Page 20 of Before the Bond Breaks
Maze tensed beside me, though she lifted her chin and held her posture as regal as ever. Her sisters clustered close behind us, ready to devour the night in their grief.
I guided them toward the back, to the largest round table near the VIP rooms. It was out in the open, but far enough back to give us breathing space. We sat and ordered drinks. Whiskeyfor me, wine for most of the Valkyries, something pink and dangerous for Kyley.
It didn’t take long before the Valkyries from my clan drifted over, some sliding into empty seats, others dragging tables closer until the space around us was a nest of their kind. They wanted to see Maze. To see all of them.
The air thickened with voices, laughter pitched too high, and the ache of grief buried under bravado. I watched Maze smile for them, her armor perfect, every movement composed. But her fingers tapped against her glass, restless. She never enjoyed being the center of attention, despite the fact that she would need to step up as the new Prime. Then again, maybe she didn’t need to. Once Maze and I completed our bond and performed the soulbond ritual, we’d join the shifters and Valkyries together as one clan. Maze and I would rule them as the Alpha pair.
I leaned close, brushing my knuckles against her hand. “Come with me.”
Her eyes flicked to mine, narrowed. “We’re in the middle of?—”
“I want you to myself,” I interrupted with a growl.
Her breath hitched, just slightly. The scent of her arousal almost did me in. Then she set her glass down and stood, letting me lead her toward the dance floor.
The music shifted to something slower. I drew her close. She resisted for a moment, but then she softened, fitting against me like she’d always been meant to. Which she did. She was mine.
I bent my head, my lips brushing her temple. “This is better.”
She let out a soft laugh. “You’re impossible.”
“Maybe.” I tightened my hold, letting the rhythm guide us. “But right now, you’re mine.”
Her gaze flicked up to me then, her blue eyes glowing with the inner light of her magic. Whatever she saw in my face made her chest rise sharply. For a heartbeat, the noise and the crowd and the grief vanished. It was only her. Only us.
Movement at the edge of the floor caught my attention. Candra. She slid past with the grace of the kickass warrior she was, with Jenson’s hand clasped around hers. They drifted closer, slow dancing with their heads bent together in a way that spoke more than words.
Maze’s lips curved faintly. “Well. Didn’t see that coming.”
I chuckled. “Guess it’s a night for surprises.”
We danced through three songs. Time blurred, her warmth anchoring me in a way I hadn’t felt in centuries. When the tempo picked up again, I motioned to Jenson and led Maze into one of the VIP rooms. Jenson would gather the others.
As soon as everyone had entered the room and the door shut, a spell flared against the seams, locking sound inside. Only the inner circles of both our clans could leave and enter through the spell.
Freya was already there with the rest of my inner circle.
Maze and her sisters surged forward as one, arms wrapping around the goddess. The sight made something deep in my chest ache. My wolf shifted uneasily, the instinct to protect sharpening even in the presence of a goddess.
I stayed back, watching, until the Valkyries finally broke apart, settling into seats with wineglasses refilled.
The air sobered quickly as Maze and her sisters took turns recounting what we’d all learned in the last twenty-four hours. It was clear that The Severing Stone was our priority, and we needed to design a plan to track it down before Balder obtained it.
“We don’t know where it is,” Winter said. “Jessica believed Balder was searching for it, but the ledger ends before she could pin down a location.”
Freya’s gaze was sharp, assessing. “Then we must find it first.”
I leaned forward. “My brothers and I have been recovering magical artifacts for decades. We keep them in a vault beneath the club. If the stone has surfaced in this realm, I bet we’ll find a whisper in the black market.”
Larc’s lips curved into something sharp. “Exactly. That’s where Balder buys most of his toys.”
Maze’s jaw tightened. “Then that’s our lead. We chase it.”
Quill set his empty whiskey glass on the table. “There is a pawn shop in downtown Roanoke. The owner dabbles in the black market and has helped us locate artifacts in the past.”
The plan formed quickly after that. “Jenson and Candra will go with Maze, and I will head out tomorrow afternoon.”
After putting together a backup plan and selecting teams of two to call in for backup, we ended the meeting. As everyone exited the VIP room to head back into the bar, Maze turned to me, her eyes glinting in the low light. “Do you live alone? Or with your brothers?”
