Chapter 11
Nik came into the bedroom and smiled at Slade. “How’s our patient?”
“Still sleeping.” Slade put his book down and brushed his pale white hair away from his cheek. “She needs it, though.”
Nik nodded. Toni had slept through the night and all into the next day. He hadn’t realized how difficult it would be on her to heal herself. She’d done it so effortlessly with anyone else. He’d expected her to be up and about in no time.
Instead, she had dark circles like bruises under her eyes and her skin was still too pale for his comfort. The fact that she wasn’t rousing, even after he’d shaken her, had terrified him at first. Only Slade had managed to calm him. The peaceful tone in his broken voice had kept Nik from becoming a basket case.
“She needs to replenish her energy,” the quiet man had said. “It takes a lot more to heal yourself than you think.”
Slade had personal experience with healing his own wounds. His abuse at the hands of Grimm had been horrific. Worse, it had gone on for centuries before he’d been rescued. The only thing he couldn’t seem to heal was his throat. His centuries of screaming had left his voice broken and his throat eternally sore. Slade was the only one Nik could tolerate alone with Toni at the moment. The man was gentle yet fierce. He’d never hurt Toni, especially when she was defenseless. And if anything came at her they’d have to deal with Sleipnir’s sharp hooves and brutal teeth.
“All right. I’m going to go tell the others what happened in the supermarket.” He’d been far too busy freaking over Toni to remember to do so. “Keep an eye on her for me?”
Slade nodded and opened his book once more. Nothing would get past him to Toni.
Nik headed for Logan and Kir’s condo, barely knocking before he opened the door. He needn’t have bothered. With the cacophony of voices roaring from the dining room none of them would have noticed an explosion, let alone a brief knock. “I’m here,” he announced loudly.
Silence greeted him. All of them turned to look at him.
Jeff greeted him first. “Hey, Nikki.”
He glared at Jeff. Nikki? “How’s the hair, Jeffy?”
Jeff snarled and tugged on his waist length, curly red hair. Fenris loved it, but it was the bane of Jeff’s existence, since he couldn’t cut it. Fenris had done something to ensure that it always grew back. “Peachy.”
Fenris, Jeff’s partner, put his arm around the snarly redhead and whispered something to him. Whatever it was had Jeff turning as red as his hair.
Travis waved after setting down a plate of mashed potatoes. Apparently, Logan had cooked everyone dinner. “Come join us. You can fill us in while you eat.”
Nik took a seat across from Sylvia and began filling his plate. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Yum.
“How’s Toni?” Magnus, Slade’s male mate, was piling a second plate high with food. He was probably going to bring it to his lover.
Nik scowled. “Still sleeping.”
Kir waved his hand. “She’ll wake up in a little bit.” He leaned forward. “I took the stitches out already and shared blood with her. She’ll find it easier to heal herself in the future, or at least I hope so.”
Logan snorted in amusement. “And if she gets your power over storms instead?”
Val grinned. “She’ll have to learn to watch that temper of hers.”
Sylvia cleared her throat, bringing everyone’s attention to her. “Was anything there? At the supermarket, I mean.” Sylvia was wringing her hands, her anxiety almost breathable.
Nik shook his head. “Only frost Jotun and Nadine.” He took a bite of chicken while he let that bit of knowledge sink into their brains.
“So if she was there, they probably moved her.” Travis tapped his fingers on the table. “Can you see into the market now?”
Nik tried, surprised to find that he could. “Yes. It’s empty. Not even our blood is there.”
Logan leaned back. “Oh, that’s bad. Blood can be used to cast spells on people.”
Nik shook his head. “They didn’t take it.” They’d cleaned up, but they hadn’t bothered to take samples. While he sat with Toni he’d watched to make sure. “The blood was too mixed. They would have had a hell of a time separating it all. They cleaned up the blood, guts, and bodies and moved on without a backward glance.”
“Are you sure? Could they have used that as an ambush point deliberately, thinking you’d forget to check it again since you’d already been there?” Val was tearing a chicken wing to pieces, his gaze firmly on his plate.
Poor Val. He was slowly losing his mind.
“I don’t think so. If they move Syd there they’d have to make it invisible to me. Once they do, I’d become aware that she’d been moved there and we could act instantly.” Wow. This was some good chicken. The smell alone was making his mouth water. He took a huge bite, grunting as the flavors burst across his tongue. “Damn, hot-head. You make a hell of a housewife.” He batted his lashes at Logan. “Marry me?”
Logan smirked at him. “Let Toni hear you say that, you bastard.”
Never, ever, in a million years. He liked his testicles where they were. “If Sydney was there Nadine took her away, perhaps back to Frederica’s. I doubt they’d have any trouble keeping her there, either. Not if they’ve got Jotun guards on her.”
“I’ll get her out.” Val finally began eating. He’d mauled the poor chicken to death and now he savagely bit into its flesh. “I swear it.”
Nik grunted as the ring of magic filled the air. The Avenger had made a vow. He was now bound by it. “And if she’s not there?”
Val stared at him, his pale blue eyes cold as ice.
