Hide and Seek (True Destiny Book 6)

by Dana Marie Bell

  Enraged, Nik flashed between shadows, reaching Toni’s side in a millisecond. She fell, her expression startled, as if she’d forgotten she could bleed, could be broken on a spear.

  He stood over her fallen form, smiling for a second while she bitched up a storm.

  “Goddamn motherfuckers and their motherfucking weapons,” she muttered behind him. Her tone was filled with pain. “They can’t use baseball bats like regular people. Oh, no. They have to use fucking spears. The only thing that should be used for is fishing.”

  He winced when she said that. Nadine loved her weapon like some women loved their men.

  The Jotun hadn’t been sitting there with his thumb up his ass the whole time. He was racing toward them, more Jotuns pouring from the back room behind him.

  “Okay. Time to ditch this little party.” Nik threw up his hand, darkness pouring from his palm. They might be able to cloud his sight with some little trick, but it was Nik’s trick long before they’d ever thought of it.

  The darkness was as clear as day to the Guardian. Nothing hid from him in shadows, including the amount of blood Toni was losing. He dismissed his sword and shield and took hold of her arm. “Time to go, sweetheart.”

  “But—”

  Fuck but. Hers would get spanked if she tried to fight him on this.

  Nik took them out of there fast, landing hard on the concrete in front of their building.

  “How…” Toni didn’t finish her sentence. She passed out in his arms, scaring the ever-loving shit out of him.

  Chapter 9

  “What do you mean they got away?” Frederica glared at the wall in disbelief as she listened to Nadine on her cell phone. She loved humans’ technology more than she was willing to admit. They’d become almost as adept as the Dökk Alfar at producing useful toys. “They who? It should have only been the cop.”

  “Heimdall was with her,” Nadine replied. “Between them they took out almost every man I had there except one. I had more on the way, but Nik teleported them both out before we could kill Antonia.”

  Frederica was going to fucking kill that bitch. “Why was Nik there? Why wasn’t his involvement part of our intel?”

  “Ask your pet computer expert. She’s the one tasked with watching that group,” Nadine replied angrily.

  Frederica could understand why Nadine was upset, but could not tolerate the disrespectful tone. “Remember who you speak to, Gna.”

  A quick inhale of breath told Frederica that Nadine had realized her error. “My apologies, my lady. I should not take my frustrations out on you. Please forgive me.” Nadine’s tone had become appropriately abashed.

  Frederica smiled grimly. “Apology accepted, and I understand your frustration. It consumes me as well.” She tapped her nail against her phone. “Sydney is going to look into this. Set up security exactly as you wish.”

  “Yes, my lady.” There was a pause, and Frederica could sense her loyal friend’s curiosity pouring down the line. “And Oliver? Adam seems to have chased the Valkyrie for a short time, and I know he just returned from Svartalfheim for some reason.”

  Adam had been in the realm of the dark elves? Grimm must have needed his own toy from the toymakers. That should give Nik something to watch other than her movements. “What of him? Let them watch my ex while we work in the background. If Oliver succeeds, we’ll simply take the spear from him. If he fails, we’ve lost nothing.”

  “Yes, my lady. I’ll set eyes upon him just in case, if you don’t mind.”

  “No. I trust my safety to you, Nadine.” Frederica gave her good-byes and hung up, turning to the row of computer monitors behind her. “Sydney, my dear? Do tell me why Heimdall is working with Antonia?”

  Ah, she loved it when her enemies squirmed, and Sydney was quite good at squirming.

  ***

  Nik quickly carried Toni to the elevator, praying all the while. Blood was seeping from the wound, and Nik had no powers of healing to speak of. He’d have to wait until they got to Kir.

  But there was one thing he could do while he waited for the fucking elevator. His nails grew, silver and sharp. He made a cut on the palm of his hand, one that bled freely.

  He held his palm to her bleeding side, exchanging blood with her. She would gain one of his unusual abilities, but he had no idea which one, nor did he care. He’d planned to do this sooner or later, and now seemed a very good time.

