by Jane Cousins
Galen gripped the arms of his chair, tamping down hard on the urge to leap forward and sweep her up. Instead, acting casual, he leaned back in the chair and smiled in welcome while he busily checked she had all her requisite fingers, toes and limbs. She looked in good health. Rocking khaki cargo pants and a tight, white, long sleeved t-shirt. “Stephanie. Hey. What brings you by?”
Stephanie’s gaze roamed eagerly over her Demon. Galen’s hair was a little longer, and he might have lost some weight but he looked self-assured, arrogant and gorgeous sitting behind his large desk, in a white shirt, silver tie, black pinstriped waistcoat and matching trousers. Her heart thumped faster in her chest and a weird jolt of joy shot through her gut at the sight of him. “Why aren’t you lording over all and sundry back in your new personal Palace?”
“I told you, I never wanted to be King. I found someone… well, not better qualified, but better suited to sorting out the mess Laynn created. He might bitch and moan about it but he has an uncanny inventive knack of resolving any problem big or small.”
Stephanie took a big deep breath in and let it out slowly, trying to release all the frustrations that had assailed her recently. She’d been on the hunt for Galen for the past four days. She’d crossed Realms. Sneaked into the Conflict Demon Palace, and when she found no sign of him, had immediately headed to New York. Only to be stonewalled by the staff at his offices there who refused to tell her Galen’s whereabouts. That was until she cornered a young intern and threatened to show him what the colour of his entrails looked like.
“What are you doing here?” Los Angeles? Her home town. Right under her very nose.
“What are you doing here?” He challenged right back. He should be pouring his heart out right now, earning nothing but her scorn and pity. He could work with pity. It was a pathetic foundation to build a relationship on. He swore he wasn’t picky, only desperate, but something was holding him back. Pride. He loved this woman. And here she was, right in front of him. Yet he found himself falling back on his Demon defences, pushing hot buttons, wanting to shatter that cool, calm, impenetrable façade she was projecting.
A small sliver of hope ignited in his gut. Stephanie had come to him. Tracked him down. There had to be a very good reason for that.
“We have some unfinished business.”
That small flicker of hope in Galen’s gut unfurled, burning a little brighter, hotter. He stood up, slowly rounding the desk. “Oh, really?”
Damn, that heated look in those ink dark eyes of his almost undid her as he approached, like a predator closing in on his prey. Except Stephanie was no prey. Lifting her chin slightly she met his gaze. She’d sworn when she found him she’d tell him how she felt. But here, now, faced with the opportunity, she felt… weird.
Her gut full of fluttery creatures that made her vaguely nauseous. Was this what it felt like to be nervous? If so, she really despised it. It made her feel unsure and off balance. Worse, she was standing here, frozen, like a dummy. Say something. Anything. “I know where the money is.”
“What money?”
“Gil Rainter’s money. I know where he’s hiding it.”
A sharp stab of disappointment speared Galen. He’d forgotten he’d asked Stephanie to go through the Rainter file back in the cavern to see if she could work out where the asshole was hiding his assets. “Where?”
“That rental property he owns in New Jersey? He replaced the water heater four years ago, putting in a large, heavy-duty deluxe version. He never spends money unnecessarily. What do you want to bet he squirrelled the money away in it?”
Galen nodded, reluctantly backing off from her, leaning against his desk. “Sounds like a reasonable assumption. I’ll have one of my people look into it. Good thinking.” Galen gripped the edges of the desk until his knuckles turned white. His inner Demon raking his insides, howling for him to sweep the Valkyrie up in his arms and never let her go. He had to fight every instinct he had. Stephanie would smack him down faster than a lightning bolt if he invaded her personal space uninvited.
Stephanie hid a frown. She’d been expecting a little more excitement on Galen’s behalf that she’d cracked the case wide open. At the very least an effusive display of gratitude. An exuberant hug. A heated kiss. Sex on top of his wide, sturdy looking desk. “That’s it?”
