a sticky belly as well.” He left the bed with Avarr and headed into their private bathing chamber. “Oh, and one other thing. We’re sleeping in your bed tonight because I’m not sleeping in that massive wet spot.”
    Avarr laughed. “It’s all good, Hall. Just think. We can finally stalk and hunt down our prey. We’re ready. Time to melt our Little Snow.”
     
    ****
     
    Eira spent the next few days keeping a wary eye on the visitors Freya allowed to roam Folkvang. She didn’t like it and neither did her sister valkyries, though the birds and battle-cats seemed to handle them well enough. Everything in Eira demanded she deal with the smug centaurs and sneering gorgons plaguing the feast hall. But Freya had demanded everyone play nice.
    Eira hated nice.
    As much as she hated being spied on.
    “What do you want?” she yelled and whirled around, only to find herself face-to-face with…no one. But she knew someone had been watching her, as they’d been since the visitors arrived.
    Itching to fight and relieve her frustration, she stomped away from the palace and met with Lowe and the others for a round of training in the field beyond the snow forest. Sun and warmth covered most of Asgard, but Freya liked to keep her pets happy, and many of them loved the cold.
    While falcons and ravens fought overhead in massive air skirmishes, Eira took her bow and arrows and spear and hiked through the snow forest. She passed a few frost giants—the only giant friends the gods had—as well as polar bears, ice owls, and snow leopards. Beautiful cats, they smartly kept their distance. Eira might smell human, but she also resonated energy.
    An odd contrast, her frail flesh, soft and supple, over taut muscle, god-power, and strength. She could die, but it took an awful lot to kill her. What would instantly end a mortal did nothing but tickle her. She’d take a day or two to heal then be back to full strength. Only a full-on beheading could sever her tie to her goddess.
    Once through the snow forest, she found her friends messing around. After a few hours beating on Lowe and a few falcons brave enough to challenge valkyries, she waved at her friends and walked away, hoping for a little peace and quiet.
    Now that she’d sated her battle lust, she wanted to go deep into herself and fix her internal vulnerabilities. A valkyrie prided herself on her ability to harness all her strength. Cunning, speed, agility—Eira had it all. So why did she constantly feel disquiet from deep inside herself?
    She wished she knew. Leaving behind the training fields, she took herself off into the golden sway of the Sea of Grass and found a large, clear lake by Thor’s mountains. Since the god and most of his people had been spending more time in Midgard lately, she didn’t worry about encroaching on his territory. Besides, he liked Freya’s warriors. A