He’s planning on taking us to the next step...
“Be on your best behavior,” I gasp because now I know how crucial this dinner is. If Iversen makes one mistake it could be held against him. Oh yes, it’s crucial that everything goes exactly as planned.
Absolutely crucial.
****
Iversen
This is new to me, sitting here with the rest of them...with Valkyrie. Sometimes my rank has caused me to feel like a recluse. Always left out and never allowed inside with the masters but now I’m here. Not that I care about my status. I only care about it for Valkyrie’s comfort and she’s worth more than just a soldier.
She’s nervous tonight, more nervous than usual and her eyes keep flickering around the room but she’s so damn beautiful in the candlelight that her little ticks come across as amiable. Still, I want to grab her and kiss her to get her to calm down but you don’t just do that thing around here and go unpunished.
And I can wait, I can have patience. After the talk I have with her father, I will have her. And then she’ll be sitting in my lap by the dinner table while I feed her. I groan at the thought and Valkyrie fidgets at the sound, dropping a hot potato on the floor. Her eyes fill with embarrassment, a sheepish smile crossing her mouth before she looks down, puts up her elbows and hides her face in her hands.
“I can’t ever do anything right, can I?” she whispers, sounding like she’s struggling against tears and I want to pull her to my chest and tell her that she’s still the most wonderful being I’ve ever seen even if she throws food around.
“You’re doing fine,” I say from the corner of my mouth. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
She squirms. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re so assertive. I bet you’ve never dropped a hot potato like that in your life.” She pinches her lips, glancing at me like I’m the center of the universe. “Iversen, you own every room you walk into.”
Fuck the rooms. It’s her I want to own.
“Once you’re on my arm, you’ll be like that too,” I assure her. “I’ll share my power with you.”
The sadness disappears from her eyes and they shimmer and it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever felt proud of myself. Killing doesn’t make me proud, showing off my dominance doesn’t make me proud but being able to put a smile back on her face...fuck, nowthatmakes me proud.
Leaning back in my seat, I take a sip of my drink and I’m feeling pretty confident that I got this. As long as I play my cards right, I won’t be denied Valkyrie. Lifting my utensils to dig into my food, I tense when Paleface calls,
“Frey, I’d like to ask for permission to speak to your daughter.”
Dolph peers over the rim of his glass, his gaze unfocused but then he grunts. “Go on.”
I’m pissed. Pissed that he didn’t ask Valkyrie what she wants and that I’ll now have to share her attention with that fucker. Clenching my knife harder, I drop it along with my fork and drag a frustrated hand through my hair and kick back in my chair.
“Valkyrie,” Paleface says and I want to cut his tongue out for using her name. “My compliments on your looks tonight.” Valkyrie squirms because she doesn’t like the focus to be on her. She wants to linger in my shadows and that’s where I want her. That’s where she’s the safest.
“Thanks,” Valkyrie mutters and throws me a pleading glance because the whole table is staring at us now.
Paleface leans forward, pushing his plate to the side. “I want to get to know you better. What are your hobbies, Val?”
Val?
Fucker, I’ll put a bullet between your brows before you know it.
Her eyes dart around hesitantly. “I guess I like to play solitaire and walk in the park. And sometimes I swim in the p...pool.”
I freeze. She swims in the pool? What does she wear when she does it? Can’t be a teeny tiny bikini or I’ll kill myself. Or better yet, everyone who’s seen her in it.
“Something we have in common,” Paleface says. “I like exercising too. Keeps the mind in shape...,” Paleface does a big stretch, putting his arms behind his back. He flexes his biceps and his pecs twitch when he slides a hand down, “And the body.”
A pulse picks up in my temples and I grip the handle of the gun I keep in my pants.
“Fádir, I’d like for the soldier to stop talking to me now,” Valkyrie yaps and Dolph grunts,
“Stop talking to her.”
Paleface’s mouth snaps shut but he’s offended. Humiliated. There’s nothing worse than being humiliated as a made man and his emotions get the better of him. Turning to Valkyrie he growls, “Who do you think you are, bitch? You should be happy I wanna fuck a weak thing like you.”