Oh, that was it. Jeff’s computer was going to meet its tech god.
Slade petted Magnus’s chest. “How do you feel about gold lamé briefs?”
Chapter Four
Slade chuckled as Magnus growled at Jeff. The man looked ready to pounce on the poor, defenseless laptop and maul it to pieces. “Down boy.”
Those brilliant green eyes turned toward him and he shivered. The heat in his mate’s gaze was burning him up. “You shouldn’t want anyone but your mates, Sleipnir.”
Oh, someone was pissed. Magnus was the one who insisted on using mortal names. The use of Slade’s jotun name told him exactly how serious Magnus was. Slade lowered his gaze submissively, enjoying the way Magnus’s chest rumbled against him. “Yes, Magni.”
“We’ll be right back.” Magnus’s gaze darted toward the bedroom door, and Slade shivered.
Morgan must have known exactly what his twin had in mind, because he took hold of Skye and started walking toward the front door. “C’mon, Jeff. Let’s go talk to Fenris.”
Jeff picked up the laptop and followed. “Only if I can bring Vincente.”
Whatever Morgan said in reply went unheard. Slade had far more important things on his mind than Vincente.
Magnus kissed him, but instead of the sweet, gentle kisses they’d shared before, this one was hot, claiming, demanding that Slade submit to Magnus’s desires. Magnus had been so careful with him, so gentle while he healed, that Slade hadn’t realized he could even kiss like this.
Slade wanted more. This heat, this passion, the knowledge that Magnus was so fiercely possessive that he would almost forget that Slade was injured? It was far more drugging than anything Jeff could show him on his laptop.
Slade wrapped his arms around Magnus’s neck, thrilled when the big man began to move. Magnus carried him into the bedroom, not even acknowledging the fact that Morgan, Skye and Jeff had all left.
They banged into the wall next to the bedroom door, sending Slade into a fit of giggles.
Magnus lifted his mouth from Slade’s with a groan. “This works a whole lot better in the movies.”
Slade nodded, still laughing as Magnus lowered him to the huge California king bed. “I hate to tell you this, but Richard Gere you ain’t.” He settled down with a happy sigh. He’d never thought he’d get to live somewhere so warm.
Slade would have kept the man for this room alone. There was just one thing about it that bothered him.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” Magnus pulled off his shirt, showing off a lightly furred chest that made Slade want to purr and rub himself all over it. Slade hadn’t dared do more than touch Magnus’s bare chest, afraid he’d start something neither of them could finish.
“Mmm.” Slade stretched, loving the way Magnus’s eyes glazed over with lust. “Ceilings.”
Magnus blinked. “Ceilings.”
Slade nodded and tried not to laugh. Teasing Magnus was becoming one of his favorite pastimes. “I think yours should be beige.”
Magnus’s eyes narrowed.
“I think it would make the room more comf—” Slade suddenly found his lips occupied as Magnus pounced on him, kissing him again. Ceilings were forgotten as Magnus ravaged his mouth, reminding him that beds were for more than sleeping in.
Gods, it had been so long since Slade had done more than sleep in a bed. Hell, he hadn’t done much more than rub off against someone else, too terrified that Odin would figure out that he was more than just a dumb, defenseless animal, eager to do his bidding. He’d never had the opportunity to slide between crisp sheets and mess them up with a lover. Slade had never had someone make love to him before.
He planned on changing that before the night was over.
Magnus removed the rest of his clothes quickly, and then began carefully removing Slade’s shirt. He slid it over Slade’s skin in a slow, sensual glide, kissing each and every scrape and scar that Odin had left behind. The Old Man had worked him over, and Slade had the bruises to prove it. The soft feel of Magnus’s lips sliding over his skin distracted him from the mottled look of his flesh.
He would heal. He’d be scarred, but the bruises would fade. It was far more important to get the scent of Magnus on his skin, to taste and tease and prove that he was alive and free.
He lifted up and allowed Magnus to pull the shirt completely off, smiling slightly when it hit the floor. “What was that about ceilings?”
