Leaning up against the hood of his car, Mason cupped his hands over his mouth and blew, trying to warm himself up. It was damn cold outside, too cold to be standing around waiting for someone, but he couldn’t help himself. He was there to see Eir, and nothing—a blizzard, a torrential downpour or a tsunami—would stop him from seeing his Valkyrie tonight.
He smiled to himself.
Although he had only known her a matter of days, he knew she was his, or at least she very soon would be. That almost-kiss they’d had was a lingering memory, always at the forefront of his mind. All he’d had to do was close that quarter of an inch between them, and he would have tasted the sweetness of her lips.
She would have tasted like honey. He just knew it. But they’d been interrupted. Mason checked the time on his phone. It was quarter past six, and just as he was slipping the device back into his jacket pocket, the glass sliding doors of the hospital opened.
Mason lifted his head up, seeing Eir waving at a young woman behind the reception desk as she walked out the door. When she got outside, the Valkyrie’s shoulders hitched up near her ears, a shiver running down her spine. Her hands made their way into the pockets of her coat, her fur-trimmed hood like a halo around her head, making her appear even more ethereal.
Mason’s phone rang, the noise cutting through the car park. Eir’s gaze swung in his direction, her face lighting up. She was happy to see him, and it made him feel ten fucking feet tall. He took out his phone and pressed it to his ear as he watched Eir make her way over to him, a small smile in place.
“Yeah?” he said into the phone, keeping his eyes on Eir’s beautiful face.
“Where the fuck are you?” Korvain asked. “You were due to start fifteen minutes ago.”
Fuck me. “I’m here picking up Eir. I thought I’d bring her back to the club then I’d start.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me about this?” Korvain asked in a soft, dangerous voice. The sound of a chair being dragged across a hardwood floor cut through the line like nails down a chalkboard. “I was just about to leave to pick her up.”
“Well, now you don’t have to. I’m here. I’ll bring her home safe and sound.”
“You’re goddamn right about that. Bring her home. Now.”
Mason wanted to yell right back at the Mare, but Eir’s warm hand on his forearm stopped him. She shook her head at him slightly, mouthing the words “Let me talk to him.”
Reluctantly, he told Korvain to hang on for a second and gave the phone to Eir. Their fingers touched briefly and a surge of longing shot through his body. Fuck, he was in over his head with this woman.
He watched the way her mouth moved as she spoke to the Mare. He could hear how gentle Korvain’s voice was on the other end, so gentle and so completely at odds with the menace that rippled off his body ninety-nine point nine percent of the time.
Eir’s eyes remained locked on Mason’s face the entire time she spoke, smiling and agreeing with whatever the Mare was telling her.
“He wants to speak to you again,” she whispered, handing over the phone. Mason put the device back to his ear and listened to the harsh breathing on the other end.
“Bring her home. Now.” The cruel coldness of Korvain’s tone rolled through Mason’s body, the line dying abruptly a second later.
“What did he tell you?” Eir asked, gently touching his hand.
Forcing away his frown, Mason said, “He wants you back now, and when I get back there, he’ll be tearing me a new one.”
That last statement made her lips twitch. “I wouldn’t worry about Korvain too much. He means well.”
“I’m not too concerned about whether he means well or not. I’m more concerned about him disemboweling me … with his bare hands.”
Eir placed her hand in his and pulled him off the hood of his car. “I’ve had a long day. Take me home?”
He huffed, but allowed her to lead him to the driver’s side door. Eir opened his door for him, indicating he should get in. A secret smile curved up the corners of her mouth as she walked around to the passenger side, shoving her hands deep into her pockets. Mason started up the engine, cranking the heat to warm up the car.
“So, how was work today?” he asked, trying to distract himself from the reaming he was going to get in about fifteen minutes.
Eir let out a heavy sigh. “It was … intense.”
“Oh?” Mason hated to hear her so weary. He wanted to erase every bad thing that had happened to her that day.
She sighed again, turning in her seat to look at him as he pulled out of the car park. “There’s a patient I’ve been working with. He’s an elderly gentleman who has an advanced form of cancer. His body is riddled with it. His doctor is sure he can survive the treatment they’ve devised for him, but …”
Mason reached over and took her hand. “But?” he prompted, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Her focus dropped down to his hand on hers. “But he won’t survive the treatment. The cancer … it’s everywhere—metastasized.”
“How old is he?” Mason asked, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. He studied her briefly before turning his eyes back to the road.
