Galen stepped past the Valkyrie standing guard at the door. Her calculating eyes had studied him for a lot longer than any other human or god who had come through before him. That fact alone made him uneasy.
As she held him up, he got a good look at the tattoo on her neck. Against all logic, the blade actually reflected the image of his face back at him, and his fingers twitched to reach out and touch it. The goddess grunted and dropped her hand from his chest. He waited just a second longer before stepping into the dimly lit club.
He hadn’t taken more than two steps when another hand landed where the Valkyrie’s had just been. The hand belonged to Bryn’s human.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” the human asked.
“That’s none of your business,” Galen shot back, enjoying the way the human’s eyes flared. Reaching up, he removed the man’s hand from his chest and went to walk past him.
“You’re not welcome here.” The words were thrown at his back, stopping him. Galen turned around and faced the human once more. He lifted his lips in a smile, revealing his fangs, hoping to intimidate the fuck out of the guy.
But the human stayed strong. In fact, he didn’t look at all fazed by the display.
“I’m not going to waste my time speaking to you,” Galen said slowly. “Where’s Bryn?”
“You are going to waste your time with me. She wasn’t interested in your last offer, and she sure as hell isn’t interested in your current one. In fact, I don’t think she’ll be interested in any offer you come up with, ever. The Eye is not for sale.”
Leaning in closer to the human’s face, Galen muttered his next words carefully. “I’d like to hear that from her lips.”
“Do we have a problem here?” Galen broke his gaze, turning around to look at Bryn, who had come up behind them.
He smiled, making sure to look nice and friendly. Yep, that was him, Galen—totally non-threatening.
“Good evening, Bryn. I’m here—”
“I know why you’re here,” she said abruptly, hitching one hand on her hip. “I’m not interested.”
“You don’t even know what I’m offering you.”
Her mouth flexed up in the corners, but the smile was cold and didn’t reach her eyes. “Let me make myself clear to you here, Galen. I’m not interested in selling a share of my business—large or small—and there is no price your employer could put on it that will change my mind. Am I making myself clear?”
Galen returned her smile. “Perfectly. But I’m not here for that.”
There was a subtle change in her expression, causing Galen to press on. “I understand why you don’t want to sell to Craine. You don’t know anything about him, yet he wants to buy a portion of your home.”
“You got that goddamn right,” Mason snarled at his back.
“Mason,” Bryn warned. Her eyes didn’t leave Galen’s face. “Come back to my office. I don’t want to discuss this out here.”
“Bryn, please,” the human pleaded. What a fucking pussy.
“Come,” she said, turning around and making her way through the small crowd already in the bar. Galen followed the Valkyrie, but could feel the human following him, watching him, like he had a target on his back.
Bryn reached the door leading to the hall and waited, ushering Galen through, but she stopped Mason, waving him away.
“Bryn.” His voice was strained.
“Mason,” Bryn said, “I’m fine.” She placed a hand on his forearm. Quietly, she added, “Just call Korvain down here. Will you do that for me?”
Reluctantly, Mason retreated from the hall, but not before he shot a dangerous look in Galen’s direction. Galen gave the man a smile that said fuck you as a parting gift.
Out in the hall, Bryn opened up her office and waved him in. Galen looked around, walking over to the large reproduction copy of William. T. Maud’s The Ride of the Valkyries.
Bryn stalked past him, dropping into the leather chair behind her desk. He could feel her eyes on his back, but she kept quiet. He turned around, jerking his head in the direction of the painting.
“One of your finer depictions,” he said.
Bryn’s eyes didn’t shift from his face. “Have a seat, Galen.”
He did, lowering himself into the chair opposite her. “I spoke to my boss—”
The Valkyrie put her hand up, stopping him. “I didn’t bring you back here to discuss whatever new deal your boss sent you back here for.”
Galen arched a brow. “So … why did you invite me back here?”
She ignored his question, just staring blankly at his face. They sat there for what seemed like hours before Korvain burst through the door, his muscular chest rising and falling rapidly with his harsh breath.
“What the fuck is he doing here again?” Korvain asked.
“I was waiting for you,” Bryn said.
Well, that can’t be good, Galen thought.
Korvain wandered casually around the office, the menace swirling in his eyes, which were watching Galen like a hunter watching his prey.
“What are you doing back here?” he asked, his voice low—perhaps a little too low.
“As I was telling Bryn before, I’ve spoken to my boss—”
“And I told you that I don’t give a fuck about what your boss has to offer.”
Galen sank back into the chair. He had to try another tack. Craine had told him to get close to them by any means possible. The first lie hadn’t worked. Looking abased, Galen met Bryn’s penetrating gaze.
“He’s fired me,” he said. “I fucked up and he told me not to come back to Chicago unless I wanted to be a head shorter.”
“Bullshit.” Korvain pressed his palms onto the desk and leaned down—getting into Galen’s personal space. Galen looked into those fathomless, dangerous eyes and swallowed hard. After meeting Korvain the first time, he had done his research. He’d gone down to a bar called the War Hammer and learned all about him, in fact.
He was somewhat of a legend.
He was the only Mare ever to have negotiated his contract with Darrion, the only Mare to be feared more than his guild master. He was rumored to be the last pure-blooded Mare in all the Nine Worlds, and that was why Darrion had wanted him. Galen just couldn’t figure out how the bastard had gotten him to sign the contract in his blood.
“Look, I don’t know any other way to tell you this. Craine was pissed that Bryn rejected the offer. I told him she wouldn’t accept any offer to buy a part of this property.” Galen sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “He told me not to come back if I can’t close a simple deal. He’ll kill me—and my brother—if I do.” The lies flowed so smoothly from his lips that he hardly had to think about it anymore.
Bryn’s eyes narrowed, and as he watched, Galen could have sworn that the room darkened. Every single hair on his body seemed to stand on end, and his eyes darted to Korvain.
“I suggest you leave before I remove you myself … piece by piece,” Korvain said. The lights flickered, sending the room into darkness for a split second. Galen stood up and moved towards the door.
He knew when he was beaten … unless …
Turning back around, Galen tried one last thing. “If you send me back there, you’re signing my death warrant.”
Korvain smiled, flashing his long fangs. “Happily.”
Galen licked his lips nervously. “My boss, Craine, I think he’s been manipulated by someone. He’s been acting really strangely lately.”
Bryn and Korvain shared a look. “Why would this be our problem?” Bryn asked, mistrust threaded through her voice. Galen shrugged, his mind working hard.
“I work for him, but I’d rather not be working for him if someone else has got control of the strings now.”
Korvain took a step towards him, his thick arms coming to rest across his chest. “You’re a hired killer. Why would you care where the orders come from?”
Galen shook his head. “It’s different. He’s acting like a guild master—trying to order me to do things. I began working for the humans because I didn’t want to feel as if I had no other choice, and with Craine it was always as if he presented me with a job and I could choose whether to do it or not.”
“And now?” Bryn asked.
“Now I feel as if I’ll be a member of the formerly-breathing-team if I return to Chicago with nothing. He’ll kill me. I’m sure of it.”
Korvain asked, “What do you want us to do about it? You’re a goddamn Mare. Kill the bastard first.”
Galen looked Bryn square in the eyes as he muttered his next words. “Give me a job here.”