Mason’s hands tightened on the wheel as he made the short drive back to the club from the hospital. Even though it was barely a six-mile trip, it was more than enough time for Mason to play and replay Korvain’s words in his head.
I’m going to fade back with her so you can’t fuck it up again.
Again.
Goddamn him, but Korvain was right.
I’ll take care of Eir.
He pulled down the side alley to park behind the club, bringing his car to a stop beside Bryn’s SUV. Putting it into park, he popped open his door, letting the cool, crisp air swirl inside. He breathed it in, letting it blow away some of his anger and frustration.
He had no right to be pissed at Korvain. The Mare was just trying to protect the Valkyries, but Mason felt like he should have been the one to look out for Eir. He had never felt this strongly about a woman, never felt an intimacy so intense. He felt as if he could finally be whole with Eir in his life—but already he had let her down, seen her hurt. He wasn’t strong enough to protect her.
With a sigh, he hauled himself out of his car, his eyes downcast … which was why he didn’t see Korvain coming. One minute, Mason was upright and breathing, and the next he was kissing the asphalt, struggling to suck in enough oxygen and nursing a pain in his stomach from a punch he thought had bruised his internal organs.
Hot breath steamed onto his face, and Mason opened his eyes, finding himself nose to nose with Korvain. Korvain bared his fangs before speaking in a low, controlled voice. “You are not to see Eir anymore.”
The shadows around them darkened perceptibly with Korvain’s building rage. And with that, any reply Mason could have given died on his tongue. Even though it would kill him, Mason knew Korvain was right. He would only hurt Eir more if he stayed in her life, and he couldn’t stomach the idea of her coming to any more harm.
“Am I making myself clear?” Korvain asked. His voice was calm, but the shadows around them grew darker.
Mason agreed stiffly. The Mare stepped back, staring down at him, his arms held close to his sides, his hands curled into tight fists.
“You’re not going to fight me on this?” he asked incredulously.
Carefully, Mason sat up, propping himself up against the car. Peering up at the Mare, Mason replied, “Do you expect me to?” He sighed. “Look, I get it, all right? I’ve fucked up my one and only chance with her, and I knew I only had one shot. So you’re right. I’m going to stay away from her.”
Korvain stared at him, his eyes boring into Mason’s skull. “For real?” he asked.
Mason didn’t break his gaze. Korvain’s shoulders relaxed and he held out a hand to haul Mason to his feet.
“I respect you, Mason,” Korvain said, leaning in close, “but if you’d told me to fuck off just now, I was going to put a bullet in your brain, and I really didn’t want to do that.”
Mason stopped breathing for a few seconds and only drew breath when his lungs began to burn. Korvain stepped away. “I expect you on the floor in five minutes.”
Four and a half minutes later, Mason was standing in front of the stairway to the upper levels of the club. His face was blank, his hands crossed in front of his body, but he kept his eyes moving, scanning the crowd, as he listened to the thoughts of the gods and goddesses drinking at the club that night.
Over five hours had passed and Darrion hadn’t been mentioned once by anyone. Mason was starting to think the bastard was a ghost, and Korvain was just chasing his tail trying to find him.
“Everything all right, Boss?”
Mason turned towards the voice. Sam, one of the younger bouncers at the club, was staring at him curiously. He couldn’t have been older than twenty-three at the most, but Mason knew for a fact he was a good guy. Hell, he had hand-selected him. He had seen something in him that reminded him of his brother.
“Yeah. I’m good.” Mason paused, wanting to take the focus off himself. He didn’t want to talk about personal shit at work. “I had something on I couldn’t miss.” Fuck, I said too much. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” he asked impatiently, his eyes making their way back to the crowd. That was when he noticed Bryn walking towards her office. Turning back to Sam, he said, “Actually, stay here. I need to speak to Bryn for a moment.”
Mason strode off before the younger man could answer, catching up to Bryn in the hallway. The Valkyrie stopped when she heard the door close behind her, looking back.
“Mason?” she asked. “What’s the matter?”
“I need to speak to you.” The words were barely audible over the pounding of blood in his ears.
“About what? I’m kind of busy.”
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry … about Eir. I shouldn’t have let it happen. It’s my fault.”
Bryn’s expression softened. “It’s fine, Mason. She’s all right now, maybe just a little shaken up, but she’ll recover. Believe me, she’s been through worse.”
Mason wanted to say more, but now wasn’t the time. Bryn saw him hesitate.
“Was there something else you needed?” she asked.
Shaking his head, Mason said, “No.” He retreated back into the club, knowing that he needed to drown himself in running the club’s security just so he could stop thinking about Eir and Sophie and everything else that was fucked up in his life.