Page 62 of Grave Curse

“And to be clear, it was Tyr who found this property?”

“Yeah.” Which had made sense at the time, even when he’d straight-up lied to my face about the rumors of him owning the small strip mall. The property had been across the street from what would become his home base, so I never questioned it further. “It worked out so well. The Gravediggers have dozens of strip clubs sprinkled throughout Chicagoland, and all their exotic dancers were sent here to get their working clothes. Thentheir friends heard about us, and they became regular customers too, and then we just sort of rippled out from there until we could hardly keep the shelves stocked. But it was Tyr who got things started.”

Roxie nodded as if I’d said something profound. “And didn’t you once tell me that the loft was meant to be yours because it seemed like it was tailor-made for you?”

“Yeah, I did. And again, Tyr was the one who found the property for me. He walked me through it, with my list of personal must-haves for an apartment right there in his hand, and everywhere I looked all I could see was my dream place. I was barely speaking to him at the time—I still blamed him for all the shit Hades put me through—but I do remember thanking him profusely for finding my idea of heaven. That loft seemed perfect for me.”

“Itwasperfect for you, because Tyr prepared it exactly to your specifications, just like he’s always done here at Vixen’s Den.” Roxie’s eyes shimmered with emotion that made my own chest tighten. “Wow, Ginger. I think that man loves you like I’ve always secretly dreamed of being loved. I’m even a little jealous.”

I blinked, surprised. “I thought you were happy with Carlo.”

“Oh, I am. And we do love each other. It’s a comfortable, companionable love I never thought I’d have. But Tyr… I might be wrong, honey, but I think he loves you obsessively. Insanely. With an absolute, single-minded madness that will never die. Which can be beautiful, of course. But if you don’t want it, you might be in a lot of danger.”

The last thing I felt wasdangerwhen I was with Tyr. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, eventually he’s going to want you to love him back. So the question is, do you?”

“Do I love Tyr?” I heard the words come out of my mouth, but I couldn’t make any real sense of them. Love? What evenwas that? “What do I know about love? My own father wanted nothing to do with me. My mother chose heroin every fucking time over me, even when I nearly died and she should have gotten my broken body to a hospital. I thought I may have loved Jake Anderton, but the main thing that attracted me to him was that he was nothing like anything in the biker world, and that’s not love. So… I don’t know. What is love to you, Roxie?”

“Goddamn Hades for breaking you so badly you’d even have to ask such a thing,” Roxie murmured as if to herself before she gripped my hands in both of hers. “Honey, it’s completely irrelevant what I think love is. It’s your view that matters now.”

“Well, then, I’m screwed.”

“Don’t give up yet,” she chided, giving my fingers a squeeze. “Let’s start with something easy. Do you want to be in a relationship that makes you feel like you’re a part of something far greater than just yourself? To belong to someone, and know without any doubt that they’re happy to belong to you?”

The image of Tyr flashed before my eyes. “Anyone would want something like that.”

“Okay, good. Next question, and it’s a little harder.”

“Ugh.”

“Be brave, I know you can do this. Do you feel totally fine and not anxious at all when you go for hours or days without seeing Tyr? Or do minutes feel like hours when you’re separated, and do you feel an overwhelming need to reach for the phone just so you can make sure he’s okay?”

Holy crap. “Are you a mind reader?”

“Why do you say that?”

“I was just waiting for eight o’clock to roll around so I could call him and he wouldn’t think I was completely insane for calling so early. I don’t even know why I want to call him, but I do. It’s like… I don’t know. It feels like I’m not complete when he’s not where I can see or hear him. Is that weird?”

“It’s perfect.” Roxie beamed at me. “Last and most important question. Ready?”

“Hit me, girlie.”

“Close your eyes and imagine your life one year from now. What do you see?”

Dutifully I closed my eyes and tried to piece together a reasonable picture of what my life should be like. I played this game every now and again and always enjoyed it. But instead of what I usually saw for myself—expanding my shop with a full line of my own designs of sexy lingerie and kickass footwear—the first thing that hit my mind’s eye was a crib.

“Or cribs,” I mumbled absently, picturing it. “My maternal grandmother was a triplet on my mom’s side. Audrey was a twin, but her mother miscarried one of the fetuses while still carrying my mother to term. But since I was a single birth, maybe that genetic string’s been officially broken.”

“Wait, Ginger. What? Snap out of it.What?”

“Oh.” My eyes popped open, and I stared at my clearly alarmed friend. “Right, I probably forgot to mention that. Tyr’s obsessed with knocking me up. We’ve never taken precautions. Like,never. And according to my trusty calendar, this upcoming week is my most fertile time.”

I heard her swallow. “Does Tyr know that?”

“Oh, yes. Big-time, yes. Any second now he’s probably going to burst in here and insist I receive my daily injection of his high-powered baby batter.”

“Holy cow.”

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