Chapter 6
Nik stared down at the sleeping woman and smiled. He left the bedroom as quietly as possible, closing the door behind him.
“She out?” Val’s tone was soft, his lips smiling fondly. Val had taken a liking to Toni that would have made Nik bristle in jealousy if not for the fact that Val was head over heels in love with Sydney Saeter.
“Finally, yes.” Nik dropped his head wearily and rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s more stubborn than a Valkyrie on a battlefield.”
Val snorted a laugh. “That’s because she is a Valkyrie on a battlefield. Her battlefield. She’ll stay on track until she has her woman and nothing will stop her.”
“Not even me.” And that chapped his ass something fierce. She might be a warrior, but Nik intended to claim all of her. She’d learn that he could be just as stubborn as she was.
“Nope.” Val stared at him, his pale blue eyes burning with the fire of vengeance. “I’m going to help her get Syd back, and not even you can stop me.”
Nik winced. “I’m not planning on stopping you, but there are things I’m forbidden from telling.”
The fire died in Val’s eyes. “I understand. Help as much as you can, and I won’t push for more.”
The relief that ran through Nik was incredible. Finally, someone understood instead of being angry with him. It wasn’t like he wanted to keep secrets. He had to. “Thank you.”
Val smiled wearily. “Keeping secrets because you have no choice? How could I not understand?” He stood, stretching, his thick muscles intimidating even to Nik. “Make sure she gets some rest, okay? She’s been pushing herself ever since Syd disappeared. If she keeps going she’ll collapse from exhaustion.”
Nik grimaced. “Do me a favor, will you? She doesn’t listen to me. Maybe she’ll get it if you say it to her, too.”
Val chuckled. “Done.” He headed for the door, his gait slow, weary. “I wish this was fucking over already.”
“It will be, soon. There’s a piece missing from the board, but once it appears the end is inevitable.” And not even Val could wring the—
“Jörmungandr.” Val sent him a smug look. “I’m not as dumb as I look.”
“I never said you were.” But there were still things Val couldn’t be made aware of, and Jörmungandr wasn’t one of them. The piece that was missing was there, but not, and Nik couldn’t explain it any better than that without breaking his oaths.
“Hmm.” Val turned back to the door and opened it. “I’ll let Kir and Logan know what’s going on. If Grimm’s ultimate purpose is to kill Kir then—”
“Hel wouldn’t keep him.” Of that Nik was certain. Logan’s daughter adored Kir. Besides, she would do nothing to cause her father grief.
“And maybe that’s exactly what Grimm wants. The prophecy is so twisted none of us understand it. Baldur was supposed to die in the Thing, pierced by a mistletoe arrow, but it was Loki who almost lost his life in Baldur’s place. Baldur was forced to flee to Hel, but he was still alive, meaning the prophecy was, what, null and void? Or did it turn out the way it was supposed to all along?” Val scoffed. “Has any of it come out the way we thought it would?” With that parting shot, Val left, closing the door softly behind him.
Nik made sure the door was locked before returning to Toni’s room. She was fast asleep, one hand under her pillow, the other at her side. Her face was serene, calm in a way it wasn’t when she was awake.
Antonia Mancinelli was the most stubborn, prideful woman he’d ever had the pleasure to meet, and he was beginning to like that about her. He smiled as he remembered how she’d faced her fear of him, forcing herself to deal with him despite her discomfort. She was becoming more comfortable with him every time they spoke. Today, she’d even dared to slug him one for stepping over the line.
He was making progress.
Nik waved his hand, his magic reaching out and replacing her clothing with a pair of pajamas. She sighed and wiggled, making him wonder what she’d have done if he’d dared to change her clothing with his hands rather than his magic.
He hadn’t dared. The thought of peeling off her T-shirt and bra, of removing her jeans and panties had him hard enough to leave zipper imprints on his cock. Nothing had ever turned him on as much as touching her hair or sliding his fingers along her chin. Her skin was so smooth and silky along her cheek he could only imagine what the rest of her would be like. Hell, even the sight of her lashes, thick and soft on her cheeks, made him moan in need.
Her freaking eyelashes.
He had it bad.
Slipping out of the room again, he headed for her wall of criminals. He studied it, amazed at how much work she’d managed to get done since she left his condo. She was a freaking workaholic, but the amount of facts she’d gathered astonished him. Val and Sylvia had to have helped, but a lot of this came from her own legwork. Color him impressed. He leaned in, checking one of the notes on Grimm. She’d noted his impersonation of her supposed partner, Daniel Solberg, and his use of her captain’s voice on the phone. Underneath Grimm’s name was everything, and he meant everything, the man had done to Kir’s merry band of men and women, including his torture of Jamie and the fact that he’d almost skinned Jeff alive.