  The elevator arrived and Nik and Toni boarded. He stared at the numbers as they rose, chanting spells under his breath to keep from stopping for anyone else.

  Once at their floor he bolted out, bellowing for help. Doors opened up and down the corridor as Kir’s tribe of Aesir and Vanir flooded the hallway, gazes tracking him as he darted for his condo.

  Kir was already at Nik’s door, holding out his hand for Nik’s key. Nik handed Toni off to the first person at his side, a person who just happened to be Logan. The three of them got Toni into his condo. Before he could shut the door the others piled inside, all of them asking questions about how Toni had gotten hurt.

  Toni roused slightly, enough to mutter the word spear before passing out again.

  “Nadine was there with a lot of Jotuns. It was a trap,” Nik yelled as he shut the door in their faces.

  Now only Nik, Logan and Kir were in the room with Toni.

  “How did you two get ambushed?” Logan asked as Kir began cutting away Toni’s shirt.

  “I couldn’t look into the building. Just like with Frederica’s mansion, my powers were blocked. I figured there’d be resistance, but I didn’t think how much until it was too late. And I never expected Nadine to be there, facing Toni one-on-one.”

  Logan’s eyes went wide. “Toni can’t do that.”

  She can now. Nik tracked Kir’s every move as the man opened the bathroom door and looked around. “He needs a bowl.”

  Logan strode toward the bedroom door and flung it open, startling the people still milling around Nik’s living room. “We need a bowl, clean cloths, and something to stitch her back up with.”

  The other gods booked it, all except Jordan, far too heavily pregnant to move faster than a waddle. Soon they had the necessary equipment to clean and dress Toni’s wounds. “Here,” Jordan said, the last to bring something. She held a clear bottle in her hand. “Antiseptic. Will sting like a bitch, but it will stop any chance of infection.”

  “Thanks.” Nik took the bottle. “Anything else you can think of? I’m not used to treating humans.”

  Jordan smiled. “Hold her hand. Even if she’s unconscious a part of her will be aware of your presence.” She waddled away, right out the front door, no doubt heading back to her own condo.

  Jordan’s unconcern seemed to ease the others because they slowly followed her out, sending Nik soft words of encouragement on the way. Only Slade, Sylvia, and Magnus remained, refusing to leave even when Nik scowled at them.

  Sylvia went so far as to cross her arms over her chest and glare right back. “She’s my friend, Nik. I’m not going until I know she’s okay.”

  Nik nodded brusquely and shut the door. He appreciated Sylvia’s concern, but his protective instincts were roaring through him. Only Yggdrasil and the Bifrost Bridge could bring anything close to this devotion in him, and they didn’t even touch the edges.

  Nadine was going to die for harming Toni. It was just a matter of time. And he was a very patient man. One day she’d slip up and he’d be there with a sword at her throat and murder in his heart.

  “Come here and hold her,” Kir called out, not once turning away from his task.

  “What’s wrong?” Nik was by his side in a nanosecond, staring at Toni’s writhing form. The pain pinched her features. She raised her arm and tried to knock Kir away, as if he were the source of her agony.

  “She’s stirring in and out of consciousness. Hold her hands down so I can work.”

  Nik did as told, climbing onto the bed. He knelt over her, his ass against her hips, his thighs on either side of he
r, and took hold of her wrists. He looked over at Logan and growled. “Not one word.”

  Logan zipped his lips, but they twitched anyway.

  Pain in the ass. Logan had always been one to joke when others were serious, and now was not the time to piss Nik off. He held Toni down when she cried out against the burn of the rubbing alcohol, ignoring the dampness in his own eyes. His fingers twitched when she once again grew silent, her skin pale against his white sheets, the color almost a match. He ignored the way she tried to buck him off when Kir was halfway through her stitches.

  Soon Kir was done, his forehead dotted with sweat. “That’s the best I can do. The rest is up to her.”

  Nik sat up with a sigh, releasing Toni’s hands. He stared at her unconscious form and demanded something that would get turned down—with good reason—but he just couldn’t seem to stop himself from asking. “Share blood with her.”

