Extraits

Legion elbowed Galen and moved in front of him to offer her hand to Bjorn. When he accepted, she flipped him to his back, dropping him to the floor. Then she rubbed her hands together in a job well done and walked deeper into the cabin. “Are there whore-derves? I’m starved.”

Fox couldn’t hide her smile this time. “My hors d’oeuvres consist of ambrosia-laced whiskey with decadent notes of take it or leave it.” She helped Bjorn to his feet.

“Knew she was going to do that,” he muttered, wrapping an arm around Fox’s waist, and she laughed outright.

“Sure you did, baby.” She patted his bulging biceps, maybe gave it a little squeeze, and nibbled on her bottom lip

“Oh! I should warn you. While you’re testing me, I’ll be charging you. I expect a daily wage for staying by your side, and a bonus for every portal I open. My friends and family discount is ten thousand dollars per eight-hour shift. Therefore, you’ll owe me twenty thousand a shift. I expect tips.”

The mouth twitching started up again, and damn, it was a gorgeous sight. “I do not receive a lover’s discount?”

“Maybe if you put out more.”

Twitch, twitch.

“Also,” she continued, “I’ll be testing you, too.” She stepped into his personal space to pat his cheek. “Don’t give me a reason to ditch you and—spoiler alert—I won’t ditch you. Give me a reason, and you’ll suffer the consequences. Meaning, no access to my goods.”

His stance softened. “And what is your given name?”

“No way I’ll—”

“Tell me, and I’ll let you watch reality TV all night.”

“With popcorn?”

“Multiple bags of popcorn.”

“Desdemona,” she rushed out, her cheeks already burning. “My given name is—was—Desdemona.”

He blinked, shook his head. Then, a full-blown smile broke out, lighting his entire face, and he laughed. A laughing Bjorn…

Eyes wide, jaw dropped, she stared at him, unable to look away. He. Was. Gorgeous. Incomparable. Perfection. She found herself blurting, “My middle name is Anastasia.”

“Desdemona Anastasia.” Now he threw back his head, his laughter booming.

The door burst open, shoving Fox forward. Bjorn caught her, stiffened, and shoved her behind his back, acting as her shield.

“Out,” he ordered.

“I thought she’d harmed you,” Thane said, and he sounded shaken. “But you were laughing.”

“Laughing,” Xerxes echoed.

Ugh. They’d both come running. But why were they so surprised about his merriment, anyway? Were they unable to amuse him or something? Uh…it just happened to be the easiest job ever.

“So? If you try to lock me up, a fight is going to happen. You have the Fox gold-star guarantee on that.”

“What if I pay you to walk yourself to the dungeon?”

Intrigue glittered in her lovely hazel eyes. “I hear the disapproval in your tone, baby boy. You consider me materialistic.”

“I do.” No reason to deny it.

“Maybe I like material gain because it allows me to save the people I love. Ever think of that? With an overflow of cash, I can buy weapons, mystical artifacts, homes, food, computers and vehicles—all necessities for surviving an immortal war. Wait. I can already hear your response.” Mimicking and mocking him, she wagged her finger in his direction and said, “Now, Foxy, my sweet. You should have a lady boner for helping everyone, not just your loved ones.”

Lady boner? The things this beauty said had a way of stabbing his high horse to death, leaving him reeling, without a solid foundation to stand upon. Worth it. Fox made life more exciting. She even made arguments fun.

For a long while, Bjorn remained in position, panting, his hands fisted.  Fox felt like a voyeur, witnessing a major life event she wasn’t supposed to see. 

“Who is she?”  The words croaked from her.

He flexed his jaw.  “She is…my wife."