Chapter 18
Nik stepped off the elevator first, appearing happy to be back home. “We need to show Logan and Kir the mirror needed to find Sydney.”
Toni nodded, following after him, watching his back as always. “Once we have Sydney we can move against Frederica and neutralize her. Then all we need to do is take down Grimm and all of this will be over.”
He glanced over his shoulder, his expression startled. He’d regained his human appearance as soon as they’d stepped off the Bifrost Bridge and back on Earth, so his eyes were human gray rather than metallic silver. For some reason, the change had surprised her. She’d gotten used to those reflective irises, so alien yet so beautiful.
Those same irises had looked back at her in her own mirror. Luckily, his moms had taught her how to change her appearance so she didn’t look like a York Peppermint Patty all the time.
He smiled as if he could read her thoughts. “You’re starting to think like a true warrior.”
That earned him a glare. “I’ve always been one, that’s why I’m a cop.” She strode past him and knocked on Kir’s door. “Open up, guys, we’re home!”
There was the sound of scrambling, a few loud bangs and a muttered ouch before the door swung open. Logan stood there, his dark red hair disheveled, his shirt askew and a wicked grin on his face. “Welcome back.” He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it down a bit. “We were, um, busy.”
“We figured.” Nik shook his head. “What has been seen—”
Logan smacked his shoulder before Nik could finish. “Asshole.”
Nik chuckled and pushed past both Toni and Logan. “Come out, Kir, Jordan. We have news.”
“We know, dickhead.” Kir came out in his usual black attire, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. “You couldn’t wait five more minutes?”
Toni shook her head. Nik had to have been aware of what was going on inside the Tate-Saeter condo, but he’d chosen to interrupt them anyway. “You know he lives to annoy people.”
“True.” Kir’s hair was all over the place, the pale blonde longer than his lover’s now. He’d grown it out in response to Logan and Jordan’s pleas.
Speaking of Jordan, the very pregnant woman waddled out of the bedroom. “I hate my ankles right now.”
“You’re beautiful, love.” Kir put his arm around her and kissed her forehead, his expression immediately becoming tender. “You’ve never been more so.”
“Hmph.” Jordan pushed her glasses up her nose and turned her attention to Nik and Toni. “So. What have you got?”
Nik pulled the ball out of his pocket. “This.” He pressed something on it, and the ball opened up to a weird, multi-faceted mirror. He frowned, then grunted in irritation. “Get Val and Sylvia. We’ve found her.”
“Where?” Toni couldn’t perceive a damn thing in the mirrors, but apparently whatever was there was vivid to Nik.
“Two blocks away in a townhouse.” He continued to stare at the mirror, moving toward Jordan’s sofa. He settled down, completely avoiding tripping over anything in his way. “This is going to be a bitch.”
“How so?” Toni settled next to him and stared some more at the mirror. There was nothing there but a weird, distorted image of Nik’s face.
“Wait until the others are here. We’ll need to brainstorm.” Nik settled back and glanced at her. “I’m not hiding anything, I’m just trying to keep things simple.”
“I understand.” She leaned against him, her head against his shoulder. It had been a hell of a week. “Don’t worry so much. Your moms explained a lot to me, helped me understand some things I hadn’t before.”
“Hmph.” He curled an arm around her shoulders. “Not too long ago, you didn’t trust a thing I said.”
“Of course I didn’t. You’re a stalker. What did you expect, open arms? Way too many people die due to stalkers than I care for.” Each one haunted her. If only they’d been able to help those women and men before things turned deadly, but with the current system there wasn’t much they could do. A determined stalker would react to a restraining order the same way Toni did a fly.
His arm tightened around her. “I watched everything you went through, but until the time was right I couldn’t let myself be with you.” He kissed her forehead. “Part of me wishes you’d never gone through those things, but the other part recognizes you’ve been shaped and honed by them. Who you are today is because of your career, your heritage, and your family. I wouldn’t change that no matter what.”
That had to be the sweetest thing he’d ever said to her. Her cheeks heated as her body flooded with pleasure. She could barely keep her gaze on his, but she managed despite the sudden on-rush of shyness. “Thanks.”
He simply smiled, their gazes locked. She’d never realized how warm his eyes could be, but the more time she spent with him the more she realized something.