“He’s lived a good life—a long life. He’s in his eighties, but his family are demanding the treatment. I truly believe he would rather just pass away quickly, but there’s nothing we can do. We have to obey the wishes of the family.”
“I’m so sorry, Eir.”
She looked up at him, unshed tears pooling in her eyes. The car in front of them slowed to a stop, giving Mason the chance to reach over and wipe the tears away.
“Please don’t cry. I don’t like seeing you sad.”
She blinked at him, her pale lashes wet. “I don’t know why this affects me so much. I’ve been healing people and watching people pass for as long as I can remember. There’s just something about this man that makes me care that little bit more.”
Mason picked up her hand and brought it to his mouth. His lips brushed her skin. “You care about everyone, Eir. I don’t think that’s such a bad thing, do you?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so … but enough about me. How was your day?”
Mason looked back up at the traffic. It had started moving again. “It was spent sleeping mostly. I did manage to get some cleaning done, though, and I took Sophie out for a long run before I had to get ready to head into work.”
Eir laughed gently. “Look at you. I never would have pegged you for a domestic goddess.” He gave her a sideways glance, thinking about how great the sound of her laughter was.
Bringing her hand to his mouth again, he said, “Well, you are the only goddess in this car, but you’re a beautiful woman first.”
The look in Eir’s eyes made Mason’s heart stutter in his chest. “You shouldn’t say things like that to me,” she whispered.
Really? They’d come back to that again? He thought they’d straightened all of that out before. “Why not?” he pushed, determined to get back the same Eir he’d left that morning—the Eir who had almost kissed him back in his apartment, the Eir whose cheeks flushed pink at his compliments and heated as he brushed his lips against the back of her hand.
Her chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh. “Because we’re too different.”
He gritted his teeth. “You can’t use that as an excuse, Eir. I’ve already told you I don’t care how different we are, and I don’t see why you should either.”
Eir’s mouth popped open for a moment, but then she shut it just as fast. She looked down at her lap, but a small smile was hitching up the side of her mouth. Mason saw it and his heart soared. That smile said it all.
It said she was listening and accepting his words.
A few minutes later, Mason pulled his car up behind the club, parking next to Bryn’s BMW SUV.
Opening up Eir’s door, Mason lead the Valkyrie to the back door of the club, punching the code into the keypad and opening the door.
“I was wondering when you’d get here.” Korvain’s throaty growl broke the spell Mason was under while with Eir. Looking up, he came nose to chest with the Mare. Tilting his head back, Mason met Korvain’s arctic stare and felt a shiver of fear starting at the base of his skull and running down the length of his spine.
“Korvain,” Eir said soothingly, breaking the tension. “Mason just picked me up from work. The traffic was bad.”
The Mare’s dark eyes drifted down to Eir’s face, softening perceptibly. Mason could physically feel the shift in the air as the Mare became a different person around Eir. Korvain was looking her over, no doubt checking for any visible signs of damage.
“I’m going to go upstairs and get changed,” Eir said. She turned back to Mason. “Thanks for picking me up tonight.”
Mason was holding out hope she would press a kiss to his cheek, but she simply touched his forearm briefly and made her way towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. When he looked back, Korvain’s eyes were burning.
“Pull that stunt again and I will kill you,” Korvain said. Mason knew the bastard wasn’t lying. In fact, he was pretty sure he would take great pleasure in gutting him.
“I won’t, but I have to know why it’s such a big deal.”
Korvain ran a hand through his hair, his fingers flexed into claws. “I’ve heard that Darrion has been seen around town. He’s already killed one of his own Walkers, although why he did, I have no idea.”
“Fuck.” The word left his lips harshly. “I’ll keep my ears open for any more talk.”
“Good. You’ve got work to do out there, and I’ve had to cover your ass.”
That was as much conversation as Korvain was going to have, so Mason went into the locker room to change his shirt and put his headgear into place. A few minutes later, he was ready for a night of drunken humans and loud music.
Pulling open the door between the club and the offices, Mason stepped into the Eye. The floor was probably half full, the crowd quiet compared to what he was normally greeted with. Behind the bar, Mist and Elli served drinks. Elli’s forearm was still bandaged up, but she looked mobile enough.
Mason walked towards the bottom of the stairs. One of his men who usually worked in the nightclub on level two was in his spot.
“I’ll take it from here,” Mason told the him.
“Sure.” The guy disappeared up the stairs. Mason took up his position, his eyes moving across the room. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, until his eyes came to a stop on someone he had no desire to ever see again.