Chapter 28:

"How are you feeling?" I ask Valrun, handing her some coffee as she smiled thankfully and took the cup.

Rogan stood behind her, not letting her out of his sight while Proximo spoke to Arley. I waited for the guys to come to get their friend, knowing Valrun didn't want to speak about her personal life in front of anyone other than her Valkyrie friends, Dylan, or Proximo.

Rogan wasn't on that list, but I hoped he would be with time and patience.

"Come on dude. Let the ladies talk." Proximo said, coming in with the rescue while Arley tugged on Rogan's crossed arms.

"Yeah! We should go out to one of those-" Proximo smacked Arley in the head with a disapproval look making me chuckle and silently thank him.

We watched as the guys dragged Rogan away making Valrun sigh with relief and leaned her elbows on the table. I scooted forward in my seat, knowing she was about to spill since this was a tell of hers.

I knew something was bothering her, but with what has happened in the last few weeks has put a strain on our friendship. I couldn't blame her for acting the way she did, I had left yet she didn't have to take her anger out on me.

Though, putting all that aside from us was better than only focusing on that was the best option for both of us.

"Come on, Val. Spill. What are you thinking about?" I ask her, watching her avert her eyes and run a shaky palm through her hair.

"I don't even know what to think." She admits to me. "Every time Rogan and I get in some kind of agreement, I-I see Leo. I see him with the armor he died in and his death every single time. I can't continue on like this. I feel like I am losing my damn mind." Valrun confesses, her face twisted in misery that ate up at my soul.

"Do you feel like you may lose him like you lost Leo?" I note making her crackle in laughter.

"Of course not. If I lose him, I lose him. It doesn't matter to me." She scoffs acting like she didn't care, but I could see in her eyes that she did.

"You're starting to act like me, Val." I remind her, leaning back in my seat and picking at my nails.

"No, I'm not! Stop comparing us to each other-"

"You're starting to run away," I told her seriously. "You're using Leo as an excuse not to get close to Rogan. I get it, you've lost someone dear to you. But this was over two millenniums ago! You've gotta learn to let go. You think he'd be happy to see you like this?" I ask truthfully as she glared at me with malice.

"You don't understand. You've never lost anyone because you've never loved anyone before Proximo. I am different. I lost the love of my life!" She yelled at me, standing up in a fury. "Don't you ever say we are similar when we are so much different." She hisses, marching out of the room in a blind fury. I sighed, leaning my head against the table and trying to figure out how to help Rogan with his Valkyrie.

〰〰〰

"What are you thinking about?" Proximo asks me, sitting beside me as I smiled up at him.

"Not much. Just wondering about Rogan and Valrun." I admit, leaning my head against his shoulder as he settled down beside me. His hands wrapped around my own, providing the small warmth that I didn't know I needed.

Rogan had come to me a little while ago, asking for my advice for what to do for Valrun. After he had calmed down and realized that I knocked Valrun out for her own safety, he seemed to understand my standpoint.

It took a while for me to explain to him about her condition and the more in-depth I got into her past, the more he seemed to be upset. I could tell it was hard for him to hear, though I was shocked to hear that he'd help her even if she didn't want any.

Despite me telling him about her past and condition, he still wished to know what she would like. His kind and patient spirit was nothing like Proximo's, not that I didn't find that attractive of my mate, but I knew Rogan was going to be wonderful to Valrun.

She needed all the patience in the world right about now.

It was cute when left, determined to get Valrun a new tiny knife. I had to tell him that she loved small knife encrusted in diamonds and gems. I guess you could say that was all Valkyries weaknesses, not that we complained whenever there were gems for the taking.

I knew Valrun would fall victim to him and the diamonds. It'll be fun to watch her crumble to the brilliant stones.

"I spoke to the Alpha earlier," Proximo told me, his arm slung around my shoulders in a comforting way.

"What did she want?" I ask him, tilting my head up to him and watching him look at me with admiration.

"The young girl you saved. It seems like she is causing a bit of trouble and is very aware of it." He tells me causing me to chuckle and lean back into him.

"That sounds about right. She's a strange one." I point out as if he didn't know.

"Trust me. If I didn't know, I'd think she was a Valkyrie with powers. She's fucking nuts." His words made me crackle with laughter.

