“CA-CAW. CA-CAW. I shrieked and hit the floor. Okay, maybe I needed a little protecting. "Use your spear, Ingrid!" I gestured wildly at the ornate weapon. "That bird is not going back out that window without a fight. Hurry, before it pecks us to death!" Instead of impaling the flying beast with her spear, Ingrid chuckled warmly. "Huggie, it's nice to see you again."--- "If they get to you before I can get you to the Valkyrie stronghold, you'll either be killed or tossed into one of the Nine Worlds quicker than you can say, 'Odin's my dad.”

“Your reign of terror will soon be over,” he stated confidently.”

“I’d gone from living alone in New York as a lowly shoe clerk to becoming a shieldmaiden with a family to come home to. It didn’t get much better than that.”

“You’re just doing what you gotta do,” Sam assured me. “You can’t leave here, and you can’t have them worried. It’s not like you can say, “Hey, Mom and Dad, I was struck by lightning and now I’m a Valkyrie! Oh, and Odin’s my real dad, and the Norns are out to get me, but have no fear because my boyfriend is a wolf!”

“Let me get this straight," I said once I was settled securely on the rock. "I was struck by some kind of magical energy sent from Odin that shot out of the lights in the storeroom at Macy's, hitting me and knocking me into a pile of shoes? And because of that, I'm now immortal?”

“He was here. Nice to have someone to hold my hand in the end. "Valkyrie, I need to lift you. This is going to hurt." His arms slid underneath my body. I screamed. Almost gone. I struggled. Needed to tell him not to worry. It wasn't his fault. Don't bother trying to save me. Hurts too much. "What is it, Valkyrie? You have to stop struggling." His head hovered above my mouth. "There's nothing... left to save.”

“Diesel had gotten his nickname because he was built like a Mack truck. .... He stood six feet, six inches tall and his muscles had muscles.”

“Diesel" - his name sounded sweet coming out of her mouth --"I want you, and I mean I really, really want you. Please. Let's go back to my room.”

“The moment this is over, you're mine," Diesel all but groaned, keeping his eyes on the road so he wouldn't pull over and take her right there."No, wolf, you're mine."the look on his face went immediately from lust to yearning."That's right," she said with a sigh. "We're going to finish what we started. And then do it all over again.”

“Luke picked up a piece of paper lying on the seat. "Camden Hills Avenue in the Badlands Golf Club." Luke chuckled. "Going to find a criminal in the Badlands. It kind of has an ironic ring to it.”

“The moment this is over, you're mind," Diesel all but groaned, keeping his eyes on the road so he wouldn't pull over and take her right there."No, wolf, you're mine."the look on his face went immediately from lust to yearning."That's right," she said with a sigh. "We're going to finish what we started. And then do it all over again.”