  Kir stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. “I can’t. You shared blood with her not long ago. Wait for at least twenty-four hours, then I’ll do as you ask.”

  Nik nodded, but he still wanted, no, needed to do something to help Toni.

  Logan clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s never easy watching them suffer, is it?” His sympathetic gaze changed, twisting into a mischievous smile. “You know she’s gonna kick your ass for sharing blood without her permission.”

  Nik groaned as Logan chuckled. “Shut up, hot-head.” He climbed off of Toni’s body, careful not to disturb her. The stitches looked nasty, blood seeping sluggishly past them. She was unconscious again, her brows still drawn together in pain. “Got anything we can give her for pain?” He wished one of his powers was healing, but it was beyond him. His own flesh mended faster than a human’s, and he could open a childproof bottle of painkillers, but that was the extent of his curative powers.

  “Yeah, I think so.” Logan strode out the bedroom door. A moment later, he brought back some white tablets that made Kir’s eyes shoot up in surprise. “Give her these.”

  He was barely aware of Logan coming back. He was transfixed by the way Toni relaxed the moment he touched her hand, the lines between her brows smoothing out almost immediately. He took the glass of water Kir handed him and, with Kir’s help, gently sat Toni up. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

  Toni’s lashes fluttered.

  “Come on. I’ve got something for the pain.”

  She scrunched up her nose and opened her eyes. “Ow.”

  He smiled. “Hey there.”

  “What happened?” Toni didn’t seem surprised to find Logan and Kir there.

  “You tried to pretend you were a pincushion.” Kir held the tablets to Toni’s lips. “Here. Vicodin.”

  Toni frowned. “Where did you ge—mph.” She glared at Kir, who was still holding his hand over her mouth.

  “Shh. Say ‘thank you, Logan.’” Kir smiled sweetly, his angelic good looks marred only by the storm clouds dancing across his eyes. Kir took his hand away.

  Nik held the water to her lips, forcing her to swallow the pills. “You’ve had stitches. You need pain medicine, maybe penicillin in case of infection.”

  She hmph’d at him, but it lacked her usual fire. She swallowed the pills and half the glass of water before pushing it away. “Fine. You’re right. And thank you, Logan.”

  “You’re welcome.” Logan looked to Kir, who simply raised his brows and shrugged.

  Nik helped her lay back down. “I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to walk Kir and Logan out.”

  She nodded, her eyes already drifting shut.

  Nik followed Kir and Logan out into the living room. “Twenty-four hours, then you share blood with her.”

  Kir nodded, Logan smirking behind him. “I will. Logan already did so, remember?” Kir winked, well aware of Logan’s habits.

  Logan’s smirk turned instantly into panic. “Of course.” Logan took hold of Kir’s arm. “Let’s get out of here and leave the lovebirds alone.”

  “I doubt they’re going to do the horizontal mambo while she’s got stitches in her side,” Kir argued.

  Logan dragged him to the door anyway. “Then let them rest, Blondie. We can grill them about the ambush later.”

  Kir allowed Logan to drag him out the door, leaving Nik with Toni. He rejoined her in the bedroom, crawling beside her and curling around her. He would keep an eye out while she slept. Nadine had delivered Frederica’s message to Toni loud and clear: stop looking for Sydney or she’d suffer the consequences.

  Too bad her warning had done nothing but piss Nik off. Nik would see both Frederica and Nadine fall.

  Chapter 10

  Toni opened her eyes slowly, wondering why in the hell she felt like she’d been run over by a Mack truck. Her side hurt like hell, and unless she missed her guess, she had bruises on top of bruises. Her muscles were screaming at her that she’d run three marathons without cooling down afterward. And from the smell, she hadn’t bathed, either.

  The room was dark except for a small light.

  She tried to lift her hand to her forehead but it was strangely weighted down. Glancing over she noticed Nik, fast asleep, his head on her arm. His hand was curled around hers…

  Wait. Something was definitely off. The man holding her hand had longer hair than Nik’s, draping across his shoulders and down at least to mid-back. It might be longer. His skin was almost white, the veins in his arms and wrists a startlingly beautiful blue. His nails were bright silver, elongated, and sharpened to a delicately curved point.