“Gotcha.” Nik turned to Travis. “I think maybe I need to visit Svartalfaheim.”
“Huh?” Kir sat up straight. “You think…?”
“It’s possible,” Nik confirmed.
“What are you two going on about?” Jamie asked, looking utterly confused.
“The Dökk Alfar and their creations are the only thing I can think of that would block my sight,” Nik replied. “If they made something that does so then I need to go there and find out not only what it is but how to counteract it.”
“That place gave me the creeps,” Jamie replied, shuddering. She’d been on the Bifrost Bridge when they’d gone to rescue Slade from Grimm. Apparently, the shadows had frightened her.
Nik wished he could show off his kingdom to all of them. It was beautiful. He’d have to have Travis bring Jamie there to show her, just as he hoped to bring Toni to Travis’s home in Lios Alfheim. “There’s nothing to fear in the shadows, Jamie, except your own imagination.” He twisted his wrist, bringing forth a dark crystal rose. He handed it to her, ignoring her gasp as the rich scent filled her nostrils. He turned his attention back to Kir. “I’ll leave as soon as Toni is better.”
“Agreed.” Kir gave his attention to Jamie. “He’s right. Svartalfaheim is a beautiful place, and the palace is a true sight to behold, especially the gardens.”
Now Jamie looked intrigued. She cradled the rose to her breast as she turned to Travis. “Have you ever been there?”
Travis smiled mysteriously. “More than once. I enjoyed my visits immensely.”
Nik hid his own smile. Not many remembered the truth of who’d been the elven kings, but Nik did. Perhaps Travis was beginning to as well now that he was no longer under Grimm’s control.
God, he missed his home. Everyone thought he was called the whitest of the gods because he was Lios Alfar.
They were wrong. Only the Dökk Alfar held the pale skin and shadowed hair he possessed. Only they carried the silvered nails and eyes.
His people were beautiful, and they’d been denigrated and reviled for long enough.
“Nik.” Nik turned to Kir to find him staring at him sympathetically. “We’ll be waiting for you before we make a move.”
“You think she’s back at Frederica’s estate?” Val turned the topic back to Sydney.
“I’m not sure. You can search there while I make my trip. If we can neutralize Freddie’s little toy or spell then we stand a better chance at rescuing Syd.” Nik continued to eat, ignoring a lot of the conversation going on around him. Most of his focus was back in his room with Toni and Slade. The rest covered Midgard, the Bifrost Bridge and here.
It was more than enough. If anything happened, he’d be where he was needed in a heartbeat. There were very few places in the world that were devoid of shadows.
Come to think of it, that was odd. Perhaps he should mention it. “No one’s set foot on the Bifrost since your little trip to Valhalla.”
Everyone froze. “No one?” Kir replied, his tone bland.
“No.” Nik thought about that for a moment, but he couldn’t find a reason anyone would go. “But most, if not all of us are here on Midgard. Unless they need something from their other homes they’d have no reason to go over the Bifrost.”
“It’s still strange, don’t you think?” Jamie asked. “Grimm was there not long ago, after Magnus beat him until he was satisfied. Shouldn’t he have healed by now and be back here on Earth?”
Morgan and Magnus exchanged smug grins. They’d certainly given Grimm a beating to remember when they went to rescue Slade.
She was right. Grimm should be back on Midgard. He frowned, trying to figure out how Grimm would move between Asgard and Midgard without alerting him. “Without Sleipnir I’m not certain how he’d do it other than walking.”
“He can move through shadows,” Travis reminded them softly. “We figure he must have shared blood with a Dökk Alfar.”
Travis was right, damn it. “Then he could travel without using the bridge.” Nik started looking for Grimm and found him. He was studying something golden in his hand, but what it was Nik couldn’t tell other than it was of Dökk Alfar origin. “He’s here in Midgard. Not far away.”
“Fuck.” Logan leaned back in his chair with a weary sigh. “Part of me hoped he’d hole up in Valhalla for a little longer and give us a breather.”
“He’s up to something, but I’m not sure what. He’s got some golden object that also looks to be of Dökk Alfar make.” Nik couldn’t read the symbols on the golden ball. They blurred together even to his sight. “The Dökk Alfar never make the same object twice, not where the Aesir are concerned.” Val, Kir, Morgan and Magnus all winced at that, but Nik ignored them. “So why can’t I read those runes?”
“You can see him, the object, but not the magic on the object?” Logan asked.
Nik grunted. This was becoming annoying as fuck. “No, I can’t, and that worries me.”
“Let’s concentrate on getting Syd back, then we can annihilate Grimm.” Val stood and took his empty plate to the kitchen, signaling the end of the dinner.
“He’s right,” Kir said softly. “One thing at a time, Nik.”
“If I’m in Svartalfaheim I can look into Odin’s object as well as whatever Frederica’s done to block me.” Nik stood as well. “In the meantime, I’ve got a woman to look after.”
Logan snickered. “You go do that.”
“I plan on it.” Nik sauntered out the door, hoping Toni was up for what he had in mind. She was fully healed. The moment she woke, he was going to make her his.