Chapter 5 Talon
TALON
Just after sunrise, Maze and I arrived at the small airport where the private jet waited for us.
I parked my SUV in the lot closest to the hangar.
One of my brothers would come get the vehicle later.
Maze wanted to create a portal to New York City since she and her sisters discovered Jessica had rented an apartment in the city right after she went radio silent.
I insisted we fly because I wanted to spend time with Maze where we were alone and she couldn’t escape me easily. Not that she would actually run away.
But, I wasn’t taking any chances.
She was stubborn and way too duty-bound. It was her nature since she was the eldest daughter of the Valkyrie Prime Matron. The Prime Heir and a born leader.
After we boarded the jet, Maze sat across from me, back straight, legs crossed, eyes fixed on the clouds beyond the window.
Regal, unshakable, untouchable. The same damn way she’d been two hundred years ago.
I’d witnessed the softer side of Maze when she was with me or her sisters.
The death of mother had made her push all that softness away.
I was going to bring that side back out of its hiding spot.
My wolf prowled under my skin, restless, snarling every time her scent drifted over the narrow cabin. Vanilla and ice. It had haunted me for centuries.
She pulled her gaze from the window and locked with mine. Small frown lines formed between her brows. “You’re staring.”
“It’s been a long time.”
Her frown deepened, but her reply was soft. “I know.”
I could push. Demand answers. She wasn’t ready to share them right now. I guessed it was because she didn’t have many answers to my mountain of questions. So, I let it go for now.
After a few beats of silence, she asked, “How long have you known Balder was on Midgard?”
“A few months. Although he’s been here longer than that, if he has an army already.”
“I agree. The more I think about it, the more I think he sent my sisters and me on a senseless chase through the nine worlds.”
I held back a smile that tried to form. “That pisses you off.”
She glared at me. “That’s an understatement. The only thing that makes sense is that he is using my mother’s grimoire to hide his location.”
“That’s my theory too. My inner circle and I have been tracking down the eitrborn, and we discovered they live in groups like my clan does.
But their groups are smaller, with three to six members.
” We’d taken down each group, killing the monsters.
“We’ve also been searching for and collecting magical artifacts so Balder couldn’t use them for whatever plan he has. ”
“Good.” She glanced out the window again and didn’t speak again for a few minutes. “How are you doing?”
I leaned forward and took her hand, needing the physical contact. “My wolf and I miss our mate, but otherwise we’re good. The clan is thriving as much as we can. Freya being there with us helps. So does my ability to ground chaotic magic.”
Using my grounding magic daily to keep my clan from going completely feral was taking its toll on me. But I won’t need to use it as much once Maze and I bond.
“If we complete the bond, you wouldn’t need to use it.”
Meeting her hard gaze, I pulled on her hand, making her jerk forward so I could wrap my arms around her. I tugged her onto my lap and sat back on the seat. “If it gets critical, we’ll do it, but right now I’m managing.”
She sighed and relaxed against my chest, tucking her head under my chin. “I’ve missed you too.”
The words were soft, and I wasn’t sure if she meant for me to hear her. I didn’t comment. I just held her and kissed the top of her head.
The rest of the flight passed in silence.
Maze dozed off for about twenty minutes, then moved back to her seat.
For the first time since becoming a shifter, I felt at ease.
It had a lot to do with Maze agreeing to my terms about this mating.
As much as I wished we had months to date like I’d seen humans do over the centuries.
We didn’t have months because Balder had to be stopped.
Maze was right about having both our clans stronger; our mating was only the first step.
When we landed, a black SUV waited on the tarmac. Within minutes, we were cutting through Manhattan’s traffic. After parking in a nearby garage, we made our way to Jessica’s apartment on the sixth floor.
Jessica’s apartment door had a protective ward. Magic pulsed around the edges and covered the surface as a warning. Humans wouldn’t understand why they had to stay away. Maze brushed her hand over the surface, and the wards shimmered faintly.
Stretching out my senses, I scented the air for the scent of eitr that Balder’s monsters left behind. There was only one scent that wasn’t of the humans that lived in the building. So the eitrborn freaks hadn’t been there. “I don’t smell anyone but Jessica.”
The nonhuman scent was that of a Valkyrie, so there was no doubt in my mind that it was Jessica’s.
Maze gave a sharp nod, and I studied her face as she ran her ran around the door frame, not touching the wood but feeling the magic. Her features were emotionless, like she’d slipped on her warrior mask.
“I’m thinking Balder wanted her magic and blood more than any information she’d gathered. The bastard is a little too sure of himself to think that she could get information back to us.” Maze pressed her hand flat against the door, pushing her magic into the ward.
Seconds later, the magical barrier fell. Then, the lock on the door clicked and opened.
Maze didn’t move.
She stood in the doorway, staring at the shadows inside. Her body had gone rigid, every muscle drawn tight.
My wolf pushed forward, demanding I reach out and touch. Offer her comfort. For once, I didn’t fight him. I stepped up behind her, close enough that my chest brushed her back. My free hand rested on her hip, steadying, grounding. Heat shot between us the instant I touched her.
She exhaled, too softly for anyone else to hear, and leaned back into me. Just for a moment, her tension eased. The Valkyrie High Matron allowed herself to rest against me, her walls lowered a fraction of an inch.
It was enough to undo me. My wolf was dancing for joy that our mate still trusted us. I’d never doubted that she did. Her grief and the two-centuries-long hunt Balder has made her forget how to lean on others. To trust her family.
Then, like flipping a switch, she straightened. Pulled herself back into that impossible composure, leaving me with nothing but the ghost of her warmth on my skin.