Slade chuckled. “Nothing, dear.” He’d revisit the idea later, when he didn’t have other things to occupy his mind and his hands.
Magnus, despite the hunger Slade could clearly see in his gaze, was still careful of Slade’s wounds. He watched Slade’s expression as he carefully removed Slade’s pants, searching for any signs of discomfort.
Slade was terrified that Magnus would stop if he so much as flinched. Years of hiding himself from everyone came to his rescue as he made sure Magnus didn’t suspect he was still in pain. Slade would rather experience the discomfort of his jeans brushing over the marks on his legs than have Magnus stop.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Magnus rubbed his hand over Slade’s calf. “We can wait if you’re not ready yet.”
“Do it and die.” Slade glared at Magnus. “I swear if I beat off one more time my hand will fall off.” Just smelling Magnus’s scent on the sheets was enough to make his dick hard. Having Magnus naked and at his mercy?
Slade was already close to coming, and he’d barely been touched.
Magnus studied him for a long moment, making Slade nervous as hell. “You’re right arm is a little bigger than your left, now that I think about it.”
“Magnus.”
Magnus took hold of his right hand and examined his fingers one by one, touching each of them. “And you do seem to have calluses on your hand.”
“I will seriously end you.” As much as Slade loved the playful side of Magnus, now was so not the time.
When Magnus poked Slade’s cock, Slade hoped they’d finally get this show on the road. “It does look a little red and angry there.”
“I swear, if you don’t suck, I’ll blow.”
Magnus’s eyes sparkled with laughter.
Slade glared back. “And not in the good way.”
Magnus grinned. “Any other demands while you’re at it?”
Slade tilted his head, thinking about it. “Yup.”
“What?” Magnus stroked Slade’s cock, and Slade’s eyes crossed.
“Could we do this before I die of old age?” Slade could barely speak, his voice cracking as Magnus ran his tongue over the head of his cock.
“You’re immortal, remember?”
“Exactly!”
Magnus leaned his head on Slade’s thigh and laughed.
Slade whimpered in frustration, his head banging against the pillows. “You’re killing me here.”
“Sorry.” Magnus more than made up for it when he finally, thank you gods, took Slade’s cock in his mouth. “Is that better?”
“It was.” Slade pointed toward his now wet dick. “Finish him!”
Magnus looked like he was having far too much fun for a man who was not sucking Slade’s cock. “You’ve been playing video games again.”
Like Slade had much more to do while he healed. “Magnus Tate, I swear to…oh…”
He never got to finish the threat. Magnus swallowed him down to the root, something no other lover had ever managed to do before. He had a brief second to be furiously jealous before Magnus began to suck him in earnest, bringing Slade quickly to the brink of explosion. “Please.” He began babbling, barely aware of what he was croaking out as his vision blurred and the pleasure overwhelmed his senses.
When Magnus’s finger breached him, Slade cracked, thrusting into Magnus’s mouth with a fierceness that startled them both. This was his mate whose mouth was on him, his mate wh
o was giving him everything, and Slade took it, cupping the back of Magnus’s head with greedy fingers. He wanted it all, wanted the burn of being breached, the warm, wet heat that surrounded him. He wanted, needed, to feel his mate’s passion for him, to know that nothing could take Magnus from him.
He’d kill any who tried.
Slade screamed, the orgasm washing over him so strong he thought he might black out. He poured himself into Magnus’s mouth, the force of the ecstasy shuddering through him. When it finally ended, when he was spent and limp and panting for breath, Magnus was there, holding him close as he burst into surprised tears.
“Shh. It’s okay, Slade. I understand.”
He probably did. Magnus knew what it was like to go from unwanted burden to desired lover. “Thank you.” For so much more than the orgasm, but Slade didn’t say it. He didn’t have to. Magnus understood without the words.
He proved it by hugging Slade tightly. “You’re welcome.”
After a few moments Magnus rolled over and plucked a knife off the bedside table. “I want to bond with you.”
