Kir nodded. “All three of us.”
“Five, once I spawn.” Jordan sighed wearily. “Please, let me spawn soon.”
The laughter was a welcome relief.
Chapter Six
“So you two are moving in, all right?”
Sylvia watched as Kir devoured a truly impressive amount of pizza. “We are?”
They’d filled Logan, Kir and Jordan in over a quick dinner of takeout and cola. The only one who even came close to matching him was Slade, who apparently did have the constitution of a horse. From the way Magnus looked at the man, and the way Slade returned those heated glances, it was obvious that not only was that normal but the two of them were together the way Logan and Kir were.
Both Magnus and Slade were delicious, but apparently they were off the menu. Damn it. “Sydney and I will get our own place, right?”
Magnus and Slade both scowled. “You’ll move in with us. Sydney will have her own place.”
What? “Why would I move in with you two?”
Slade blushed. “I…” He coughed, his voice rough. “I mean, we…” His voice cracked. Slade stared at Magnus. “Mag?”
Magnus’s scowl deepened, but there was something there, in his gaze, that made her wonder if just maybe she had a shot at both of them. “Because we said so.”
“Here.” Kir handed her a key, one with a peanut M&M on it. He handed a completely different one to Sydney. “These are yours.”
Sydney was trembling so hard Sylvia was surprised she was still on her feet. “But, we’ve roomed together for a long time.” Syd shot her a terrified look. “Who will remind me to eat?”
Sylvia looked at Slade, then Magnus. “Can she have a key?”
It was Logan who answered. “I don’t see why not, until she’s got her new roommate anyway.” He snickered as Sydney paled. “You’ll like her. Trust me.”
“Ah. Okay?” Syd practically ran from the room, taking her empty plate and half-eaten slice of pizza into the kitchen.
“She really does forget things like eating and sleeping.” Sylvia was worried about her friend. “She won’t starve to death, but she’ll be miserable and stinky.”
Logan seemed shocked. “She wasn’t like that when…”
“When you were married?” Sylvia shrugged. “The Internet hadn’t been invented back then.”
“Is she addicted to online gambling or something?” Kir actually seemed concerned.
“Nope. She found what she’s really good at, and she loves it to pieces. Only thing is, she gets caught up in her work and forgets the basics.”
“Like combing my hair.” Sydney rejoined them, smiling at Sylvia.
“Or peeing.”
Sydney giggled. “I hate gravity.”
The men looked confused, and Sylvia didn’t plan on explaining. She too had gotten caught up in something, realized she was thirsty, and stood, only then to feel the intense need for what Sylvia called a “bio break”. Sydney loved her online games, and often used phrases that confused the hell out of Sylvia.
A knock on the door interrupted them, and Logan waved everyone back to their seat. “I’ll get it.”
He led in Travis and a woman Sylvia didn’t know. “Sylvia, Sydney, meet Toni. Toni, this—” he pointed to Sylvia, “—is Sif, aka Sylvia, and this—” he pointed to Sydney, “—is my ex-wife Sigyn, aka Sydney.”
“Hi.” Toni waved hello, her dark eyes missing nothing. The woman carried herself like a warrior, like Magnus and Morgan did. She stood with her hands on her hips, surveying the people in the room with the air of someone who was always suspicious, always curious about what people were up to. “Which one of you is Slade?”
Slade held up his hand. “I am.”
Toni nodded. “Okay. Let me just—”
“We lied to you.” Travis stood with his back to the front door, blocking any possibility of an exit.
Toni did a slow pan toward Travis. Sylvia would have been shaking in her boots, but Travis stood firm in the face of the woman’s lowered brow. “Excuse me?”
Logan attempted to placate her. “We have it on good authority that you’re in danger.”
“Whose authority?” For just a second, Sylvia saw fear flash across Toni’s face.
“Nik’s.”
“That son of a bitch.” Toni put out a growl worthy of Fenris. “He’s been watching me.”
