“The Crows are living their second lives, Kera. A lot of them are finally doing what they’ve always wanted to do.”

“Be lazy and self-indulgent?”

“No. You probably haven’t met them yet, but the Crows are agents, lawyers, bank execs. At least three of them are professors at Cal Tech, as well as actresses, models, and musicians. And every one of them has vowed not to waste her second chance.”

“That’s just it. I don’t feel I wasted my first life, but I have no idea what I’m going to do now. I thought I’d be going back to my old job at the coffee shop, but you would have thought I said I was going back to being a prostitute. They were all so appalled.”

“Give it time. Nothing happens overnight.”

Kera finished her sandwich and stared past the protective glass a few minutes before she suddenly asked, “Are you friends with the guys with the big hammers?”

Vig briefly choked on the potato chip he’d just eaten. “Good God, no. The Giant Killers are not friends of the Crows or the Ravens. Why do you ask?”

“Because you said their hammers were created by you.”

“Yeah . . . ?”

“But why would you sell weapons to your enemies?”

“We’re Vikings.”

And yes, Vig assumed that explained everything until Kera said, “I don’t really know what that is supposed to mean to me.”

“Vikings weren’t just brutal raiders, we were also traders. We traded with each other. We traded with other cultures if they had something we wanted. It was a huge part of our society, as was the raping and pillaging when necessary. And it still is today. Well . . . the trading is still part of our society.”

“Did the rise of feminism cut down on the whole raping and pillaging thing?” Kera asked, smirking.

“It definitely helped.” He laughed. “And yes, those hammers you took from the Killers . . . those were created by me, and I charged a fortune for them.”

“I do love your work.”

“Thank you.”

“Is that a family thing?”

“It is. Do you have a family thing?”

“Yeah. Insanity. At least on my mother’s side.” Before Vig could get further information on that statement, Kera asked, “Do you ever worry you’ll get killed by your own weapon?”

“I don’t worry about getting killed. Death is a part of life. We all could die at any time, but to die in battle, in service to Odin . . . that I don’t waste time worrying about. Instead, it will be an honor.”

“Wow. You are so very Viking.”

Vig grinned. “Yeah. I am.”

He had such a nice smile under that beard and hair. Not that she minded the beard or his thick, black hair.

Actually, the moreshe talked to Vig, the more she didn’t mind anything about the man. Who knew she could be so wrong about a person. Kera had always prided herself on being able to look deeply into people without resorting to a lot of the usual bullshit people hung on each other. But she’d been wrong about Vig. He wasn’t broken. He wasn’t destroyed by a cruel society.

He was just an introvert with an aversion to shaving.

And he liked her.

Liked her, liked her. The way a guy likes a girl.

God. What was happening to her?

“What?” Vig asked, gazing at her. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“Because I’m pathetic.”

“No, you’re not. You’ll find your way with the Crows. I never would have asked for this for you, Kera, if I didn’t think you could handle it. If I didn’t think you’d thrive at it. You were meant to be a Crow.”

“I’m not sure whether I should be insulted by that statement or not.”

“Not. Crows are amazing.”

“They’re little black birds with tiny legs. It’s not like we’re eagles or hawks. Ya know, birds of prey.”

“Crows are better. They’re smart. Wicked smart, as my sister would say. They’re the only birds known to use tools. Who can actually reason and problem solve. You know what eagles can do? Look majestic and dive-bomb rats.”

“For a Raven you have a high opinion of Crows.”

“Every raven is a crow, but not every crow is a raven.” When Kera only stared, he added, “Ravens are from the crow family. The Corvidae.”

“So every Marine is part of the U.S. military but not every guy in the military is necessarily a Marine?”

“Exactly.”

“I like that.”

“I like you,” he suddenly said, gazing at her with those penetrating dark eyes. “I like you a lot. I want to date you. At least to start. Then I’d like to have sex with you, but I want to start with dating. When you have time. I know you’re just starting in this life and I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

When Kera only stared at him, he said, “I made you uncomfortable.”

“Actually . . . no. You didn’t.” She was just shocked. It felt like ages since a guy had hit on her and her first reaction wasn’t to punch him in the face.

“You still think I’m crazy, though?”

“Yes, but a crazy who no longer makes me worried for the safety of you or society at large.”

Vig chuckled a little. “Okay.”

“Trust me. I consider that a good kind of crazy.”

“So, since you think I’m a good kind of crazy, we can date? When you’re ready, I mean?”