Slade blinked away more tears. “Are you sure?”
Magnus smiled sweetly and slashed his palm. “Blood to blood, you are mine.”
“Blood to blood.” Slade held up his shaking hand, barely feeling it when Magnus gave him a shallow cut. “Thank you.”
Magnus blew him a kiss and pressed their palms together. “Mine.”
Slade shuddered as the warmth of his lover seeped into him.
“Any luck?” Sylvia stretched, pulling the headphones from her ears. They’d set up to record anything that was heard, but Sylvia was afraid they’d miss something that was immediately dangerous to either themselves or Logan, so she’d chosen the boring task of listening to the goings-on in the Grimm mansion. So far, she’d heard nothing more than the everyday conversations she’d expect in any household, along with the deep affection Henry and Luther held for Frederica.
Hell. If the goddess would just give up her obsession with destroying Logan maybe she could live a happy life with her lovers. But Frederica had never been known as a woman who walked away from something she saw as a personal injury. She still, after so many years, believed Logan was bad for her son.
Talk about the mother-in-law from hell. Humans might complain about their MILs, but Frederica really would put a curse on Logan if she could. Sylvia spared a brief thought for the long-dead Nanna, Kir’s wife when he still lived his life as the god Baldur, who’d been forced to put up with the woman during her marriage to him.
“No, but I expected it to take some time.” Sydney’s tone was absent as she tapped away at her keyboard. “I’m working on hacking Logan’s computer first.”
“Why? I thought we’d do Frederica’s.” Sylvia didn’t always understand how Sydney’s mind worked, but the woman knew what she was doing when it came to computers.
“We’re capturing her incoming and outgoing traffic. I’m saving everything to go over later. That was the easy part, once I got to her computer. Nope. Breaking Logan’s security is the real challenge.”
Someone was having way too much fun. Sydney was practically cackling with glee as she typed. “Okay.” Sylvia stood, the Thai they’d had for dinner long since gone. “Want a snack?”
“Sure. Do we have any more of that Greek yogurt you got last Monday?”
“I think so.” It was Sydney’s favorite snack, so Sylvia made sure to keep it on hand. She carried back two yogurts and two glasses of water. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Sydney took both the drink and the snack. “I’m still not sure what Frederica hopes to find.”
“You think she planted something on Logan’s computer?”
“Pfft.” Sydney shook her head. “Please. I’m the best she’s got, and I know I didn’t break through Logan’s security to put something there. She doesn’t have anyone else with near the skill I’ve got.”
“She could have used her powers, cast a spell on something.” Sydney frowned thoughtfully. “Done right, all it would take is an email attachment.”
“Logan wouldn’t open anything from Frederica.”
“No, but would he open something from Nik or Kye, or even me?” Sydney shrugged. “All she’d need is the passwords for their email accounts.”
“I suppose.” Damn, it was possible Frederica had done just that. Nik DeWitt and Kye Vanderale, Heimdall and Njord respectively, had both been on the books at Grimm and Sons. Frederica would have access to those accounts now that she’d taken over the business. “But what could she put on there that would be bad enough to get Kir to leave Logan and go home to her?”
Sydney bit her lip. “Proof of infidelity.”
Sylvia let that idea roll around for a bit. What she remembered of Baldur was a sweet-natured man, easily laughing, but not one to be trifled with when his anger was roused. If he could be convinced that Logan had been unfaithful, that anger might be enough to push Logan out into the cold before reason reestablished itself. “What should we do? Should we tell them?”
Sydney shook her head. “Let me see if I can find anything first. I could be wrong, but it’s the only thing I can think of that could break them up.”
“Do you think your hacking could set off whatever it is she planted?” Sylvia had no idea if that was even possible, but she wouldn’t put anything past Frederica. The spell could be keyed to a hacking attempt, which would be why she’d set Sydney and Sylvia to finding it rather than waiting for Kir to find it.
