by Lauren Dawes
He needed to get there. He would have to drive to the apartment building, and although it was time-consuming, he wasn’t willing to put himself in harm’s way by fading especially since Loki had struck that night already. Striding over to the cell phone, he called his driver to get the car ready. Then, steeling himself, Odin put another glass of cognac to his lips and tipped it. The liquor was a smooth burn down the back of his throat.
At the door, Odin picked up his coat and then walked to the elevator at the end of the hall and took it. Piped in classical music accompanied him down to the lobby, the car not stopping once. Out among the humans now, he checked his surroundings and the people around him as he left the hotel. The cold air was a welcome change to the recycled air of his hotel room and he only had to wait a moment for Hunter to pull to a stop in front of him. The doorman opened the rear door of the Mercedes and Odin got in.
“Where would you like to go, sir?” Hunter asked.
“East Monroe Street.”
Hunter didn’t say anything more, just pulled into traffic and put his foot on the gas. The city sped by them, every mile bringing Odin closer to the Mare. He had to find out why Loki was so interested in the male. Perhaps he knew the location of Loki’s grandson? Barely ten minutes had passed before Hunter slowed the car.
“We’re here, sir.”
Odin peered out of the tinted windows at the building Huginn had seen the Mare enter earlier. It was vast and plated in glass. The doorman standing outside opened up the door when a young couple approached. Odin stepped from the car, straightened his coat and walked up to the entrance.
“Can I help you, sir?” the man asked.
“I’m here to visit my nephew,” Odin lied smoothly.
The human nodded. “Of course, sir. Welcome to The Legacy.”
When the door swung open, Odin turned back to Hunter. “Wait for me.” Stepping into the foyer, he strode to the elevator like he knew exactly where he was going. Once inside, he pushed a random number and waited for the doors to slide shut.
“Hold the elevator, please,” someone called. Odin pressed the button to keep the doors from closing and waited as a young woman stepped in. She was dressed in gym clothes, had a towel wrapped around her neck and headcell phones over her ears.
He cleared his throat. “Which floor?”
She took one of the speakers from her ears. “Fifty-nine. Thank you.”
Odin pressed the appropriate button and clasped his hands in front of him.
The elevator arrived at floor fifty-nine and the doors opened silently. The woman didn’t move though, too lost in the device she was looking at in her hands.
“Aren’t you getting out?”
She looked around and saw where she was. She gave him a small smile before walking out. Odin followed her, having no clear place to start looking. After waiting until the woman had entered her apartment, he tried all the other doors, apologizing to the occupants when he realized it was the wrong floor. He worked his way up to the seventieth floor before he was rewarded with his prize at the last door he knocked on.
The Mare stood there in a pair of jeans and a tee. For a moment, all they did was stare at each other, and that was when he saw the man’s eyes change color.
One second they were blue, and the next they flashed a brilliant gold.
Odin was suddenly transported to a time – no – to an event that had changed his opinion about Loki forever.
He had found Fenrir’s son.
Odin wondered whether Loki already knew. Was that the reason he had assumed Craine’s identity in the first place – to get close to his grandson?
“Can I help you?” the Mare asked.
“What’s your name?”
His eyes narrowed. “Rhys. Do I know you?”
“Not personally.”
He scrutinized Odin for a moment. “Fuck you, asshole,” Rhys muttered and turned, pushing the door shut as he did.
The door slammed in Odin’s face. With a thought, he faded into the apartment, catching the other male by surprise. With a supernatural speed, the elf pulled a dagger from the small of his back and launched it in Odin’s direction. The air whistled as the steel cut the air. Odin simply stepped to the side, hearing the weapon lodge in the drywall behind him.
“You have two seconds to tell me who you are,” Rhys snarled, his voice morphing into a rolling growl. His eyes flashed to gold again, the color staying a little longer than before. “Otherwise I get to use your head for target practice.”
“You worked for Henry Craine, didn’t you?”
Rhys took Odin by the lapels of his coat and threw him against the wall. Getting in Odin’s face, Rhys’s question was a dangerous drawl. “How the hell do you know that?”
Summoning his strength, Odin pushed Rhys away from him, sending him flying. Rhys ended up sprawled on the carpet, a look of shock on his face. He was up on his feet in less than a second.
“Who the fuck are you?” Rhys asked, wary this time.
“I’m Odin,” he replied.
Rhys stared at him cautiously. It was good to see that his name was still something to be feared. “The All-Father?” he asked. Odin nodded. “Do you know where Galen is?” he asked in a rush.
Odin was taken aback by the question. But then he remembered in the whole month that he’d been watching Loki, he had not seen the pair of Mares separated, not even when it came to women. Was the other male – Galen – missing?
The idea struck him then. Odin could get exactly what he wanted with very little effort. He wouldn’t even have to work at convincing Rhys of anything at all.
“He’s dead,” Odin replied.
There was a loud crash as a small table was sent sailing across the room. It splintered into jagged pieces, lying at the base of the wall like a broken doll. Rhys’s eyes were solid yellow for a long minute, and Odin could feel something else was with them.