She didn’t seem surprised by that. “Why would the Guardian be watching you?” Sylvia didn’t understand why Nik would be watching one mortal woman to the point of warning Logan that she was in danger.
Magnus leaned over and whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her. “Toni has Valkyrie blood. She healed Fenris, and Fenris and Logan declared her family. She also helped save Jamie, Jeff’s sister, from the Old Man.”
“Oh.” Yes, that would make her of interest to the Guardian.
“She also doesn’t take shit from anyone, not even Kir.” Slade seemed in awe of her. “I heard her on the phone with him when he tried to convince her to move in. She’s fierce.”
“She’s also right here.” Sylvia glanced over to find Toni glaring at them. “She also has an important job.”
“I got you assigned here by your chief.” Travis crossed his arms, his missing hand less evident as he did so. “He owed me some favors and I called them in.”
Toni’s jaw dropped. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m working a homicide right now, I don’t have time to babysit your lame ass.”
Sylvia laughed. “I think it’s more he’s babysitting you.” When Toni glared, Sylvia laughed harder. “Travis was once lord of the Vanir. He’s the strongest warrior we have. If anyone is doing the protecting, it’s him.”
Travis nodded slowly when Toni stared at him. “I don’t know if the danger Nik saw comes from your case or something else, but until he tells me you’re safe you’ll be living with us.”
Kir piped up, holding a key. “With Sydney, to be exact.”
Sydney groaned. “Oh, please no. She’s going to hate me.”
“She won’t hate you.” Magnus surprised Sylvia by pulling Sydney close and glaring at Toni. “Will she?”
“I might, depending on some things.” Toni crossed her arms, not at all intimidated by Magnus’s scowl. “For one, was she in on this?”
“No, but I was.” Magnus put Sydney behind him and took a step, placing himself before both Slade and Sylvia as well. “And I agree with Nik. There’s no way you can defend yourself from the Old Man. Not yet, anyway. He’ll tear you apart without a thought. He’s killed humans before just to lure us out of hiding, tortured his own grandkids, skinned Sleipnir alive. You think he’ll stop at making you uncomfortable?”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Against a god?” Magnus’s fingertips sparked. “Against someone who can crawl through the shadows to get to you?”
Toni stared at his hands and sighed. “Fine. How long am I in jail for?”
The lightning died from Magnus’s fingertips. “It’s not jail. It’s…family.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’m Italian, I know family.” She sighed, defeat in her stance and the way the fight went out of her expression. “All right. I get it. And in an odd way, I even appreciate it. I just wish it wasn’t necessary. I was this close to capturing a serial killer and now I have to hand the case to someone else.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Travis exchanged a glance with Magnus and Morgan. “Perhaps we can help to make up for it.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Toni walked over to Sydney and held out her hand. “I swear to God I’m not a psychopath.”
Sydney took Toni’s outstretched hand. “I swear I’m not either.” She tilted her head. “Unless you count my vampiric assassin dohvakin. She’s a freaking nut.”
Toni blinked, then her eyes narrow
ed and an evil smirk crossed her face. “I used to be an adventurer like you.”
Syd beamed at Toni. “But then I took—”
“—an arrow to the knee!” The women echoed each other, laughing when they were done.
Sylvia watched as the two women linked arms and began discussing things like armor types, loot, tanking, and melee and ranged fighting styles versus magic. It was as if the rest of them no longer existed. “They’re both gonna starve to death.”
Magnus shook his head, amused. “Sisters by another mister, huh?”
She huffed out a laugh. “I guess so.”
Slade slid between Sylvia and Magnus and put his arms around each of their waists. “I like it.”
The wistfulness in his tone had her looking at him sharply. “Slade?”
He surprised her by leaning his forehead against her own. “It’s just nice to see family, that’s all.”