“If your idea pans out, then just know if you ever get tired of slogging it out on the battlefield, you could come work for me as an investigator.”
“My days on the battlefield are on hold for the moment. I took on the CEO role of the Valkyrie Empire just over a month ago now. I’ve gone Corporate, if you can believe that?”
Galen couldn’t help but grin. He knew Stephanie had been at a crossroads in her life when they met, conflicted about whether to stay on the path she was on or step up, lead, and push for sweeping operational changes. “Congrats. I hope the coup wasn’t too nasty?”
“It was rather disappointing as coups go. My predecessor couldn’t exit the office or building fast enough. Almost gave me whiplash. Since then, it’s been nothing but kicking stubborn, for the sake of it, butt-headed Valkyries and our mulish suppliers into shape.” She shifted from foot to foot, absently bouncing a little. This was not the conversation she’d intended to have with Galen, but she couldn’t seem to find a way to shift gears. How could she subtly raise the subject of them and find out discreetly how Galen felt about her?
“Well, now that I’m living here, maybe you’ll let me take you out to dinner? As a small way of saying thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Saving me from turning berserker stabby. Usurping my aunt from the throne.”
“And don’t forget the sex.” Hah, points to her, she’d totally brought up the subject of them subtly.
Heated flashbacks hammered Galen, causing him to grip the edge of the desk so tightly, he was surprised the bones in his hands could withstand the pressure. Remember, casual. “You know. It’s funny you should bring the subject up.”
“Sex?” Stephanie gave herself a mental pat on the back. She had adroitly steered the conversation in the right direction at last, but she wanted to double check that Galen hadn’t missed her cunningly discreet topic shift.
Okay. Galen had been about to suggest a time and place for their proposed dinner date. However, his cock had gone supernova hard the moment those sweet lips of hers formed the word sex. When she doubled down on it, saying the word again? All his primal Demon instincts lit up. Reminding him that Stephanie was no average woman, she was a Valkyrie. She didn’t crave candlelit dinners or romantic weekends in the wine country. She respected strength and directness.
“Yes. Sex. I think we should do it again.”
Hmm, she really liked that idea, but something was missing from this whole equation and Stephanie couldn’t put her finger on why she felt vaguely disappointed. Even though her lady parts were signalling they were totally on board with such an arrangement.
Galen kept talking. “You’re obviously very busy with your new role. Whilst I’m swamped getting this new office up and running. If we compare calendars, perhaps we could set up a schedule?” He was pretty sure his Valkyrie would appreciate his business-like suggestion. Once he was in her life on a regular basis he intended to make himself indispensable. If he was lucky, Stephanie might not even realise they were in a relationship. It could potentially give him time… years… decades even, to find a way to burrow his way into her heart.
“A sex schedule?” Was that what busy professional people did now? It sounded kind of… cold, even to her practical Valkyrie nature. Although she did like the idea of having a claim… on Galen’s time. Hmmm, speaking of which. “So, basically you’re saying you’ll use me for casual, convenient sex until your soul mate shows up to claim you?”
“Not going to happen.” He was looking at his mate right at this moment. “And there won’t be any using. It will be a mutual, beneficial arrangement. Satisfaction guaranteed, since we already know we get along in and out of the sack.”<
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“True. But the soul mate thing… I’d always be waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Stephanie rested her fists on her hips. “We’ll be cruising along, then bam, in she walks, claims you, and suddenly I’ll have to find someone else to bang boots with every Tuesday and Thursday night.”
Galen couldn’t help the throaty, low, possessive growl from erupting forth. “There will be no banging anyone else’s boots.”
“So we’ll be monogamous then?”
He didn’t want her feeling trapped but he had no intention of sharing her. “Exclusive, yes.”
“You know, correct me if I’m wrong, but that kind of sounds like a… relationship.”
Damn. He needed to tread carefully here, not scare her off. “An arrangement.”
