Page 30 of Master Vidar & Vali

Chapter Twelve

Colin

The night had turned out to be more relaxing than I’d expected, especially when I first saw that Jared had tagged along with Gabe. It was no secret that Jared and I didn’t always see eye to eye. He was my brother’s best friend, and that often led to friction between us, especially when he assumed I’d tolerate the same overbearing bullshit from him that I had to with Declan. Our dynamic was complicated further by the fact that anything I said around Jared was sure to be repeated. That made it difficult for us to forge our own friendship, separate from the ties that bound us through Declan.

To make matters worse, Jared was as impulsive, if not more so, than I was. But unlike me, he never faced the same scrutiny from Declan. My brother had a way of letting Jared’s impulsiveness slide, while I was constantly called out for my own. Whenever they were together, their personalities were so large, so dominant, that it felt like I was perpetually stuck in their shadows. It wasn’t easy being the one who had to step back, watch, and wait while they took up all the space in the room.

But tonight, I could admit, Jared and Gabe’s advice had been spot on—and I appreciated it more than I’d anticipated. We needed to talk to Zara about what she needed, not just in the moment but in the long term. We had to remove the roadblocks, the unspoken barriers that were holding us all back. I’d been worried she wouldn’t take the things I’d told her well, but she hadn’t shied away—until I’d tried to take things in a sexual direction. That reaction, more than anything, told me something else was weighing on her mind. So, I’d respected her need for distance, hoping she would either come to us or work through the issue on her own terms.

But now, as I glanced over at Linc, I knew we were on the same page. The time for space was over. I could feel his tension, the restless energy that made him want to push past the boundaries and restrictions he’d imposed on himself. Linc loved Zara. It was clear in his eyes when Jared, as blunt as ever, hit the proverbial nail on the head. My brother-in-arms was in love, and it wasn’t just him. Linc had always followed my lead, and I prayed that this time, I wouldn’t let him down.

The car ride from Asgard had been silent with us caught up in our own thoughts but when we pulled up, I was ready to see Zara again and hopefully find the right way to bring up what we needed to talk about without causing her to run and hide. The lights of the main room were on, and I was sure that was where we would find the women.

Brody materialized out of the shadows before we headed in. The security team we had watching over the house had orders to stay out of sight unless something was wrong. Concern had my blood pumping, but I held back from racing in when I saw the amused look on his face. It couldn’t be too bad if he was smiling.

“All good?” I asked.

“All quiet out here, I can’t say the same for inside. Just wanted you guys to be ready.” His smirk made me worry forall new reasons. Brody was a friend as well as an employee, so I wasn’t going to get on his case for breaking a protocol that was only there to keep Zara from worrying because she was being watched round the clock. It was tempting to demand more information, but I would get my answers faster by going inside.

I opened the front door and was hit by a wall of sound. It said much for the impressive soundproofing of the building that I’d barely heard anything from outside. What was even more surprising was the three voices singing at the top of their lungs and managing to be heard over the volume of the music.

Jared’s face crumpled like he was in pain. “Dear lord, what is all that caterwauling?”

A ghost of a smile appeared on Gabe’s face. “That would be the women. I wonder if they’re as drunk as they sound?”

We followed the noises of high-pitched laughter and more singing. Definitely drunk. We stood in the doorway to the grand space to see Mari on the coffee table, swinging a pool cue in her hand like a microphone as she sang into the tip in her low smoky contralto. In front of her, Zara and Rose were grinding against each other while singing into their glasses in unison, wine spilling over the rims and onto the reclaimed wooden floors.

They could have been a girl band if they sang a bit better. Mari, the brunette, Rose the redhead and Zara a blonde. If Raia and Shelby had been here, we would have had a Spice Girl Cover band. I could see Shelby as Baby Spice… and Mari, definitely Scary Spice. The image had me chuckling.

“You think this is funny?” Linc narrowed his eyes.

“Add Shelby and Raia to this scenario and try not to find the humor.” I laughed.

Linc’s gaze returned to the girls. A smile pulled at his lips. “The Spice Girls?”

“Yah, man, exactly.”

“Is that ‘Crazy in Love’?” Gabe asked.

Jared raised an eyebrow. “You know Beyonce?”

To my amusement and surprise, Gabe snapped and pretended to toss his hair. “You don’t?”

Love had changed our friend and I thought it was for the better.

“You all have really lost your minds,” Jared shouted and the girls didn’t even notice. They were so lost in the crazy dance moves that were so out of sync it was comical.

When the song ended, we applauded. Jared moved quickly to turn off the music before another song could come on. Zara spun around so fast she tripped on the leg of the coffee table and landed on the couch. Mari held her pool cue in one hand, the other sat on her hip. Her eyes narrowed, she looked like the sassy server inCoyote Ugly.

Linc stepped over to the couch and pulled Zara to her feet. “A little drunk I see.”

“Oh yeah.” She swayed and pressed against him. “You could say I’ve drunk past my inhibitions.”

“Come on, baby girl, time to get you to bed,” Gabriel called out laughter in his voice as he walked over to his woman.

“Only because you look so hot, and I want to be in bed with you.” Rose’s words were slurred and husky. Gabe tugged her to his side and gave her a passionate kiss.

“You’re all sloppy drunks,” Jared teased.

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