“You’re lying,” Rhys replied, his voice a guttural snarl.
“I’m not. I saw it happen with my own eyes, and I know who’s responsible for Galen’s death.”
Rhys clenched his hands into tight fists at his side. “Who? Tell me.”
Odin barely kept the smile from his face as he took a step closer to Rhys. “Loki.”
The elf’s rage was a tangible threat. “Where is he?”
Odin thought of the bloody warning Loki had left for him. “Boston.”
Chapter 9
Boston
Taer was up in Raven, the nightclub on the second floor of the Eye. Bryn had asked her to work a few hours up there before coming back downstairs later on in the evening. She had to admit that bartending was a far cry from her training to become a shadow walker – an assassin – in Darrion’s guild.
It had only been five weeks ago that she’d been in the garage at the back of her house with her brother, Adrian, learning how to use a dagger correctly. It had been a little less than four since Adrian had been killed by Darrion, and now twenty-seven hours had passed since she got her revenge and murdered Darrion for his crimes.
As far as she knew, Darrion had never allowed a female to be trained before. She hadn’t even known who was in her quinary – the group of five Mares preparing to go into battle with one another at the conclusion of their training – except that the remaining four members were male. Realistically the odds had been stacked against her from the beginning, but she had been determined to succeed. She wanted to be the first, until …
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the scene that seemed to be tattooed into her memories. Blood. Gasping. Her brother’s lifeless body on the cold concrete floor.
Shaking her head, she tried to focus on the present. The problem was the hurt was just as overwhelming now as it was in the past.
There was a collective gasp of awe. She looked down the bar in time to see Dex, the other bartender who had been shamelessly flirting with her since she started her shift, performing one of his Jagerbomb tricks. As he grinned at the grou
p of women surrounding him – all leaning over the bar to make their breasts spill out of their tops or dresses – the light glinted off the piercings through his nose, eyebrow, lip and ears.
She shook her head at the stupidity of the female species and got busy making the next drink order. As she worked, she thought about the night before. Going to see Aubrey hadn’t been a good idea, but she’d had to tell him, face-to-face, what had happened with her and Darrion. Aubrey was the one who had trained her to fight after Korvain had pulled the pin and refused to do it anymore. It was because of Aubrey that she had survived.
And it was because of him that she felt her resolve not to get involved with him lessen every time she saw him. She’d been so very close to giving in when he came to stand behind her in his kitchen, but she was afraid. Once Aubrey had gotten what he wanted from her, would he simply disappear?
“Stop thinking about him,” she chastised quietly under her breath. A familiar scent filled her nostrils and she looked up. Her eyes found Aubrey even through the crowd and the near darkness. It had been less than eighteen hours since she’d last seen him, but her heart stuttered and her stomach clenched. Shaking her head, she refocused on the customer in front of her.
“That’ll be twenty-five,” she said.
The guy slapped a fifty on the bar and smiled. “Keep it.”
She returned the gesture only because she’d learned that if she smiled more, she got bigger tips. “Thanks.” She dragged the bill toward her, her breath catching when Aubrey approached the bar.
“Winter Fox,” he said with a wry smile.
Taer’s eyes drifted down his body. Damn, he looked good. He was in a black suit and shirt with a dark gray tie at his throat. Her whole body gave a little shudder and she sucked in a sharp breath. If this was how she reacted without any physical contact, she could only imagine how good it would be when she allowed him to touch her intimately.
“Aubrey,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
He glanced from her to the customer she was serving, then back at her. For a moment there, it seemed as if jealousy had flared in his eyes. “I came looking for you,” he replied smoothly.
“You found me,” she said.
From the corner of her eye, Taer could see Dex watching them. After telling his customer to wait a minute, Dex approached Taer and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Is everything all right, Tay?” he asked.
A small growl came from Aubrey.
Pulling Dex’s arm away, Taer said, “Fine.”
Dex shrugged off the snub casually. “Who is this guy?” He jerked his chin in Aubrey’s direction.
“I’m the only man allowed to touch her like that,” Aubrey hissed, his pale eyes darkening with rage.
Oh, fuck. She had to diffuse the situation, and quickly. “He’s my boyfriend, Dex,” Taer blurted out. Seeing the smug smile on Aubrey’s lips, she pulled on her apron strings, wadded up the fabric and stowed it under the bar. “I need a minute.”
Shooting Aubrey a look, she walked to the end of the bar and stepped out from behind it. She watched the light elf saunter in her direction, a definite swagger in his step.
“Boyfriend, huh? Soon-to-be lover would have been a more accurate description.”
Taer brushed off his comment with a huff. “Dex wasn’t going to leave any other way.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “What are you really doing here, Aubrey?”
He studied her, seemingly drinking in every one of her features. “Where can I get you alone?”
She bit her bottom lip then sucked it into her mouth. “I’m working.”
“Take a break.” Aubrey placed both hands on her waist and dragged her body into his hips. Their faces were mere inches away and for a few seconds, Taer actually let him hold her that way. Those few seconds were enough for him to show her just how much he wanted her. Taer looked down at their bodies closely pressed together. Gods, she wanted him too. All this time, she’d been telling herself it wasn’t true, but she’d been lying.