She gazed into his eyes, his pensive expression becoming something more, something warmer. The desire in his gaze caused her pulse to race. His warmth as he stood close seeped into her, his scent filling her senses. Sleek, powerful and beautiful, she could see why Magnus was smitten with him.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stepped back, turning to Magnus. “I need to rest.” His voice was scratchy, like someone had run a grater over his vocal cords.
“Go. I’ll take care of things out here. We’ll be in soon.”
We?
“Don’t do anything that will open up your side.” Slade kissed Magnus’s cheek. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
Slade turned toward her. “Don’t worry so much. Everything will work out.” He pressed another kiss to her forehead. “And get off that foot.”
“Yes, Slade.”
He smiled sweetly and headed toward what she assumed was the bedroom.
Kir, Logan and Jordan corralled Sydney and Toni toward the front door, Travis not far behind them. “Let’s leave these guys alone. We’ll show you to your new condo.” Travis opened the door. “After you, hothead.”
“Thanks, lefty.” Logan sauntered out, waving his hand. “Later.”
Once they were gone, Sylvia turned to Magnus. “We?”
He frowned for a second before his expression cleared. “Oh. Yes, we.” He cupped the back of her head, those strong fingers sliding through her hair. It had been so long since she’d felt a touch like that, a man who wanted her so badly he was trembling with it.
“I thought you and Slade were together.”
He slowly smiled. “We are.”
But… “Then why are you touching me?”
“Because we want you.”
Again with the we. She shivered, wondering if it was possible, if what he was saying could possibly be what she was hearing. “Like Logan, Kir and Jordan?”
“Exactly.” His fingers tightened, his grip becoming almost painful. “I’ve wanted you for so long, but I couldn’t touch you, not while you still held my father in your heart.”
“I don’t anymore.” Her voice had been reduced to a whisper as she gazed into his moss-green eyes.
“I hoped.” His tone was equally quiet. His expression was full of a yearning that hadn’t been directed toward her in decades. “Please be ours, Sylvia.”
She closed her eyes, her heart at odds with her head. She’d been burnt so badly by his father. Could she offer her heart to another Grimm? Could she take that risk, especially when another fragile heart was involved?
Before she could reply he kissed her, silently begging her to open her mouth and her heart, asking rather than demanding that she submit. It was at total odds with the grip he still had on her head, holding her in place while he slowly, methodically tasted her.
She opened her mouth, getting her first taste of a Grimm man since Thor left her all those years ago. She was shocked at what she discovered.
He tasted right, better than Thor ever had.
The kiss was filled with a longing so intense she trembled, unsure if that yearning need was his or hers.
When he finally lifted his head she had a hard time opening her eyes. She was too busy savoring the things she’d learned from a not-so-simple kiss.
“So. Here’s how it’s going to be.”
That got her to open her eyes. He hadn’t let go of her, and the demand was spoken in such a quiet, firm tone she wasn’t sure at first if it was an order or not.
“You’re going to sleep in the same bed as Slade and I. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will happen without your approval. For now, all we’ll do is sleep or talk, whatever you prefer.” His grip on her head eased. “Slade and I both want you in our lives, but the choice has to be yours.”
Sylvia wasn’t certain she understood. “Slade barely knows me. Why would he want me?” She’d never been cruel to him when he’d been in his horse form, but she hadn’t been all that affectionate either. No one had. They’d been afraid to touch Odin’s horse.
“There’s more to him than meets the eye. He’s been watching all of us for centuries, Sylvia. He probably knows more about how we work than we do. And we’re the ones he’s chosen, the ones he wants to protect him and love him, whom he wants to protect right back.” Magnus smiled. “All either of us wants is a chance.” The smile dropped away, and that desperate need was back. “Please.”
How could she say no? She had the chance to discover if maybe, just maybe, she’d finally find the one thing she’d been longing for all these years. Slade and Magnus were willing to take a chance on her.
She was more than willing to do the same for them. “Yes.”