  What the fuckety-fuck? She couldn’t pull away from the man who looked like Nik but didn’t. The closer she looked, the more similarities she noticed. The facial features were the same, as were the shape of his hands. Even the width of the shoulders and the odd way his hair fell over his forehead, leaving some dangling in his right eye, shouted Nik to her. Only the color and the length of his hair was different, so this had to be Nik. Right?

  “Nik?” She tugged, almost certain that this was a side of Nik she’d never before faced. Was this what he really looked like? His beauty went from masculine to ethereal…

  Were his ears pointed? Holy crap, they were! He was a freakin’ elf!

  “Toni?” Nik’s voice was groggy, gravelly, and wholly masculine, shattering the ethereal vision and reminding her of the virile man that he actually was. His dark brows drew together, purple-black against his white skin. His irises were metallic silver, glittering in the small amount of light in the room. “What’s wrong?”

  “Um. Hi.” She stared at him, unable to believe the change in his appearance. She’d been there when Kir lost his temper, the glow on his skin and the storms overtaking his eyes scary as hell. Logan and Jordan both had fire in they could make crawl across their skin, and Travis became so bright you couldn’t look at him even with shades. Was this Nik’s, er, godly form?

  “What’s wrong?” He glanced around as if there were an invisible threat hiding in the room with them.

  “You look different.” She tried to keep her voice calm, but instead it came out more like Minnie Mouse getting a surprise rim job.

  His face went blank, showing an odd purplish highlight against his cheekbones. Was that a blush? Or just the natural color of his skin?

  “Yeah. This is me.” He let go of her hand to wave both arms out in a here I am gesture. “Shh. It’s our secret.”

  She blinked, unsure if she should be surprised that he’d shared his altered appearance with her. “Sure thing, not-a-Nik.”

  He rolled his eyes and stood, looming over her. “Heal yourself.”

  She groaned. “I don’t wanna.” He had no idea how much energy that took out of her. The amount of damage she’d taken was nothing like what had been done to Jeff when she’d healed him. Healing herself was a lot more exhausting than healing someone else. She figured her Valkyrie nature couldn’t decide if she should live or die, and so she wound up fighting herself without meaning to.

  “Do it.” He put his hands on either side of
her head and took her mouth in a scorching kiss. His hair caressed her cheeks, adding small, butterfly kisses to her skin.

  He released her lips, leaving her dazed, hurting and very horny. “M’kay.” She took a deep breath and began to heal.

  At first, nothing happened. The warmth in her chest began to build, slowly radiating down her arms until her hands began to glow. She closed her eyes, the vision of Nik interfering with her senses.

  Ah. There was the red-hurt-flame of her side, the way her blood pooled at the site. The inflammation was obvious, but she sensed no infection. Good. It might be draining, but healing should be a piece of cake.

  She began to heal the wound, wincing as the stitches tugged on the skin. The spear had created a small but deep wound. Luckily, she hadn’t been hit in any vital areas. She’d dodged at the last minute, forcing Nadine miss her mark.

  Thank goodness for lightning reflexes, or she’d be an Italian shish-kabob.

  Once the primary wound was healed, she began draining away the blood causing her bruising, massaging the fibers of her muscles and loosening her tendons from her battle. Her Achilles’ tendons especially were sore from her rapid direction changes. Worse, she’d put some strain on the balls of her feet from wearing her heeled boots. They weren’t five miles high, but they weren’t the best thing for fighting in, either. She’d have to get some combat boots for when she went into battle with her new friends.

  There was something strange going on with her body, too, something that didn’t quite add up. Something…shadowy. She took note of it but understood that those shadows were changing her in fundamental ways she couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. Nik must have done something to her. He might have shared blood with her in an attempt to force her to heal. She was aware of what happened when a god shared blood with a mortal. Jordan could now throw fireballs. Jamie, her sister, glowed like a candle thanks to the blood she’d shared with Travis. Jeff turned into a wolf.

  What would happen to her from exchanging blood with Nik?