to be able to put her to use to get his body working. Sure enough, Maja slid an arm around his waist and, with some effort on both their parts, Adam managed to maneuver himself upright. “And some water would be good.”
She reached for the glass at the side of his bed and held it to his mouth. “None of this is helping.”
Adam took a long gulp of the lukewarm liquid. His shoulder was more painful than anything he could ever have imagined, but his head was clear. He still needed to know where Danny was, and Maja was a distraction he could do without. But she was looking at him with such wretchedness in her eyes that he found it impossible to ignore. “Helping what?”
“My defense.” She placed the glass back on the table next to the bed. “By interacting with you, I have broken the Valkyrie Code.” Her lower lip wobbled slightly. “By saving you instead of letting you die and securing your soul for Odin’s army, I may have signed my own death warrant.”
Maja knew she was putting off the inevitable. Sooner or later, she would have to return to Asgard, the home of the gods. Once there she would have to confess all to Brynhild. Not only had she failed to find the American Lion, she had interacted with a mortal. Worse than that, she had committed one of the worst possible sins known to a Valkyrie. She had saved a man from death. A man who had likely been about to die in the performance of an act of great bravery.
This man had been a prime candidate for Valhalla. While he didn’t seem to be a warrior, the courage he had demonstrated when he rescued Tarek had been remarkable. Maja was sure many of the so-called heroes of Valhalla would have abandoned the boy to his fate. Her heart had lifted with an emotion she didn’t recognize as she watched him cradle the child in his arms and break into a run.
She didn’t know what had prompted her to go to this stranger’s aid when he was shot. Maybe it was the wild streak in her nature that Brynhild had always deplored. Maybe it was those intriguing dark eyes of his. Whatever it was, she had acted without thinking. Thoughtlessness was not a trait that was encouraged in the Valkyrie.
The consequence of that action was that she was sitting in this box-like room, with its cracked plaster and concrete floor. The only pleasant thing to look at within its four walls was the man himself. Maja had never seen a man as handsome as this one. From his dark, wavy hair to his chiseled features and muscular body, everything about him was perfection. But it was those eyes that drew her attention over and over. Darker than the storm clouds that surrounded Asgard, they could appear soulful one second, then lighten with humor the next. Maja felt herself being drawn into their depths. Which was an unforeseen circumstance. She had been told humans couldn’t weave spells, yet he seemed to be working a strange and powerful magic on her.
“I don’t understand.” The man’s voice forced her to focus on what he was saying instead of the melting darkness of his gaze. “How could you be punished for helping me?”
“Because I am a Valkyrie.” Why was he finding this so difficult to understand? Surely everyone knew what a Valkyrie was? “My mission is to take the souls of the dead back to Valhalla. By saving you, I have deprived Odin of a warrior for his army.”
“Maja.” Those incredible eyes fastened on her face.
What now? She had spoken to him, saved his life. According to the Valkyrie Code, the only thing she could do now to make things worse would be to have sex with him. If he asked her to do that... Maja felt a blush burn her cheeks. Was he going to ask her that? Surely not. She didn’t know much about these things, but she’d have expected some sort of preliminaries. And just because she had broken part of the Valkyrie Code, that didn’t mean she was likely to further, and forget her vow of purity. Not even for a man whose gaze did strange things to her insides.
“Yes?” She hoped the slight squeak in her voice hadn’t betrayed the unchaste trend of her thoughts.
“Why do you seem so real? Am I going mad?”
Before Maja could answer, the door opened and the woman who had operated on the man’s shoulder to remove the bullet entered. Maja promptly faded into invisibility. She was aware of the man looking around him in surprise at her disappearance, but he said nothing. Apparently, mortals were smarter than she’d been led to believe. Maja wanted to hug him to express her gratitude. Maybe even kiss those perfectly carved lips. The problem with that idea was that she would have to tell Brynhild about it on her return to Valhalla. Honesty was high on the list of Valkyrie values. Lying, or hiding the truth, never occurred to Maja. Somehow, she didn’t imagine her sister would approve if she discovered kissing a human had been added to the growing list of crimes.
Maja had only ever heard of one case of a Valkyrie breaking the Code. On her first mission, Silja had become separated from the group and had asked a mortal man for directions. On her return to Valhalla, Odin had ordered her execution, but Brynhild had intervened. Silja was now locked away in a tower in Valhalla, forced to spend the rest of her life in isolation. Maja wasn’t sure her own future held anything as lenient.
“Ah, you’re awake.” The surgeon had a hearty, clipped manner of talking. “You passed out while I was removing the bullet. Since we don’t have access to anesthetic here, it’s often a relief when that happens.”
“Is this a hospital?” the man asked.
“No, although I am a doctor.” The woman held out her hand. “Edith Blair.”
Maja watched as he took the hand and shook it. “I’m Adam Lyon. Thank you. You saved my life.”
“Tarek tells me of your own heroism. He said he would have died in a ditch if it wasn’t for you. He has been talking of superheroes ever since.”
Even though she was invisible, Maja held her breath. Would Adam—she wrinkled her nose at the strangeness of the name—give her away?
“Maybe Tarek has been reading too many comic books?” he said.
The frown on Edith’s face eased slightly. “Maybe. It’s very hard to provide a rounded education for these children. Even harder for Tarek, who has learning difficulties.”
Briefly, a flash of pain crossed Adam’s features. Edith appeared not to notice it, and it was gone as fast as it appeared. Maja wondered why those words had provoked such a strong reaction in him. Learning difficulties? What did that mean?
Edith shook her head. “I warned Tarek not to go out today, but that dratted dog of his escaped and he insisted on going out to find it.” She pursed her lips as she studied Adam. “I would normally suggest rest, but these are not normal circumstances. I’m surprised no one warned you about the dangers of this region for an American, Mr. Lyon.”
“They did.” Adam’s face was expressionless. “I’m looking for someone and it’s likely he’s in this area.” With his good hand, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and withdrew a photograph, which he held out to Edith. “This is my brother, Danny Lyon. Have you seen him?”
She studied the picture carefully before shaking her head. “I’m sorry.” Her manner became brisk as she rose to her feet. “I’ll have someone drive you to the border with Lebanon in the morning. The worst of the fighting seems to be over, so you should be safe tonight. You’ve had a lucky escape, Mr. Lyon.”
Maja made sure Edith was gone before she reappeared.
“Invisibility