“You’re proposing a mutually exclusive arrangement that includes sex? And I suppose you are going to want to tell me about your day occasionally? Freyja knows, I’ll no doubt end up ranting about what stubborn pains in the ass my Sisters can sometimes be. Plus, with this… arrangement, we’ll presumably end up sharing meals together, for convenience sake, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, probably.” Lord Lucifer save him, he was liking Stephanie’s definition of their proposed arrangement more and more.
“Hmm, and unless you plan to kick me out after we’ve done the deed, then I’ll inevitably end up sleeping over occasionally. Which means carpooling would only be practical. Also, you should probably factor in designating a drawer in the bathroom for me where I can keep my lady crap.”
“You have lady crap?”
“I have lady parts, of course I have lady crap. Plus, I never go anywhere without slathering on sunscreen, that’s just smart. So I’ll definitely be needing a drawer.”
“I’ll tell you what, I haven’t purchased a place to live yet. If you feel particularly strongly about the size of your bathroom drawer, you can accompany me and help me pick out a suitable abode.”
“Okay.”
Seriously? He really hadn’t expected Stephanie to agree to that taunting challenge. By the Fiery Pits, what the hell was going on here? Stephanie was too intelligent to buy his arrangement blather. She knew he was talking about them being in a relationship and she wasn’t running. More surprising, she was agreeing to join him on a house hunt.
He could barely keep from launching himself at her, demanding to know if she was truly suggesting that they begin a relationship based on more than just sex. His Valkyrie had mentioned chatting about the highlights of their day. Sharing meals together. Sleeping over and even, - Lucifer damn - carpooling. Not once had she flinched.
Galen was thinking about kissing her, and never stopping. This conversation was going extraordinarily well. Problem was, he was afraid if they kept on talking then he would only mess things up. And no way in Hell could he bring up the ‘L’ word. Though for the first time since he met her he truly believed at some stage in the future he’d be able to tell Stephanie how he felt and there was the slimmest of possibilities that she may not decapitate him on the spot. Hope blossomed in his gut.
“You know; you never did tell me what a Demoness has to say.”
“Say?”
“To claim her Demon.”
There was a determined expression on Stephanie’s face. She was not going to let this go. He needed to find the right words to reassure her that it would never happen to him. “Claiming, for my culture, isn’t so much about the words, but intent.”
“So why didn’t Aspen’s claiming you work? She was hell bent on having you. Certainly the intent was there.”
Galen so didn’t want to be talking about his ex right now. Though perhaps if they hashed this out now he could knock on the head any final hesitations Stephanie might have about them. “It takes two to create a claiming. The female must issue the claim, the intent, if you will. But the male Demon, he must be willing to accept that claim. My father always said it was like a key turning in a lock. I know one distant cousin who swears his girlfriend said – It’s your turn to take out the garbage. And that was it. His inner Demon just knew that what she was really saying was - I choose you for the rest of my life.”
“Intent, huh?” Stephanie abruptly turned on her heel and headed for the open office door.
Damn it, she was leaving. See, this is why he hadn’t want to keep on talking. He should have just jumped her the moment she mentioned she wanted a drawer of her own in his bathroom. Wait, she wasn’t leaving? He watched as Stephanie closed the door firmly, turning to lean back against it, crossing her arms. Oh, Lucifer, he loved that cocky smile that suddenly tilted up the edges of her lips. Her blue eyes sparkling with heated intent as they met his gaze.
“What’s up, Buttercup?”
He was across the room in under a second, his mouth on hers, revelling in the feel of those petal soft warm lips pressing against his. Her strong hands clutching at his back, pulling him in roughly, rubbing that bodacious rack against his chest. He hauled her up higher, lifting her into his arms, delighting in the way those long legs of hers wrapped tightly around his waist. Fucking hell. She’d claimed him.
His Valkyrie had claimed him. With three little words. Words he would treasure until the day he died. He couldn’t help but laugh with happiness even as he kissed her. She was his. He was hers.