The relief on his face, the sheer joy, told her this meant more to him that she’d realized. She would do her best not to fuck things up. She wasn’t certain how she’d handle two strong-willed men. Could she deal with the fact that the both of them seemed fond of telling her what to do?
Even as Magnus took her to the bedroom she wondered if getting everything she’d wanted would be worth the price.
Sylvia woke the next morning knowing two things.
The first thing was, she wasn’t alone. Someone was snoring so loudly she was surprised that she’d managed to sleep through it at all.
The second was that she was being watched.
Barely breathing, she opened her eyes, terrified of what she’d find.
A dark gaze held hers. Slade’s full lips lifted in a soft smile. “Good morning.” His voice was soft, no doubt in consideration of the buzz saw going off behind her.
“Morning.” She was still debating the whole good thing.
“Sleep well?” He brushed back a strand of her hair, his hand surprisingly calloused. It was one of the many contradictions she’d noticed about Slade Saeter. Soft and hard, sweet yet determined, Slade was a mass of confusing signals.
“Surprisingly, yes, despite Buzz.” She hitched her thumb over her shoulder, stifling a laugh as Magnus gave one obnoxiously loud snore.
“We’ll get used to it.”
“We will?” Sylvia was still having a hard time with the change of direction her life had taken.
Slade’s expression turned mischievous. “Either that or we smother him in his sleep.”
Her eyes crossed. From the decibels coming from Magnus’s throat she would have thought he’d gotten the thunder part of Thor’s power, not the lightning. “I don’t think he’d notice.”
Slade’s shoulders shook as he tried to stifle his laughter. Those dark eyes were filled with joy as he watched her. “You have no idea how happy I am that you’re here.” He stroked her cheek, his raspy voice deeper than she’d yet heard it.
Despite Magnus’s snoring, there was something intimate about how Slade spoke, the way he cuddled them closer under the sheets. She was wearing a pair of Slade’s shorts Magnus had lent her, along with a T-shirt that she was swimming in. She
had no doubt her hair was a mess, and her breath would probably cause a dog to barf, but Slade still looked at her as if she was worth more than all the gold in Alfheim. “Then tell me.”
She winced. Could she sound any more needy? It had been so long since Sylvia had felt feminine, wanted, that Slade’s slowly heating gaze warmed her from the inside out.
“I’ve watched you for a long time.”
Her brows rose. “That’s not creepy at all.”
He chuckled, the carnal heat morphing into affection. “So I suppose I shouldn’t mention how your scent would drive me insane?” He was running his fingers through her hair, gently separating the strands, seemingly fascinated by the texture. “Or how I’d watch you at gatherings, the way your hair shone brighter than the sun. The way you’d try and take care of everyone, or how steadfast you were even when it became obvious Thor wasn’t the man you’d hoped he would be.”
Thor’s memory still hurt, even after all of this time, and it was that memory that kept her from fully embracing the attraction she felt toward Magnus. The man was yummy, his gaze filled with a longing she fully returned, but…
But…
Argh. She was his stepmother! How could she get past that?
Magnus and Morgan were the result of an affair Thor had while still married to her, and while she’d resented the mother, she’d done her best not to resent the sons. She hadn’t raised them because their mother had, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t remember a young Magnus running around the Thing, the sacred gathering place of the gods, laughing with his twin. Or the teenage Magnus, frowning in concentration as he learned how to fight from his father.
Or an adult Magnus, watching her with a barely hidden hunger she didn’t dare acknowledge.
“What’s got you frowning, elskede?”
Sylvia was startled to hear the endearment from Slade. He couldn’t know her well enough to call her his love. “Magnus and Thor.”
He nodded. “Does it bother you that you’re sleeping with Thor’s son?”
“Duh.” She glanced over her shoulder, reassured when Magnus didn’t wake. She hadn’t meant to say that quite so loudly, but at least he’d stopped snoring. “Thor and I were apart for far longer than we were together, but still. I was faithful even when he wasn’t.”
Not Broken: True Destiny, Book 5 Page 7