"I know she isn't a Valkyrie because there hasn't been a child born from a Valkyrie in a long time, not including Kho's wild princess." I point out, the girl I saved was maybe ten already and I knew damn well that there was no way she could be the descendant of a Valkyrie.

"This is true. Princess Dae is a devious monster, but sometimes loveable." He agrees, making it hard not to continue laughing.

"Yes. I never expected that the gentle Valkyrie have such a demon on her hands." I joke as he sighed and shook his head at me.

"Terrible pun, mate." He admits.

"I thought it was pretty good!" I gasp, smacking his shoulder.

"I can assure you it wasn't." He informs me again.

I shook my head, the smile on my face stained there as I rested against him again and thought back to what we were talking about before we got distracted.

"I'm not sure what to do with that girl. She wishes for me to teach her, but something about her makes me cautious and connected at the same time." I tell him and frowned. "Do you think I should train her?" I ask, unsure of what to do in this situation.

"I think you should, at least some tips. It may help her open up and tell you what happened. You never know where she could have come from. What if she's like this because she was raised in war." He points out. "Plus. If I was in her position, I'd want to learn how to defend myself rather than talk about my emotions." He says honestly making me nod and tighten my hold around him.

"You're right. At the moment, I need to figure out who this girl is. I probably feel connected to her because of our pasts. I can see the haunted look in her eyes." I said with a sigh before getting up. "While I am training the youngster. What will you be doing?" I ask him, watching a sly grin crawl onto his face.

"Helping Rogan out. We want to kidnap Valrun." Proximo claps happily as I growled at him.

"You guys didn't bother to invite me?" I interrogate him.

"Didn't think you'd want to." He admits when I leaned forward in his face.

"Of course I would. She's my best friend." I tell him, kissing him softly and backing away. "You guys have fun. In my bag, there are some mystically enforced ropes. Take what you please." I told him before leaving the room to him and Rogan who was waiting outside the room.

〰〰〰

"Here." I handed the girl a dagger and knelt down to her level. She watched me in a wary way, keeping track of where I was going before she peered down at the blade encrusted in silver and pretty gems.

I had to admit, it was difficult giving such a glamorous dagger away. But I needed information and this was the only way for that to happen.

"Woah. This is really pretty." She awes at the weapon as if it was candy making me smile and tear my eyes away from the dagger and at her.

"You like it? It's yours now." I said, patting her head before standing up and going through my bag of things for the knife holder.

"Really? You'd let me have this?" She asks in almost a hopeful voice as I chuckled and nodded to her over my shoulder.

"Of course. I have a belt in here too, I may have to make it smaller for you but you can carry your knife anywhere you go now." I inform her, pulling the slim piece of leather out and going back to the girl's side. "Here. Let me size it on you. After I fix it up, then we can start our training." I said waiting for her approval to continue.

"Okay. Thank you. This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me." She admits in a wistful voice as my heart clenched for the girl. I kneeled down again, putting the belt around her waist and sizing it right on her tiny waist.

"Your parents gave you things, right? That house belonged to them correct?" I comment, not wanting to interrogate her but I needed to know about her. I didn't want to train someone who would use her abilities in the wrong way. I needed to know if I could trust that she wouldn't turn evil.

Almost like Mira...

"Yes. Mommy and Daddy always gave me things. I remember they gave me a large bear that was the size of me! But they refused to let my powers grow or train me in any way. You're the first person who's willing to train me." She admits with a childlike smile.

For the first time, she seems to be acting like a normal child. I couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I thank you for letting me help then." I nod, turning away to grab a water bottle from my bag.

"Maia. My name is Maia." The girl tells me as I turned to give her a water bottle.

Her long black hair pooling over her shoulders like a wave, the red in her eyes seemed to have made me wary before but now I could see the comfort in them. The blue jeans she was wearing hung from her hips in a hippie way while her plain red shirt reflected her lovely red eyes. The pale, vampire-like skin revealed the truth behind her words making it hard for me to continue on.

"Nice to meet you, Maia. I am Hrudra." I introduce before sitting down on the ground with the belt and my own knife. "Tell me a bit more about yourself. If you like that knife, I have a whole collection. I also have friends who are witches so they can help you control and strength your power if you wish for that as well." I inform her as she sat down beside me and watched me work on the belt.

"Okay cool! So... I once lived with this weird person..."