Stephanie had felt the connection click into place the moment she’d finished speaking and witnessed that instant flash of silver flame firing across Galen’s eyes in answer. That furnace level heat in his gaze both soothed her soul and stoked her libido. Still, she wanted to be crystal clear about where they stood.
Sinking her hand into the silky thickness of his hair that brushed against his collar she pulled, wrenching her own mouth from his. “So, that’s a yes?”
“Lucifer, yes. You… I can’t believe you just did that. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to claim me.”
Stephanie rolled her eyes. “If you haven’t worked it out by now, subtlety is not my strong suit. I need clear instructions, especially when it comes to something like this… us, together. A Valkyrie and a Conflict Demon? Who would have thought it? How is it supposed to work do you think?”
He walked across the office, depositing Stephanie’s butt down on the desk. “I suppose like every other couple. We live together. We have each other’s backs. We’ll squabble and fight, and make up with hot sex.”
“Promise?”
“Definitely. You’ll bitch and moan but let me take care of you. You’ll work harder at keeping yourself safe so you can come home to me unscathed. Unless you want me to get out the first aid kit and play doctor. I expect you to kick my butt when I get too wrapped up in a case, and ensure each and every day I make you my number one priority.”
“I suppose I can live with that.”
“We’ll buy a big house. You can have an entire bathroom to yourself if you want.”
“As long as there’s enough room to store my weapons.”
“Count on it.”
“Good… and maybe we could have a home gym with a punching bag.”
“You liked watching me workout, huh?”
“I like even more the idea of us sparring on the challenge mats.”
“I look forward to it. One last thing, Valkyrie. Claiming me, it’s more than enough, if you do nothing else in this life but be mine, I will always consider myself the happiest of Demons. I just need you to know, to understand…” Galen found himself choking up, he never thought he’d have this. His sanity. His future. Stephanie.
“I love you too, Buttercup.”
Galen felt beyond honoured. For the first time in his entire existence, he and his inner Demon felt complete. “Ah, you floor me, Valkyrie. I love you. From the moment you appeared in that hot spring, sporting a death glare and threatening to skewer my brain with your hatchet, I was a goner.”
“You know, I never did work out who lured me there that day, to that bloody mountain that collapsed under me.”
“I might have some id
eas about that. Were you aware that Lucifer and Freyja have a regular poker night with like minded deities?”
“Heavens preserve us. All those meddlesome divinities in one place cooking up ridiculous plans to try and cure their ennui and playing us like chess pieces? Damn, in retrospect we got off lightly.”
“So, tell me, you strolled into my office planning to do what exactly today? Ask me out? Tell me you couldn’t live without me?”
Stephanie grinned, reaching into a pocket to pull out a folded piece of paper, handing it over. “Since I wasn’t exactly sure at the time what words to say in order to claim you. I decided to do the next best thing.”
Galen unfolded the paper, read it and began to laugh heartily. “You’re exerting your legal right to claim me as spoils of war?”
“You said it yourself, way back at our first meeting. Your exact words were that you deemed yourself suitably subdued and claimed.”
“Damn, maybe that’s why I was able to resist those bloody Shaman trying to make me take that last step and turn berserker stabby. I was already half claimed from the moment I met you… you just didn’t know it yet.”
“I don’t think I was too far behind. It just took me a little longer to admit that what I was feeling for you wasn’t going to go away or could be blamed on indigestion.”
“Now you’re just being mean.”
“You like me mean.”
“I do. You know, we haven’t discussed the idea of kids. Do you want them?”
“We’ll have daughters. They’ll be Valkyries. But don’t think just because one day I’ll be a mother that I’ll be any less bloodthirsty or morph into Mitsy homemaker and bake cookies.”
“I’m counting on it. Just think, if we have kids… sorry, daughters, of all the new social groups we will have access to. Think of the mayhem and fun we can having fucking up the tumble tots, Gymboree crowd, and the PTA.”