Page 36

Chapter 32

Eirik

C rowds made my head hurt, and my feral side hungry.

They'd been on us since the moment we'd walked down the stairs, watching on with a mix of glee and disgust, hatred and envy. Normally, it was Osiris who was focused on, the esteemed eldest of the Crypt.

Today, their eyes landed on the one person who might throw them off. The one who shouldn't be here.

Nero.

He stood proudly, as he always had, overlooking the crowd with an air of superiority that screamed Roman Gladiator. He was here, and he was alive. Something that not one of them could have expected, and that was exactly how we'd wanted it.

Nero soaked it all in, letting out a breath as his head tipped back. He'd always loved the spotlight, and he was preening at the attention now. I didn't have any doubt that he was struggling with keeping himself hidden up to this point.

It was good to see him smile again.

"We know how to make an entrance, don't we?" he asked, winking at a passing Titan that looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

I wasn't sure who it was, with long gray hair flowing untamed over his shoulders. He was no different from the rest, face covered in an intricate mask that looked like the rugged side of a rocky mountain.

"They're looking at you," I grumbled, an itch starting at the base of my neck, my skin too tight as I fought the growl that came forward. I didn't like the way they looked on, some with fear, some with surprise.

Others with hate.

"What, do I have something on my face?" Nero asked, snorting. "That has to be it. You couldn't be glaring like you're worried I'd lose to one of these schmucks?"

It diffused me, in an instant, as I rolled my eyes and then my shoulders. Typical Nero, with that cocky smile and "take on the world" attitude. It centered me, and my wolf calmed. We fell into an easy silence, keeping track of the room. I snapped easily between my brothers and my Elskan , always keeping them in my sights.

Fallon didn't try to hide his disdain, all but snarling at everyone who approached him. That haughty attitude was hidden behind his ice, only falling when he tipped his head to make sure Aaliyah was still close by. Adrian was by their side, chatting with a man I knew, one that had stormed into our home some weeks ago.

Avedal nodded to whatever our youngest was saying. His head was held high, looking far more imposing than he had the day he'd stumbled into our house, like the demons of hell were on his tail. He smiled brightly, nodding fondly at Aaliyah when she whispered something I couldn't make out, his head tipping toward Hillam as he introduced his mate.

The only one I couldn't see was Osiris, lost somewhere in the crowd.

"Was it always like this? So …" Nero said softly with a breath, pausing to search for the right word.

There was a peace that came with having him by my side again, one that didn't need words. Nero's face scrunched, his missing memories showing blatantly in his confusion. There were few people that could bear the weight of my silence. He'd always been one of them.

"Easy?" I asked, and he hummed.

"Yes, easy . I have a feeling I wasn't the silent type, but with you, that doesn't seem to be a problem."

I snorted, finding it hard to remember a time when Nero wasn't speaking. Or bitching or screaming . Gods, his fucking screaming. "Not at first. You and I fought a lot the first few centuries, like bickering children."

It had driven Osiris mad, and he'd had to break up more than his fair share of fights. I'd have sworn I'd kill the egotistical bastard one day, only for him to end up my closest confidant. One I'd trust with my life.

Nero chuckled quietly. "And Osiris was the single mom at his wits' end?"

My wolf settled further as the conversation drew on, the most I'd seen since we'd escaped Archon's. His exhaustion bled into me, the same that lingered when I rubbed my eyes, finally catching sight of our eldest as Osiris prowled through the people in the room. No one approached him for a very different reason than Fallon. Power pulsed from him in endless, sure waves. "An understatement."

Nero was silent for longer than I expected, and I turned to find him still looking at my face. His eyes were narrowed bits of pointed steel, expression serious as he looked me up and down.

"You good?" was all he asked, gruffly, with all the subtlety of a boar.

I grunted, nodding my head once, not offering any words. Nero didn't look away, that contemplative look in his eyes so starkly familiar, like he knew I was talking out of my ass.

"Then why do you look so tired, brother?" he said, unwilling to look away, like he'd meant anything beyond exactly what he'd said. That directive shook me, and I shuddered. "You can't fool me, you know. You haven't slept."

I snorted, quick to rebuke him. "Of course I have."

It was a lie, one I'd held on to for days, and one I'd thought I'd gotten away with. Sleep was useless right now. I searched the crowd for Archon, for Sebek, Darius. Brazen . They were threats, and I couldn't afford to let my guard down. I could go weeks without it anyway, and I couldn't very well protect them if I slept … not even by Aaliyah's side, knowing that Osiris was awake.

I'd lain there, listening to her heartbeat, making sure my brothers continued to breathe.

"No, you haven't," he said again, fire lingering in his words like the finality of a gavel. He stood several inches shorter than me, yet somehow made me feel like the small one as he scolded me like a mother might a child. "You're so intent on protecting us, you haven't taken care of yourself. It's not good for you, Eirik."

"I can sleep when we're home." When we're safe .

I itched the skin at my neck, the scar there burning without the medallion to cover it. My ears homed in on the crowd, the bustle of people that I struggled to separate. I searched for a heartbeat I shouldn't have, for the hints of oak in a sea of people that suddenly made my skin crawl.

I scratched at the scar until it hurt, taking my mind off the wandering thoughts.

"It's not your fault you didn't burn, brother," Nero said, and I jerked my head back to him. The remorse of that day had weighed on me, locked away with the rest. He shouldn't have seen it. "You need to let go of this guilt. You protected them. That's what matters."

Adrian caught my eye from across the room, his head tilting as he shot me a confused look, the black marks of the sun stretching savagely up his neck. Even now, he felt different. It was like a mask fell into place, one that hid our brother behind it. Hid the pain of what a monster did to him. I'd saved them from the sun.