“I…don’t know.” For the first time Sylvia looked alarmed. “I suppose that’s possible. Normally, if I was dealing with a human, I’d say no, but…” She shrugged. “She’s crafty enough to set it up that way.”
“I might be paranoid, but that’s what I would do. I mean, it’s obvious to anyone who sees them how deeply Logan loves Kir and Jordan. There’s no way he’d do anything to jeopardize his relationship with them.”
“We have to hope, then, that Kir would see a trap.”
“Not if she spelled it correctly.”
Sydney was beginning to frighten Sylvia. “Oh, shit.” If Frederica put the spell on the attachment in such a way that Kir would be under its influence rather than, say, Logan, it could mean disaster. Kir would react as if he believed the evidence, even if it was wildly implausible. “We definitely need to warn them, even if they don’t believe us.”
“What if we get to their place and there’s nothing on Logan’s computer? What then?” Sydney stood, throwing out her trash and picking up her purse. For all she was protesting, she obviously planned on going through with it.
“Then we tell them what Frederica is up to and have them help listen in on her.” Sydney grabbed her own purse, ready to head out.
Before she could get two steps, the lights went out. “Crap.”
“I’ll get the flashlight.”
Sydney might be calm, but Sylvia was freaking the hell out. “There’s no storm.”
“Huh?”
Sylvia could hear Syd rummaging around for the flashlight, cursing softly. “I said, there’s no storm. Why did the lights go out?”
Silence. “Oh, fuck.”
Sylvia nodded, even though she knew Syd couldn’t see her. “We need to get out.”
Syd whimpered. “You think it’s Val?”
“He has no reason to come after us, Syd.” She really needed to get over her fear of the Avenger. If she did, she might be able to figure out a way to get the man to notice her.
“If he thinks we really are working for Frederica, he does.” The click of the flashlight and the sudden burst of light had her blinking. “Let’s go.”
Sylvia followed Sydney, her senses on high alert. There was no way they could fight Val or Odin or Henry, or hell, anyone. Neither of them were warriors. Thor had protected her when they’d been married, even when he was unfaithful.
After their divorce, there’d been no need for warriors, as the advent of modern times meant Sylvia felt relatively safe within the boundaries Odin had set for them. Hell, even after the Old Man had been defeated and the apples of Idunn put under lock and key, she’d felt safe.
Now that sense of safety mocked her. She tiptoed toward her front door, terrified out of her mind. Her heart was pounding, her palms sweating, the fear causing every little creak to sound twice as loud as it really was. “Syd?”
“Yeah?” Syd reached for the door handle.
“Be careful.” Syd was even less ready for a confrontation than Sylvia was.
“Sure thing.” But Sydney’s voice was shaking, the light from the flashlight moving erratically. Her friend was just as terrified as she was.
After a deep, cleansing breath, Syd opened the front door and took a look around. “No one there.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Sylvia put her hand on Syd’s shoulder, more than ready to get the hell out of Dodge.
When a hand landed on her shoulder, she shrieked so loud she was certain she woke up Hel.
Chapter Five
“He cried?” Morgan took off the headphones, his expression surprised. He set down the headphones and began to laugh. “He seriously had a crymax?”
Magnus smacked his brother hard. “Dickhead. At least I know my kitchen table is safe to eat off of.”
Morgan only laughed harder. “Mama always said we should eat at the table.”
Magnus rolled his eyes and tried to ignore his idiot twin. He had more important things to worry about. “I don’t think Slade’s had any real affection in his entire life, and he got overwhelmed.”
Morgan stared at his headphones, his laughter subsiding abruptly for real concern. “Are you worried that he might be broken?”
He gave that some thought. If anyone else had asked, his response would have been immediate and angry, but this was his twin. Morgan wouldn’t ask if he wasn’t truly worried about Slade. If Slade had been broken Morgan would have been among the first to grab the emotional duct tape. “No, I don’t think so. He’s damaged, yes, but not broken.”
Not Broken: True Destiny, Book 5 Page 5
