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Shrugging, Kaleb leaned back against his desk. “I told you, I knowyou. You created an eyrie up there on that cliffside, and whilst you liked theview of the city lights, the days watching the clouds skate by is truly whenyour eyes light up. I got talking to Lexi at the bar one night. She told meabout how crafty she is. I described the colour and design I wanted and sheproduced that.”
Oh, Freyja. Still staring down at the blanket, Shaw released adeep pent up breath. Kaleb knew her. He’d been saying the words. But she hadn’theard them. He’d been showing her the truth in every gift he’d given her, butshe’d been blinded by her own insecurities and fears. But if he knew her, thenhe knew all her strengths and all her weaknesses, and yet still he had createdsome weird elaborate campaign to… annoy her.
No, not just annoy her. Ensure he was always in her thoughts.Every time she walked into her office, she’d looked for a gift with thatfamiliar green ribbon signalling he’d stopped by and left her somethingpersonal… something meaningful.
Every bar and club she entered her gaze automatically scanned theroom, hoping to catch a glimpse of him before he fled the scene… leaving herfeeling nothing but frustrated. He’d been everywhere and nowhere all at once.But always in her thoughts. Tricky bloody Demon.
Kaleb knew her. He’d proven it over and over again. Still staringdown at the blanket, so apt, so perfect… so her, Shaw whispered her deepest,darkest fear. “I’ll fail you.”
“Never. And not on purpose.”
“I’ll drive you away.”
“Please. I’m like a Labrador, nothing but fun, adoration, and toostupid to ever leave.”
“You are not stupid.” Shaw dropped the blanket onto the sofa,turning, her fists resting on her hips as she glared at him. “You are one ofthe most deviously brilliant bastards I’ve ever encountered and allowed to keepon living. What’s your end game in all this? The truth this time.” He kepttalking about us… but what did that mean?
Kaleb opened his mouth, magic freezing the words in his throat.Bloody claiming magic could be a real bitch. Okay, he rethought what he wasallowed to say. “Did… did Stephanie ever talk to you about how she and Galengot together?”
“The talking cow thing? That was very confusing. Something to dowith spoils of war and going off to get what was hers.”
“Yes.”
Kaleb sounded relieved by her statement but that just made Shaw frownharder, none of what he’d just said made any sense, did it?
Staring at him, she allowed that tiny flicker of hope in her gutto burn a little hotter, a little brighter. Freyja, he was beautiful. Not justthe packaging; the gorgeous face and that engaging dimple, but the devilishsparkle in his pale blue eyes. And she knew Kaleb. Just like he said her knewher.
Realised that for all his flirty banter and blather, his bodylanguage never gave anyone he was chatting with any real indication that he wasopen to anything more than a meaningless verbal interaction. That he mightlaugh, and shower those around him with flattery and compliments, but there wasno real intention behind his words to deceive or to issue an invitation foranything more. He was so over the top, with his broad smile, waggling eyebrowsand that infectious dimple, that it was readily apparent he took very littleserious. Yet you knew he appreciated everyone he met because he made them feelseen, it was a gift of his.
But woe betide anyone who tried to take him seriously. Except forher. For Shaw he dropped the smile. Let her see the predator he really was.Allowed her to get to know the calculating, plotting, brilliant Demon who dweltwithin. The real Kaleb Chipp.
Blowing out a frustrated breath, Shaw continued to stare at him.“You’re so annoying.” As if to prove her right, he smiled and nodded, butdidn’t speak. Okay, what did she remember about the weird chat she’d had withStephanie before her friend had marched off, determination glinting in hereyes? Only to send Shaw a text the next day informing her that she wasofficially mated to Galen.
Something about talking cows and spoils of war had triggeredsomething for Stephanie. She’d gone to confront Galen about the spoils of war…no, that wasn’t the exact word Stephanie had used.Being. That was theword she’d used. Stephanie had gone off to talk to Galen aboutbeingthespoils of war. Oh!
“There was never a talking cow, was there?”
“More of a metaphor is my understanding.”
Once again, the annoying, frustrating Demon ceased talking…because that was the way this worked, Shaw realised. There was magic at playhere. Or perhaps an even greater power at work, the Gods. Talk about afrustrating group. Ignore you one moment. Set you on a fated path to equalparts misery and glory the next.
Just look at Shaw’s own convoluted path to get here today. Allstarting with her knee injury. The tricky, unexplainable injury, that had madeShaw question whether Freyja hated her when she was banned from battle, andpromptly assigned the Head of Legal role. Which eventually backed her into acorner so she had no choice but to take on Stephanie’s to-do list. The veryfirst item on that list leading her straight here to Kaleb’s office.
“Do you know if Freyja knows Lucifer?”
“Galen mentioned something about them and a few other Deitiesgetting together for a weekly poker game, why?”
“Just considering whether its better if a Deity chooses to ignoreyou or decides to take an interest. So…” Okay, Shaw thought she’d worked outwhat needed to happen. Some words or some actions on her part. “… did anyoneever share with you exactly how I hurt my knee?”
“No.” Kaleb felt like they were on the edge of somethingpotentially huge here and Shaw wanted to gripe about her knee injury? How couldhe get her back on track? Think. Think.
Good. He didn’t know. Shaw had threatened everyone in the ValkyrieEmpire to secrecy regarding the events surrounding her little… mishap. “EveryEarth year we hold a take your daughter to battle day. Places are limited,mainly because suitable battles deemed to have a low to middling chance ofinjury or death are rare. It gives the tweens a taste of danger without anyreal actual threat to them. A year ago there was a corporate event… aretirement celebration or something. The client insisted on limiting damages todigits and no limbs above the first joint. Frustrating when your name pops upon the schedule to attend, but it’s kind of fun to watch the kids take it allso seriously.”
“That’s when you got hurt?” Kaleb was trying to hurry this along.He wanted to be claimed, damn it, not hear some tale of how Shaw was taken outby a weekend accountant with a lucky swing at a retirement battle.
“No. The battle… party, went off fine. As part of the experiencewe set up camp, grill steaks and tell stories around the fire. Do the wholecamping overnight thing. The kids eat it up. Part of the deal includes lettingthe kids sneak around after hours, staying up past curfew. That particularnight I headed for my tent, knowing the campsite manager would watch over thekids. Problem was, two of the little fiends decided to break into the alewagon. Not easily done because those things are locked down with serious magic.They were having a tough time of it, and afraid that they might be making toomuch noise, so they decided to move the wagon further from the campsite. Exceptwe don’t leave the oxen hitched to the wagon overnight. Unfortunately, whenthey smacked an ox’s rump to get him to move, he kicked, hitting the wagon.Which some bloody fool had left parked on a slope.”
“Oh, no.” Kaleb was trying not to laugh now.