And just like that, her resolve crumbled.
“I’m taking my break,” she said, loud enough for Dex to hear. Taer took Aubrey’s hand and led him toward the back of the club. There was a storeroom there for their excess liquor, and it was the only quiet place for them to talk. She unlocked the door and ushered him inside. The space was seven square feet, and with the shelves running floor to ceiling, it made it feel two square feet. Closing the door behind them, Taer turned to face Aubrey.
The look of hard lust on his face made Taer’s belly clench tightly. She rubbed her thighs together to try and suppress what her body was crying out for. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d allowed someone close enough to scratch that particular itch.
“Aubrey, I—” Her words were cut off as his tongue forced its way into her mouth. Her fingers became tangled in his hair, pulling his face closer to hers, demanding more.
With a growl, he pulled away from her, but his hand on the back of her neck held her in place. “You touched me voluntarily,” he said, a wicked smile on his face. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
Taer’s pulse was hammering, her chest rising and falling too quickly. She felt light-headed. She’d known what she was doing when she’d taken his hand: she’d finally given him permission to touch her.
Making sure she kept eye contact, Taer nodded. That same small growl – a possessive sound – came from Aubrey and he pressed her against the door. He wrapped his hands around her thighs, his fingers digging into her flesh. She whimpered, clinging to his neck.
He picked her up, guiding her legs around his waist. The new position pressed his cock against her aching core. He ground himself into her, but seemed impatient with all the barriers currently between them. He lowered her to the ground again, reaching for her jeans. He pulled at them roughly, popping the button free and sending it to the floor. Taer couldn’t afford to have her clothing ruined. With a hand on his, she stopped him.
“It’s too late, Taer,” he growled. “You started this, and I’m going to finish it.”
“I’m not changing my mind, Aubrey; just go easy on my clothes. I still need to finish my shift with functional pants.”
His grin was wicked. “Just this once,” he replied. Sliding his hands onto either side of her hips, he peeled the jeans from her body and drew them down her legs. He fell to his knees and stared at her. “No underwear?” he asked. Taer shook her head, impatient, desperate for him to hurry. “I like it.” His voice was all gravel.
He stood up, trailing his fingers from her thighs to her hips. He pulled her to him again, making sure she could feel his hard length. She groaned, her head falling back against the door. His mouth was on her throat, his teeth nipping, his tongue licking, his mouth sucking. His warm hands burrowed in under her shirt, finding her breasts.
“Fuck,” Aubrey hissed. “No bra either?”
Taer shrugged, reaching for the fly of his pants. She wanted to undress him completely, but time was not a luxury they had. Sliding her hand inside, she pushed aside his boxer briefs and her fingers wrapped around his impressively long, hard cock. Running her hand from base to tip, she pumped him a few times, watching his eyes roll back in his head.
His fingers encircled her wrist, stopping her. She gave him a questioning look.
“As much as I’d like to take my time with you,” he said, “I plan on making your submission to me hard and fast.”
Taer opened her mouth in protest, but gasped instead. Aubrey had just expertly slid two fingers inside her.
“So wet,” he murmured as he kissed the corner of her mouth. “I knew you would be.”
Taer dug her fingers into his shoulders when his thumb circled her clit. She moaned loudly and gave in to the sensations.
“Are you ready for me, Winter Fox?” he asked, wrapping her legs around his waist once more and positioning himself at her opening. Taer nodded, too lost in the throes of pleasure to form a coherent sentence. Aubrey d
idn’t go slow. He slammed himself to the hilt just as he promised he would, not giving Taer time to get used to the invasion.
But she didn’t care.
He filled her just like she knew he would. She never knew he’d feel this good, though.
“Fuck, you feel good,” Aubrey said, echoing her thoughts. Taer thought she nodded in agreement, but she couldn’t have been sure. He started driving into her, slamming her back against the door. Letting Aubrey take her roughly was like a balm to the sexual tension that had been brewing between them for so long. Perhaps this would be the only time they’d have together, but if there was a next time, she wanted to take things slowly and explore his body a little more.
Taer’s orgasm took her by surprise, making her scream. Aubrey wasn’t that far behind her, his hips thrusting a few more times before he jerked and then went still. They were both panting heavily, Aubrey’s breath harsh against Taer’s shoulder. Her fingers were tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck, her forehead resting against the shoulder of his jacket.
His lips brushed hers tenderly as he lowered her to the ground – it was a stark contrast to how he had just taken her. Aubrey did up his fly then picked up her pants, handing them to her. She stepped into them, cursing the man for breaking the button.
His thumb traced her bottom lip, bringing her attention back to him. “Can I see you after my shift?” she asked.
“I have some meetings I need to attend to tonight.” Taer’s stomach flipped, and not in the good way. Were her suspicions about Aubrey about to be confirmed?
He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “You look cute when you pout. How about I call you when I’m done and if you’re still awake, I’ll come and pick you up?”
