Valkyrie's Sacrifice (Academy of Immortals 3)
Then we can move forward.
I stop by Elizabeth’s room on the way to dinner, knocking gently on the door. A moment later she stands in front of me still wearing a robe, with wet hair twisted in a towel. The look on her face tells me something’s up.
“I’m not going to dinner,” she declares.
“What? Why not?”
She holds back the door and I see Darius sitting on a small couch in her room. He gives me a small wave and a tight smile. “We decided to give you a little privacy with your, uh, men.”
“We’re allies,” I say to the both of them. “This is our last night before we face Lucifer. I want you there.”
She shakes her head. “Sorry girl, but, like you just said. It’s our last night. You spend it with them. Only the gods know what will happen tomorrow.”
Tension rolls up my spine. “Tomorrow we end this.”
She nods. “That’s my plan too, but tonight, my plan is to chill out, drink some wine, and hang out with a friend.”
She shuts the door in my face.
Why I oughta…
When it’s obvious she’s not reopening the door, I head down the hall to the staircase. The note on my dress told me to come to the dining room, first floor. When I arrive, I realize that I’m not the only one that cleaned up for dinner.
Seeing the Immortals, my allies, in their semi-formal attire is like having a swift kick to the gut. They’re…breathtaking. They stand at a long dining room table, hair tidy, clothing well-fitted. I barely notice the spread on the table, a feast of food and wine. It’s the smell that catches my attention; savory meats along with roasted vegetables, bright, exotic fruits, and thick, crusty, buttery bread. Rupert, Armin, Marshal, Luke, and Agis.
My lovers.
My mates.
Possibly our last night together.
“Why does this feel like a trap?” I ask, entering the room. I feel the hot gaze of the men traveling up and down my body, starting with my bare legs to the hem of my skirt that grazes my upper thighs, lingering at the slits in the dress around my waist and across the plunge of my cleavage.
“Because we’re in my father’s city,” Luke replies, brushing his blond hair off his forehead. His fair complexion against the dark color of his suit accentuates his features. “You should always be suspicious, but in this case, I think he’s just impressed that we made it this far and that we adhered to his summons. This is his way of welcoming all of us to the City of Dis.”
Luke pulls out my chair and as I sit down, his fingers graze the back of my neck. It’s a gentle, but possessive touch. Staking his claim in a room full of possessive males. My possessive males. It makes me more aroused than it should.
Once I’m seated, the men settle in their own chairs.
“So it’s safe to eat?” Armin asks, eyeing the food.
“And drink?” Marshal holds a glass of wine an inch from his lips.
“Yes,” Luke says, eyebrow lifting as Marshal gulps down the liquid in one swallow. “Tonight is a night of celebration.”
“And after that?” Agis asks.
I hold up my hands. “I don’t want to talk about tomorrow. Can we please just enjoy ourselves tonight?”
“Amen,” Marshal says, refilling his glass. “I, for one, have spent a lifetime preparing for the next battle by nourishing myself the night before. I can think of a few ways to kick it off, can’t you, Valkyrie?”
He winks, sending a shiver down my spine, before he offers me a sip of his wine. He lifts the glass to my mouth, and the sweet wine passes my lips, and coats my tongue. After I swallow he kisses me, making my heart pound in my chest while the wine warms my belly.
When I look up at the rest of the table, I realize why Elizabeth and Darius opted out of dinner tonight.
There’s only one thing on the menu.
Me.