The Guardian of the Bifrost Bridge, King of the Dökk Alfar and ultimate stalker dude, was lonely. So fucking lonely he practically wore it like Ulfrun’s cloak. He needed her far more than she needed him. That knowledge made her want to protect him from that shattering desire to be around others. He lit up whenever someone spoke to him, becoming animated even when engaging someone hostile. He watched over everyone but never spoke until the last second. He was a workaholic, both in his human life and his godly one, giving him barely any time to sleep.
“Nik, I—”
She was interrupted by the door opening. Val, Sylvia, Slade, and Magnus walked in, all four staring at Nik as if he were the second coming.
“You found her?” The hope in Sylvia’s voice was hard to hear. She was shaking slightly, Magnus holding her protectively under his arm.
“We did.” Nik sounded positively wicked. “She’s in a townhouse two blocks from here.”
Val actually fist-pumped. “Then let’s go get her.” He turned toward the door, obviously eager to retrieve Sydney.
“Stop.” Nik held up his hand, and the door that Val tried to open refused to budge. “We need to plan this out.”
Lonely Nik might be, but he was also arrogant as fuck. Val looked ready to kill him. Toni decided she needed to back up her partner or he’d get his ass handed to him by the Terminator. “I have to admit, he’s right. We were ambushed at the last site. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Val grunted, but he let go of the door handle. “Fine. What’s the plan?”
Could he be any more pissed? His lips were tight, his shoulders tense, and his blue eyes were cold as ice as he glared at Nik.
Nik stared into the mirror. “They’ve blocked the back door and all of the windows both physically and magically. The only way in or out is through the front door. The only other way is for me to teleport in, but that’s not the best option.”
“Why not?” Jordan sounded curious rather than upset. “And how are they blocking access magically?”
“A powerful spell, one that can’t be broken easily,” Nik replied. “Even if we managed it the backlash would be brutal.”
“And since they’re in a townhouse we can’t just go in guns blazing. We’d alert the humans immediately. Taking down the spell would create a loud explosion, something not even humans can ignore.” Logan joined Toni and Nik on the sofa, gesturing for Kir and Jordan to join him. “Which means it’s through the front door or not at all.”
“So why can’t you teleport?” Val asked. “You step through shadows, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Is the spell blocking you?”
“No, that’s not it. The spell isn’t in the townhouse itself, just on the windows and doors. The problem lies with the number of people I can carry with me.” Nik relaxed back and put the mirror in his lap. His other arm remained around Toni. “I can do myself and maybe two more. It’s far more taxing to take others than to just move myself.” Nik held up his hand. “Go ask Travis about making others invisible if you don’t believe me.”
Val grunted. Apparently, he was already aware of the strain it would put on Nik. “So you’re saying we’re screwed?”
Toni shook her head, a wicked idea coming to mind. “Not necessarily.” She grinned at Nik. “I think I have a way to get in with more than three people.”
Nik’s brows rose. “Oh?”
She wagged her brows. “And they’ll never see it coming.” She straightened her shoulders. “I’m like you now, right?”
Nik’s eyes narrowed. “The spell isn’t easily mastered, Toni.”
She shrugged. “I figured, but with you teaching me it shouldn’t be that hard, right?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Toni, if you screw up you could wind up inside a desk. Literally. Like parts of you in one drawer, other parts in another, none of them connected.”
She shuddered, thinking about how easily the spell could kill her. “There has to be a way to learn it without death.”
Nik nodded reluctantly. “I can do it, but it will take at least two days to learn. To master it would take longer.”
“Time we don’t have,” Val pointed out before Toni could.
“I can do this.” She kept her gaze on Nik, pleading with him silently to let her try. “I can.”
“You need to be able to keep an image of a place in firmly your mind.” Nik replied. He still looked frightened.
She couldn’t have that. She patted his cheek. “Homicide detective, remember? I’m used to visualizing crime scenes and looking for details others miss. I have confidence in not just me but you. Let me try.”
He stared at her for a moment before placing his forehead against hers. “If anything happens to you, I…” He breathed out a sigh, his eyes turning metallic silver. “I can’t let anything happen to you.”
She kissed him softly, aware of the others in the room with them. No point in putting on a display for the peanut gallery. “It won’t. Not with you watching over me.”
Nik nodded slowly, reluctantly agreeing to her request. “We start now.” He stood, dragging her to her feet. “Figure out who goes with us. I have a woman to train.”
Jordan snickered. “Good luck, Toni.”