But I didn't save them from the rest.

His face shifted into a practiced smile when a laugh filled the air. It dragged my attention to where Aaliyah stood next to him and Fallon.

"Did I?" I asked, brushing the topic off, snorting when Nero went to butt in again. I wasn't in the mood to hear it, and a growl built behind my teeth as my wolf thought the same.

I turned all my attention to what it should have been on, my sweet Elskan . Aaliyah rubbed her arms, chewing on her bottom lip as she tried desperately to cover the scars that traced up and down the smooth skin.

"She's worrying again," Nero whispered, solemn. But at least he'd changed his course of conversation. "God, I wish we didn't have to deal with this right now."

Her violet eyes lit beautifully under the soft lighting. The small narrow of her waist, her thin neck and skin alight. The way her lavender dress clung to her, and her pearlescent masquerade mask seemed to emphasize her eyes. She was the most stunning person in the room.

And I wasn't the only person to notice.

Everyone, male and female, couldn't take their eyes off her. Her looks were one thing, but the fact that she'd come with us was another. It filled the crowd with varying mixtures of fear and awe.

"Where are you going?" he asked as I moved my way through the crowd.

I didn't answer but knew he followed when I heard him curse, the sound of a drink grinding against a metal serving platter as it was lifted before being set back down echoing behind me.

I walked directly to her, nodding to Fallon and Adrian, a conversation passing without words as I glanced between them, checking that they were okay. They nodded, and I looked back to Aaliyah.

She stared at me with curious eyes, her shoulders softening as she took a deep breath, taking a step closer to me as my chest expanded in a purr. Why had I come over here? There wasn't a reason, not one I could say.

I needed to be near her, and my beast agreed. I needed her in my arms, in my presence, so I'd never lose the touch of her hands and the breath of her scent.

" Elskan, " I said gently as I held out my hand. She took it like she'd done that night under the stars, and I threaded my fingers through hers. They were small, delicate, and I ran my nose over the back of them before placing a kiss on her knuckles. "Dance with me?"

I hadn't been lying when I'd told her dancing wasn't my strong suit, but the way her eyes lit up was worth whatever humiliation was coming my way.

"Of course," she said, giving a small curtsey before I pulled her to my chest. Adrian snickered, and I glared at him over her shoulder as I directed her to the dance floor that sat mostly empty in the middle of the room. "I thought you didn't know how?"

I grunted, spinning her so she was facing me, adding a bit of flair when I brought her back into a shallow dip. I ignored the stares as I lifted her hands so they sat against my chest, bending so I could hold her hips. I stuck to something easy, swaying to the soft keys of the piano music that filled the air.

"I don't," I said, giving her a small twirl that swirled her dress around her.

I had two left feet … but that hadn't stopped Nero from getting us dancing lessons one of the several years we'd spent in France. I'd hated it then, but I had to admit the bastard did some good. I wouldn't be here like this if he hadn't.

We continued to sway easily, the others around us keeping their distance. The room faded away, just me and her … until Adrian and Nero dashed past.

I barely caught it, looking up as they twirled, one set of hands clasped together, the other at each other's hips as they stared stoically ahead. They whirled around us, Nero going as far as to put Adrian into a dip, breaking both of their expressions as they snickered, before falling back into the swing.

"I'm going to kill them," I grunted, rolling my eyes as Aaliyah laughed at their antics.

She leaned into my chest a little farther, watching them with an ease I hadn't seen in days. "How can you do that when you're dancing with me?"

Well, it could always wait until later.

I ran my nose over the top of her head, purring low in my chest as we continued to sway. She trailed a delicate finger over my arm, and I ground my teeth as my wolf shot forward, furious at the barrier between her skin and ours. It made my mouth ache, watering as her hand came to my cheek, tilting my face until I was looking at her.

Sweet, calming lavender flooded my nose, gracing me with her as I kissed her wrist.

"Are you okay?" she asked, the same way Nero had. Her eyes lingered on mine, her hand stretching up to cup my cheek.

I nodded.

I was tired, my body worn and my head pounding from the lack of sleep … but I'd never been anything but perfect in her arms. Her worry was a relief, one I wouldn't add to. My strength came in my endurance, and I was more than capable of watching them as I was.

Aaliyah pulled back suddenly, and the loss of her heat made my wolf jolt, suddenly back to the front of my mind as he snarled. She reached up, not even noticing as my eyes shifted. I swallowed, the loss forgotten as I felt her hand brushing against my collar.

"Eirik, your necklace?" she asked, and I nodded again.

I found myself reaching for it, even though it was no longer there. The heavy medallion was as much a source of peace as it was remembrance. I intended to get it back. Later, when this was over and we could afford a distraction. Until then, I'd bear the weight of its loss.

"Brazen took it," I said, shaking it off, forcing my wolf back down as saliva pooled in my mouth, and the first shift of a change came over my face. Aaliyah froze, and I pulled her back to me. "He doesn't even deserve your hate."

He didn't deserve a single ounce of her time or thoughts. He was worthless to her, to anyone. I wouldn't let him be a stain on her mind, not even in passing.

I gripped her chin, tipping it up so I could see her eyes. There was a fire there, the one that had given her that name I treasured so much. My Valkyrie, like an avenging angel, looked at the scar that cut across my throat.

A growl slipped past my lips, one led by my beast as heat soared in my chest, silenced by her lips as I kissed her. For a blissful moment, everything went quiet, even my wolf calming at the touch of her.

She sighed into my lips before she sank back into my chest.

"Dance with me," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Just for a while longer."

Like I'd ever be able to deny her.