A Valkyrie's Apprentice: Book Two

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– T A Y A H –

Kaden was conscious.

His mood was downright soured until John dropped the sack of silvers and a few gold pieces into his big hand. Then it quickly became a childish grin that matched John's own.

I leant back on the legs of my chair at the table watching them discuss the type of new armour they were after. But my concern was more readily for the immortal that sat silently next to me adjusting Kaden's chess pieces before her. She still wasn't speaking to me.

I rolled my head in her direction with a sigh. She remained moving the pieces. I kicked the chair back down to four legs and placed an elbow on the table to set my head against.

"How long do you plan on keeping this up?" I murmured.

Her silver eyes flickered with something. An exasperation I had come across when I knew I pushed her to her limit. I resisted the urge to smirk and kept patient. But I wasn't a patient person and she knew this and it was driving me mad. I let my head drop from my hand and pressed it dramatically against the table.

"What did you do to her?" Kaden rumbled as he took a seat opposite the immortal goddess.

"Nothing. Let us play." Kára responded casually. 

I shot her a flat look that she was indeed going to torment me further. She finally cut those burning silver eyes to me and they were totally unreadable. I wanted to hold them longer but she looked back to the pieces that Kaden had finished arranging.

"Are we wagering?" Kaden asked with a Cheshire grin at her. For some reason it made me want to knock him back unconscious. She was mine. I couldn't even have her attention for realm sake–

"Yes, mortal. Let's make it interesting." She murmured, bridging her hands before her.

I fidgeted in my chair watching the way something dark lit up her eyes. Kaden just slapped a meaty hand in anticipation. 

"Fifty silver!"

"No not coin..." She smirked. "This."

She pulled out the leather wrapped object I had been asking about since she had walked into the door. Then without delay she pulled the wrap and revealed a gloriously carved recurve bow–a royal made bow.

My jaw was hanging open as was Kaden's.

"You beat me, you have the bow mortal."

I tried to speak but Kaden's booming laugh beat me. He struck his hand forward and she shook it once.

"Deal."

"Would you stop your oversized, mouth flap yammering so I can FOCUS! Thank you." John cut out across the room as he toyed with his contraptions. 

Kaden and the demi-god didn't cast him a second glance as they began their game. I crossed my arms and glared at the chess pieces that interested her far more than I did. What had I even done to deserve this kind of cold? So what I told her not to kill the mortals? Yes our fight may have resulted in an arrow through her leg but...

I felt a very casual hand land on my thigh under the table as Kaden moved his pawn forwards eagerly. I cut a glance at her beautifully emotionless face that appeared like nothing had happened. She took her time moving the knight out from behind her pieces next.

Then her hand started travelling very deliberately higher making everything feel like it was on fire. I clenched a fist on the table and stared at the chess board wondering what the hell she was playing at now. No responses, barely looking at me and now she was trailing a line of heat right up my leg–