She’d even noted the death of Val’s mother, Rina Sutherland, aka Rind. He smiled as he noted the list she’d made of their human names with their god names after them. She was thorough, he’d give her that. Sylvia for Sif, Sydney for Sigyn, Ryker for Jörmungandr…she had them all.
No wonder she made such a good detective. He also loved the fact that she wasn’t one to shy away from the truth. When she’d found out exactly whom she was dealing with she’d accepted it without too much fuss. A rare human indeed. Even Jordan had freaked when she found out who her family was and what they’d done.
Grimm had a lot to answer for, and soon…soon Nik and his people would force him to answer for all of his crimes.
“Yes, soon.”
Nik took a startled breath. “Imth.” He turned and smiled at his mother, the smell of newly baked bread filling the condo with the scent of home. He held his arms wide and embraced her. “How are you?”
“Much better now.” She hugged him tightly as three more of his mothers appeared. “I brought Eyrgjafa, Greip, and Gjolp with me for a quick visit.”
Eyrgjafa, her dark hair and silver eyes marking her as Dökk Alfar, was the next to hug him. “It’s time to let your woman in, my son. Tell her what she needs to know with no repercussions.”
“Yes, it’s time.” Greip had summer flowers in her hair and smelled of sunshine as she hugged him. “We like her a lot.”
Gjolp laughed, her golden eyes and hair nearly blinding him with their glow. “Yes, we do. She keeps you on your toes.”
“Where are the others?” Even Jarnsaxa, who’d died, had been allowed to remain in spirit as one of the Nine thanks to Hel. She’d been well aware of the importance of the Norns, but he rarely got to spend time with Jarnsaxa these days. She spent much of her time in the underworld preparing for Ragnarrok, so her absence made perfect sense to him.
He was more than ready for a visit from his other mothers, however. They wouldn’t be able to allow him to court Toni without their input, he was certain of that.
“They’re fighting over who’s sexier, Chris or Liam Hemsworth.” Gjolp shrugged. “I’m a Shemar Moore girl myself.”
He would not go there. He. Would. Not. He’d been dragged into those arguments far too many times to count. “So I can help Toni look for Sydney without worry?”
“Go for it.” Greip smiled sweetly. “And make sure you take her with you next time you come home for a visit, dear. The others are dying to meet her. Especially Atla.”
Atla. The one he feared introducing Toni to the most and the one who’d sing him to his death. “Really?” Dear Valhalla, these women reduced him to a squeaky teenage boy with one sentence. “I’ll make sure to tell her.”
They left as quickly and quietly as they’d come, pausing only to kiss him on the cheek and give him their blessings. “Watch over her,” Eyrgjafa whispered as she faded away.
“I will, Mother. I will.” He stretched out, his back was sore from all the work he’d been doing earlier. Leaning close to Toni’s notes hadn’t helped. His mothers had easily appeared in the condo without so much as a ripple in Logan’s wards. That had him tensing him up even more. As much as Toni needed sleep, so did he.
He glanced at the front door, debating whether or not to be a good boy and go back to his condo or to be a bad one and curl up next to Toni’s warm, womanly body.
It took him two seconds to open the door to her bedroom. As if there’d been any contest.
Nik slipped off his shoes and socks, wiggling his toes in the soft carpet. He did love carpeting in a bedroom. It was a lot warmer on his feet on a cold Philly night than hardwood. He tucked his socks in his shoes and set them by the door. Then he unzipped his slacks, sliding them down his legs. He picked them up and placed them on top of his shoes, folding them neatly. His shirt came next, and again was folded neatly and left by the door. Left only in his boxers and desire, he slipped between Toni’s sheets.
Toni sighed and rolled over onto her right side, her face toward him. Her skin was glowing, her lashes stark against her golden skin. She looked so serene, so soft and pretty he had to touch. Normally she was fucking Wonder Woman, but sleeping she was just Toni, a woman who desperately needed her rest. There were dark circles under her eyes and small wrinkles by her eyes he prayed were laugh lines and not stress lines.
She sighed and moved closer to him, wiggling that gorgeous body until she was right up against him. He was lying on his back, his head turned toward her, so when she curled up to his side and sank back into the mattress he was both pleased and horrified. Pleased, because damn, that implied that, despite her irritation with him, on some level she trusted him. Horrified, because he wasn’t ready to claim her. She needed more time to get used to him.
Her hand slipped over his stomach, her arm coming to rest on his hip, dangerously close to his erection.
Nik gulped. Maybe crawling into bed with her had been a bad idea. He couldn’t control himself around her. Any other woman would be no problem. Toni wrecked any control he might have had. He was ready to spill in his shorts from the simple touch of her hand.
He wrestled with whether or not he should move away, but Nik’s little head warred viciously with his big head. Honestly, neither one wanted to move a single fucking inch unless it was closer to the warm, sweet-smelling female cuddled up to his side.
Yup. He had it bad, and he wouldn’t change a goddamn thing.